Campbell's Kitchen

Since my mom passed away, things are getting back to somewhat normal around here. I still miss her and I'm sure I always will. There are moments when I forget, and I pick up the phone to call her or start to email her and suddenly I remember. But I think that will probably always happen, and I'm just used to talking to her out loud now wherever I am.

Since her house is right up the street from mine (about a half mile walk), the job of tending to the gardens in the front and back yards has fallen to me. I go up there almost daily and pull weeds, water the plants, and take pictures of her beautiful flowers. My mom had the most amazing green thumb. I only hope a little of it rubs off on me.

The other day, I was up tending to her raised bed in the backyard, when I discovered the most amazing thing (to me, anyway). Maybe a little background would help you all be amazed too.

One of the things Mom was lamenting about on Mother's Day weekend is that she hadn't had the energy to go buy any tomato plants, so there would be no amazing tomato harvest this year to make salsas and sauces from. After her passing, when it became clear that we will have to continue caring for her garden and home while probate is settled, I seriously considered running out to buy some tomato plants just for her garden spot. Life got busy, though, with planning and holding the memorial, kids getting out of school, work, and other things, and I just never had the chance.

The other day, I went up as usual to pull some weeds and just hang out in Mom's peaceful backyard watching the birds. As I wrapped my hand around a weed growing up and around the extended edge of the raised bed and began to yank it out, a familiar aroma hit my nose and at the same time I noticed the little yellow flower on the plant. There was a healthy, blooming, tomato plant growing up from the very edge of the bed. It was all twisty from having to reach up and around from the shade under the edge, but it was in very healthy shape and blooming! I decided it would have a better chance at survival if I dug it up and transplanted it to a sunny spot. When I did, it turned out there was not only one tomato plant, but two rather large ones and SIX smaller-sized ones with healthy roots. I was amazed.

So, in addition to having my memories, the things in my home that remind me of my mom, and pictures of her beautiful flowers, with any luck we will have tomatoes this summer. Thanks, Mom.

PS: Pictures of some of her beautiful flowers, a couple of her garden itself, and of the surprise tomatoes can be seen in my photo album, here.

I spent most of Mother's Day weekend this year tending to my mother, who was suffering from some sort of flu virus. Early Monday morning when I arrived at her house to pick her up for a doctor's appointment her condition impelled me to have her hospitalized by ambulance immediately. She was conscious and responsive, but she showed signs of pneumonia and was very weak. Although everything possible was done, she was never released from the critical care unit, and she passed from this world much more peacefully than she had been able to live her last months in it during the early morning hours of Friday, May 18, 2007. She was 68 years young.

I am incredibly blessed to have been able to be with her through her last living days. I know that at last she is free from the pain she suffered on a daily basis due to Rheumatoid Arthritis, Diabetes, and various other ailments that constantly annoyed her. I miss her terribly. I am also blessed to have wonderful family and friends, sympathetic and understanding co-workers and neighbors and an incredibly strong and supportive husband, without all of whom I would not be faring so well right now.

To those of you who have lost your parents, blessings to you. I'd like to ask those of you whose parents are still alive to go hug them for me, or give them a call if they're not near enough to hug.

I'm sitting here taking a quiet moment in between tasks on my list. The house smells of cinnamon candles, noble fir, and the black bean chicken tortilla soup I'm making for dinner. I finished my shopping today and now have to sort out who gets what and make sure I didn't miss anything/anyone. Tonight and tomorrow will be spent wrapping gifts and finishing up whatever else comes up. Hopefully relaxing will be one of those things.

Last night I finally got a Christmas tree. Ideally, I have my tree up and decorated before the 21st of November. Not this year, for a variety of reasons. Even though I'd done some decorating, the lack of a proper Christmas tree in the living room was making me feel like a Scrooge. Can't have that!

Last night, on a bit of a whim, I went and checked out this little tree lot that had been in the same location for as long as I can remember. Instead of the usual array of Douglas and Frasier firs, they had Noble firs. Beautiful, tall, nicely shaped, long-lasting noble fir trees. The one I chose looks lovely in my living room, if I do say so myself. All of my favorite ornaments are on this tree, including some that are special to each child and some that are special from my own childhood. I took a few pictures of some of my favorite ornaments after I got the tree all decorated and will upload them to my photo album even though they're not food. (There are, however, some pictures of my Rocky Road and the cookies in a jar I made.)

I love handmade ornaments. One of my favorites are the cookie cutter ornaments made from spiced dough. I'll post a recipe here.
Unfortunately, the ornaments we made using the following recipe have not survived the years well at all; next time we do this project I will have to share pictures.


Cinnamon Spice Ornaments

Fill your house with the scent of cinnamon and spice this winter! These fragrant ornaments are perfect for a tabletop tree or to hang in the kitchen. They smell wonderful and retain their fragrance for several years. They are rather fragile when they're dry and may break if you drop them.

1 jar cinnamon (approx. 4 ounces/1 cup) slightly more or less; start with approximately ½ cup

1–2 tablespoons cloves (use the larger amount for a darker ornament, and slightly decrease the cinnamon)

1 tablespoon nutmeg (you can include allspice, mace, or ‘pumpkin pie spice’)

½ to ¾ cup applesauce

2 tablespoons white glue (Elmer’s white glue works well)

A thin skewer, straw, or toothpick to make a hole for hanging

Ribbon for hanging (1/8 to ¼ inch width) & Paints (optional)

There are several variations of this recipe, but most contain approximately equal amounts of cinnamon and other spices mixed with applesauce, with a small amount of glue added for strength.

In a small to medium bowl, combine cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg (and other spices), sifted together for even distribution. Add spice mixture to applesauce and glue; stir to combine. Work mixture with hands for 2 to 3 minutes, until dough is smooth and the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. It resembles pie crust dough. Divide dough into 2 or 3 portions. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 1–2 hours. The dough can be refrigerated overnight; bring to room temperature before you continue.

Knead briefly, then roll each portion to 1/4" thickness on a board lightly dusted with cinnamon to prevent sticking. Cut into shapes with small cookie cutters (dipped in cinnamon) or cut the dough into freeform shapes. Smaller size cookie or canapé cutters work best. Good choices: gingerbread men and women, small bears, or stars. Heart shapes can be used for Christmas or Valentine’s Day. Make a small hole in the top of each ornament for hanging. Place cutouts on wire racks and allow to dry at room temperature (this can take several days). Daily turning will give you a flatter ornament with less warping. When the ornaments are thoroughly dry, add decorative touches, for example, a small red heart for a gingerbread man, or a child’s name. Thread ribbon through hole in ornament, tie an overhand knot close to the ornament, with another spaced 2-3 inches away to form a hanging loop. Trim ends at a slight angle.

Recipe makes approx. 32 (2-inch) ornaments. Recipe may be halved.

Young helpers should be supervised. These ornaments are not edible.


I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday. Take care!