Before I show you this amazing recipe, today, let me talk about last year for a moment. As I’m prepping myself to write this, is still feels like I have a pit in my stomach, but this will end in a positive light! Some of you may have read about my grandmother last year. I very briefly mentioned that she would be moving in with my family because she wasn’t doing well and had lung cancer. After that, I didn’t say anything else about her, and it wasn’t for no reason.
Soon after she moved in, she mentioned that she had felt bloated and never hungry, and really couldn’t eat much. I would give her a tiny smoothie and she would be full. I felt like I couldn’t help her nourish her body, so that she could heal, even just a little bit. But, two weeks or so after she came to California, we had to take her to the ER; turns out that she had a perforated ulcer (basically a hole in your stomach) and needed to be operated on. While doing tests on her, they found out that the cancer had already spread to her liver; which was, in a word, terrifying.
They decided to go through with the operation, and everything was going well for a couple of days. Then liquid started to build up in her lungs, they couldn’t stop it, then everything started falling apart. She ended up on life-support with failed kidneys and so many things wrong with her. And I’ll never forget the way she looked, and I would never wish that upon anyone. When it was clear that she would not be coming back from this, our family said our goodbyes and her soul left her body. It was a terrible day, less than a month before her 80th birthday. All of us were deeply affected by her passing, and as I type this, I am realizing that this still weighs very heavily on my heart.
My grandmother was a crafty woman, she’s the one that taught me how to crochet; but she was also an avid quilter. She had tons of quilting fabric, yards and yards of it in so many colors and patterns. Plus, some awesome kitchen ware, which her, my mom, and I share the same passion for. Support was something that my grandma often offered, with the turn of events in my life, which led me to where I am today (photography/blogging/etc.). She would tell me that I was capable and creative, which helped me immensely through some tough times. But, I don’t think she knew just how much she would help me.
Soon after we sorted through the fabrics, I got the photo gig with Happy Herbivore. Knowing that I would need to photograph 80 different recipes gave me a bit of anxiety. How would I make these shots so different? Then the light went on, Grandma’s fabrics! Without those, it would have been 80% harder for me to do what I did, and I just wish that I could thank her now. I’ve chosen this post to tell you all this, because three of the items in the photograph belonged to her. Two of the fabrics and this delightful dish, used for cooling food to be served. I’m so glad that I can have her continue to help me in my quest to become a better photographer, and I dedicate this post to her. <3
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I wish that I had this salad to cool me down from the inside out, though.
