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Pomegranate And Bourbon Braise Oxtails with Smokey Cheddar Grits & What Sandy Hook Elementary Taught Me

 

As a mom, this tragedy has left a deep wound on my soul. I see my own baby in the faces of all of the victims. Not an hour has gone by in the past few days that I haven’t had those lost lives on my mind.

Playing blocks with my daughter brought me to tears at how lucky I was to get to share such a tiny moment, when so many moms weren’t able to do that. My two year old asking for a kiss, playing in the sand with her dad, asking about the Christmas presents wrapped up for her under the tree, all made me feel like the luckiest mom in the world: my baby is safe, healthy, happy, alive!

In the midst of such horror, I have learned so much from those amazing souls, I wanted to share with you what I’ve learned over the past few days:

  1. Wear your fancy dress on an ordinary day. Six-year-oldCharlotte Bacon was very excited about her new Christmas dress and boots, and kept asking to wear them. On Friday, the day she died, her mother gave in, letting her wear her special dress and boots to school. In honor of Charlotte, use your fancy plates, and those expensive candles you don’t want to burn, put on your shoes that you think are too pretty to wear, because everyday that you are alive and with the ones you love is a special occasion.
  2. Carry your crayons with you. That’s what Emilie, age 6, always did, says her father, Robbie Parker. She drew the world as she saw it: beautiful. In the midst of such a horrific tragedy we need to remember the good in the world, take out our crayons and draw the world as a child sees it. Take time to appreciate the beauty around us, take photos with your phone, stop to enjoy the little things, see beauty in small things, let yourself be wowed by it.
  3. Loving people means putting them first in every way. No one will ever embody this more than Victoria Soto. She is the teacher who hid her students in closets, staying in the open to make sure, beyond all doubt, that the shooter wouldn’t hurt her kids. She gave her life in exchange for the safety of her students, and my guess is that she would do it again without hesitation. I hope and pray that any of the teachers whom my daughter will have in her life are like Victoria, and someday may I be half as selfless as she was.
  4. Say I love you, a lot. In words, in actions, in notes, in everyway you can. After the tragic loss of Jessica, her parents came home to find a note she had left in a journal they hadn’t seen before, it just said, “I love you so much, mama.” I grew up hearing the story of the day my Dad died, and the fact that it was one of the few mornings my moms forgot to say “I love you,” before they headed their spate ways. I heard versions of this same story so many more times from the families of 9-11 victims, and the morning Jaycee Dugard was kidnaped, was a morning her mom was running late and forgot tell her daughter she loved her. We all have those crazy mornings, when we know there is a traffic jam in our future, when our kids flush our make-up down the toilet or spill juice on the couch, those mornings when we say thoughtless things like, “you are driving me crazy!” What happened in Sandy Hook reminds me to hold tight to patience, always say, “I love you,” before leaving my family. I can control so little in this world but I can have control over this tiny thing: I can always tell my daughter, “I love you,” before we part ways. I hope that even when I am 80-years-old, on my way home from dinner at my daughter house, I will think of little Jessica and never forget to say, “I love you.”
  5. Slow Down, Add Memories. Take a day off work, blow off an appointment, just slow down. Even if it would be a financial strain for you to take a half-day off work twice a month,  or even just a long lunch, to have a one-on-one date with one of your kids, you will not regret it. No one gets to the end of their life and thinks, “I should have spent less time with my kids.” Think of it as life insurance, giving your kids a few more memories that they wouldn’t otherwise have once one of you is no longer here.

Because of what happened Friday, I needed to take a long day, stay at home and cook Sunday Supper that took hours. For me, this is healing. The active time on this dish is small, but the long cooking time ensures that you will need to be home, hanging out with your family. And there is something about putting slow food on the table to makes me feel like I am loving my family in a special way.

Pomegranate And Bourbon Braise Oxtails with Smokey Cheddar Grits

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs oxtails, (4-6)
  • salt & pepper
  • 3 tbs flour (use masa for gluten free)
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 1 cup pomegranate juice
  • ¼ cup bourbon
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup corn grits
  • ½ cup cream
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 cup smoked cheddar
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • salt and pepper

Yield: 4 servings

Instructions

  1. Sprinkle oxtails on all sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with flour, rubbing to coat. In a large pot or Dutch oven heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking.
  2. Sear the oxtails on all sides until browned, about 3 minutes per side.
  3. Add the pomegranate juice, bourbon, broth, carrots, celery and onions, reduce heat to maintain a gently simmer. Place lid at an angle to vent. Cook until very tender, about 3 ½ hours, turning oxtails about every 30 minutes.
  4. To make the grits, add the milk and broth to a large pot, bring to a gently simmer, slowly whisk in the grits. Allow to simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and cream.
  5. About ¼ a cup at a time, slowly add the cheddar, whisking until melted between each addition. Add the smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Serve oxtails over grits.

 

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Comments


Averie @ Averie Cooks December 18, 2012 um 1:48 am

First of all, how did I not know you were a mom??? I had no idea! Your daughter is beautiful!

And your #5 is so true and I wrote a bit about it on my post on Monday but you said what I wanted to say. Even if it’s a financial strain or a strain in whatever way, just slow down and blow things off and spend more time with our kids. Amen, mama.

My fave post ever of yours! 🙂

Reply

Jackie December 18, 2012 um 8:17 am

Thank you so much! I think we always know that we need to do these things, but then these tragedies remind us of the consequences if we don’t.

Reply

claire @ the realistic nutritionist December 18, 2012 um 6:44 am

I love how you wrote this. I can’t even imagine what those parents are feeling and I don’t even have kids. It’s so hard.

Beautiful recipe too!

Reply

Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet December 18, 2012 um 7:44 am

I totally agree. It’s going to be hard to move on after this horrible weekend… PS: Your daughter is so adorable!

Reply

Jen @ Savory Simple December 18, 2012 um 11:58 am

Your daughter has the most beautiful eyes. I still find myself in tears over what happened and I can’t imagine what this must feel like for parents. Food is a good source of comfort during bad times and you have some delicious comfort food here.

Reply

Jackie December 18, 2012 um 5:58 pm

It’s so awful. Before I was a mom I could shake it off a lot easier. Now it’s like watching my worst nightmare come true for someone else.

Reply

Grace December 18, 2012 um 12:46 pm

I love everything about this post, even if it did make me cry! Thanks!

Reply

Gerry @ Foodness Gracious December 18, 2012 um 2:30 pm

Great advice, even when I see a tractor or block go flying past my head I have to pinch myself and say, it’s okay, no harm done, life could be a lot worse. I’ve definitely learned to not sweat the small stuff so much.

Life’s just way too short…

Reply

Jackie December 18, 2012 um 5:57 pm

Even the toddler meltdowns have been easier to handle lately, I’ve just had to stop and remind myself how many moms would LOVE to be dealing with that, instead of planning a funeral.

Reply

Cassie | Bake Your Day December 18, 2012 um 5:16 pm

This is such a beautiful post. And you are right about all of it. You are a gem and that girl is gorgeous!

Reply

Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. December 18, 2012 um 8:30 pm

This is a beautiful and heartfelt post. And you are so right. We should never take what we have for granted! And this perfect meal you created is just incredible!

Reply

Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious December 20, 2012 um 9:41 am

This is a really beautifully written post. I try not to think about what happened because it is just so heartbreaking to think about how someone could actually do this.

On another note, your little girl is precious! I hope I can meet her at some point! And this oxtail – yeah I really need to make this for Jason.

Reply

Ashley – Baker by Nature December 20, 2012 um 5:32 pm

Oh, Jackie. Bravo on this one. Although I shed many tears reading this, it touched my heart in so many ways. And as always, the food looks perfect.

Reply

Ashley – Baker by Nature December 20, 2012 um 5:32 pm

Oh, Jackie. Bravo on this one. Although I shed many tears reading this, it touched my heart in so many ways. And as always, the food looks perfect.

Reply

tijuana (po' man meals) December 21, 2012 um 7:00 am

wow. this is an amazing post, it brought tears to my eyes. your daughter is absolutely gorgeous, btw. my grandfather is a huge lover of oxtails. so we grew up around them. that meal looks sooooo good. 🙂

Reply

Ralph L December 23, 2012 um 10:23 am

What’s up, just wanted to say, I liked this post. It was inspiring. Keep on posting!

Reply

Laurie {Simply Scratch} December 27, 2012 um 10:34 pm

Beautifully said Jackie… such a touching post! Ps… I also love this recipe *printing*

Reply

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