Blessed friendships

Dear friends and family,

Remembering when I woke up at 4 a.m. that our writing group was meeting today, I started writing a bit for the Seminar I am taking part in next spring so I would have something to read to everyone. I think I got a good start. Laury, our Seminar leader, wants 200-300 word abstract in a few days. I'll do it.

The writing group itself is sheer joy. We were all there, though not everyone read. Everyone writes so differently, and we love each other and what we read aloud to each other. And we snacked. Kathryn showed photos of her grandson Henry and his new cousin Analisa [sp?], a girl in the family at last.

I am hanging in, waiting for the magic of the blood transfusion tomorrow. In the meantime, I got the news that a something my dermatologist removed from my chest needs to be excised completely by a plastic surgeon because of its suspicious nature. Just because my body is struggling with something serious doesn't mean I am liberated from all the other attendant ailments of time. Well, it's a distraction anyway.

For supper Merwin and I had a delicious vegetable soup that Florence brought over. Now we are looking forward to being convinced by Obama about the additional troops in Afghanistan: we are very very doubtful.

Love to all,
Bernice

P. S. Not everyone loves recipes, so I am putting them at the bottom. My spinach pie recipe has generated others: here are two more, simpler than my complex version and probably just as good:

Phyllis's spinach pie:
No crust on bottom or top. Prepare a pie pan that is oiled with butter or oil nicely. Fresh spinach
washed and spun dry, cut with a knife into smallish pieces. One 16 ounce carton of cottage
cheese, low or no fat if necessary. One egg whipped with a fork and combined with the spinach
and cheese in bowl. In bowl with ingredients, toss a half cup of desired cheeses, can use two
types, and a whole cup if wanted. Mix well, and turn into prepared pie pan. Preheat oven to 350
and let heat 40 to 45 minutes, then light broiler flame for a few minutes to lightly brown top.
That is it, remove, it will puff up then fall down a bit, but the taste is good, and if all the water is
out of the veg. it even cuts like a pie. (I put a bit of butter on top, just in 4 to 6 places, which
makes it richer).

Antoinette's spinach pie
1 box spinach thawed and squeezed of all liquid
16 Oz's. low fat Ricotta
2 eggs
1 cup grated swiss (Jarlsberg)
1 cup Parmesan grated

Crust
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts or Almonds
1/4 cup Butter

Mix ingredients for crust and put in pie pan.
Mix filling ingredients and put in pie crust.
Bake at 375 for 45 minutes
freezes well.