God says, "Hello..."

I told Mac I don't believe in coincidences.
For me, these are occasions when God sets up a surprise to get my attention.
To remind me that he always gives me what I need.
And more.

Like the day in December after I learned I lost half my teaching load (half my income)...
I'd run an errand after an evening class and coming out into the dimly lit parking lot I spotted a bill on the ground.  In the middle of the lane.  Not a soul in sight.  No one to call after.

Only to say, "Thank you."

Like the next Saturday, I went thrift shopping in town to find ingredients for my work with the plan to open an Etsy shop and sell online to make up some of that lost income.
(Here's the back story - last year, with my pal, Cindy, I saw the Yinka Shonibare MBE show at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.  He's a British/Nigerian artist who uses African patterned fabric to create Colonial/Victorian costumes and poses life-sized mannequins in settings that explore race and culture with both irony and beauty.  [As I'm such a freak about copyright etiquette, you'll have to google his work and see the amazing images.]
Apart from the stunning social commentary, I couldn't get over the gorgeous cloth and researched it until I found Dutch-waxed batiks and learned about their history and manufacture.  The real thing [the best real thing] comes from Vlisco in Holland and costs both arms and both legs, but it is to die for.
Recently I found that my friend, Janice, is also crazy for this cloth and she offered several sites online from other houses who produce nice goods with much better/discount prices.  And she even gifted me with some super yardage.)
So I discovered that the thrift store sorts the donations on Saturday AM and they throw away a half-ton of stuff they can't resell.
Did they mind if I looked at the discards [in the dumpster!]?
Nope, didn't mind at all.
There were cook books and board game components and some fabric I snagged.
It was only when I arrived home to sort through the loot that I noticed the wording along the selvage...

                                                ...what I couldn't get on my own...

When I was in Boise for Christmas, I also got to celebrate Amanda's birthday and offered to cook dinner for the kids and some friends.

What would she like?

"Give me a choice."

I can't think...  Though I have a delicious past, I haven't made a wonderful meal in a long time.

Both A+A (her dear husband), are great in the kitchen and they have a fine library including many terrific cookbooks.  I still wasn't inspired.

She brought out her food notebook and showed me a recipe (printed out from Epicurious online), some friends had made for them awhile back.  Sounded good... short ribs braised in cabernet with Gorgonzola polenta and gremolata topping (mixed fresh herbs).

We found all the specifics at WinCo and the fabulous Boise Co-Op.  (I love that store.)

I began the night before seasoning the meat and chopping the onions and herbs.  It took  most of The Day preparing the feast... browning the ribs in batches, packing all 9 pounds of them in one pot, putting them in the oven to braise in a bath of the ruby wine, removing the tender meat and bones, reducing the cooking liquid and skimming off the fat, thickening the sauce...  It smelled so good.  (So good.)

Andrew served as my (self-proclaimed) sous chef and produced an amazing polenta.

We all sat down to the beautiful plates served with a fresh hot baguette and nice Cab to drink, and after firsts and seconds, agreed it was well worth the effort.  Yum.

And there was dessert!

My students in San Diego are especially good with the 'sharing table.'  They bring in fabric and trim and books and magazines for anyone who wants it. It's usually crowded around the table any time I'm not lecturing.  And I can't resist the lure of more "stash" myself.

Yesterday, about 2 hours into the class, everyone was working on our charity quilts (for children in hospitals - through Project Linus and the Downy fabric softener kids program), and I had made the rounds offering suggestions as needed.  I passed by the sharing table and saw a copy of Bon Appetit next to all the quilting magazines.

Look what I saw on the cover from October 2007...

As many of my 'moments' occur in solitude, I was excited to share the story of our birthday meal with small groups of my students as they cut and stitched.

I'm very pleased to have this old issue of the magazine with our memorable dish right on the cover.  And who could have guessed it would be set right there before me?!

Hello, God...