The Horseradish Blues

The Horseradish Blues

The dazzling moon made the snow glisten. The pines stood as silent sentinels guarding the trail. The sleigh bells rang and the wood sleigh creaked as the horses labored to deliver their load to the mountain cabin. A winter wonderland come alive as our voices broke the silence of a winter night.

For some time, our family holiday tradition is to come together for an evening of song, food and libation at the sleigh ride dinner.  We bundle up to keep warm and climb on the sleighs drawn by Belgian horses taking us to a secluded cabin for a feast of prime rib, wine and huckleberry cobbler. The wood burning stove, the kerosene lanterns and the rough-hewn tables provided the perfect ambiance for the feast.

You would have to be there to experience the magic of that winter evening on the mountain; a huge wood-burning oven to keep the food and bodies warm. The sweet music of a baritone voice singing about baked bread and that great place called Montana. For me, it was like I died and went to cowboy heaven. What more could one ask?

Horseradish! Prime rib is not prime rib without horseradish. It is the nectar of the mountain gods. The white creamy texture belies the assault on the taste buds. It overpowers the potatoes and the veggies. The prime rib stands up and takes notice of this condiment.  The red wine withers in comparison. This horseradish commands your undivided attention.

You may think I am a little off the bubble with my horseradish blues and maybe you are right. But who else will sing the praises of this maligned delicacy. Here is what God’s Word says, “So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you’re eating to God’s glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God’s glory.”

Praise God for the horseradish!