relish the moment

After dinner, my son wanted to eat one of the pomegranates I had on the counter.  So I sliced it open, handed him a spoon with the fruit, and said "go for it".  Then had an "oh-no" moment because I realized what I just did.

As anyone who has tried to remove pomegranate seeds would know, this is not exactly a mess-free act of consumption.  And as much as I wanted to take back the fruit so I can serve him just the juicy seeds, I actually stopped myself and had a little laugh as I quietly stood there, watching my little boy dig voraciously into that red-juice-squirts-everywhere-in-sight fruit (and afterwards, let's just say my white kitchen looked like a scene from a horror movie!).

I've been told by many friends who have teenaged children, to enjoy my children while they're still young now. I have to admit...this is a sweet age.  They're still young enough to want to be around me, but old enough for some kind of independence.  I know this won't last forever...eventually they'll want total independence, but for now, I'll take whatever I can get.

With Christmas fast approaching, and my "to-do" list getting longer, I hope I can get everything done so I can sit back, enjoy the holiday season...and relish more moments like this.

Apple Relish with Pomegranate and Raisins
(adapted from Gourmet Food)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large green apple, peeled, cored, and chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon raisins
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds 
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Preparation:

• In a small skillet, melt butter. 
• Add apples and sugar and cook over medium heat until browned and soft, about 5-8 minutes. Add lemon juice, raisins, pomegranate seeds, and syrup and heat 1 minute more. 
• Remove from heat and keep relish warm until serving.

Serve with pork or chicken and enjoy.