Living requires such courage at times.

I am loving two very honest and courageous books right now, both dealing with today's financial challenges:

Sarah Ban Breathnach's new book Peace and Plenty: Finding Your Path to Financial Serenity focuses on her own personal path. She relates never-before revealed details about how she fell from the financial top to the bottom and proves she understands the plight of those trying to maintain a happy and comfortable home, while at the same time not even knowing if they will be able to make the mortgage to keep that home.

Roth's Lost and Found: Unexpected Revelations About Food and Money is an absolutely riveting tale of how she lost her life savings to Bernie Madoff and the deep transformation that brought to her life.

In my own life, I remember that it was the hard times that taught me the most, and that brought out the best in me. So, I find it comforting that these talented authors are willing to share their struggles and lessons.

And, let's face it, we are all experiencing the effects of today’s economy.

So, here is my favorite solution--making at least seven (yes 7!) gourmet meals out of a single Costco rotisserie chicken.

Do you know how delicious these are? Even Julia Child had high praise for them! They are "brined" (soaked in salt water for plumpness and juiciness) and then roasted to a goodness it is almost impossible to duplicate at home. AND, they are only $4.95. So, yes, that is 7 servings for less than $.75 apiece.

Be sure to slice the chicken as soon as you get home while it is still warm. Use a serrated knife and hold it steady with a fork while you slice 4 even slices from each breast, reserving skin and bones.

See how the slices look along with all the dark meat I have pulled off by hand, and then drizzled with the drippings in the pan. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Sometime in the next 5 days you can use these slices to make 4 delicious sandwiches. (I like using a honey raspberry mustard, mayo, sliced cheese, sliced fresh tomato and lettuce. (You can freeze these sandwiches without the lettuce and tomato if you substitute butter for mayo. They thaw very quickly and are handy for “What’s to eat around here?” moments.)

Place the skin in a soup pot along with all the bones when you are done. You will then add cold water to cover by an inch or two, an onion, a squashed clove of garlic if you like, some parsley stems and a little salt. Simmer for two hours, then let cool slightly and pour through a colander into a bowl to cool completely. Chill overnight. The fat will have congealed on the surface, so you can just spoon that off and throw it away (unless you have low cholesterol and like browning things like hash browns in chicken fat).

You will love how rich, flavorful and gelatinous this broth is from being simmered with bones.Freeze it, or use as a base for soup or sauces.

In this photo I mixed some of the thigh and leg meat pieces with a jar of Salsa Chile Verde from Trader Joe's that I stirred into a bit of butter, flour and chicken broth, seasoning to taste. This was inspired by Ted's favorite meal at the Pearl Restaurant in Napawhere we love to sit at the counter and watch the two chefs prepare all the orders. It is served with polenta. (The real one is pictured below.)

Or, sometimes I make a Chicken Salad by shredding the chicken and tossing it into a salad of torn lettuce, crumbled bleu cheese, dried cranberries and toasted almonds with a light dressing.

DIANA’S ROTISSERIE CHICKEN SOUP

For 4 servings

This is so good, and ready to serve in minutes!

A drizzle of olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1-2 cups vegetables from the fridge like 2 stalks of chopped celery, sliced baby carrots, sliced sugar snap peas, frozen peas or corn.

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 cup white wine or dry vermouth

8 cups rich chicken broth (from method above, or use canned)

3/4 cup macaroni or other small pasta

shredded dark meat of 1 rotisserie chicken

Fresh minced herbs and salt to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Stir in onion and minced vegies. Cook covered for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Stir in garlic briefly, then add wine. Cook until almost evaporated then add broth. Bring to a boil and add pasta, cooking until just tender. Stir in shredded chicken and fresh herbs and salt to taste.

Light your own candle!

There is a secret to having the best birthday ever.

The secret? No one can create it but you!

So, invite fascinating people to join you in celebrating.

Why leave your birthday up to others? When we do so we create expectations in ourselves and sheer dread in those around us.

Really? Ask people to celebrate you?

Yes! Do you remember being an outsider in your youth? The times in the school yard when you felt excluded? Didn’t you wish to be included?

It has taken me all these years to learn a tough lesson—I now know that the path to feeling included is to simply INCLUDE! Invite people to join you. Not all will accept your invitation (their loss, NEXT!), but most people you most want to know will surprise you by saying yes. Most will feel honored you asked.

Last week, on my birthday, (March forth--the only command in the year!), I realized I wanted to do something truly memorable. Ted and I were planning to be in the Bay Area, and I began to think of who I knew there. The first who came to mind was one of my writer heroes Kim Rosen, author of Saved by a Poem.

Wouldn’t it be great if she would join us for lunch? I wondered. So, I sent her an email and she said “Yes, what fun!”

That success spurred me to remember what a great fan I am of Roger Housden, author of many of my favorite books (click on his name for a list) who lives in Sausalito. Kim had mentioned once that she knows him, so I asked for his email and invited him to join us as well. He said, (Guess what!) "YES!"

For the next week I had the best birthday lunch imaginable to look forward to!

Kim suggested a restaurant new to us, Piatti in Mill Valley, with a view of the bay.

Here are dishes from their lunch menu:

My main course was this Salmone: blackened Loch Duart Salmon with Yukon gold potatoes, roasted asparagus and Meyer lemon beurre fondue.

The company, conversation and cuisine were beyond my imaginings!

Now, what if I hadn’t had the courage to ask?

Can we afford any half-heartedness in the time remaining to us?

~Roger Housden

BALSAMIC DIPPING SAUCE

For 1 cup

This divine dipping sauce served as the beginning of our breaking crusty bread together. It remains my favorite taste of the meal!

6 ounces EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)

1 ounce Balsamic vinegar (See note)

1 clove garlic, minced

a sprinkling of fresh minced parsley

Salt, freshly ground pepper, and red chile flakes, to taste

Note: Some of the best chefs I know swear by the Trader Joe brand.

Whisk together all ingredients and pour into dish for dipping. Serve with slices of crusty bread.

Give back your heart to itself . . .

How did your five-year-old love to play? Did you make up games? What were they? What did you truly love?

Yesterday, speaking on the subject of Life as a Work of Heart, I asked this question of my audience. Gradual smiles softened their faces as they remembered.

In mid-life, this very self-inquiry changed my life. I realized it wasn’t food preparation that had led me into my long career in cooking and entertaining; it was the result—the gathering of people around the table in celebration, in sharing ideas, in connection! And so I then reinvented what I was doing and my career turned into something infinitely more satisfying.

Will you take a moment to recapture what gave you joy? Where did your inborn love lead you?

(Above is a Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcake for your five-year-old. You can keep them in the freezer--they thaw in only a few minutes for an afternoon treat for yourself or when a friend drops in.)

It is so important to pay attention to what our hearts tell us. These words from the poem Love After Love by Derek Wolcott (click on the title for the whole poem), remind us of the deep meaning of our lives.

. . .love again the stranger who was your self. 


. . . Give back your heart 
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you 



all your life, whom you ignored 


for another, who knows you by heart. 


Here is a great Valentine gift for yourself. Marci Shimoff's new book, Love For No Reason is an astonishing teaching of the experience of pure love for its own sake. What I call Divine Love. Truly, every page is filling my heart with joy!

And, what better time of year, when hearts as a symbol of love are everywhere, to use something we take very much for granted, fresh strawberries, as a sign of celebration? This is so easy. I hope you will love it!

Goat Cheese with Roasted Sunflower Seeds,

Strawberry Hearts and Honey

Small log of goat cheese

Roasted sunflower seeds (can use honey-roasted)

Strawberry slices

Honey to drizzle over all

Serve at room temperature with thinly sliced bread or crisp crackers

Happy Groundhog Day!

It sure doesn't feel like it, but the groundhog says we are in for an early Spring!

With two-thirds of the US snowed in, it would seem a risky call.

This photo by Melissa Farlow is from an article in National Geographic that informs me he is also known as a woodchuck or marmot. Did you know that? Did you know he has been right 24 out of his last 30 predictions?

A fun weather blog I found this morning shows how outrageous this forecast is.

The poet Lynn Ungar in her poem, Groundhog Day, asks:

Celebrate this unlikely oracle,

this ball of fat and fur,

whom we so mysteriously endow

with the power to predict spring.

Let's hear it for the improbable heroes who,

frightened at their own shadows,

nonetheless unwittingly work miracles.

Why shouldn't we believe

this peculiar rodent holds power

over sun and seasons in his stubby paw?

Who says that God is all grandeur and glory?

Early Spring or not, I'm ready!

Nothing says "Spring is here" more than bright bundles of fresh asparagus just hitting the markets. For the best recipe I know, I head for Sarah Leah Chase's COLD-WEATHER COOKING, an appropriately named and favorite cookbook I've cherished for years.

MY VERY FAVORITE

ASPARAGUS VINAIGRETTE

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard,

1 small clove garlic, finely minced

½ cup fruity olive oil

6 cherry or grape tomatoes, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 pounds medium asparagus trimmed and bottom portions of stalks peeled (See Note)

1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Note: Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus spears where they naturally break. Use a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler to peel the bottom 3 inches of the stalk.

1. For the vinaigrette, whisk the vinegar, lemon juice and mustard together in a small bowl. Add the garlic. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, then stir in the diced tomato. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let mellow at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

2. Blanch, steam, or microwave the asparagus just until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain. Arrange the hot asparagus on a serving platter and our the vinaigrette over all. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving. The asparagus may be served warm or at room temperature. I often make it about 30 minutes ahead of serving and let it sit while I attend to the rest of my meal.

A Letter from Elvis, at last!

I misplaced it years ago.

Took it out of the envelope, thought it would be fun to show someone, and then it was gone.

Now, this January, as I do about every seven years, I am reinventing myself completely. I won't tell you yet what that looks like, but I will tell you that a certain chaos always accompanies reinvention. The proverbial caterpillar has to plow through a pile of muck to become a butterfly.

And so it is that I am clearing out our storage garage. My friend Linda, a friend who is helping me, said, "Oh, by the way, I found a letter fromElvis Presley."

So here it is, along with a photo from a magazine of Elvis in his Army uniform, which is how he was dressed when I met him one day in Paris when he was on his first leave. I wrote the whole story of the two years I knew him in my book Chicken Soup for the Soul Cookbook.

So, I am thinking of a little Elvis snack--a peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich would really hit the spot. Here is one I found online from the Food Network.

A great reward for getting covered with dust, one that will be appreciated by my grandchildren.

Christmas "Presence"

Oh Lord, how shining and festive is your gift to us,

if we

only look, and see.

~ Mary Oliver ~

True enjoyment of these holidays (holy days) is what my heart wants this year, and so I’ve just done the strangest thing!

I hauled out the many Christmas decorations from the garage cupboard, stacked them all in the front hall, and then put all except two away again!

Instead of the usual holiday fuss, my old patchwork Santa and my jeweled tree are the only decorations in our home this year. I am giving myself, family and friends the most meaningful gift I can give, my full Christmas Presence! I am simply spending real time with them, looking through new eyes in a state of wonder.

Presence began with a spectacular lunch at the new True Food Kitchen with my oldest friend Alice--we met when only three. Our lives have been full indeed--of beauty and poignancy, and hardly what we expected. We love reconnecting to share what is meaningful now.

Afterward, we strolled through Roger’s Gardens, perhaps the most amazing nursery/gift shop anywhere, and right in our backyard. We admired and photographed the Christmas trees made from vintage earrings made by my talented friend Margaret Larkin to post here for you. Simply taking in the sights of all the beauty filled our hearts.

Yesterday, Ted and I took advantage of the Balboa Island Holiday Home Tour and walked two miles around the island to view the insides of homes we've been strolling past for years. What a festive treat!

The Victorian home on the left often wins the Sweepstakes prize. And each little garden patch was imaginatively decorated.

Last night, while listening to Christmas music and stirring in blessings and poetry, I made 34 sparkling jars of Sugar Plum Jam.

And today, for you, I made the following Pumpkin Fudge. So delicious and full of holiday flavor.

Tomorrow I will celebrate the holidays with lunch with my dearest friends at our Emergency Book Club.

Being present to the beauty of all our shared holiday decorations is the very best gift I can give this year to myself and to everyone else!

PUMPKIN FUDGE

Some prefer this creamy spiced fudge to my Divine Chocolate Fudge, especially during the holidays. So easy to make and perfect for a last minute gift!

3 cups sugar

20 large marshmallows

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter

1 (6 ounce) can evaporated milk

2/3 cup pureed pumpkin (can use canned—freeze rest for another use)

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1-1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 (12 ounce) package white chocolate morsels

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted plus 24 toasted pecans, to garnish

Line an 8- or 9-inch square cake pan, or the 8 cavities in a mini-loaf pan with parchment paper (preferably unbleached). Or, lightly butter a flat cold surface like granite or marble, or even a baking sheet. Set out a large rubber spatula.

Combine the first seven ingredients in a heavy-bottomed 5- to 6-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly with a large wire whisk or a sturdy wooden spoon. When the marshmallows melt and the mixture comes to a boil set your timer for 12 minutes. Stir almost constantly until the buzzer rings. Now is a good time to stir in your wishes or prayers for those who will enjoy your Divine Fudge.

Remove from the heat and very carefully (it is super hot!) stir in the white chocolate morsels and nuts. Beat constantly until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is very smooth. Quickly pour into the prepared pan(s) or onto a cold surface, using a rubber spatula for spreading the fudge evenly and making a few decorative swirls in the top.

Cool overnight before removing from pans. If not making in mini-loaves, cut into pieces. For best flavor, serve fudge at room temperature. (I wrap loaves in individual plastic bags, clear mini-treat bags made by Wilton available in the candy making section at Michael’s craft stores.)

TO PREPARE IN ADVANCE: Fudge becomes firmer the longer it is stored and keeps beautifully at room temperature for up to a week, in the refrigerator up to a month, or in the freezer indefinitely.

What I didn't know

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

~ e.e. cummings ~

My friend Sheva asked me "What didn't you know at this time last year that you now know, that has made a huge difference in your life?"

What a fascinating question!

I certainly had no idea a resolution I would make for the New Year would throw open a series of doors of joy and connection.

What I resolved was to learn an inspiring poem by heart every week. Inspired by a book I happened to pick up, Saved by a Poem by Kim Rosen, I simply thought it would be fun to be able to tap into inspiring words, and that it would be good exercise for my brain cells.

Stepping through our front gate on my morning walks, paper with poem clutched in hand, I practiced lines over and over for the 20 minutes it takes to hike my hilly mile. I began to notice that I returned home with feelings of expansion and well-being. This is very good, I thought.

Little by little I began shyly sharing a poem with friends. But I still had no clue what would begin to happen. You readers of my blog know that I began to share some quotes here and there in my writings. Soon after I posted this Valentine's Day blog I found a note from Nancy Barton, agent for Daniel Landinsky, translator of one of my favorite poets, Hafiz, thanking me for sharing his poetry. I was truly astonished. I had recently connected with Janet Conner, author of Writing Down Your Soul, when she spoke at our local Inside Edge breakfast, only to find we share a passion for Hafiz poetry and an acquaintance with the same Nancy Barton.

Meanwhile, the poetry I've memorized has become my most uplifting joy, and I can recite from deep in my bones. I am invited to speak more and more often and poetry just flows from me as the very best way to illustrate my feelings.

So, here is an early holiday gift for you. The first 75 people to sign up to dial in and hear four friends, Janet Connor, Nancy Conner, Neale Lundgren and me, share our most joyous poetry for 1-1/2 hours on what we call a "Mystical Poetry Love Fest" on December 7 will receive it free--no charge. Please do sign up early, and join us!

As I am cooking up some traditional side dishes (like the corn pudding below) while stirring in poetic blessings for our Thanksgiving feast this year, I am beyond grateful for the grace of the gift that came out of simply listening within and following my heart.

And, I am thankful for you, my dear readers. May you have the most blessed Thanksgiving ever!

CORN PUDDING

For 8 servings

4 cups frozen corn kernels (about 19 ounces)

4 large eggs

1 cup heavy (whipping) cream

½ cup whole milk

1/3 cup sugar

½ stick butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons tortilla flour (masa harina) or white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 6-cup capacity baking dish.

Mix together 3 cups of the corn and the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender until almost smooth. Pour batter into the dish. Stir in the remaining corn kernels to distribute evenly.

Bake pudding for about 45 minutes until it is brown and the center is just set. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

To prepare in advance : Cool and refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature for an hour or so, then reheat in microwave or oven until warm.