ArcaMax

Goodbye Gwen...

It's always the holidays where you “give back” that you remember the most. At least that's the way it is for me.

One remarkable woman gave me an opportunity to give back at Thanksgiving a couple of years back. I will never forget her. I lost my friend Gwen to cancer recently and I wanted to take this opportunity to let you see just a teeny bit into the life of this amazing woman.

I met Gwen as part of my Women Presidents Organization chapter. As with all new members, she just showed up one day at a meeting. She sat by me. I welcomed her and the meeting got underway. As with each time a new member joins we do a mini-presentation to describe our businesses so the new member gets a perspective on our companies. Then she gives a presentation of her company.

Well, Gwen didn't have a company. She was our first non-profit member.

When Gwen was finished with her presentation the room fell silent. None of us could believe the depth of generosity that came in this package that was one woman. We were startled. We were grateful to be in her presence. Some of us were close to tears. Many of us even felt a bit selfish to be in for-profit businesses when there was so much need in the community.

Gwen described her current activities. She started an organization called The New Phoenix Assistance Center. It's located on the South Side of Chicago smack dab in the area that needs it the most. The target audience surprised us. One of the main focus groups of The New Phoenix Assistance Center is young women with HIV-Aids. These women have nowhere to go. They've gotten themselves into a horrible mess and they have no clue how to cope. Gwen's team was there to help them find shelter. Many get kicked out of their homes when they are found to be ill. Some have little children in tow too. They don't know how to work the system to get the health care they need. Gwen's team makes sure they get that care; that they get food and a good, warm room to sleep. The building is sort of a dormitory. There are 200 families living in the facility each headed by a terribly sick woman; the young woman with HIV-Aids. Gwen slept in the same building. She was there for them 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. (Well, I take that back. Gwen went on vacation to some warm island for a week every year. That was her time to decompress).

There was another target group too -- young women, high-school-aged women who got kicked out of their homes or who had to run away from a bad situation. Word on the street gets around. Gwen's center was the one place these girls could go and be safe. Oftentimes they were just young enough not to be legal adults. But they were old enough that they could make money so if the family could not afford to feed them they were sent out to fend for themselves. Too old to be adopted. Too young to survive on their own. Gwen took them in.

One year Gwen needed help to feed 50 of the families Thanksgiving dinner. I teamed up with a couple of the other women in my WPO group and we came up with what she needed. That's a long story but the day a few of us delivered 50 frozen turkeys and all the fixins for dinners was one of the best days of my life. They were so grateful. They didn't need to be grateful. I was the one who was grateful to be given the opportunity to help my fellow humans.

I'll always remember Gwen for her frankness. This was a woman no one messed with. She told it to you straight; whether you wanted to hear it or not. And she had the most beautiful outfits. Gwen was not a rich woman but she took her meager earnings and spent them well. She always looked gorgeous as a woman of color who wore flowing outfits that reminded me of African tribal wear. And she always wore red lipstick and a huge smile. She never complained although often she walked with a cane because her hip hurt or her leg hurt. She was always worried about me because I had my back surgery. And then she came down with cancer and attacked that challenge like any other. The last time I talked to her she was chipper and determined. I had no idea she would be gone less than 60 days later. I never got to talk to her again. I wish I had been able to say goodbye, but this tribute to her will have to suffice.

For this week's recipe I am once again offering something from The Zola Diet. Some folks are not cooking champions so they need simple things they can throw in a crock pot and come home after work to dinner that's done. And for post-Valentine's Day I am presenting for your dessert pleasure a recipe for truffles that are low carb and easy to make. I hope you enjoy this little treat.

Italian Crock Pot Chicken
Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp of cracked red pepper flakes

1 large onion chopped

4 cloves of garlic minced (jar garlic is fine in this)

3 Tbl of tomato paste (sugar free)

1 cup of organic chicken broth

1 Tbl of Italian seasoning mix

3 Tbl of fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1, 12-ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and chopped

Directions:

Cut the chicken into large chunks and season with salt and pepper. Put half of the onion on the bottom. Then add half of the chicken. Add the pepper flakes, garlic, paste, broth, seasoning mix, rest of the onion and lemon juice. Stir this around to break it up and make the sauce. Add the rest of the chicken and stir again.

Cover the crock pot and cook on low for six to eight hours or high for four to five. The chicken will be tender. Make sure the chicken is cooked through and no pink remains. The kitchen will smell like an Italian eatery. 15 minutes before you want to serve it, add the artichoke hearts and turn the pot to low. This will heat the artichokes. A serving is one to 1.5 cups.

Cognac Truffles
Use cognac, brandy, bourbon or champagne to make the truffles. If you don't use liquor in your cooking you can leave that out. You can also flavor them with stevia flavorings. You could have coconut added or vanilla or other flavors.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of heavy cream

8 oz of bittersweet chocolate (62% cocao), chopped fine

4 Tbl of butter

Unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

Cut your butter into bits. Place the butter in a small sauce pan and turn heat to medium. When butter is half melted add the cream. Turn to medium high and melt the butter and heat the cream. Heat the mixture until it bubbles around the edges.

Add the chocolate and immediately turn off the heat. Stir with a whisk right away until the chocolate is completely melted in to a shiny, smooth mass. Pour into a bowl. Add the cognac and stir again until it's all incorporated. Put the bowl in the refrigerator until the whole mass firms up.

Shape the mixture into 30 balls that are just under an inch in size. Roll lightly in cocoa powder. Store in the refrigerator and take them out to come to room temperature to serve. That's when they will taste dreamiest.

You can suck on one for quite some time. Makes a decadent snack.

Nutrition Facts for 30 Servings

Amount Per Serving:

Calories, 60.4

Total Fat, 4.6 g

Saturated Fat, 2.8 g

Polyunsaturated Fat, 0.2 g

Monounsaturated Fat, 1.4 g

Cholesterol, 6.9 mg

Sodium, 2.0 mg

Potassium, 40.6 mg

Total Carbohydrate, 5.2 g

Dietary Fiber, 0.7 g

Sugars, 4.1 g

Protein, 0.5 g

Cheers
Enjoy,
Zola

Send email to Zola at zolacooks@gmail.com.