Tasty Year: a Food Anthology 1st edition

Food is our undeniable shared passion. It is part of our memories, feelings and plans. It is intertwined with the mistakes and successes, the joy and the pain, the seasons and celebrations. It is the richness of life!

In this book, you?ll find over 100 pages of poems, memoirs and recipes. This anthology was created month-by-month during the year 2013. We posted our writings on our blog (tastyyear.wordpress.com) from authors in Colorado, Arizona, South Korea, Costa Rica and Canada.

The tidbits reflect the insights of each of the writers. We are an eclectic mix of family and friends, poets, novelists and playwrights, sculptors and adventurers, men and women, gay and straight, young and old, that are all part of the Open Book Writing Group.

Hungry? Try some of these for starters!

BIRTHDAY BASH

by Gerry Magnie

an 80th birthday, isn?t that great!

certainly a time to celebrate

a suggestion from the rec center bunch

let?s take gerry for a birthday lunch

cherry creek to be the destination

where to go? an investigation?

andre?s, a little uppity

too much sugar and spice

elway?s, sumptuous burgers

also a sumptuous price

cherry cricket, with its food so proud

a little too noisy for this old crowd

hops, a good choice, doesn?t open till two

a bit late for this sleepy crew

in the mall, pizza places

hard to find parking spaces

latkes and crepes served at zaidy?s

unique food for a group of ladies

how about savory pasta at macaroni grill?

their salads and hot bread give you a thrill

gerry, what is your pleasure?

is there a food you really do treasure?

well, there is a venue with open seating

always plenty of room for eating

on the corner of milwaukee and third

close to nature, maybe even a bird

all agreed to the location

making us feel like on vacation

your order will be very quick

onions, sauerkraut, take your pick

being with good friends

eating hot dogs in the sun

for this great grandma

nothing could be more fun

--

RICE PUDDING

by Michael P Thomas

Lolling in the hammock. There?s barely a breeze, but we sway in its cradle. Rice pudding with raisins?we?re half drunk and hungry and it?s within reach. He feeds me; I eat. We thrill to be body to body, glad someone?s finally putting something inside someone. That?s the thing about this place: everything?s got to be a secret. That?ll mess everything up eventually, but we don?t know that yet. It?s still exciting. Every touch, every look still crackles with Us Against the World. Requited, our desire will quickly sour, but this night it?s so sweet we swoon over each spoonful.

-- MUFFIN MEDITATION

by Sean Mahoney

for perfect muffins and meditation:

if i mix them too much

they?ll turn out tough.

if i add too much stuff,

they?ll turn to mush.

melted butter,

instead of oil.

paper cups,

instead of foil.

just stir them once and

leave them alone.

for 20 minutes.

(repeat process for meditation, omitting butter or oil. can be done while muffins bake)

--

SUGAR IS NOT LOVE

by Joan Gregerson

sugar is not love

it?s just a crutch i lean on

when i am not strong

--

HEART-SHAPED CAKE PANS

by Carol Mahoney

only once each year

the special pans would appear

and produce a valentine delicacy

for the barbaric brood

and they all felt special!

but maybe without the ability - or interest

to see how it got there

for it was surely planned:

pale pink frosting

or shimmery white mountain peaks?

conversation hearts outlining the edge

or red hots polka-dotting all over the place?

decades later

one of the little brood

(now holding her own medicare card)

would wonder about that brusque baker

what kind of women buy heart-shaped pans?