The real site: Brownback for President

DustIam pointed out on her blog that www.brownbackforpresident.org is actually a site for Sen. John Edwards! Typical underhanded ways, just advancing one more step into the cyber-world.

If anyone would like to visit his real site, here all y'all go!

Senator Brownback for President!

Merry Christmas to One and All!

Merry Christmas to one and all!

Say, ye holy shepherds, say
What your joyful news today?
Wherefore have ye left your sheep
On the lonely mountain steep?
Hail thou ever blessed morn,
Hail redemption's happy dawn,
Sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem!

And Joy Shall Be Yours in the Morning!

Humorous

Dear readers,
I thought this was hilarious. Enjoy!

This is the time of year when we think back to the very
first Christmas, when the Three Wise Men -- Kaspar,
Balthazar, and Melchoir -- went to see the baby Jesus and,
according to the Book of Matthew, "presented unto Him gifts;
gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

These are simple words, but if we analyze them carefully, we
discover an important, yet often overlooked, theological
fact:
If there had been wrapping paper, Matthew would have said
so: "And lo, the gifts were inside 600 square cubits of
paper. And the paper was festooned with pictures of Jolly Old
St. Nick. And Joseph was going to throweth it away, but
Mary saideth unto him, she saideth, 'Holdeth it! That is
nice paper! Saveth it for next year!' And Joseph did rolleth
his eyeballs. And the baby Jesus was more interested in the
paper than the frankincense."

But these words do not appear in the Bible, which means that
the very first Christmas gifts were NOT wrapped. This is
because the people giving those gifts had two important
characteristics:

1. They were wise.
2. They were men.

Men are not big gift wrappers. Men do not understand the
point of putting paper on a gift just so somebody else can
tear it off. This is not just my opinion, this is a
scientific fact based on a statistical survey of two guys I
know. One is Rob, who said the only time he ever wraps a
gift is "if it's such a poor gift that I don't want to be
there when the person opens it." The other is Gene, who told
me he does wrap gifts, but as a matter of principle never
takes more than 15 seconds per gift. "No one ever had to
wonder which presents daddy wrapped at Christmas," Gene
said. "They were the ones that looked like enormous
spitballs."

I also wrap gifts, but because of some defect in my motor
skills, I can never completely wrap them. I can take a gift
the size of a deck of cards and put it the exact center of a
piece of wrapping paper the size of a regulation volleyball
court, but when I am done folding and taping, you can still
see a sector of the gift peeking out. (Sometimes I
camouflage this sector with a marking pen.) If I had been an
ancient Egyptian in the field of mummies, the lower half of
the Pharaoh's body would be covered only by Scotch tape.

On the other hand, if you give my wife a 12-inch square of
wrapping paper, she can wrap a C-130 cargo plane. My wife,
like many women, actually likes wrapping things. If she
gives you a gift that requires batteries, she wraps the
batteries separately, which to me is very close to being a
symptom of mental illness. If it were possible, my wife
would wrap each individual volt.

My point is that gift-wrapping is one of those skills like
having babies that come more naturally to women than to men.
That is why today I am presenting:

Gift Wrapping Tips for Men:

*Buy an already wrapped gift: when the recipient opens the gift,if neither one of you
recognizes it, you can claim that it's myrrh.

* The editors of Woman's Day magazine recently ran an item
on how to make your own wrapping paper by printing a design
on it with an apple sliced in half horizontally and dipped
in a mixture of food coloring and liquid starch. They must be smoking crack. If you're giving a hard-to-wrap gift, skip
the wrapping paper! Just put it inside a bag and stick one
of those little adhesive bows on it. This creates a festive
visual effect that is sure to delight the lucky recipient on
Christmas morning:

YOUR WIFE: Why is there a Hefty trash bag under the tree?
YOU: It's a gift! See? It has a bow!
YOUR WIFE (peering into the trash bag): It's a leaf blower.
YOU: Gas-powered! Five horsepower!
YOUR WIFE: I want a divorce.
YOU: I also got you some myrrh.

In conclusion, remember that the important thing is not what
you give, or how you wrap it. The important thing, during
this very special time of year, is that you save the
receipt.

Author Unknown (but definitely male)


LOL. I must be something of an anomaly; I love to wrap presents, and if there are multiple pieces to one gift, I like to wrap those pieces separately, because it makes the surprise so much more exciting (it looks like you have more than just one present). However, my presents belong to that spitball looking category. I guess I'm just not artistic, or I haven't figured out the science behind folding paper neatly, holding the paper whilst getting a piece of tape, then sticking the tape onto the paper with only one free hand. My Mom, who wraps gifts like Martha Stewart (and so, I'm told, did the grand lady who taught her), tried and tried to teach me how to wrap nicely. But alas, my loved ones still receive interesting, spitballish packages. At least no one can guess what's inside the wrapping!

What the frick?

I don't want to switch my blog over to beta, or whatever they want me to switch mine blog to! I donwanna, I donwanna, I donwanna!!!!

Every time I try to sign into my blog, this page comes up like a big security guard, bashing his billy club into the palm of his hand, telling me to switch over. Supposedly, not only do I HAVE to switch over, but I have to get a google account in order to sign into it! Well, I like my blog as it is, goldernit! And I don't want a flippin' google account! Hasn't anyone noticed? Google is taking over the world! This is a catastrophe that must be stopped!

I have found a way of getting past this nonsense, and into my old blog, but I don't think it'll work forever. This is just not fair.

Sooo, in the next couple of days, I will probably have succumbed to the capitalistic Google global domination takeover, and you will see some changes (rrr) to the blog. Not that any of you really come here that often, but for my few loyal companions, you know who you are, sorry . . . I tried to stand up to the big kid on the block, but I loosded.

Talk to y'all latta,

Therese

Batch o' the best!

Okay, the hubby and I have been sampling a batch o' the best, and here are some of my favorites. By the way, if you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby, I feel sorrryy for you!

-Trader Joe's Organic Oatmeal Stout
Sounds rather snobbish, but it's a real treat. They only have them in pint bottles, none of those smaller 12 oz six pack types. Perfect chilled, and in a (big) mug straight out of the freezer (then again, are there any beers that aren't perfect this way?)

-Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale
Again, only in single Pint bottles, Imported from England. Well, just looked at the bottle, and it says 1 pint, 2.7 fl. oz, soooo, there's a slight correction. More than a pint! Mmmmm. A lighter ale with a bit of a bite.

I'd put pictures in here if I could get the dang things to load! :-P

- (somebody's) Chocolate Stout.
This is a tragedy, I threw away the empties before I could remind myself whose beer this was, but when I find out, I'll tell you. I would have thought a "chocolate" beer would be . . . um, weird to say the least, but naw! It didn't have a chocolatey taste to it, but there was a hint of an almost earthy wholesomeness there, that just had to be the chocolate. Anyway, again, they only have these in the big pint bottles.

-San Miguel Light
A friend of mine that was with us picking out our beers doesn't know much about beer, so sh . . . this person, just grabbed the nearest looking thing to Bud Light that was there. To our surprise, it was actually very good! My husband and I are more into darker brews, but after sticking a slice of lemon into the bottle (along with a thumb so that it didn't blow up everywhere!), it was rather refreshing. I'll have to remember this beer come summer time. They do have these in 6 packs, and they are smaller bottles, I think about 10 oz.

Enjoy!

Great Compline of Nativity Pt 1, St. Elias, Brampton 2006

Great Compline of Nativity Pt 2, St. Elias, Brampton 2006

Great Compline of Nativity Pt 3, St. Elias, Brampton 2006

Great Compline of Nativity Pt 4, St. Elias, Brampton 2006

Great Compline of Nativity Pt 5, St. Elias, Brampton 2006

Great Compline of Nativity Pt 5, St. Elias, Brampton 2006

Great Compline of Nativity Pt 6, St. Elias, Brampton 2006

And finally, part 6

Akathis Hymn-In Spanish!

I was trying to find a sound blurb to go with an earlier post of mine on the Akathist Hymn to Our Lady, and I haven't been able to come up with one . . . until I found this one today! It is in Spanish, but you can hear how it is sung.

Interesting, eh?

Friday after Thanksgiving; how to use those leftovers in Friday food

This blog post is really for the Friday food topic, but I'm posting it the day before Thanksgiving so that my readers can plan ahead if they want to with some of these ideas.

With a Friday right after Thanksgiving, it's kind of hard seeing all those leftovers in the fridge! But here are some tasty ways to use up some of them, and still have a meatless Friday.

potato Pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes:
For every 2 cups of mashed potatoes, add 1 egg and three tablespoons of flour in a mixing bowl, and mix until all ingredients are just incorporated. In a skillet on medium heat, melt some butter or drizzle some cooking oil. Plop the potato batter into the skillet by the ladleful, press down to flatten a bit, and after about 3-5 minutes, lift up an edge to see if the underside is golden brown. When golden brown, flip gently, then cook until that side is also golden brown. Don't make the pancakes too thick, or the insides will not cook thoroughly. Pile onto a plate, kept warm in the oven or microwave, and serve just as you would traditional pancakes.

Green bean casserole omelet:
Beat three eggs together with a teaspoon of milk, until you start to see a little bit of frothiness (beat briskly for about 2 minutes). Have melted in a pan on medium heat, 1 tablespoon butter (or some olive oil). Pour the egg mixture into the pan and let it cook until you can easily begin to lip up the underside of the omelet (about 4-5 minutes). The top will also have started to cook. When eggs are ready, spread about 4-5 tablespoons of leftover green bean/cream of mushroom soup casserole onto half of the omelet. If you have some of those crispy fried onions, they are a very nice addition as well. Fold the empty half of the eggs over the green beans, and press gently down. Turn heat to low, and keep cooking until the green mixture has heated through. Gently lift out and serve, or split between two people.

If you are trying to cut back on the meat products at Thanksgiving, try making a vegetarian gravy, which you can then use on Friday to spread, hot, on warmed slices of bread for a satisfying lunch.

Vegetarian Gravy:
In a stainless steel pan (non-stick pan will not work), heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil. Chop one medium onion, four cloves of garlic, 2 shallots, and 5 or so white or crimini mushrooms, chopped into very small pieces. Saute everything but the mushrooms in the oil, until carmelized (i.e. you have nice brown flavorful stuff sticking to the bottom of the pan), then add the mushrooms and cook until tender. Lower pan to low heat, remove half of the onions/garlic/shallots with a slotted spoon (or all, if you don't want them in the finished product) and discard, remove the mushrooms and set aside, then add enough oil or butter to the pan to make the amount of fat in the pan equal about 1/4 cup. Have ready two cups of vegetable broth, hot (you can either use commercial vegetable broth, or bouillon cubes), or a mixture of half vegetable broth, half beer, or dry red wine, your preference. When all the fat in the pan is hot, stir in with a whisk, 2-4 tablespoons of flour, stirring constantly and scraping up the brown, carmelized bits from the bottom and sides of the pan, and keep stirring for several minutes afterward so as to remove the raw taste of the flour. Add the hot broth slowly, whisking constantly, and cook until the gravy is thickened to the desired consistency. Stir in the mushrooms, and serve.

Okey doke everybody! Have a happy Thanksgiving tomorrow :-D

How to make a spritual communion and why it's important

Even though we would LOVE to be able to go to daily mass and receive Jesus' Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity as often as we can, for Trads these days, it is almost impossible. Many of us do not live near enough to our Traditional Churches and priests, and an hour long drive, one way, just isn't feasible for most of our budgets.

We know how much we need those graces that pour into our hearts during mass. Our daily lives are such a struggle. Just walking out the door and down the street could offer us many near occasions of sin and temptations, and the amount of blatant evil has steadily increased, while the ready access to strength and grace from the sacraments has steadily decreased.

This is where the spiritual communion comes galloping to the rescue, like much needed reinforcements on the battlefield. Knowledge of the spiritual communion used to be so commonplace, it was just as well known to Catholics as the Hail Mary. People used to make many spiritual communions throughout the day, but this devotion has sadly become forgotten.

So here it is. Let us make use of it many times during the day. For those of us who are just barely surviving on the one and only mass we can get to on Sundays, let's REALLY make use of this grace-filled act.

By a rescript of November 24, 1922, The Sacred Congregation of Indulgences approved the following formula for a spiritual communion:

"O Jesus, I turn toward the holy tabernacle where You live hidden for love of me. I love you, O my God. I cannot receive you in Holy Communion. Come nevertheless and visit me with Your grace. Come spiritually into my heart. Purify it. Sacntify it. Render it like unto your own. Amen."

The indulgence granted to this devotion is 500 days, if thrice repeated.

St. Jean Vianney, Cure d' Ars, said, "A spiritual communion acts on the soul as blowing does on a cinder covered fire which was about to go out. Whenever you feel your love of God growing cold, quickly make a spiritual communion."

Our Body Armor

I have come across so many good and otherwise faithful Catholics, who deliberately spurn the scapular and the devotions accompanying it, because they think that it is somehow superstitious. This is very sad, especially when you consider something very interesting which was revealed to Francis of Yepes (who was the brother of St. John of the Cross). The demons told Francis, "Three things especially torment us; the first is the Name of Jesus; the second, the Name of Mary, and the third, the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel." "Take off that habit, which snatches so many souls from us. All those clothed in it die piously and escape us".

There is nothing superstitious about deliberately clothing yourself in a garment that reminds us of Our Lady, and yes, protects us from the devil. We know it protects us from the devil, because of what Our Lady told St. Simon Stock: "Whosoever dies clothed in this [scapular], shall not suffer eternal fire." (Promise given to St. Simon Stock on July 16th, 1251)

It is not the piece of brown wool that keeps us from hell. It is the disposition that precludes the wearing of such a symbol, that saves us from eternal damnation. To take up the scapular and wear it, means that you acknowledge it to be Mary's special garment, and that you love her, you are loyal to her. . . you are her special knight, and will fight for her honor, for her glory, and spread love for her wherever you go, whenever you can. In return, you expect her maternal protection, her constant intercession (as the lady of a medieval knight would do as well in the olden days; she would constantly pray for the knight who had been given a piece of her livery to wear), and special graces from her Son, who refuses His Mother nothing!

"Wear it devoutly and perseveringly. It is my garment. To be clothed in it means you are continually thinking of me, and I in turn, am always thinking of you and helping you to secure eternal life."~Mary to St. Simon Stock.

So what happens if we know this already, we would really like to be devoted to Mary and all this stuff, but we just aren't? We can't conjure up even an inkling of love in our hearts for her. Well, for one thing, how can you love someone that you do not know? That is the first step. Get to know Our Lady. The best way to get to know someone is to spend time with that person, and talk to that person. Ask Our Lady for help. Tell her your problems, because she is your most excellent Mother. Confide in her, just as you would a friend sitting right beside you. And most especially, be silent and let her answer you. She will speak to you through spiritual reading, and signs that you will recognize. That is why it is so important to always be reading something holy. The Imitation of Mary, or The World's First Love are great books. You will then get to know the Supreme and Most Holy Mother of God, and you will love her. How could you not come to love the Darling of Heaven? You won't, if you will not do what it takes.

The other thing you must realize is that, since we are human, we have these fickle things called emotions. Emotions, if left unguarded, can actually rule over us, guiding every decision we make, every thought that we have. This is silly, and not how a Child of God must live. We were made to rule over our emotions, to discipline them into obedience to our wills; not to be ruled by them, and kowtow to them. But most of us think that if we do not feel something, then we are actually not doing this thing. As in, if we don't feel a warm and sappy love for Our Lady, then we actually don't love her. This is not true, however.

Love is not a feeling. It is an act of will. There are plenty of times when you don't feel like loving someone, but you know that you do. You will to. If you do not feel any love for Our Lady, or even feel that she really is your mother, that is okay. Your emotions are not there right now. No problem. You know, however, by the teachings of the Church, and the Saints, that Mary IS indeed your mother, and that you ought to love her. Make a conscious act of the will to love her. Tell her that you want to love her, and that you want to be her daughter or son. Ask her for the grace to be able to love her and know her.

Jesus said "ask and you shall receive". Love for Jesus, and love for Mary are exactly such things as you should ask for. These things will not be refused to you. But you must ask, and you must distrust the emotions, because they are liars and easily manipulated by the things around you.

Pray without ceasing

Mother Theresa of Calcutta said "Prayer is to the soul, what breath is to the body". It is so true. When a fire is deprived of oxygen, it smolders, and goes out. When the soul is deprived of the fruits of prayer, its upward flight to God is interrupted, and the soul falls back to earth.

Our Blessed Mother told St. Dominic that, "One Day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, I will save the World". She wasn't kidding around. So many saints have foretold a time to come when Mary's Immaculate Heart will triumph, and that there will be a time of peace, obtained for us by Our Sweet and most Immaculate Mother! How is this to be accomplished? Merely mumbling some prayers over and over do nothing. But Mary asked for, and obtained, from her Son special gifts for those who would obey her Motherly request, that we pray the rosary, and do our best to pray it well, and those gifts are what will bring about this wonderful happening!

I would like to share with you 15 promises that Our Lady personally gave to St. Dominic and to Blessed Alan. These are PROMISES to those who will loyally pray her rosary, if not for their own benefit, then for the benefit of others. Promises to those who will refuse to lay down their arms for the enemy, promises to those who make it an act of their will to please Our Lady by praying this prayer, even if it rubs against the grain of their own desires.

1. Whoever shall faithfully pray the rosary, shall receive special graces.
2. I promise my speical protection and the greatest graces to all who shall recite the rosary.
3. The rosary shall be a powerful armour against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abunndant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will life them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that wouls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5. The soul which recommends itslef to me by the recitation of the rosary, shall not perish.
6. Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, while meditating as best he can on its sacred mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
8. Those who are faithful to recite the rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary.
10. The faithful children of the rosary shal merit a hight degree of glory in heaven.
11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary.
12. All those who propagate the holy rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.
14. All who recite the rosary are my children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion of my rosary is a great sign of predestination.

Are these promises to be earned like money, then paid back to God in order to buy our way into heaven? Absolutely not. If one makes himself say the rosary every day, then goes out and knowingly commits all kinds of sins, with the thought that saying that one rosary a day will buy him out of hell, he is not only stupid, but he is misusing the gift given to him, and he will surely not benefit from it.

However, these promises merely highlight the fact that the rosary, by its mere simplicity and the act of self-discipline required in order to pray it frequently, all the acts of conquering the will by quieting the restless mind while praying it, and the obedience given to Our Blessed Mother by listening to her requests and praying it. . .these things mean that we are striving to become holy, striving against Satan, and God blesses us because of this, our freely choosing to rise up out of the grime and muck and respond to His calls. He wants every soul to go to heaven. Mary wants every soul to go to heaven. Satan wants every soul to go to hell, and we humans have been given the freedom to choose where we want to go, either directly or indirectly.

With such a clear instruction as to how we are to obtain holiness, why do we hesitate?

A few of my favorite quotes from Saints on the Rosary:

"The rosary is the scourge of the devil"~Pope Adrian VI

"The rosary is THE weapon"~St. Padre Pio

"The rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who so loves His Mother"~St. Louis de Montfort

Keep fighting

I cannot help but become livid at the fact that we have all but been abandoned by the priests of the Catholic Church nowadays. Our local Novus Ordo parish has confession times for every day, which is great, but no parish in this whole diocese offers a priest for spiritual direction! In fact, I was shocked to find out that the "spiritual director" listed in the bulletin here is none other than a deacon's wife!!!

Our shepherds have ceased to shepherd. A soul needs direction, it needs a father to give a good example, a wise priest who has focused his life on loving God, and can give advice born out of experience to those wishing to grow in holiness.

So many souls are suffering right now because of a lack of direction, someone to guide them, help them with their scruples, help them understand the Church and learn how to love God; someone to explain the mysteries and unveil the beauties that we believe. Our Blessed Mother has warned us and warned us and warned us, but still no one listens to her. She has already told us what we must do in order to fix this problem, but no one wants to do what she has said. Pray the rosary; even if you can't feel or see the good effects, Mary has obtained so many things from her Son for those who will obey her motherly command to pray this prayer. It isn't for her that we pray it. . .it is for ourselves, but that is why she wants us to pray it; by doing what she says, because she asked us to, we will be helping ourselves along the road to heaven. Receive the sacraments as often as you can. Try to keep the clutter out of your life, which crowds love of God and fellow man out of your heart.

It's a battle out there. There is a humongous battle being waged for souls right now, and there are casualties all over the place, but people are so interested in themselves and their petty problems that they can't even hear the whistle of the bombs falling in the background of their thoughts! It is crucial for us soldiers to hold onto our weapons now, or we will be creamed! The rosary is our battle rifle, and our other private devotions are the ammunition rounds. The brown scapular and accompanying devotions is our body armour. Confession is the bandages and wound dressings. The sacramentals are our grenades. The mass is our compass. The Eucharist is our food and water, without which, we wouldn't get very far at all.

God has given us all the things we need, right here. We have to make sure we use them and never lay them aside, even if they get too heavy for us to carry.

Well Hi All Y'all!

Been busy peoples.

A very weird thing happened to me a little while ago. . . I have very long hair, and when I sleep, I braid it so that it doesn't strangle me when I'm tossing and turning. Soo, one night a couple night's ago, I took pity on my cat, who wanted to sleep in the nice warm bed, and let him come up. He took his usual position (I've taken pity on him many times before), curled up in the small of my back, and as I drifted back to sleep I was slightly aware of a distinct "snip. . .snip. . snip" sound. When I woke up the next morning, my orange fluff of a cat was snuggled up around. . .MY BRAID!!! And it wasn't attached to my head!!! The little brat likes chewing on my elastic hair bands, but this time he went too far. He snipped off about 8 inches of my hair, and I had to trim it a bit with the scissors to get it even. I can't believe his teeth are that sharp, but. . .the evidence is right in front of me. Oh well. Probably needed a trim anyway.

The other weird experience I've had since I last posted here (well, not THE other, but one of the more notable ones) was pretty interesting. My brother decided to move back up north because of the job situation, so I tagged along with him. My parents told us to drive up a certain way, but after he and I sat down to look at some maps, we decided to make "our own" decision and go up another way that, yes, cut about 300-400 miles off the trip, but. . . probably wasn't the best way to go. Up north this time of year, it gets really cold. Sleeping in the truck was not a nice experience, especially when my brother's toes actually turned blue. And going to a Novus Ordo mass out of desperation one Sunday was too horrible to even relate. But the weirdest thing was on our last leg of the trip, driving through Hell's Canyon. . .at night. In the rain. And slush. In an old truck.

If ye've never been to Hell's Canyon, you must go, it must be gorgeous in the daylight. At night, however, it is very aptly named. Almost every 400-500 feet of road, there is a hairpin turn, with old wooden guard rails and drop offs four feet away from your outside tire. There is also an enormously high expansion/trestle bridge that actually spans over the top of a little town. . .very interesting looking down while driving over it, to see the lights blinking wayyyyy down there. There are bluffs, and cliffs, and lakes, and a river, and rocks in the road, and deer dashing out at stupid times, and big riggers passing you at 80 mph when the sign clearly says 30, and a brother who really is a good driver, but who is still your younger brother whom you used to help change diapers for, so you really don't feel too keen on trusting him with your life right at that moment. . .especially when he's got Johnny Cash (or Joaquin Phoenix pretending to be Johnny Cash) blasting out of the speakers while his 3 year old windshield wipers are working fine on the passenger side and not working at all on the driver side. Yeah. In the rain. . .and slush. . .and in an old truck. . .did I mention no brake lights?I'm sure I've got a couple white hairs that I will definitely be able to blame on Hell's Canyon.

Sooo, I think we finally got out of that place at about midnight, and as soon as we saw a motel, we decided sleeping in the truck was not going to happen again. We woke up to about four inches of snow and icey roads, which thawed pretty nicely by the time we had taken nice hot showers and eaten a good, motel breakfast (hey, it was free, so it was good), and we made it to my parent's house by 1pm. All in all, it was great spending some quality time with one of my favorite brothers;)


If you haven't read "The Spiritual Combat" by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, you have got to go to TAN books and get it. If you are the fight or die kind of person, the kind that doesn't lay down his arms for anything, then you will love this book. To put it very well (copying from the back of the book), "It shows the Christian how to combat his passions and vices with an intelligent method, in order to arrive at victory, rather than running around blindly beating the air". It has been instructing Rad Trads for over 400 years.

Okey doke, that's it. I'm outta here.

Not everyone has time to cook. . .

Not everyone has the time to prepare, cook and serve an entire dinner every single evening. We are in such a hurry these days; it’s so tempting to throw together some nasty, icky Mac’n cheese (with the yellow dyed non-cheese powder, preservatives and ton of sodium) and just call it dinner. Resist those temptations though! Here are some alternatives that are just as quick, just as easy (maybe even easier!) and much, much more healthy for you and your family. The recipes basically serve four people, so if you are single or you are just cooking for two, the math is pretty easy to figure out. :-D

Cheese Tortellini-At Trader Joes we have this fabulous dried cheese filled tortellini pasta! It comes in a 12 oz bag which is perfect for four adults, and all you do is boil 5 quarts of water, dump the pasta in, boil it (stirring occasionally) for 15-17 minutes, turn off the heat, add a glass of cold water (I don’t know exactly why, but it firms the pasta up so that it’s not falling off the cheese when you finally get it on your plate. . don’t rinse this in cold water though) and drain. You can then either eat it just plain, which I do, or drizzle some olive oil over it with salt and pepper, which do too, or even plop some pasta sauce onto it (their suggestion, not mine). A 12 oz. bag at my Trader Joe’s goes for 1.60. a better value and much better for you than fako mac’n cheese. No preservatives, artificial colors or flavors, and imported from Italy.

Tomato Soup with Cheese Sandwiches-I still use Campbell’s every once in a while, but it’s so bad for you. Trader Joe’s (again) has some great low sodium, organic tomato soup, 16 oz for 1.45. Can’t beat that! Anyway, for fast tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches: Turn on your broiler and put the highest rack up near to the flame. Put the tomato soup in a saucepan and warm over the stove stirring occasionally. While it’s warming, spread a thin layer of butter on both sides of pieces of bread, lay them on a cookie sheet, and broil until brown on top side. Take them out, turn them over, and lay thin slices of cheddar cheese on half of them, put back under the broiler until cheese is well melted and the other slices of bread are browned. Put the sandwiches together, pour the soup into bowls, and serve. You can throw some leftover croutons, shredded cheese, chopped celery, cooked fish, other things like that onto the tomato soup too!

Salmon sandwiches-Salmon is much better for you than tuna fish, and you might be interested to know that salmon also has been shown to have much lower trace amounts of mercury in it, if any at all, than tuna fish does. This mercury in the fish business is very serious; so serious, in fact, that Doctors are now recommending that pregnant women eat canned tuna NO MORE than once a week, if not avoided entirely. Anyway, canned salmon is right by the canned tuna, and if you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, you can get wild, unfarmed canned salmon for a little over a dollar per can. No, this is not a big Trader Joe’s commercial; I just happen to shop there;). Drain one can of salmon per two sandwiches, mix in either a tablespoon of mayonnaise (try Hollywood brand Safflower mayonnaise; good for your heart, less calories, and very tasty!) or one tablespoon cream cheese, and spread over whole wheat toasted bread. It’s amazing how a little thing like toasting bread can really dress up a sandwich, and it doesn’t take long. You can toast it while you’re mixing the other stuff. Now, if you have some on hand, a little bit of chopped onions really goes great with this sandwich too. And, another variation, you can add some chopped egg and horseradish spread to the mix as well. Yum yum!
Refried Bean Burritos-This was a staple in my house when I was growing up! There was always a container of refried beans in the fridge (they keep very nicely) and tortillas, etc. Whole wheat tortillas are nasty, sorry. This is one of the only things I insist upon being made of white flour. Corn tortillas are for tacos, enchiladas and chips, okay? Not for burritos. There are so many different brands of refried beans out there, that I’m going to just give a couple of tips, no brand name recommendations. You want vegetarian refried beans (not beans fried in bacon grease or lard), and you want to make sure that the ingredients are no more than cooked beans, water, canola oil (or other vegetable oil), salt, distilled vinegar, chili pepper, onion, garlic, spices, natural flavor, etc. This is actually a good source of fiber and protein. Now, there are also a million different brands of tortillas around. I use Mission tortillas, with the “no trans fatty acids” guarantee on the wrapper. Make sure there is no lard or anything really nasty on the ingredients list. To make: Heat the amount of refried beans you are going to use in a pan on the stove, stirring occasionally (or microwave, but be careful, these things blow up!) until heated through. Turn one stove burner onto medium heat, and throw a tortilla onto the burner (this works the best with a gas burner; if you have a solid cook-top, cook the tortilla in a pan). When it begins to look glossy, about 5-6 seconds, flip it over. When this side begins to bubble, flip it again. When this side begins to bubble, take it off, spread some beans in it, wrap it up, and serve. The varieties are as endless as sandwich recipes. You can add olives, cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced radishes, cilantro, rice, salsa, avocado, etc.

Someday, for a blog post, I will go over the ingredients of some of the nasty things most Americans call food, such as American cheese (also, the powdered cheese you find in the mac’n cheese, and velveeta. . .shudder), margarine, decaffeinated and/or flavored coffee, white sugar, white flour, and things like that. Definitely not for the squeamish.

Enjoy!

Fast for the Invisible Children of Uganda

While visiting a fellow blogger's site, I came upon his post on the invisible children of Uganda. Take a couple minutes and read it, the plight is truly awful. There are so many bad things happening in this world! Every time I get on the internet, the news headlines are so depressing. Shootings at schools, fathers murdering their wives and children, people committing horrible crimes, every day. And they are only a small portion of the injustices and crimes that cry out to God for vengeance happening daily, that we don't hear about; like these children in Uganda.

I would like to join in on the fast Hey Irishman is proposing, how about my readers?. We're a couple days late, but small matter. We could each pick a specific day to fast, or a couple days. Let me know if you would like to do this, and I'll let Hey Irishman know (it's kind of fun keeping count;) ).

If you are pregnant, elderly, hypo-glycemic, hyper-glycemic, diabetic, the list goes on and on, perhaps instead of fasting, you could pick something to abstain from, for the special intention of these children. Can't live a day without Starbucks? Perhaps you could choose a day or two to give up all starbucks/coffee. Meat and potatoes person? Maybe you could pick a day in addition to Friday this coming week for a meatless meal day (I've got plenty of nice recipes for that;) ).

It's very tempting to just give up, because there is so much bad going on; how can the little good we do accomplish anything? It does accomplish something; every little sacrifice we make accomplishes something, even if we don't see it. Our Blessed Mother has repeatedly asked us for prayer, fasting, penance and frequent reception of the sacraments. Let's take her seriously and do something!

I guess it's called shrimp scampi. . .

It is definitely fall today! The last couple of days have gotten into the warm side, but today I woke up to dark clouds and rain (what d'ya know, the weatherman was right on for once!), and it is 52 degrees in the house. . . Definitely time to start thinking about digging the space heaters out of the shed.

About once a month, I like to make something with shrimp. Our local grocery store usually has fresh, wild caught shrimp (I don't even want to start in on how bad farmed shrimp are for you), which can be pretty cheap at the beginning of the month. If you have a Trader Joe's nearby (my all time favorite store!), you can get high quality shrimp for a decent price, but whatever shrimp you wind up getting, they'll still taste good.

I thought I had made this recipe up one day, but apparently people have been eating my version of shrimp, garlic and pasta for a lot longer than I've been alive, and they called it shrimp scampi, sooo. . . fine. I guess it's shrimp scampi. Sounds a lot better than what I was calling it: Garlic, olive oil, pasta and shrimp :-P He he he . Just goes to show that good ideas are good ideas, regardless of who comes up with them.

Ingredients: This will make four servings with app. 10 shrimp per person
1 pound white shrimp, uncooked, tail on (41-50 p. lb)
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup white wine or dry sherry
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper
Dash of marjoram/parsley (dried)
Cooked Angel Hair Pasta or Spaghetti (We're big pasta eaters here, so I usually use a whole 16 oz. for four people and save whatever's left)

Put your water on to boil for the pasta, crack a little salt and drip a little oil into the water. In a large pan, combine the oil, butter and garlic. Let this sit cold while you do the next tasks. Now rinse your shrimp very, very well. If your shrimp is slightly slimy, rinse it in a colander under cold water until it is no longer slimy (don't use hot water). The seafood counter guy should have already slit the back of the shells for you; you can then very easily slip the shell off, ending with the tail which you can give a little pinch then pull (put the shells directly into a trash bag to be taken outside asap, they will make the house smell). If the shells have not been slit for you, then you'll have to either decide to use a knife and do it yourself, which isn't too time consuming, or plan ahead and buy a different kind of shrimp. **Note: if you are buying already cooked shrimp, then you will add the shrimp to the cooking sauce last, cook it just long enough to warm all the way through, then serve it immediately. Shrimp will overcook very fast, and be tough and chewy.

When the shrimp are all peeled, give them a final rinse in the colander, then give them a general patting down with a paper towel. Don't start cooking the shrimp until the water for the pasta is at a rolling boil. When the water is boiling, turn the pan for the shrimp on medium heat. When the butter has melted, stir the garlic around a bit, dash the marjoram and/or parsley in, add the shrimp and coat with the oil and butter mixture. Add the pasta to the boiling water and stir. Add the sherry or wine to the shrimp, and bring to a simmer. The shrimp will turn pink, don't ask me why, it's some reaction the zinc in the shrimp has to the heat, and you will want to stop cooking them when the last one has turned completely pink. Don't overcook your shrimp, or you will miss the buttery tenderness of the fresh shrimp you bought. Remove the shrimp from the sauce with a slotted spoon, and reserve in a bowl on the side.

When the pasta is done, drain it very well, and plop it into the sauce mixture. You can crack some salt and pepper over this if you want. Medium heat, stir the pasta until it is coated with the sauce, and let it sit for a miute or two. With a pasta fork, serve pasta on plates, then top with shrimp.

Serve with garlic bread and a side salad.

***By the way, for those of you who gasp at all of the olive oil and butter and salt used in these recipes, relax. Olive oil is high in calories, yes, but it is the perfect fat for your body. If you will take the steps to eliminate processed foods from your diet, anything with trans fats, lard, high fructose corn syrup, refined white flour, and 80% of your sources of animal fat, then you can afford to step up on the food scale with moderate amounts of butter, olive oil, and salt.

Now, there is a difference between the salt I use and the salt you're thinking of, I'm sure. Regular, iodized table salt is not pure salt. In fact, it is mineral salt, mixed with aluminum silicate or another non-caking agent (which happens to be bitter), and a sweetner, to make up for the bitterness of the non-caking agent. These additives make your salt less salty, which makes you use a lot more of it, raising the sodium levels in your food almost to the same height as some processed meats! All natural, kosher sea salt, however, is pure salt, and only a crack or two of the salt grinder provides you with as much saltiness as you could possibly want, and you are using much, much less of it. All of the natural minerals are still included in this salt as well, so you get some extra healthiness added in.

If you are taking a good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement, which the American Medical Association is now highly recommending all Americans do (due to the vitamin deficiencies in the over used soil, mass produced crops, and recycled water used by most commercial farmers nowadays) you don't need to worry about iodine deficiency, so that is another reason out the window for using ordinary table salt.

Enjoy your Friday food!

Three to Get Married

I found this book among my grandma's collection when I was about 12 years old, and since then I have read and re-read it probably 40 times. Having The Most Reverend Fulton J. Sheen as a spiritual advisor during the years that I was developing my ideas on what my life was going to be like, was priceless. I had access to all of his other books as well, but this one has remained my favorite, though the cover is held on with masking tape and the pages are brown and crumbling from many, many uses, and I intend to keep reading it again and again throughout the rest of my married life.

A post I just read on a friend's blog reminded me of how grateful I am for my Mother's teaching that, as soon as we arrived at the age of reason, we had to begin discerning our vocation in life. I wavered dramatically in the years between my first communion and my 18th birthday, but because my Mother taught us the importance of our vocation, the fulfillment of God's purpose for us here on earth, and path to our heavenly goal, by the time I was of the age to put it to use, I had already been through all of the refining fire, the agony, and the ecstasy of discernment and was able to follow God's call right away. It is so important to make the discerning of your vocation your young life's greatest goal, I cannot stress that enough! It is the very blueprint, the map, the design, the GPS unit of your path to heaven. Jobs will come and go, careers will be made and lost, you will move many times, etc. etc., but none of these things is as important as your vocation, because nothing is as important as knowing God, loving God, and serving God, which is what your vocation consists of.

Many, many young people are unprepared for this, because their lives are so wrapped up in finishing high-school, finishing college, beginning a career, and then, finally, figuring out whether or not they should get married and have kids or stay single or might be called to the religious state. This is awful! This vocation, this, your life's undertaking should not be shoved to the back burner!

Another reason I am seeing in many of my friends for putting their vocation on the back burner still (and this is because of an actual choice, not because of extenuating circumstances), even now that they have done all of that "required" stuff (graduating from college, beginning a career, etc.) is because they are hoping to have some years for themselves now, to enjoy their youth, to do the things they want to do that they won't be able to do once they are married. This is a mistake as well, because it sets you up to live a life of pleasure seeking. By the time you have had your fun, and sown your "wild oats" you will have either gotten into trouble because you were out doing your own thing and had no responsibilities, or you will have developed within yourself a trait of pleasure seeking. You were not seeking your life, your vocation; you were seeking to enjoy yourself BEFORE your vocation. Heaven is to be sought at all times, and your vocation should not be made to wait.

I would like to share with you, part of a chapter from "Three to Get Married". It is an awesome book, and I recommend this to each and everyone, no matter what you think your vocation might be. Bishop Sheen leaves no stone unturned, and quite frequently I am astonished at how well he addresses a subject, then progresses to addressing something that the original subject made your mind think of, and so on and on until he leaves you completely satisfied. It is almost as good as having a personal, in depth counseling session with the good Bishop.

Beginning of Chapter 18 from "Three to Get Married, by His Most Reverend Fulton J. Sheen

One of the greatest mistakes the human heart can make is to seek pleasure as a goal of life. Pleasure is a by-product of the fulfillment of duty; it is a bridesmaid, not a bride; it is something which attends and waits on man when he does that which he ought. To go through life with the idea of always having a good time is not to have a good time. A boy does not eat ice cream to have pleasure; he has a pleasure because he eats ice cream. The satisfaction of the appetite of hunger gives pleasure, but one does not eat just to have pleasure. One does not marry to enjoy pleasures of the flesh; one enjoys the pleasures of marriage because one fulfills to the utmost the functions and obligations of the married state. A good husband wants to love and to have a happy life; a wicked husband wants to be loved and to enjoy himself. The good man seeks a woman to complement his imperfection and to work toward mutual enrichment. The evil man wants to immolate a woman in order to enjoy himself. The happiness of marriage is in a certain sense a prepayment of God for its trials. Because its burdens are many, its pleasures are meant to be many. The honeymoon precedes the labors of birth, and is a credit God extends in advance because of the responsibilities involved.

The greatest joys in life are purchased at the cost of some sacrifice. No one ever enjoys good reading, good music, or good art without a certain amount of study and effort. Neither can one enjoy love without a certain amount of self-denial. It is not that love by its nature demands suffering, for there is no suffering in Divine Love. But whenever love is imperfect, or whenever a body is associated with a soul, there must be suffering, for such is the cost of love's purification. One cannot grow from ignorance to love of poetry without discipline. Neither can one mount from one level of love to another without a certain amount of purification. The Blessed Virgin passed from one level of love, which was for her Divine Son, to the higher level of a love for all whom He would redeem, by willing His Passion and Death at the Marriage Feast of Cana.

All love craves a cross by the very fact that love is forgetful of self for others. But even in the midst of sacrifice, it can say: "Suffering is in me, but I am not in it." The joy which is seen forthcoming as the result of the trial makes one in some way independent of it.

What marriage is really about. . . .

After an increasingly frustrating conversation I just had with a friend of mine who is probably going to be engaged soon, I had to come on here and say what's on my mind, because I know she'll read it if it's here. We got into such a hissy fit over the phone that I really didn't get to answer her questions properly, so this blabbing here is an attempt to make up for the conversation we just had or didn't have; it wasn't much of a conversation. And naturally hon, I won't share your name, but you know who you are.

Marriage is not all about what you are going to get. You are Catholic, and you have been raised very well, but if all you are thinking about when you meet a nice young Catholic man is "oh boy, now I get to stay home and sit on my butt while he works so that I can stay home and have babies, and he'll treat me like a lady and he'll be a gentleman, and he'll buy me nice clothes and presents, and he'll never make me do anything I don't want to do" yada yada, prattle prattle. . . I don't think you are in the proper frame of mind to get married, and I will elaborate.

Marriage is about giving. That sounds pretty gay, but I'm serious. The love that holds a marriage together should NOT make you think of yourself and what you're going to get, but when you love someone in the proper way for marriage, you will find yourself thinking, "he'll never be alone or unsupported again, because I will always be by his side; he'll never eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day for two weeks ever again because I'm going to cook for him; he'll never walk out of the house for work in pants that haven't been washed for three weeks, because I am going to take pride in his appearance and wash his laundry for him; he'll never be lonely again, because I LOVE HIM!". In other words, when you love someone, truly love someone, the main thought and the main current flowing through your heart is about sacrifice, about what YOU are going to do for HIM. It is your vocation, not your vacation.

Hon, are you willing to give up sleeping in until 10 o' clock every morning, so that you can get out of bed with your husband when he gets up to go to work, and make him a piece of toast or bagel and cup of coffee while he's in the shower? Are you willing to keep quiet when he disregards your advice and makes a mistake, instead of feeding your own self love by crowing "I told you so?" Is your main objective to make his life the happiest life on earth? Or is it all about you?

The reason I'm writing this kiddo is because our conversation alarmed me. Everything you told me was about how YOU feel, what YOU are going to get out of this, how happy YOU'LL be. You came to me for advice because I am your age and have been married for almost two years, but you really didn't want my advice or you would have talked to me instead of putting up the defense shields.

You should really read "Three to Get Married" by Archbishop Fulton Sheen. It is a great starting point to finding out what marriage is really all about. Like I said, it is a vocation, and it is undertaken with all of the seriousness that a religious takes up her vocation with. This is a life of sacrifice, self-denial and discipline. It is not a perpetual day-dream. But just as Jesus rewards His religious spouses with His love and consolation, heavenly delights awaiting them, so will your husband reward you ten-fold for the things you give to him. The more you sacrifice for him, the more you cheerfully and totally willingly give up for him and to him, the more he will be encouraged to do the same for you, and he will do it, because he will delight in making you happy. But what if he doesn't respond to your efforts? What if the man we were talking about today gets so wrapped up in work 10 years from now that he forgets to say I love you in the morning, or is away for long periods of time and can't show his affection? Will you wither and dry up because you are not receiving attention? It is tempting, yes, I won't deny it. We ladies want to be cherished and loved, every second. But that is our temptation, our cross, to get so wrapped up in our self-love, our longing for approval and appreciation. . .we can miss the bigger picture, that being our marriage is the plan worked out for our salvation. The times we are misunderstood by our spouses, we offer that up as sacrifice! The times we don't get the I love you's we want, or whatever we want, these are gifts from God to us, to offer these things up for our own penance and for the salvation of souls.

If you're not willing to undertake a life of sacrifice, which is the reason you gave me for not feeling called to the religious life, then you are most definitely un-aware of what marriage really is. As a Catholic, you are going to need to "put your big girl panties on and deal with it" and accept the fact that life is full of sacrifice. If you want to get to heaven, you are going to have to embrace your cross. But this cross does not bring you sorrow. . .it brings you eternal joy, eternal life. Don't let the rough exterior fool you! It may look heavy and hard and full of splinters, but see beyond the outer appearance, the illusion, and you will find roses! Roses to offer to Our Lady, for the conversion of our loved one's, for the coming of the Kingdom of God; not heavy, not burdensome, but light and full of sweet perfume. There is no reason to hesitate in embracing your cross.

Annnnyway, I just can't say enough that you need some good spritual advise. I really know how hard it is to find a good priest in your area, but I will send you an e-mail later, if you promise not to delete it, with some recommendations. I'm sorry if I made you mad earlier, but you know that I am your friend and I don't want to see you make a big mistake. You need to learn to give, and to love. Not just receive.

Vegetarian Stew, it is yummy!

Okay, sooo, I had some nice, yummy organic stewin' beef settin' on the counter, fresh from his mama's farm, when. . . *scary music*. . . da da da . . . I realized it was Friday. Doh! My husband's workdays and odd hours make it very hard for me to figure out what day it is. Yes, I'm that. . . special. Anyhoo, I had planned to make a nice, thick stew for dinner since the weather had taken a turn for the cooler, and with this revelation my dinner plans were rooned! So, I decided to make it anyway, without meat. It turned out really good! For you hard core stew people, I know it's like sacrilege to take the beef out of the stew, but hey, you should try it. Even my husband liked it, and went back for seconds, and to tell you truth, I liked it much better. So here goes the recipe:

Stewin' Ingredients:
4-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-4 tablespoons organic, unbleached, preferably whole wheat (now I'm just joshin' ya') flour
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped pretty good
3 carrots, chopped
3-4 large stalks of celery, chopped
2 large bay leaves
1 cup of vegetable stock/broth per person you are serving PLUS
1 cup of beer (your choice) per person you're serving (you can substitute more stock for the beer, but you're a wimp if ye' do)
Salt and Pepper

Dumplin' Ingredients (4-6 servings; double if you really like dumplings):
3/4 cup flour (whole wheat will make this really heavy; you should have some un-bleached white flour in the house too)
1/2 cup cornmeal, any grade will do
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cold butter
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk

Okey doke. Set the heat under the pot on medium to high, and when the oil is hot toss in the onions and garlic. Stir that around a bit, then toss in the other vegetables. Cook them until you get some brown showing and the onions are clear and tender, about 10 minutes, stiring occasionally. I also crack some sea salt and pepper over them while they're in there. Myth buster: the salt does not cook out of your food. When the vegetables are nice and browned, sprinkle the flour on top and stir everything well. This will soak up all the oil. Cook for about 3 more minutes, lettng the flour brown slightly. Toss the bay leaves in and stir. Add whatever other spices you're going to use, I'll leave that up to you. I think I just sprinkled in some marjoram, but I really wouldn't do too much more. Okay, now pour the vegetable stock in (you can either have the canned variety or get a really good organic powdered stock that you can add to water, making sure there is no msg in it) and when it starts boiling, reduce the heat so that it BARELY bubbles. You are going to braise your veggies, which will imbue them with all kinds of nice flavors here. Take this opportunity to grab a metal spoon and scrape the bottom of the pot, stir up all that good stuff into the mix and then let it sit. When it is simmering, slowly pour in the beer. You want the beer to meet with as little motion as possible. Make sure the pot stays at a bare simmer, don't boil the beer. Don't stir the stew either after this.

Simmer this for about one hour or more, until the vegetables are the tenderness you desire. Now comes the nice part :-D I hope your pot has a tight fitting lid, because I forgot to mention that earlier. He he he. You're supposed to read the recipe all the way through before you begin to cook, anyways.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together the flour, corn meal, baking powder and salt. With a fork, cut the butter into this dry mix, until the butter is incorporated and it's crumbly, just like you're making a crumb crust for cobbler or pie. In a separate glass or bowl, whisk the egg and milk together until they are well mixed and a little fluffy. Fold this carefully into the butter mixture, DO NOT BEAT. Keep folding it gently (folding: take your spoon or spatula and slice it down the middle of the bowl, scoop the spoon up to your left and turn it and its contents over. Turn the bowl and repeat these motions; this is done gently) until it is a dough. Scoop up tablespoon fulls of the dough and drop it right on top of the stew, do not dunk the dumplings. These are going to steam right on top of the stew. When dough is all used up, put the lid on the pot (I have to put something heavy on mine) to keep the steam in, and simmer the stew for another 20 minutes or so, until the dumplings have risen and are fluffy. It really does take about 20 minutes for them to cook all the way.

To serve, take a big metal spoon and scoop under a dumpling, getting some stew and leaving the dumpling settin' on top. Transfer to bowls. I don't serve anything with this, as it is a meal all itself.

It sounds like it takes a long time, but it really doesn't. If you have kids helping you cut stuff up it takes no time at all. Read or play a board game with the family while it's cooking:-D

Enjoy!

A very, very interesting subject. . .

There is a man named Don Justo Gallego Martinez, in Madrid, Spain, who is building a cathedral all by himself. The structure is not finished, nor is it made of marble, ivory, or Gold. It is made of whatever materials he can salvage from other construction sites, and re-use. His 6 nephews helped him haul the steel girders up BY HAND with a pulley system. Don Justo never formally studied architecture, he never laid bricks. In fact, he is, by trade, a farmer. The way he is building it is almost medieval. In fact, the outside of the building looks like it has been there for hundreds of years (looking at the brick and stonework, disregarding the girders).

If you want to see more pictures, go here

I don't really know what to think of it. The man wants to build something beautiful for God. That is his motivation. He isn't imbedded in church politics, wearing his fingers to the bone in order to protest modern "church" architecture, no; his simplicity, however, his meekness, his perseverence, all his actions speak so much louder than any words. Why is it that the government, and yes, even church officials are trying to keep his whole project under wraps? Read some of the comments people left on this blog I found the article in; some of them live right by it, and have still never heard of it. They saw pictures on the blog, drove 20 miles or so, and bingo, what d'ya know, there it is. It is under wraps because it is an embarressment to modern man; they want to sever any remembrance of the past. They want to bury the glory, wipe it out of their minds, forget about it in toto. It is to painful to remember the aspirations of saints, the rich history of the sovereign, Catholic Church.

I think we have gotten to a point where the sweet memory of Tradition pains away in the hearts of all good and faithful Catholics like a memory of a long dead but much beloved relative. How much we want to see that person alive again! But it isn't just a person we see with our spiritual eyes, it is The Bride of Christ; her wedding dress has been torn to tatters and splattered with filth and refuse. Her veil, a symbol of her innocence, has been torn away from her head and stomped down into a muddy, scummy puddle. Those of us that love her are doing whatever we can, in our own little ways, to dress her back up in her glory and splendor, so that when Christ comes again, He will find a radiantly gorgeous Bride, waiting in readiness for Him, not caught unaware and beaten down by a mob who does not want the wedding feast to take place. Perseverance, He will come, we must prepare. We do not want to be found like the 7 virgins without oil in their lamps, because there will come a crucial moment when we will not be given a second chance to run and get some more. Be prepared. Fight against sin so as to remain in the state of grace. This is so much bigger than the petty problems we are so caught up in on a day to day basis. Even nuclear war is not as big as this one great fact . . . we are here to know God, to love God, and to serve God, and we must do this until He takes us to our true home. Until then, we are exhiles on this planet, aliens in a foreign land.

Why do weird things always happen to me?

Has anybody ever microwaved a cup of coffee just a little, taken it out, observed it was totally placid, not boiling, nuthin', then gently added a spoonful of sugar and HAD IT BLOW UP ON YOU?!?!?!?

Or, has anyone ever boiled cheese filled tortellini, dumped it into a colander, let it sit for five minutes, then come back at the precise moment that one of the tortellini pops and boiling, melted cheese flies right into your eye???

Then, with cheese in your eye, has anyone ever stretched out on the couch to relax, had your cat jump up onto your chest, settle down to stare you in the eye and nonchalantly BURP IN YOUR FACE!

And after getting up to get away from burpy cat, heard a thumping sound near the floor. . . And after bending down to take a closer look, observed a mouse jumping up and down, arms swingly wildly, trying to jump up to the vent cover and pull himself out into your house?

Better yet, has it ever happened to you all in one day?

Life at home is. . . Weird.

St. Therese's Feast Day!

Happy Feast Day! Athanasius has written a very nice little piece on this day, which I will link to here . God bless!

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.