In January of 2021 I began writing a blog post about the beautiful Artist and Designer Maglis Moreno who had shared a wonderful recipe with me in a very beautiful and special way. My original title was "Designing Joy" and as I wrote then, she creates beauty wherever she is in the way she lives her life and designs her surroundings, and also in the way she recognizes and documents beauty in the every day. I've never met her in person, and we don't know each other in the way that you would say that you know someone who you have met or spent time with, but her presence is such a beautiful and open and sharing one that I feel like I know her in a way. We were connected through Instagram in one of those by chance moments of seeing each others' posts, and over the years since we've been following each other we have shared some laughs together and some joyful moments and she has shared many moments of inspiration that brighten my every day. There are some people who I follow on Instagram that come and go, but Maglis is a lovely and reliable presence. Whether posting photographs of her home, her family, a project she is working on or some of her sketches, her every day life tells a story of beauty and faith and love.
In one of her posts she had shown photographs of a dinner she had made, a roast chicken with orange sauce that was such a lovely presentation with orange slices and a golden sauce that I commented on how wonderful it looked. She offered to share her recipe with me and I always love to try new recipes from people who are willing to share them, and when I said how lovely that would be she said she was going to draw it for me which was even a more beautiful gift. When it arrived in my inbox it was truly a blessing. The recipe itself is a very special one and with her drawings it is a work of precious art. Each step is highlighted with her illustrations, and the pages tell a story of not only the goodness of the dish but of the joyful beauty of the woman who created it. It's moments like these when we meet someone across the lines of distance who becomes a presence in our lives for good that we can see the world for the beautiful place it is. Somehow in this connection there is a feeling of heaven on earth as two women share a recipe filled with joy.
The recipe she shared with me has become a regular favorite in my own kitchen, and I make it often. I've modified it slightly, using parts instead of the whole to save time in my schedule, and clementines instead of oranges, but each time I make it I see her images and remember her warmth and kindness, and I feel the joy and love that she put into the beautiful recipe and the drawings she created to share it with me.
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