I Am a Mother-in-Love - Cooking with Milli

"You have to have a daughter!" my mother said to me upon the birth of my third child, my third son.  "You will be alone in your old age."  After all...

"A son is a son 'til he takes him a wife, 

A daughter is a daughter for the rest of your life."

Three children were enough for us.  I realized this meant I would never bear a daughter, but my sons might bring me daughter-in-laws.  I decided then and there that I would do everything I could to be a good, supportive mother-in-law and work to build a relationship with any women my sons chose to marry.

What is the other saying?  Man plans and God laughs!  Little did I know what was in store for me when my second son, Michael, brought Milli into our family.  I did not have to work at anything!  From day one this generous woman reached out her arms to embrace me.  Milli is the daughter I never bore and she is the daughter of  my heart.  She is not a "daugher-in-LAW" but a "daughter-in-LOVE."

A wonderful wife to my son and a devoted mother to her son, Gabriel, she is also my friend and stands with me as I face my life.  Over the years we have enjoyed many activities together...small weekend get-aways, trips to a mud bath, attending women's conferences. I was with her when she buried her father and bore her child; she was with me when I bought my wedding dress before my wedding with Jay.  We have laughed together, cried together, plotted together.  And last night she taught me how to make Hawaiian Portuguese Sausage soup!

Milli is the child of Filipino immigrants to the island of Lanai, Hawaii.  She grew up an island girl and she has enriched our family with her various Hawaiian and Filipino traditions.  Whenever she makes Portuguese Sausage soup, Jay licks the bowl clean and says, pathetically..."more, please." So last night, since Michael was away on travel, she and Gabriel came over and we made the soup.

Portuguese Sausage Soup

Ingredients are simple:
Portuguese sausage cut into 1/4 inch slices and then halved into half moon shapes (Milli says the sausage sold at the Asian market is most flavorful!)
about 6 slices of bacon chopped
about 6 stalks of celery chopped
2 cans of red kidney beans (do not drain)
2 cans of garbanzo beans (do not drain)
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 small cans of tomato sauce.

Process:
Saute bacon, then add sausage and cook together until it renders its fat.

Add potatoes and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are just about soft. Drop celery on top and let it heat up and eventually stir into cooking ingredients.

Drop four cans of beans into pot and let them heat up a bit before stirring into the cooking ingredients.

Add the tomato sauce, stir it in and let it simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes to enrich flavors.  Season with salt.

The finished soup is thick and rich in flavor.

This is a forgiving recipe.  Jay added Gabriel's left-over corn to it and said it was wonderful.  It reminded me of a Hawaiian minestrone.  You could probably add other vegetables if you wanted.  Milli says this will taste even better today after the flavors have married a bit.  We will see...we have a large container waiting in the refrigerator.

Thank you, Milli...I love you!