Hurricane
Ian slammed into Florida a month ago. For most of us, it's difficult to
watch the path of the storm as it sets its eye on land. Those of us
with a heart and the capability to feel compassion, that is. For me, the dread was mixed with deja vu.
I
think you all know by now that my mom's winter home is on Marco Island.
Hurricane Irma put Marco in the bullseye back in 2017, which was the
last time I'd seen a CNN news story focused on the tiny Island.
In the end of September, it happened once again. Ian's bullseye was confirmed to be Naples. And Marco is just off of Naples.
That night was the second time I'd seen a CNN news story focused on Marco.
After the initial devastation, as
the storm worked its way up the coast, weakening along the way, and we
were able to assess the damage in general (my cousin was on the island
and kept us informed), we waited to hear about the condition of mom's
home. And I got to thinking.
Relief
that it was over mixed with heartbreak at the loss of life. And there was empathy for all of those who had to deal
with the aftermath, the clean up, the loss, the trauma. Millions were
without electricity, their streets were flooded hampering even local
travel, and something as simple and life sustaining as food was an
issue. Where would their next meal come from?
Wild Mushroom & Smoked Salmon Rotini
I
remembered
the devastation Puerto Rico suffered in 2017 and how the trump
administration did not provide the humanitarian support those citizens needed. Not
a hurricane, but I remembered Texas's winter storm last year, when Ted Cruz called his friends, gathered his family, and went off on vacation.
And I thought about DeSantis, and what he had just done to target and harm people taking refuge in his state.
All of which, believe it or not, brought me to hope.
Because
despite DeSantis's cruelty, my home state of Massachusetts rose
honorably to the challenge.
And
it made me realize that the tide has started to turn, no matter the level of cruelty by the local administration of the exact state that was now in such a desperate
situation, we no longer, at the federal level, reward or punish states based on their local
politics.
We have far to go as a country, just to get back to square one when it comes to how we treat each other. It was a relief to know that under this administration, desperation would once again be met with support, compassion, and collaborative assistance.
Whichever way the wind blows.
Wild Mushroom & Smoked Salmon Rotini
©www.BakingInATornado.com
Ingredients:
2 cups vegetable broth, divided
1 package (.5 oz) dried wild mushrooms
1 box (16 oz) vegetable rotini
4 - 5 oz smoked salmon, sliced
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz portobello mushroom caps, cleaned, stem stub removed, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried dill
1 TBSP cooking sherry
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 green onion, sliced
Directions:
*Boil 1 cup of the vegetable broth. Add the mushrooms and set aside for 15 minutes.
*Cook the pasta to al dente. Place the salmon in the pot with the pasta and cover to keep warm.
*Cook the pasta to al dente. Place the salmon in the pot with the pasta and cover to keep warm.
*In
a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil.
Add the onion, garlic, and portobellos. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add the wild
mushrooms with the broth, the additional broth, salt, pepper, dill, and sherry.
*Bring
to a boil, reduce heat, add the lemon juice, and simmer 3 minutes. Mix
in the pasta with the salmon. Top with the green onions.
Living in the swamps of south Louisiana, we know, we get it, and yes, compassion is needed.
ReplyDeleteI have hope we're moving in that direction.
DeleteI'm not as optimistic as you are, Karen. True, Biden (with his compassionate nature) is in office for two more years, but I have real fears that we are going to lose one chamber of Congress-possibly both of them. And we'll be back to paper towels. Maybe even worse. Why did Adidas take their time to dump Ye? Because they were afraid they would lose profits? And customers? People are more and more open with hate and lack of compassion.
ReplyDeleteIn this day of open and blatant antisemitism accepted by so many, at least Adidas did drop him.
DeleteSometimes Hope helps get real things done.
ReplyDeleteHope and compassion.
DeleteHurricanes are just awful. I'm so glad that I don't live in an area that has them. We don't have much in the way or tornadoes or earthquakes either. That's the one good thing about living here.
ReplyDeleteSounds great, weather wise. I grew up with hurricanes and squalls, now live in tornado country. Don't like any of them, but tornadoes really scare me.
DeleteOh my. I came to read recipes and got politics.
ReplyDeleteI am not for either party and would like to just get thru something (anything) without politics!!! It's everywhere and closing in.
It's everywhere because this is such a pivotal, consequential time in our history. Everything is in jeopardy, we all need to talk about it, and most importantly we all need to stand up for our morals and values.
Delete