Friday Food: Eggplant Lasagna!

Feast of St. Michael the Archangel

This is sooooo good, it kind of makes me wonder if it should be a Friday food, since the whole thing is about sacrifice, right? Anyway, here we go.

Ingredients:

2 medium sized eggplants (see the article on the sidebar about preparing eggplant properly)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8 oz mozzarella cheese
8 oz ricotta cheese
1 26 ox Jar of your favorite pasta sauce (we're going to dress it up)
1 16 oz box lasagna noodles
3-5 cloves garlic
1/2 medium yellow or red onion
2-3 large handfuls of fresh, clean, whole spinach
7-8 large, fresh, sliced basil leaves (if using dried, 1 tablespoon) **optional
Salt, pepper
2 tablespoons Chianti (or any other dry red wine)
One 8x8 baking pan

Prepare the eggplant (i.e. peel it and rub it with salt), and while it is sitting in the colander, fill a large pot with water for the pasta, drizzle a little oil into the water, sprinkle a bit of salt, and turn the heat on high. Pre-heat your over to 350 degrees.

In another pot (one large enough to hold that jar of sauce), drizzle about one teaspoon of olive oil, mince the garlic and onion, and saute them in the olive oil until the onion is tender. At this point, if using dried basil, toss that in. If using fresh, wait. Add the jar of sauce, stir well and bring the sauce to a simmer. Meanwhile. . .

Slice the eggplant into "coins" about 1/2 inch thick. Now this is where calories come in, but hey, you pretty much fasted today, right? Anyway, arrange the eggplant coins in one layer at the bottom of a large saucepan, and LIBERALLY drizzle with olive oil. The eggplant will soak a lot of it up, but as the eggplant cooks, it will release some of it again. You want the eggplant totally coated and glossy with olive oil, on all sides, move it around in the pan until it is all coated. Crack some salt and pepper over this layer, and put on medium heat. Turn the pieces over with a pair of tongs and cook every piece until they are dark in color and tender, but still firm. You don't want to cook these until they are mush. Set them on a plate, DON'T drain the oil from them.

By this time you will have added the lasagna noodles to the water, stirred them to coat them with oil so they won't stick together, and they are now happily boiling away. These should boil about 8 minutes, or until they are al dente (slightly chewy but cooked all the way through). Drain them when they are done in the same colander and make sure they are dry.

Now that the sauce is simmering, add the chianti, the spinach, and the basil, stir, turn off the heat and cover to wilt the leafy ingredients.

Drizzle a small bit of olive oil into the bottom of the baking pan, and lay the first layer of pasta. I do a double layer for the bottom, laying a couple strips one way, then another layer of strips going the opposite way. Pour some sauce over the noodles, then add a layer of eggplant coins, then a layer of slices of mozzarella, a couple of spoonfuls of ricotta, and mush the ricotta around so that every bite you take will have some. Now you can either pour in some more sauce, or add another layer of pasta. Alternate layers like this until you get to the top of the pan. The last layer that you lay should go pasta, sauce, eggplant, cheese and more sauce. Cheese and sauce should be all you can see on the top.

Now slide this onto the middle rack of your oven, and bake until the cheese is golden brown on top, which will be about 30 minutes or so.

Slice and serve with Fresh Spinach, Wheat Toast Slices with Garlic Butter, and some Chianti in glasses.

**One variation I like to do to this is saute some big, fat mushroom slices with the garlic and onion, then take them out and layer these slices with the eggplant slices. Mmmmmmmmm.

Most Holy Theotokos, Save Us

 
In anticipation of the month of The Holy Rosary, and also the anniversary of the Fatima miracle, I have been reading a book called "Jacinta, The Flower of Fatima" by The Very Reverand Galamba de Oliveira, who was the official "go between" for the first Bishop of Fatima and Lucia (the eldest of the three visionaries). It's simply written, designed to share the sweet simplicity and extreme love for Our Lady that Jacinta developed as a result of the graces poured out on her. The little biography shows how this ordinary and not overly pious young child changed because, like a flower (like the Heliotropium) she followed the light and responded to God's calling her to holiness.

It also brings many sobering thoughts, since we have the advantage of seeing everything after the fact; how Mary's requests went unheeded, how the second war came, how the Church is suffering today. I firmly believe that the miracle of the sun was a forewarning of the way the earth will be punished, perhaps will end. Many prophecies speak of great globes of fire (some think them to be comets or asteroids) that will fall to the earth and destroy vast numbers of mankind, and that the ones who are left will wish that they had perished. Jesus spoke of "stars falling from the sky".

And the one person who has been holding back the just wrath of the Father, is Our Lady, the Theotokos. With the "new" Catholic church and protestantization of many of Her teachings, has come a very disturbing lack of love for Our Lady as our Mother, something that Satan has greatly worked for since he knows that The Woman keeps so many souls from him. I personally know many Catholics who do not venerate Our Lady simply because they want to appeal to protestants; they are uncomfortable with speaking of our devotion to her, sharing and saying the rosary with people, displaying pictures or statues of her. This is extremely dangerous. The devotion to the scapular has waned much as well. In fact, a family I know that calls themselves Traditional Catholics (in actuality, they merely make it to mass every single Sunday, go to confession once a month, and say prayers before they eat. . .that makes them "tradtional" catholics) didn't even know what a scapular was when they saw me wearing mine. "What a funny necklace" the younger daughter told me, before I corrected her. Sigh.

As a labor of love for Our Lady, I would like to share with all of my readers one of my personally favorite Marian devotions, which has been given to us from the Eastern Church. The Akathist Hymn to Our Lady has been considered by many to be a rosary-like prayer (it definitely takes about as long as 5 decades do to pray!), and since many of my blogger friends will be elaborating on the rosary itself, I thought I would present this to you. Written in 532 A.D., this prayer has always been prayed standing, and is chanted. If I can figure out how to do it, I will try to put a clip of the music in here. It is one of the most beautiful hymns to Our Lady I have ever heard. Here are the words, in English :-D


Pre-amble: As soon as the Angel had received his command, he hastened to Joseph’s house and said to the ever-Virgin: "Behold, heaven was brought down to earth when the Word Himself was fully contained in you! Now that I see Him in your womb, taking a servant’s form, I cry out to you in wonder: Hail, 0 Bride and Maiden ever-pure!"

First Chant

An Archangel was sent from heaven to greet the Mother of God, and as he saw You assuming a body at the sound of his bodiless voice, 0 Lord, he stood rapt in amazement and cned to her in these words: Hail, 0 you through whom joy will shine forth; hail, 0 you through whom the curse will disappear! Hail, 0 Restoration of the Fallen Adam; hail, 0 Redemption of the Tears of Eve! Hail, 0 Peak above the reach of human thought; hail, 0 Depth even beyond the sight of angels! Hail, 0 you who have become a kingly Throne; hail, 0 you who carries Him Who carries all! Hail, 0 Star who manifests the Sun; hail, 0 Womb of the Divine Incarnation! Hail, 0 you through whom creation is renewed; hail, 0 you through whom the Creator becomes a Babe! Hail, 0 Bride and Maiden ever-pure!



Kontakion

Knowing that she was a virgin, the Blessed One courageously answered the Angel: "Your surprising words seem hard for my mind to accept; how can you speak of a birth that is to come from a conception without seed? And why do you cry: Alleluia!"



Second Chant

Trying to grasp the meaning of this mystery, the Virgin asked the holy messenger: "How is it possible that a Son be born from a virginal womb? Tell me." And he answered her with awe, crying out in these words: Hail, 0 Hidden Sense of the Ineffable Plan; hail, 0 Belief in Silence That Must Be! Hail, 0 Forecast of the Marvels of Christ; hail, 0 Fountainhead of Truths Concerning Him! Hail, Celestial Ladder by whom God came down; hail, 0 Bridge leading earthly ones to heaven! Hail, 0 Wonder, everthrilling to the angels; hail, 0 Wound, ever-hurting to the demons! Hail, 0 you who gave birth to Light ineffably; hail, 0 you who told no one how it was done! Hail, 0 you who surpasses the wisdom of the wise; hail, 0 you who enlightens faithful minds! Hail, 0 Bride and Maiden ever-pure!



Kontakion

When the power of the Most High overshadowed the one who had never known the nuptial bed, her fruitful womb conceived, and she became for all a delicious field for those who wished to reap salvation by singing: Alleluia!



Third Chant

Pregnant with God, the Virgin hastened to Elizabeth, and her unborn child rejoiced, immediately knowing her embrace. Bouncing and singing, he cried out to the Mother of God: Hail, 0 Tendril whose Bud shall not wilt; hail, 0 Soil whose Fruit shall not perish! Hail, 0 Tender of mankind’s loving Tender; hail, 0 Gardener of the Gardener of Life! Hail, 0 Earth who yielded abundant mercies; hail, 0 Table Full-Laden With Appeasement! Hail, for you have greened anew the pastures of delight; hail, for you have prepared a haven for the souls! Hail, Acceptable Incense of prayer; Hail, Expiation of the Whole Universe! Hail, 0 Favor of God to Mortal Men; hail, 0 Trust of Mortals Before God! Hail, 0 Bride and Maiden ever-pure!



Kontakion

Filled with a storm of contradictory thoughts, the wise Joseph was greatly disturbed; until then, he had seen you, a virgin, and now he suspected you of secret guilt, All-Blameless One! Learning that your conception was of the Holy Spirit, he cried out: Alleluia!



Fourth Chant

The shepherds heard the angels singing hymns of praise to the coming of Christ in the flesh. And running to Him as to a shepherd, they saw Him as a spotless Lamb grazing at Mary’s breasts. They sang a hymn to her and said: Hail, 0 Mother of lamb and Shepherd; hail, 0 Fold of Rational Sheep! Hail, 0 Protection Against Unseen Foes; hail, 0 Key to the Doors of paradise! Hail, for the heavenly rejoice with the earthly; hail, for the earthly meet the heavenly in song! Hail, the Unsilenced Voice of Apostles; hail, the Undaunted Might of Martys! Hail, 0 Steadfast Foundation of Faith; hail, 0 Shining Emblem of Grace! Hail, 0 you through whom death was despoiled; hail, 0 you through whom we were clothed with glory! Hail, 0 Bride and Maiden ever-pure!



Kontakion

When they saw the star moved by God, the Magi followed its glittering light. Using it as a beacon, they found through it the Mighty King, and reaching the One Beyond All Reach, they rejoiced and cried out to Him: Alleluia!



Fifth Chant

The sons of Chaldea saw in the Virgin’s hands the One Whose hands had fashioned men, and acknowledging Him as the Master, although he had taken the form of a servant, they hastened to honor Him with their gifts, and cried out the Blessed One: Hail, 0 Mother of the Star Without Setting; hail, 0 Radiance of the Mystical Day! Hail, 0 you who quenched the flame of error; hail, 0 Light of those who search the + Trinity! Hail, 0 you who unthroned the enemy of men; hail, 0 you who showed forth Christ the Lord, the Lover of Mankind! Hail, 0 you who cleansed us from the stain of pagan worship; hail, 0 you who saved us from the mire of evil deeds! Hail, 0 you who made cease the cult of fire; hail, 0 you who dispelled the flames of passion! Hail, 0 you who guides the faithful toward wisdom; hail, 0 Delight of All the Nations! Hail, 0 Bride and Maiden ever-pure!



Kontakion

The Magi, having become God-bearing heralds, returned to Babylon, conforming to Your command, announcing You, the Christ, to all, and leaving Herod as a fool who did not know how to sing: Alleluia!



Sixth Chant

Illuminating Egypt with the light of truth, You cast away the darkness of error. For the idols, unable to stand Your might, fell down, and those who had been delivered from them cried out to the Mother of God: Hail, 0 Resurrection of Mankind; hail, 0 Downfall of the Demons! Hail, 0 you who crushed the error of deceit; hail, 0 you who exposed the fraud of idols! Hail, 0 Sea who drowned the symbolic Pharaoh; hail, 0 Rock who quenched those who thirst for life! Hail, 0 Pillar of Fire who guided those in darkness; hail, 0 Shelter of the World, wider than the clouds! Hail, 0 Food who took the place of Manna; hail, 0 Servant of Holy Delight! Hail, 0 Land of the Promised Good; hail, 0 you who flow with milk and honey! Hail, 0 Bride and Maiden ever-pure!



Kontakion

As Simeon was about to leave the present deceitful world, You were entrusted to him as an Infant, but You made Yourself known to him as the Perfect God. Wherefore, he marveled at Your wisdom beyond words, and cried out: Alleluia!



Seventh Chant

The Creator displayed a new creation to us who had come from Him: He came forth from a womb that had received no seed, and He left it intact as it had been, so that at the sight of this marvel, we would sing to her and cry out: Hail, 0 Blossom of Incorruption; hail, 0 Crown of Self-Mastery! Hail, 0 you who shone forth as a Sign of Resurrection; hail, 0 you who displayed the life of angels! Hail, Fruitful Tree from whom believers feed; hail, Shady Glen where many are sheltered! Hail, 0 you who have borne the Guide of the Lost; hail, 0 Source of Life to the Captives’ Release! Hail, 0 you who unsettled even the just judge; hail, Indulgence of many who have fallen! Hail, 0 Stole for those who lack freedom to speak; hail, 0 Tenderness who exceeds all desire! Hail, 0 Bride and Maiden ever-pure!



Kontakion

Now that we have seen this strange birth, let us estrange ourselves from the world and turn our minds to heaven; indeed, it is for this that the God Most High appeared on earth as a lowly man, desiring to draw up to heaven those who cry out to Him: Alleiuia!



Eighth Chant

While fully present amid those below, the Uncircumscribed Word was in no way absent from those above; for what happened was a divine condescension, and not a moving from one place to another; and it was a birth from a Virgin inspired by God, who heard these words: Hail, 0 Space of the spaceless God; hail, 0 Gate of the Sublime Mystery! Hail, 0 Message unsure to men without faith; hail, 0 Glory most certain to those who believe! Hail, 0 Sacred Chariot of the One Above the Cherubim; hail, Perfect Dwelling of the One Above the Seraphim! Hail, 0 you who reconciled opposites; hail, 0 you who combined maidenhood and motherhood! Hail, 0 you through whom transgression was erased; hail, 0 you through whom paradise was opened! Hail, 0 Key to the Kingdom of Christ; hail; 0 Hope for the Ages of Bliss! Hail, 0 Bride and Maiden ever-pure!



Kontakion

The whole order of Angels marveled at the great work of Your becoming a man. For they saw the One Inaccessible as God become a Man Accessible to All, living with us and hearing all cry out: Alleluia!



Ninth Chant

0 Mother of God, we see the best of speakers become as mute as fish in your regard, for they could not explain how you could give birth while remaining a virgin. As for us, while marveling at the mystery, we cry out to you with faith: Hail, 0 Container of God’s Wisdom; hail, 0 Treasury of His Providence! Hail, 0 Reproof of Foolish Philosophers; hail, 0 Confusion of Speechless Wise Men! Hail, for you perplexed the inquisitive minds; hail, for you dried up the inventors of myths! Hail, for you ripped the Athenians’ meshes; hail, for you filled the Fishermen’s nets! Hail, 0 Retriever From the Abyss of Ignorance, hail, 0 Lamplight of Knowledge to Many! Hail, 0 Ship for Those Who Seek Salvation; hail, 0 Harbor for the Sailors of Life! Hail, 0 Bride and Maiden ever-pure!



Kontakion

Desiring to save the world, the Creator of All came down to it of His own will. Being at the same time our Shepherd and our God, He appeared among us, a man like us. And so the like called upon the Like, and as God He heard: Alleluia!



Tenth Chant

0 Virgin God-Bearer, you are the Strength of Virgins and of all those who have recourse to you. For the Maker of Heaven and Earth covered you with His shadow, 0 Pure One, and came to dwell in your womb, and taught us all to cry out to you: Hail, 0 Pillar of Virginity; hail, 0 Gateway of Salvation! Hail, 0 Principle of the New Creation; hail, 0 Dispenser of God’s Bounties! Hail, for you restored those born in shame; hail, for you gave sense to those who had lost it! Hail, 0 you who stopped the corruptor of minds; hail, 0 you who bore the Sower of Chastity! Hail, Holy Chamber of Virginal Wedlock; hail, 0 you who joins the faithful with God! Hail, 0 gracious Foster-Mother of Virgins; hail, 0 Bridesmaid of Holy Souls! Hail, 0 Bride and Maiden ever-pure!



Kontakion

Every hymn falls short when it attempts to sing the multitude of Your mercies. We could sing to You as many songs as there are grains of sand, 0 Holy King, without ever doing anything worthy of what You have given to those who cry out to You: Alleluia!



Eleventh Chant

We see the holy Virgin as a brilliant luminary enlightening those who live in darkness; for having kindled the Immaterial Light, she leads men to the knowledge of God and fills their minds with radiance, so that she is worthily praised in these words: Hail, 0 Beam of the Mystical Sun; hail, 0 Radiance of the Light Without Setting! Hail, Lightning-Flash that brightens the souls; hail, Thunder-Clap that strikes down the foes! Hail, for you have raised the many-lighted Star; hail, for you have opened the many-coursed Stream! Hail, 0 you who traced the Living Model of the Pool; hail, 0 you who erased the stain of sin! Hail, Flowing Water that cleanses the conscience; hail, Holy Vessel overflowing with joy! Hail, 0 Fragrance of the Sweetness of Christ; hail, 0 Life of the Mystical Banquet! Hail, 0 Bride and Maiden ever-pure!



Kontakion

Because He wished to grant release from all the ancient debts, the One Who pays men’s dues came down Himself to those who had spumed His grace. He tore up their obligations, and heard from all of them this cry: Alleluia!



Twelfth Chant

By singing praise to your maternity, we all exalt you as a Spiritual Temple, 0 Theotokos! For the One Who dwelt within your womb, the Lord Who holds all things in His hands, sanctified you, glorified you and taught all men to sing to You: Hail, 0 Tabernacle of God the Word; hail, Holy One, more holy that the Saints! Hail, 0 Ark that the Spirit has gilded; hail, Inexhaustible Treasure of Life! Hail, Precious Crown of Rightful Authorities; hail, Sacred Glory of Reverent Priests! Hail, Unshakable Tower of the Church; hail, Unbreachable Wall of the Kingdom! Hail, 0 you through whom the trophies are raised; hail, 0 you through whom the enemies are routed! Hail, 0 Healing of My Body; hail, 0 Salvation of My Soul! Hail, 0 Bride and Maiden ever-pure!



Kontakion

0 Mother Worthy of All Praise, you who have given birth to the Word, the Holiest of the Holy, accept this present offering, deliver all men from every affliction, and save from the future punishment those who cry out to you: Alleluia!



Hirmos

Gabriel was rapt in amazement as he beheld your virginity and the splendor of your purity, 0 Mother of God, and he cried out to you: "By what name shall I call you? I am bewildered; I am lost! I shall greet you as I was commanded to do: ‘Hail, 0 Woman Full of Grace!"’

Recite the Concluding Prayers. 

A book every housewife should own. . . .

The Joy of Cooking

This cookbook has everything you could possibly ever want to know about cooking in it. Detailed information about how to do certain techniques correctly, what this pan is for and that funny looking gadget does, things like that. If you've ever had a cooking dilema or questions, this book is like the encyclopedia of cooking, with almost all the answers! I grew up with the older version, and had recipes in it for things like muskrat, raccoon, wild rabbit, you name it! The new version, which I was given for a wedding present, is a bit more updated and has a bit of the fat trimmed out of its recipes, but it is still chock full of great information for the budding cook.

It's also the perfect cooking book for classes, if you are teaching a teen to cook (hi homeschoolers!). There is information about liquid and solid measurements, how ingredients react with each other, how proteins respond to heat, what makes eggs fluffy when they are beaten, basic nutritional information, and things like that. When I have teenagers, we are going to go through this whole entire book from cover to cover, and not just with the girls. Every young man should know how to cook, and some of them really take a liking to it!

My favorite cookbook, the Joy of Cooking.

German Sauerbraten Part I

I love to try different foods all the time. Japanese, Chinese (real Chinese, not your average every day orange chicken and pepper beef ;) ), German, English, French, Indian, Filipino. . . list goes on and on and on.

Perhaps it's just a theory I have, but I believe that the proper enjoyment of food is part of good Catholic home life. Enjoying food properly means exercising restraint, avoiding gluttony, thanking God for such nice food and the company of those you eat it with. Invite your priest over for a good meal that was meant to be savored, and you create memories that will last throughout your life. There are so many different cultural traditions involving food and how to eat it, it is fascinating to try some of them every once in a while.

Though coming from Austrian heritage, I don't think I ever had sauerbraten while growing up, so I always wanted to try it. German food has such satisfying sounding names that I am usually disappointed when finding out that most of them are really quite ordinary dishes, but they are still good. Sauerbraten is actually just a pot roast, but it is very good and the leftover gravy is wonderful the next day, served hot over slices of bread.

I also like this recipe because I had been trying to find creative things to do with all of the cheapo London Broil they sell at my grocery store in large quantities, which I freeze. This stuff is really hard to cook in a way that won't come out either raw or like leather, but a big chunk of it is the perfect size for a smaller pot roast.

Ingredients:

1 boneless beef pot roast, 4-5 pounds, rolled and tied (if you are using only 1-2 pounds of meat, half the amounts shown here for the marinade, etc. Experiment)

1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup dry red wine (I am using Chianti)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper corns, whole
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
6 Juniper Berries OR 1 oz gin

And if you have some leftover coffee, you can add up to 1/2 cup of coffee. The Austrians can find a way to put coffee into just about anything.

Put everything except the roast into a non-reactive (that means either non-metal, like a crock pot, or stainless steel, don't use aluminum) pot. The pot should be big enough to allow the roast to sit in the middle of the pot and not be touching any of the pans sides or the pot's cover.

Bring this marinade just to a boil, then turn off the heat and let it sit until it's cool. Add the roast, turn it to coat with the marinade, and cover it so it's air-tight. It will now sit in the fridge for up to four days. The longer you marinade it, the better it will taste. I like to kind of aim for Sundays, so I'm putting my sauerbraten in the fridge today.

The rest of the recipe will be posted on Saturday evening. In the meantime, the ingredients needed for the rest of the cooking will be vegetable oil (I'm using extra virgin olive oil), chopped onions, chopped carrots, chopped celery, ground ginger, beef broth, and some flour.

I will also post two recipes for side-dishes I am going to serve with the sauerbraten; Spatzle, which are German egg dumplings that are served on the side and covered with the gravy, and Braised red cabbage with apples, which is basically red sauerkraut. Yum yummy!

**Interesting tid-bit: sauerbraten is mostly served in the fall/winter months, and if any of the family members had colds or the sniffles, the mammas would make them sit in the kitchen while the vinegar/onion mixture came to a boil, and then have them breathe the very pungent steam. It really clears the sinuses and makes your head feel much better when you have a stuffy cold.

Time. . . what time?

 
Nowadays, every second counts. Every person I know tries to cram as much as they can into each and every minute of the day, because we seem to just plain be running out of time. Even I, a young wife with no kids yet, seem to not have enough time, ever. My day is full to the brim and usually runs out before I'm done.

What are we all doing? For most of the day, the majority of us work. I don't work outside the home, but I work very small amounts of the week for two small companies as a virtual assistant. I also have a small home business that will eventually become our sole means of financial support. Living in a dirty part of the world, my house needs dusting all the time, the white (argh) carpets need shampooing once a week (my hubby got me a steam cleaner!), there are mountains of dishes from my cooking fiascos, cars to clean, weeds to pick, trees and rose bushes to prune, the list goes on and on.

It's nice, every once in while, to physically grab (or spear, bonk on the head, trap) some time out of the day, to just do something that actually doesn't have anything to do with anything, gets anything on your schedule accomplished, or serves two purposes at once.

One thing my husband and I like to do is have a tea party. LOL, yes, you heard me. No, we don't dress up our dollies and bring them along. For Christmas a couple years back, my husband gave me a gorgeous tea set: a porcelain tray, tea-pot, sugar bowl, cream pitcher, two tea cups and saucers, little cookie plates and two matching candlesticks. I also inherited a very old maple tea wagon, that used to belong in a very fancy house and would roll out every morning at 10 with my ancient relatives' tea and cakes. This tea wagon had displayed my tea set in the living room, basically just collecting dust, for about a year when I finally took a good look at life and said to myself, "Why the heck is that beautiful tea set just sitting there, never used, never loved, just looking pretty in the corner?" The answer basically was, who the heck has time for tea? Umm. . not me.

But the tea set stuck in my head, until my husband's next day off. He was sitting at his computer (ahem, like 97.9 percent of the time) and I wasn't doing much, so I put a pot of water on the stove, some tea bags in the pot, poured the hot water. . yeah, you get the idea. I actually put cream in the creamer too. And sugar in the sugar bowl. That began our little weekly ritual of tea time :-D

People back in the good old days used to just be able to take time to do silly little things like that, not for silly's sake, but to enjoy time. Sitting back with a small sandwich and a cup of hot tea in the middle of the morning, not hurrying for anything, taking your time to eat and enjoy each other's company is so enjoyable. But you have to steal time for it.

Loose leaf tea is the best by the way, and I ain't talkin' 'bout lipton's raspberry fako tea either. Fresh, loose leaf black tea is my favorite. You measure it out into something called a tea ball (really, just a metal tea bag that you can use over and over), steep it in hot water, and add it to the dainty cups that have a bit of sugar and cream in them. I've since added triangle shaped turkey sandwiches to the menu of cookies or brownies or whatever I've got. My brother, who lives with us, has even enjoyed the little parties we have, even though he doesn't really look like the tea party type;). . .it's just a nice way to spend some time together and enjoy some things that God has blessed us with.

What little time stealing rituals do my readers enjoy? C'mon peoples, speak up. There are quite a lot of you and only two or three ever comment;) So let's share :-D

 

Been busy. . .

Sorry folks, busy busy busy. But this article on toxins in our food is very interesting.

Broiled Wild Salmon

Okay, this week's Friday dinner is broiled wild salmon :-D Yum Yum!

Two things first: salmon is extremely healthy for you because of the omega three fatty acids, but you must not overcook the salmon. The other thing, is that you should only buy wild caught salmon, and it must be advertised as "wild caught". Such things as "atlantic salmon" "color added" "farmed salmon" DO NOT EAT! For one thing, the omega three fatty acids will barely be there, all of the above titles in parentheses are salmon raised on farms, in tight quarters, fed exactly the minimum nutrients to make them grow to harvest size. Those fish ARE what they eat, and then you are what they eat ultimately. I will post another post soon on why farm raised fish must be avoided at all costs.

Fish is expensive, especially if you don't live by the coast. You have to catch it by the sales, and every grocery store in the United States is going to have wild caught fish flown in at some point because of the demand it is creating as consumers become more educated about their food. Fall is the time they are catching these salmon, so they are in season and should be on sale to boot. When this happens, STOCK UP! I really saved some money for this, and bought about 12 fillets. Figure out how much your family is going to eat at one meal, and have the guy at the meat counter wrap this amount up separately in as many packages as you can afford. When you get home, wrap each package again with brown paper bag (I cut strips from the brown grocery bags I save) and stick them in the freezer. They'll keep for a good long time.

Broiled Wild Salmon

Ingredients:
One large salmon fillet, about 1 1/2 pounds (this will make four generous portions)
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive oil OR one Tablespoon Butter cut into four pieces
Salt and Pepper
1/2 tsp marjoram

Rinse the fillet in cool water, LEAVE THE SKIN ON. Pat dry and place the fillet, skin side down, on a flat baking pan with sides, on parchment paper. The paper is important; if you don't use it then use some aluminum foil, but I don't recommend doing this often (there is evidence that cooking with aluminum foil might help aluminum leach into your food, which you ingest, which can complicate things such as alzheimer's etc., more on that in another post).

Turn your broiler on and put the highest rack as close to the broiler flame as possible.

The thickness of your fillet will determine how long you need to broil, but they are generally about an inch thick. Drizzle the fillet with oil, or place the butter pieces at intervals along the fillet. Crack some salt and pepper over it, then sprinkle the marjoram.

Place under the broiler flame and broil for about 10-15 minutes, watching closely. The top of the fish should get crispy (this enhances the flavor of the fish) and if some of it carmelizes, all the better for the flavor. If this happens within the first 4-5 minutes, however, move the fish a bit farther away from flame, as you don't want it to burn.

Continue to broil until the flesh flakes easily with a fork, and when you peek down to the fish next to the skin below, it's firm and light pink.

Take the fish out now and let it sit in the pan while you get the plates and everything. The fish will leach nutrients out of the skin below at this time, so you want to let it sit about 3-5 minutes.

Serve with salad and rice, or bread. Watch out for a line of bones, and DO NOT eat the skin or the scales, ever.


There is a proper way to each fish: place the fish skin side down on a plate. Using a small fork (this is what seafood forks are for. . .), lightly pull flakes of the fish apart, eating each flake. It was meant to be savored, so small bites are good. Bones will be between flakes, so eating in this way will easily uncover bones that you may pull out and place on a napkin, instead of crunching them unpleasantly in your teeth and having to "fish" around in your mouth for it;) Properly cooked fish will lift easily away from the skin, and the dark flesh right next to the skin has the highest amount of omega threes. This fish does not have a lot of bones in it at all, which makes it my favorite, but beware all the same.

***Other yummy thing to do with salmon: spread some all natural cream cheese on a whole wheat bagel that has been toasted brown, then top it with a generous amount of naturally smoked wild salmon with a sprinkling of chives. Mmmmmmmm

Women and Veils: This says it all

veils

There is a link on my links-roll to the right, to a lady who makes gorgeous veils and mantillas by hand out of very high quality lace. She needs some support :-D

Mulled Cider and Other Fall Drinks

Okay, here is a really good Fall Drink. Good for what ails ya'.

You have to make this drink in a crock pot or ceramic dish, or a non-reactive metal sauce-pan (this means only use stainless steel, don't use aluminum). Makes enough for three servings.

Ingredients:
1 quart plain apple cider or apple juice (there doesn't seem to much difference in the commercial brands)
1/2 cup brandy (experiment with what flavor, if any) *optional ingredient
1 cinnamon stick
6-8 whole cloves
1/2 cup craisins or dried cranberries
2/3 cup honey or 3/4 cup brown sugar (I personally prefer brown sugar in this version)
1 orange
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract or one whole vanilla bean
Cheesecloth

Heat the cider or juice on low in the pot with the brandy, and while it's warming up cut the zest from the orange with a veggie peeler, or if you have a zester, us that. This just means cutting the orange from the orange peel. If you wind up getting the white stuff, you'll have to pick it out, because even a tiny bit of it will make this drink bitter. Put the zest into the cheesecloth (you'll be making a bag out of it soon) and pound it lightly so that the orange oil is released. Now form a bag from the cheesecloth, and put all of the other dry ingredients in (the cinn. stick, cloves, craisins, and vanilla bean if you're using one). Tie the bag tightly and drop into the cider. Let this steep on low heat until it starts to steam. At that point, add the sugar or honey and the vanilla extract. Taste and see. . .if you need to add more spices or sweetner;) If the brandy is too alcoholic for your taste buds, let the cider simmer a little bit, and the taste will diminish the longer you simmer. Ladle into mugs and stick a cinnamon stick into it, if you want.

For a really nice drink when you have a cold, try Mulled Wine:

Ingredients:

1 750ml Bottle of either red or white Zinfindel, Merlot, Reisling, or Viognier wine (remember, a bad wine tastes REALLY bad when heated, so don't get just anything, BUT, a cheaper wine is just as good as a better one in this case). This makes enough for however many people you usually split a whole bottle of wine with.
1/2 cup Brandy
2/3 cup sugar (I use raw sugar)
6-8 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
zest from 1/2 an orange

Just like for the mulled cider, pour the wine and brandy into a non-reactive pan (crock pot is the best I'm tellin' ya') and put it on low heat. This is very important: don't let the wine come to a boil. Put it on very, very low heat. Remove the zest from half an orange, put it in some cheesecloth, pound it a bit, make a bag out of the cheesecloth with the pounded zest inside and put the spices into it, tie it, and toss it into the pot. Let this steep for as long as it takes for the wine to start steaming. When this happens, gently stir in the sugar and taste to see if it needs more. Ladle into mugs. Yum yum!

Okay, you are going to LOVE this one. It is a bit of work, but the end product is very, very good. This is REAL egg nog with a bit of a twist. And the eggs get cooked, so you don't have to worry about salmonella.

Chocolate Egg Nog
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup bourbon or rum
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
1 cup grated bittersweet chocolate (this is chocolatey, you might want to experiment)
1/4 cup creme de cacao or other chocolate liqueur
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg (plus more for a garnish if you can wait long enough to put a garnish on)
1/4 tsp. allspice
A big punchbowl or mixing bowl for the finished product.

In a non-reactive saucepan, heat the cream over low heat until it just starts to boil. Place the bittersweet chocolate into the punchbowl or large bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Reserve this mixture. Pour the milk into the saucepan and heat over low, stirring occasionally to make sure the milk doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan. While this is heating up, beat the egg yolks in a bowl with the vanilla, allspice, nutmeg and sugar until they are totally incorporated. When the milk starts to steam, it is at the scalding stage, turn off the heat. With one hand, or a friend, whisking the egg mixture in the bowl, carefully pour on ladle of hot milk into the eggs and whisk. Now, start whisking the milk left in the pan, and pour in the new egg mixture. Keep gently whisking until you have turned the pan back to low heat. Get a wooden spoon now and stir constantly, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan the entire time so that the mixture doesn't burn. This mixture is going to thicken as it cooks, and it might take as long as 20 minutes, but you want the drink to the consistency where it coats the back of your wooden spoon. Run a clean finger through the coat on the spoon, and if the mark stays clear, it's done. Pour this hot mixture over the chocolate mixture from earlier, then pour in the alcohols, stir gently, and either serve warm or cool in the fridge, keeping this drink covered.

Enjoy!

Autumn comes, time to pull out the decorations

 
Autumn is my favorite season of the year! Probably because it symbolizes warm pumpkin pies, steaming curried lamb soup, hot chocolate and tea, snuggling under the covers with a good book, cold air blowing on your face while the rest of you is toasty inside a snug jacket. . . I love cool weather, because then the other people out there decide to wear some real clothes too.

There is just a feeling that comes with the fall weather that reminds me of something I can't quite put my finger on. The sun seems to be at a funny place in the sky, all of the orange and yellow makes me relax and think of hibernating. When I was a kid, my brothers and sister and I would be outside raking leaves into piles and running through them. I always tried to jump in them like the kids in books did, but I never really saw the point. They weren't really a soft landing. Running through them, however, was great fun. Crackling them up into tiny bits in my hand was even better.

I like to decorate my home with the change of seasons in order to savour the atmosphere more. Bright flowers and vines (fake of course) get strung up around the windows and at the tops of my drapes during spring-time, garlands of golden leaves take their places in the fall, while shiny pumpkins, dried corn, and plastic squash decorate other parts of my home. In the winter, evergreen boughs and cinnamon scented pine cones appear, along with red and golden plaid fabric. The summer is a bit tricky, but then, it's so hot that no one really cares around here;)

Simple little things like that can really enrich a home and a life. All of the changes the earth is going through really come alive when we utilize changes in what we see, taste, smell and feel. This is something that Holy Mother Church recognizes as well. When people make fun of us traddies for "lingering after the smells and bells" of the Tridentine mass, I don't get mad at them, I feel sorry for them. What an empty, joyless and sparse existence they must put up with day after day. We humans were given five senses for a reason. Each sense enriches our atmosphere, it helps our brains actually realize what is happening. There is a limit to what fact can enable us to understand, and the senses take up where fact leaves off.

To be good wives and mothers, we need to take the time to enrich our homes with these kinds of symbols and things pleasing to the senses. Our homes should be a wonderful place for our husbands to return to after work, a place they'll look forward to retire in each evening. It should be a pleasant wonderland for our children. A lot of women, myself included, get so wrapped up in what's going on during the day that we feel we must prioritize, only doing what's important to keeping the family running. Some of us even feel guilty if we take the time to do something that doesn't seem to have value to it, so we just keep our houses clean and that's that. No silly primping and setting things up that will just catch dust. I tend to think though, that even if your knick-knacks will catch dust, it's not too hard to clean them up later, especially if you get a child to help you. The joy a pretty home can bring you and your family is well worth the extra work, methinks. 

And while I'm in a sentimental mood. . .

This is my sister. . .
 


Hey. . .isn't that my favorite shirt you're wearing???




 



That was one of the last pictures I took of her before she entered a cloister; here she is as she looks now, in the front row, first Sister on the left. 

My other brother. . . .

I had to put up a picture of my other cool brother because. . . He's just so cool! And, I miss him :-( So, here he is. . .


 





Hey, don't stick your tongue out at me kid!











Nah, just kidding. Here he really is. . .
  

How to Prepare Eggplants

A lot of people find that they cannot eat eggplant. It's either too bitter, or gives them heartburn, or, if you're like me, your throat starts to itch and you start coughing. This could be because some people are ultra-sensitive to something called solanine, which is present in eggplant in higher quantities than other nightshade plants (doctors recommend that people with joint problems or arthritis stay away from the nightshade family of plants because solanine can make matters worse; Dr. Peter D'Adamo has an interesting theory on why, based on blood type, but I won't go into that here). I'm planning to delve a little more deeply into the facts pretty soon, but in the meantime, here are some tips for preparing eggplant, which have thus far eliminated all of my problems with eating this versatile veggie.

First of all, organic is the only way to go. Eggplant absorbs a lot of water while it's growing, and whatever is in the water does make its way into your eggplant. The stuff they're spraying on the eggplants out here is not good, it's ruining our ground water, killing birds and the blow off has been causing lung problems out here. So, support your organic growers because they take care of the earth God gave us. Also, there are many studies popping up over how much more nutritious organic vegetables are for youcheck this out. Even if they were the same in nutritional content, however, organic growers are growing their vegetables the way God meant them to be grown, and it IS less expensive to farm organically, there is a much higher quality of nutrients left in organically farmed soils. . I could go on and on. Eat organic.

Second, you have to eat your eggplant ripe. Under-ripe eggplant is under-developed and contains more solanine than a ripe one. So if you can't tolerate eggplant very well, then you really can't tolerate an un-ripe one. Ripe eggplant are a bit soft to the touch, deep dark purple, and shiny. If your eggplant is dull, it's most likely over-ripe, which is okay, but not as good.

Third, always peel the eggplant unless the recipe you are using says not to (it should also give you explicit directions on how to prepare it. . .otherwise, peel it anyway).

Fourth, cut the eggplant in half and give the entire pieces a very liberal rubbing with salt. I and my eggplant eating friends don't use regular tablesalt, we've always used sea salt, but I think regular salt will work just as well. Let the salted pieces sit in a colander or somewhere that air can circulate around them for about 5 minutes or so, while you go about the rest of your meal preparation. Then, just before you need the eggplant, rinse off the salt, pat it dry, and use.

Fifth and final tip, make sure your eggplant is well done. Eggplant is not a veggie you want to eat on the raw side, you want it to be mush.

With all this hassle, why eat eggplant? Well, I eat eggplant because it's cheap, for one thing, (he he he) and it can be a good replacement for meat in dishes because of its rather neutral flavor, and ability to soak up the flavors of other food it's cooked with. Rather filling, it goes with many, many dishes, yet does not have many calories. For the nutritional content of eggplants lookee here.

I'll be posting more recipes containing eggplant later. There are some really good ones. :-D

Friday Food: Eggplant and Crimini Mushroom Pasta with Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce

 

My Friday food recipe for this week is Crimini Mushroom Pasta with Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce.

Ingredients (makes enough for two adults)
6-8 Small Crimini Mushrooms, whole, rinsed
1 cup chopped eggplant, chopped into very small pieces (see separate post on How To Prepare Eggplant)


3 Minced Garlic Cloves
1/2 Tsp Marjoram
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp water
Fully Cooked and Drained Spaghetti Noodles or other pasta

Mince the garlic and let it sit in the cold olive oil and butter in a medium sized frying pan, which you prepare the other things. Turn heat to medium, and saute the garlic a bit. Add marjoram, then the eggplant and mushrooms. Stir the eggplant in the oil and butter until the eggplant is thoroughly coated and/or all of the oil has been soaked up by the eggplant. Add the water and cover, turn heat to low. Stir every minute or so, then re-cover until the mushrooms are tender all the way through, and the eggplant is slightly brown and totally tender. If the oil and butter have not been re-leased back into the pan, add a little more oil so that your pasta will be coated. Don't worry, extra virgin olive oil is very good for you, and speeds up your metabolism. At this point, turn your heat back up to medium and add the amount of pasta you want. Stir the pasta to coat with the oil and mix the vegetables in with it; add salt and pepper now (or at the table). Let cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring to coat constantly, don't let the pasta stick onto the bottom of the pan.

Serve with salad and bread. 

Happy Birthdays are in order. . . . .:-D

 Happy Birthday to our Blessed Mother! Today we celebrate her birthday. There is a very interesting little information piece about this feast day, which you can read by clicking Here


But there is another person whose birthday is
today. . .my brother, Spanky (no not his real name, he has a good strong Catholic name)!!!


 One year ago to the day. . .
 And this is what he looks like now. They sure grow quickly.

Happy Birthday Buddy Boy! This is the first Spanky birthday I wasn't with you guys for (sniff sniff :-( ), but I love you just the same and hope you have a great day! I would have put a baby picture on here, but unfortunately I don't seem to have any pictures of the kid when he was a baby :-(

God bless you today, God bless you today, God bless you dear Spanky, God bless you always;) 

Picasa is so cool!

 
Another with the tortoise
 
From left to right, Dave the Snake guy, Dad the Fire Fighter, and me the bonnet wearer. ;) 

When I was a little kid. . . .

 
Uh oh, my feet don't reach the pedals! Me "driving" my Dad's fire engine. LOL, now that I think about it, this is one of the first pictures I sent my husband when we were first getting to know each other. :-P

 
Desert tortoise. Babies have this "one finger touch" thing. . .

 
Um, gee, that snake really IS big! That's Dave, the Number Two cool guy on my list.

  
What a nice little birdy.

Tragic Deaths Always Make me So Sad

I was raised in a tv-less household, so I was spared much of the crap my friends were put through while growing up, but my Dad had a tv at his place of work. Since he worked odd hours, he was alone much of the time there, and some of my fondest memories are of Mom, me and the kids piling into the car after dark to take him dinner and watch a show or two. It was such a treat! And gosh, it really wasn't that long ago, either.

Our favorites were old things like Laurel and Hardy or the Three Stooges, but if the Crocodile Hunter was on, it was unanimous. We loved that guy! The next day, our yard would witness four young teenage kids tramping out on a trek to find "dangerous" scorpions, snakes, lizards, and other desert wildlife. All of the rabbits and coyotes had run away by the time our shouts of "Crikey!" and other very badly done Australian tinted jabber had hit them, but we didn't care because they were the fuzzy wuzzy cutsey animals, and we were after "adventure".

I think we liked him so much because he reminded us of our Dad, sans the crikey bit. He was a Forest Fire Fighter guy, who tramped up and down mountains for a living, rescuing people, putting out fires, etc. Even when we were teeny, tiny he would take us out on hikes in the mountains, show us desert tortoises, birds, snakes, skinks, scorpions, frogs. He taught us to replace whatever we removed so as not to disturb the animal's natural habitat, and when the Crocodile Hunter echoed these words, we were like "Wow, Dad really is smart!". He made sure we could tell poisonous snakes from harmless ones, and he had a friend who was a park ranger that had a nature museum full of real snakes, tarantulas, toads and things. This guy wasn't as cool as my Dad, since he wasn't a fire fighter, but he was number two on the cool list. He hiked hundreds of miles in rough terrain, caught and relocated rattle-snakes and other wild life that city hikers couldn't deal with, etc. So we kids were very comfortable with the Crocodile Hunter and kind of treated him like an uncle we'd never met.

A couple years later, married and far away from my family, I think I totally forgot about all of this stuff until my husband told me that Steve Irwin had died. I was like. . .Steve Irwin? Who the heck. . .ohhhhh, the Crocodile Hunter!!! Memories just came flooding back. I've been thinking about him for the past couple days now, trying not to read all of the stupid news stuff about him and all, but this morning I sat down and just thought. . .why am I thinking about this guy so much? I didn't know him, never met him, don't know what kind of man he was in real life. But tragic deaths always make me sad, especially when I kind of DO know the person who died. When you spend time with someone on tv, it's like you get to know them somewhat (or the character that they are acting). That's why it is so dangerous to watch movies with characters you wouldn't want to be like, because their actions and thought and vileness will kind of have an effect on you, just as hanging around friends like that in real life would. But Steve Irwin was so real. You could tell he was just as funny, just as rip-roaring and adventurous in real life, and we kids really respected that. So many tv personalities are sooo fake. Anyway. . .

Tragic deaths make me sad, because I have always seen death as the last chance to change. For someone who was busy with life and stuff, not really paying attention to God (I have no idea if Irwin was religious or not, but I highly doubt it) and soul, the dying process is a sharp reminder of the last things. All of the sudden that person has to think about "what's going to happen to my soul, do I really have one, is hell a real place and am I going there? What can I do. . .God forgive me. . .death. At least that's what you hope is going through their minds.

However, having lived a life of risk and running the chance of death very often, I wonder if Mr. Irwin remembered this every day. . .or not at all. If not at all, his sudden death saddens me very much, because he very likely had no time to think from between "oh, nice sting-ray" and "-----------". It's nice and tempting to think that because he was "such a nice man" or "did so much for children" that he went straight to heaven, but as a Catholic I am sober faced. The vale of tears was hidden from this man, as he went about his captivating life, as so many people out there are doing, not aware of the great battle for souls that is raging right in the midst of all we are doing. A life. . .wasted? This, the world does not want to hear! They want to make the Crocodile Hunter a hero, he died filming a film for his daughter's show, isn't that wonderful? I'm thinking of his two little kids that loved him very much, who now have no Daddy, and his wife who is now facing raising them alone. And I'm wondering if it was all just a waste.

I really hope not. But this should be an eye opener for all of us. Every death should be an eye opener for all of us. We all drive on the freeways, we are all absorbed in the task of providing for our families, taking care of loved ones, making sure the bills get paid, the car has gas, the fridge has food in it, the house is clean, Aunt Sally is still talking to us even though we never write her, etc. Life is being made more and more complicated every day, and people are running out of time to do things like think about a holy death. You could die any minute, unexpectedly. How will your soul fare? Staying as best we can in the state of grace is so important, frequent comfession, a must. Death is the most wonderful last minute opportunity to get things in order, that is why we Catholics pray for a happy death. The best death anyone could have is the one St. Joseph experienced, surrounded by angels, cradled in Mary and Jesus's arms. Let's not let death take us unprepared.

St. Joseph, Patron of a Happy Death, ora pro nobis.

And let us keep the Irwin family in our prayers as well as Steve Irwin's soul.

Too tired

To all of my readers (yes I have more than one. . .:-P),

Sorry. . .I've just been too tired to write anything. Every once in a while my brain gets overloaded (well, more than every once in a while, but anyway) and I just have to stop all of the extra things and pull back into my shell to recuperate. The circuits up there were shorting out last week and half, so no more bloggy for a while.

Today is better though. Relatives and friends are gone from my little house, my husband is commuting to a job that requires him to be gone for just about all of the next three days, my house is clean and the yard is lookin' good, so I'm going to take it easy again and think about something other than surviving;)

Hmm, wonder if I paid the water bill.

Click click. . .nope, I didn't

Talk to you later.