Lemonade and More . . .

Our thunder/rain storm is past leaving us with muggy warmth once more. The best solution for cooling off is sitting in front of a fan with a icy glass of lemonade. These days, you don't have to wait on your lemon tree to produce as you can buy frozen lemonade mix at the store. No, it isn't quite as nice as fresh but for serving a group, it is very convenient. And, if you keep extra cans of the frozen lemonade mix in your freezer, there are a couple of other uses for the tart/sweet stuff.

Lemonade Chicken

4-6 chicken breast halves (you can go boneless or with bone and skin still on)
6 ounces of defrosted lemonade mix
1/3 cup of soy sauce
Dash of chili flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

If you are going with boneless, place your chicken breasts in a vegetable oil sprayed baking dish.  If you are using bone-in chicken with the skin, brown each piece in a bit of oil in a frying pan and then proceed as with the boneless. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and then pour over the chicken. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and spoon the juices over the chicken, uncover, and bake another 10 minutes or so.

It has a sweet/tart Asian flavor and goes very well with hot rice. I like Jasmine rice for this dish. You can also use other chicken pieces or even a cut up, whole chicken.

Tart Lemon Cookies

1 cup softened (not melted!) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Approximately 3 cups all-purpose flour (depends on what you need to get a thickish batter)
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces of defrosted frozen lemonade
Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling over baked cake (1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon to taste)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and beat in well. Along with 1/2 cup lemonade, stir in the flour and baking soda. Drop by tablespoons full onto a greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 8-10 minutes. Brush hot cookies with the remaining lemonade mix. Immediately sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Remove to a cooling rack.

National Liberation Museum in the Netherlands

This was a sculpture display outside the National Liberation Museum in the Netherlands. The inside of the museum was impressive, detailed, and very informative. This simple display, however, brought home the ravages of war with the hope of every soldier eventually joining their friends when eternity ends our earthly death. It is not a huge display. In fact, I walked right past it on the way into the museum building. While waiting for the rest of our group, after the tour, I found myself in front of it and the impact was startling. I almost forgot to take pictures as I was so engrossed in seeing every detail of it.

A treat for a History Major!

 
What better treat than to actually get to stand in one of the troop transports used to bring soliders ashore during the D-Day invasions. It is one thing to read about history and quite another to see, touch, and climb around the equipment, tanks, etc. used during World War II. If inanimate objects could recount their history . . .!

What a sad observation!

The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.

James Branch Cabell

Rain in Sunny California?

 

What a surprise to us and, probably, the weatherman, to hear the patter of large raindrops come falling down this morning. Yes, we saw some clouds on our drive, yesterday, but clouds in California are known to taunt and tease and then leave without sharing a drop of water. Kind of refreshing to half a touch of coolness in the air although the heat still keeps things a bit steamy.

Meanwhile, things are still hot and heavy in Washington DC as our elected officials continue to do things their way rather than think about the people who gave them the power to represent them. Seems to me that these people need a basic lesson in bookkeeping. When the money is gone, you don't spend any more. If we max out our credit cards and can't make payments, it is unlikely that the bank will continually up our credit ceiling. Eventually, everyone wants to be paid back and increasing our spending just doesn't do that. I guess our senators and congressmen are using 'new math'.

I always 'love' it when they think the solution is overtaxing the wealthy. You are supposed to be taxed on income not on what you are worth. Besides, why should people who are really go-getters pay more because they ARE ambitious? Who is more likely to start a business or help fund a new business . . . which would hire people who need jobs. I heard someone talking about the flat tax where it is an across the board percentage no matter your income group. Naturally, the less wealthy do not want a dime for every dollar taken from their income and would prefer twice a much come from a rich person. That's only fair? So much entitlement mentality these days.

I used to overly fret about all that I couldn't immediately change. Had to learn that prayer and constructive use of my vote at election time is my best bet . . . and then leave it to God. Uh, sure hope God doesn't mind some of the suggestions I might send His way!

Update on prayer request!

Just was forwarded a note from the mother of the little girl undergoing the massive treatments for skin cancer. I'm passing it on immediately in order to keep you all updated and to keep the prayers going for this brave, little girl!

Hello all,

I want to say thank you for all the prayers and support.  I feel humbled and blessed for being in the family of God.

The surgery went well.  They removed four sentinal lypmh nodes from her armpit.  She had a 4cm circle taken off the top, outside part of her arm.  They didn't close wound so they put a wound vac on top of the wound to keep negative pressure on it.  The wound vac sucks out the drainage from the wound and sucks in the surrounding tissue to make the area smaller when it comes time to skin graph it.

She has to have it cleaned every three days.  That means putting her under all day on Friday, Tuesday and Friday until they find out the pathology on the lymph nodes and the skin sample.

If the skin is clear of cancer we can close the wound with a skin graph hopefully next week.  If the skin has cancer, they remove more skin and we do this all over again.  She has been in a lot of pain and doesn't want anyone to touch her booboo.  She is very scared about tomorrow and going back to have it cleaned.  Please pray for her.  She is going to be in a lot of pain the next couple of weeks as she is trying to heal from cleanings and another surgery. 

God is a God of miracles.  We are praying for one so we can be done with cancer.  It has been hard to be still and unable to do anything for her.  God is so good and I thank you so much for your prayers.

Teri

A tribute to our American soldiers overseas . . .

 

This was one of the most impressive war memorials we visited on our vacation in May. The climb to the top completed our exercise for the day but the views were worth it. Naturally, I took a picture that showed our state's engraved name - California. The Americans' help during World War II has not been forgotten by the citizens of Bastogne.

Miracle recognition . . . do you have it?

I was thinking about the state of the world one day. In a lot of ways it was a depressing thought. For a moment it seemed to me that we needed another Lourdes, a Fatima, a miracle or two to bring us reverently to our knees. Upon further reflection, I realized that even an extraordinary miracle would probably not be heeded by those who needed it's revelations the most. In fact, the years have given us a multitude of miracles that stand tribute to our Faith yet, for some, the world continues in a spiritually downward spiral.

Then on even further contemplation, I realized that the world is full of miracles each and every day. It is the appreciation of the people that is lacking. We definitely do not have a deficiency when it comes to miraculous events!

Our daily miracles start early each morning. We wake up without mishap, healthy and able to pursue the challenges of a new day. The water runs hot and cold, we have food for breakfast and children to love. We have spent a secure night under the guardianship of our angels.

Each person's day takes it own separate path. Some people experience more outward evidence of God's continued power, some people quietly enjoy the serenity of it. Every 24 hours of our day are filled with strength, the expected, the hoped for, the unexpected, the longed for and the triumphant rewards of spiritual living. Mini and maxi-miracles color and encompass each moment of our lives.

A new baby is born, a child smiles, the car starts even when the mechanic feels there is no way it can make another trip. It is not just coincidence. These can be some of the miracles of our day.

There are many hectic moments when I watch the hands of the clock approach six in the evening. The family is demanding and dinner isn't ready. I turn it all over to our Blessed Mother, Mary, and somehow things smooth out before my husband comes home. He thinks it is a miracle that I can cope with all I have to do. He is exactly right! It is a miracle.

We take so many blessings for granted yet continue to watch for something spectacular to happen in our life time. We want a Lanciano, another Eucharistic miracle even though dozens of them have occurred and endure to this day. We attend Mass as often as possible where we do witness a Eucharistic miracle every single time. Do you always take the time to consider it as such?

"Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed." (John Chapter 20, Verse 29)

An expensive bargain dinner . . .

Since it is that no man's land before payday, I have been careful about my meal preparations and using up what's in the cupboard. Fortunately, I was able to stock up on sale items last pay day period so things haven't been too constricted. Yesterday, being Friday, I decided to make a double recipe of macaroni and cheese. I figured I would have enough for dinner, lunches for my husband to take to work, and a good serving to take down to my college daughter. I had seen a reasonable chunk of cheddar in the back of the cheese drawer in the refrigerator so was all set.

I lined up my ingredients, got the pasta water boiling, and went to get my cheese only to discover it had been showing it's healthy side . . . it was very green on the back with mold. I thought about carving off the offending part but it would have reduced my cheese to very little, not enough for my planned dinner. I sighed deeply as I raced over to the store. I was happy to discover the cheese was on sale and I also had a two dollars off coupon in my pocket. Still, it took a lot of the bargain out of my planned meal. God is good, however, and God provided . . . He just gave me a little test on patience and good will. I didn't snarl too much.

My husband kept remarking throughout the meal that this was the best macaroni and cheese I had ever made! He said it so many times, I began to wonder about the macaroni and cheese dishes I had presented to the dinner table over the last 28 years!

I always try to bring down a good portion of macaroni and cheese to one of my college daughters. Sure, she is quite capable of making her own but she says my macaroni and cheese tastes like Mom! Nice to know that even when they grow up, they still miss home.

A sad encounter . . .

After Mass a few months ago, a young woman struck up a conversation with me. This young lady, a mother of two, insisted that a woman does have a right to choose and how can the Church dictate anything else. I kindly challenged her and said what about if it is a future woman in the womb that won't be given her choice. That startled her. I said that murder was murder if you believed there is a living baby in your womb.

You could see the wheels going around in her head and she thought she had me when she countered with, "What about in the case of rape?" I just said a baby is a baby and might be a very indirect gift from God. I also pointed out that adoption was always an option.

She was weakening on her stance just a bit but then firmly said, "But how do you know the baby is going to a good family? Wouldn't abortion be kinder than risking a bad life for your baby?" It was so sad that she would prefer to kill a baby rather than take a chance on the future of the baby and leave it in God's Hands.

No respect for art . . . or mom!

Besides quilting, I also like to make pin cushions for little gifts, party favors, or church sales. I was trying to take a good picture of my mushroom pin cushion and one of my children decided it needs something extra . . . as you can see.

Smart dog . . .

Since our dog, Chick, is rather big and definitely not of the lap dog size, she is, by us, considered an outside dog. Chick, however, begs to differ. She seems to feel that a good roll in the dirt is an entrance requirement for coming into the house.

Chick is also a very smart dog. She learned early on how to open the screen door. The first few times, we would come up the open door and wonder how it could happen. Chick would be sweetly sitting in her dog house and sharing our confusion. Eventually, we'd find the door open and Chick sleeping inside the house.

We've come to a compromise. Once she loses her winter coat which literally blankets the backyard in tons of fur that could provide every bird in our town with building material, she is allowed in on very hot days but only on the mat just inside the door. She tends to migrate from day to day so she has learned her name very well as we come into the room and yell, "CHICK!" and she casually moves back into place.

Since the heat wave, once we turn on the fans, we also allow Chick some respite inside the backdoor. She usually sleeps or looks outside the slider . . . as opposed to sitting outside and looking inside the sliding door. She is banned during cooking and meals and is allowed inside, after dinner, only until we mop the floor. She is then given a treat and literally shown the door. It takes seconds for her to eat her treat and she makes the rounds of every door and window, whining, "Guys! GUYS! Don't you remember, I'm an INSIDE dog!"

Quotes to quote . . .

"I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician: he is also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale."
       -- Marie Curie

 

"In the United States, doing good has come to be, like patriotism, a favorite device of persons with something to sell."
       -- H. L. Mencken

 

"There are two ways to slide easily through life; to believe everything or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking."
       -- Alfred Korzybski

 

"Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain - and most fools do."
       -- Dale Carnegie

Just ol' peanut butter cookies . . .

 

I enjoy creating unique desserts and cookies but when it comes down to a satsifying cookie to go with a cold glass of milk, most people would agree that you can't beat the simple peanut butter cookie. It was only slightly cooler, yesterday, but I surprised my family with a batch of said cookies. I also made enough so my husband could treat his coworkers. This is my take on the recipe.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter (margarine doesn't do the job, here!)
1 cup smooth peanut butter (if you only have the crunchy type, that's okay!)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large egge
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract (orange really brings out the flavor!)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars together until fluffy. Thoroughly beat in the eggs and extracts. Sift totether the dry ingredients and fold into the butter mixture.

Roll dough into walnut-sized balls and put on vegetable oil sprayed baking sheets.* using a fork, slightly flatten each ball to make a cross-hatch pattern - press one way and then the other.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Cookies should just begin to get golden. Don't overake them!

Let rest on baking sheet for easier removal to the cooling rack.

*Parchment paper is great for this recipe. You don't need to grease the baking sheets, the cookies absolutely do not stick, and you don't have baking sheets to clean.

Ideas . . .
Melt some chocolate chips and dip half of each cookie into it. Let them harden on waxed paper.
Add 1/4 cup finely diced orange slice candy.
Add 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Sandwich cookies together with your favorite jam.

Some thoughtful political quotations . . .

A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.
Caskie Stinnett

A fool and his money are soon elected.
Will Rogers 

A healthy democracy requires a decent society; it requires that we are honorable, generous, tolerant and respectful.
Charles W. Pickering

A leader in the Democratic Party is a boss, in the Republican Party he is a leader.
Harry S. Truman

A liberal is a man who is willing to spend somebody else's money.
Carter Glass

A politician will do anything to keep his job - even become a patriot.
William Randolph

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.
John Quincy Adams

America's present need is not heroics but healing; not nostrums but normalcy; not revolution but restoration.
Warren G. Harding

An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied.
Arnold H. Glasow

My day of the week!

Of all the days of the week, Thursday usually turns out to be my day of the week. My husband works late and isn't home for dinner. Although I usually prepare a complete meal even if just for those of us at home, I have the option of treating everyone to a hamburger out. Since I have the extra time, I get to put it to good use and catch up on sewing projects and put ideas into actual fabric/quilts. Tomorrow, is bills and correspondence day with the added benefit of it being the end of the week and an early homecoming for my husband.

The older I get, however, the more I'm discovering that any day that gets started with morning Mass and evolves into just an 'ordinary' day, is a blessing from God. I find myself saying, "Thank you for the day, God . . . and if You would see clear to providing a good tomorrow . . ."!

The news doesn't progress much to the side of good. I get more and more frustrated with the politicians we have in office who provide for their own good/fame, first, and the heck with the people who trusted them with the votes that got them there. I'm beginning to think that being untruthful is a component of the political makeup. While the big picture in Washington D.C. evolves with a president not knowing when a 'credit card' is maxed out, aka our national budget borrowing, stupidities are daily voted into the California laws. The media used to be the watchdogs for the people. They now cover up and kiss up to the politicians. One of these days, it would be wonderful for one, lone, reasonable person in the media to stand up and exclaim, "The emperor has no clothes!"

In the meantime, I have that morning Mass and a God Who hears, sees, and knows all. Just have to trust in that.

Cooling down with photo memories . . .

 

Summer is not anywhere near over so I browsed through vacation pictures and came up with the 'coolest' pictures from the trip. Hard to imagine that less than two months ago, we were bundling up while touring.

The left side shows pictures from the Wolfgang Sea. The middle was a waterway directly behind our hotel in Hungarford, England. The right side is one of the spectacular views from Hitler's Eagle's Nest. At all three places, it was cool, drizzly, and perfect wandering around weather.

Not by my own skill . . .

 
Although I'd like to claim that I was expertly fast with the camera skills and captured this blossom in mid flight . . . I honestly have to give credit to the spider web that trapped it and left it hanging right outside our door. If you look closely, you can almost see the silver thread of the web line at the top.

Tomato Individuality . . .

 
Among our almost perfect tomatoes, a few go for individuality . . . like this one! They are all happily harvested and put to good use. Kind of shows you that individuality works . . . you don't see me taking pictures of perfect tomatoes, do you?

Weather, whether you like it or not . . .

Instead of complaining about the variants in weather, none of which seem to please at the time it invades our atmosphere, I thought I'd look up some quotes in honor of something we really can't change!

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.  ~John Ruskin

Let the rain kiss you.  Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.  Let the rain sing you a lullaby.  ~Langston Hughes

Rainbows apologize for angry skies.  ~Sylvia Voirol

The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it.  ~Patrick Young

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.  ~George Santayana

Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella.  ~Terri Guillemets

Coconut Cookies

I love coconut but never mixed it with chocolate or such. I like the taste of the coconut to be there in all it's glory! This is a favorite cookie recipe that even my coconut-hating husband has grown to enjoy!

Coconut Wafers

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fine, flaked coconut, slightly toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. To toast the coconut, spread it out on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Keep a close eye on this as it will go from delightfully toasty to nasty charcoal quickly! Remove toasted coconut from baking sheet onto a plate so it cools down.

Cream soft shortening and sugar together until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in coconut. Add dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Shape into two, long rolls on waxed paper. Chill 6-8 hours our until firm. Cut into thin slices and bake on baking sheets prepared with vegetable spray. Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Makes approximately 5 dozen cookies.

For an extra touch, melt some chocolate or white chips, dip the cookies, after baking, to cover half, let excess chocolate drip off and place on waxed paper to harden.

__._,_.___

Fresh Fig Cupcakes

 

Tis the season when the summer fruits are at their best but some of the early Fall ones seem to be appearing, too. A friend gifted me with a large basket of fresh figs today so I had to find a good use for them and fig cupcakes were the result. My first attempt at baking with figs but, so far, praises for my efforts.

Fresh Fig Cupcakes

1 cup almost pureed figs (you still want a little bit of texture.)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup solid shortening
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Cream shortening and brown sugar together and beat in eggs. Add the vanilla. Blend in the dry mixture with the creamed one. Fold in the figs and raisins.

Line your cupcake tins with cupcake papers. You should get 12-16 cupcakes. Divide the batter into the cupcake pan.

Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes but watch it until you know how your oven heats as fruit cupcakes scorch easily.

A simple lemon glaze would finish these off very nicely.

If you are Catholic, be Catholic . . .

I don't know how many times I have been chastised by 'Catholics' to vote 'with the times' and leave my religion at the 'door' when it comes to being a real part of the world. This excerpt from a recent posting from the Catholic Advocate Candidate Fund certainly dares to say it like it should be said.


"It may shock you to learn that right now (and going back for decades) less than half of the Catholics in Congress vote in accordance with Church teaching when it comes to unborn children and the institution of marriage. This is a disgrace, and we need to do something about it right now.

While some religions guide their adherents to live in a manner set apart from the world, Catholics are under no such obligation. In fact, our duty is the exact opposite. Catholics have an obligation to be involved in the political process in a way that defends our values. For too long, we've let "Catholic" politicians like Massachusetts Senator John Kerry take "the Catholic vote" for granted and use Catholic institutions (schools, hospitals, and parishes) as props, even as they wage aggressively secular campaigns and call attention to their dissent from Church teachings."

Fresh Plum Cake

As I mentioned, I baked several plum cakes, yesterday. I developed this liking for plum cakes on my first trip to Germany, many years ago. It was plum season and they showed up in sauces, stewed, and in a variety of cakes. Most of them used a yeast-based cake. I prefer this one because I want the plums to be the dominant taste with just enough cake to make it interesting.

Plum Cake

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick of butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
zest of one lemon
1 cup all-purpose flour (or half white and half wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

12-15 Italian plums, pitted and each half cut in half again - four sections from each plum
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

This makes one cake. If you bake a lot, you probably have a tart pan or a spring form pan. If you are of a more basic frame of mind, you can use a couple of 8-inch round cake pans, or an oblong baking dish about 9x11-inches. Generously use vegetable oil spray on your pan. If you have parchment paper, you can use that and then respray the paper.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Whip in the eggs and vanilla, add lemon zest. Stir in the flour and baking powder. Spread the batter (it will be thick but sticky) into your pan(s) of choice. Arrange the plum quarter pieces with the skin side up on top of the batter.

Bake for approximately 30-45 minutes, depending on the size pan(s) you used. Cool and remove to a serving plate while still warm. The plums can bake on sticky and make it hard to remove later.

Ideas . . .

Substitute fresh pitted cherries for the plums.
Try peeled and sliced peaches.
Scatter fresh blueberries over the batter.

Note: Italian plums are much smaller than the usual plums we put in the fruit basket. They have a bit less juice which works better for the recipe.

Quilting happened yesterday!

I actually kept to my personally proposed schedule, yesterday, and got a lot done. I already have a quilt pinned and started some initial quilting stitches on it. I cut out fabric for three baby quilts and one of them should be done, today. I try and get baby quilts done for pro-life so the mothers who are going through with their pregnancies have something special for the new one coming into their life. I must be in the summer mind set as one of my larger quilts is seashells in beach colors and the other one is in water prints and fish.

I kept my promise to children and husband and baked several plum cakes, yesterday. I'll post a recipe later. Whenever the Italian plums come into season, I go back into my German roots and bake plum cake. Finally found a recipe that appeals to me and my husband says that he likes the yeast dough version a bit better. Next batch!

Sigh . . . This is the last day of our pastor's four-part teaching series on the Mass. I still can't believe how much he has imparted to us that we didn't realize or know. Being a cradle Catholic, I guess I have become complacent in thinking I know it all and have been brought up short and lead into a new realization of how much more there is to our Faith. Our pastor is a terrific teacher and can offset the liberal factions that try to sidetrack him with kindness and exact points of fact they can check for themselves. He never judges but leaves the 'awakening' to happen through our own desire in connection with the teachings he presents. He said he would have another class in September and I'm already hoping and praying my schedule will be open.

Late start to the morning. My son developed a good habit on our recent vacation. Given the early hours we had to keep for getting on the bus and taking off for tours, he taught himself to nap on the long bus rides. I was always amazed to watch him down two or three expressos in the morning and fall directly to sleep once he sat down on the bus. It worked for him enjoying the tour as it helped catch him up on his sleep. However, he trained himself too well and no matter what comfortable seat he finds himself in, these days, he starts to doze off by habit . . . Not a good think when his seat is up at the altar and he is serving Mass! We are going with a iced coffee drink and a green tea capsule to see if that keeps him awake and focused today!

Government Fast Food Nannies . . .

It's just another way for the government to intrude into our personal lives. First, they ban certain oils for frying, then they require a calorie count on restaurant menus, and now they have a fast food place changing the 'attitude' of their happy meals. If I were still a kid and being treated to a fast food meal, I would very much resent having apples in place of French fries. What does the government think is going to really happen here?

First of all, the families that eat out constantly, are not going to lose weight because there are apple slices in their happy meal. They eat out for the convenience and the junk food. Yes, a few people might actually eat something nutritious but their ultimate goal in eating out was not in view of their health.

Some of the parents will certainly appreciate the change but you probably won't find such families eating out that often and their children already are eating right at home . . . without being harassed by the powers that be because they are the parents and they do what is right because they want to.

According to a report on the radio, people are not asking for these substitions in their fried food cravings. Some report said the fast food places are doing it because of customer demand yet statistics  show only eleven percent are asking.

It is amusing/sad/scary that our entire world is in constant flux over one thing or another and the government takes valuable time and money to 'govern' our food intake. The choices have always been available. People make their own choices. You constantly take away our ability to choose and you end up with a bunch of people who really do need a governmental nanny.

After listening to the news, I have to agree . . .

That government is best which governs least.

Thomas Paine

Justice?

In the wake of the tragedy in Norway, the news reports that the most extreme jail term usually pronounced in Norway is 21 years. If this is true, I'm wondering where the respect for life is actually placed - on the gun man or the victim's? It is scary and appalling to think that it could be possible that this premeditated murderer could actually be on the streets within 21 years. He is in his early 30's now and would still be in the prime of his life 21 years from now with all that jail time to think up more horrendous deeds to do in the name of his perceived wrongs needing mending in the world by way of a gun and worse.

I'm not an advocate of the death penalty but it seems that in all justice, this guy should get 21 years for each person injured, maimed, or killed in this murder spree. I do believe in a society that gives everyone a reasonable chance but this killer took his intellect and freedom to deprive so many people of their peace of mind and lives.

A lot of prayers are needed for the people of Norway as their peaceful world has been unended by one of their own people. Every country has someone mulling over 'revenge' for their personal perception of wrongs in the world. If this man isn't suitably punished and put away in jail for a long, long time, we just feed the warped of the world with fuel for their own political fire.

I need a 30-hour day!

No matter how I plan my week, my week seems to plan itself. As I happily schedule my week, no one thinks to inform me that they have appointments that require my driving skills to get them there. I'm craving some sewing machine time but have tried to be patient. Today, I'm hoping that I can finally finish off one quilt and get the other one down to the handsewing stage . . . THEN I can start in on yet another idea.

My husband treated me to a visit to the fabric warehouse over the weekend and I have some new lengths of material that keep calling to me as I pass them by in pursuit of the mundane of life . . . like laundry and cooking. Today is the day I stop the chatter coming from my fabric cupboard . . . right after I take my daughter to the orthodontist appointment I just found out about on Sunday.

I need a 30-hour week or a maid, perhaps, a butler . . .

Getting a Rise Out of Your Day . . .

Of all the things you can scent your house with, the smell of baking yeast bread has got to be at the top of the list. This is a relatively simple recipe. The main thing to watch for is not killing your yeast with hot water. You don't really have to warm up your water or liquids that much. It takes a bit longer to use room temperature but the longer the rise, the more developed the taste.

8 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar or honey
3 tablespoons dry yeast
3 teaspoons salt
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Melted butter

Combine 6 of the 8 cups of flour in a bowl with the sugar and salt. In another bowl, soften the yeast with a small bit of water. Combine the milk, oil and enough water to measure 4 cups and mix well. Add the liquids to the flour mixture and mix well. Add enough of the remaining two cups of flour to make a soft but workable dough. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Grease a large bowl with vegetable oil spray. Place your dough in the bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size.

Divide the dough into three, equal portions and place into three greased loaf pans. Let them rise another 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 30-45 minutes. Brush with melted butter after you remove them from the oven.

If your loaf pans are large, you might only get two loaves from this recipe.

Ideas . . .
You can form the dough into rolls.

You can form each roll from three smaller balls of dough, dip each ball into melter butter, and place three balls of it into each space of a muffin tin for cloverleaf rolls.

Roll out half the dough, brush generously with melted butter and sprinkle liberally with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Roll up the dough and cut 1/2 inch slice to form cinnamon rolls.

Roll out the dough as previously indicated and set the rolled up dough into loaf pans for cinnamon swirl bread.

The second quote, especially!

"I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end."
       -- Margaret Thatcher

 

"The one function TV news performs very well is that when there is no news we give it to you with the same emphasis as if there were."
       -- David Brinkley

 

"It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail."
       -- Gore Vidal

 

"Acting is merely the art of keeping a large group of people from coughing."
       -- Sir Ralph Richardson

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Okay, pumpkin is healthy for you and the latest is that chocolate has good properties in it, too.  I could live with these cookies on my diet . . . for health reasons, of course!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 cups milk chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper. Using a mixer beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, and then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tbsp. onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

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A lighter side to the day . . .

"No one gossips about other people's secret virtues."
       -- Bertrand Russell

"My Karma ran over your dogma."
       -- Unknown

Another urgent prayer request!

I just received this prayer request from another homeschooling group. After you read it, you will see why I passed it along. The following is a note from the mother of the little girl.

Hello all,

I want to say thank you for your prayers. We have surgery scheduled for Tuesday the 26th. Please pray for my little one as she has half the skin on her upper arm removed and a byopsy of the lymph nodes. She will need a skin graph and will have a wound vac on her arm and will be in the hospital for at least a night.

We had annointing of the sick after mass. We are praying for a miracle at this point. The cyst was both deep and well formed. It was a stage four in the stage of the cell. We need a miracle right now. They are 90% sure they will find it in the lymph nodes and we will do a year of chemotherapy and a lymphectomy. Please pray for our family, especially Aine. She will be in a lot of pain. Thank you for your prayers so far. I will keep you updated.

Teri

Bishop Sheen - always the best!

“There are only two philosophies of life: one is first the feast, then the headache; the other is first the fast and then the feast.  Deferred joys purchased by sacrifice are always sweetest and most enduring.”  ~Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Pecan Tarts

I like making lists on projects that face me in the course of the day, week, month, or even months from now! I already have several things sewn/crocheted/knitted and ready for gift giving. Holiday baking requires a list because I like to make sure my cupboards are in order for the baked goods I want to make for Christmas and Thanksgiving. That is why you are finding a festive recipe on the Blog today so you can plan ahead for later.

Here is a new recipe I found that will end up on my Christmas cookie plates this season. Looks like a fun way to enjoy the taste of pecan pie in manageable servings. This is a plan-ahead recipe as the crust has to be cold.

Crust:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated

Mix all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Filling:
1 egg
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of salt
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon orange zest, finely grated
Pecan halves for garnish

Mix filling ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

Divide the crust dough into 24 small balls and press into miniature muffin tin. Fill each pastry 3/4 full with filling, top with pecan half and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes. Cool and remove from muffin tin.

I found mine non-stick, miniature muffin tin at Walmart for not too bad a price. It has come in handy so I figure it was a good investment!

Ideas . . .
When they come out of the oven, you could drop a chocolate chip or two on top of each tart and smooth it out when they soften - instant chocolate icing!

Leave it to Ben Frankllin . . .

Some are weather-wise, some are otherwise.

Benjamin Franklin

Prayer Request!

 
I have a young friend named Noah who was admitted to the hospital on Friday with a serious colon infection. He also suffers from Crohn's Disease which I'm sure doesn't help the matter. Right now, he is getting fed through an IV inserted in a vein near his heart. If you have any extra prayer to send his way, I know his worried family will appreciate it.

****

Also, many of you probably remember Lenny and her brush with death in delivering her baby a few months ago. I don't have any details but she is home and beating the odds. She has had a couple setbacks but hasn't had to be readmitted to the hospital. Her baby is doing well. Just shows you the power of prayer as she really shouldn't have survived. God is good!

A reminder to pray for our president and government . . .

The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.

Ecclesiastes 10:2

Sunday's Chicken is Full of Taste . . .

Sunday can be a hectic day for moms in spite of it being a day of rest because the family still needs to eat and budgets don't alway allow for a meal in a restaurant. This is an interesting way to fix chicken with lots of rooms to add our own imaginative touches.

Sunday's Chicken Casserole

6 boneless, skinless chicken halves
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 soy sauce
1 package onion soup mix
1 cup water or white wine

Preheat the oven to the usual 350 degrees.

Using vegetable oil spray, grease a 9x13-inch baking dish Arrange your chicken in the dish, one deep.

Combine the sour cream, soy sauce, soup mix and water/wine in a pot and heat so that it mixes well. Pour over the chicken breasts.

Cover and bake for approximately 35-45 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

The recipe is easy to double, you will just have to divide it between two baking dishes.

Ideas . . .
Mix some small, diced potatoes in with the chicken before you add the sauce.
Add some diced tomato and top with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.
Top with buttered bread crumbs.
Add some very finely diced onion and garlic to the sauce.
Hot buttererd rice to go with this is very nice.

Quotable Thoughts for a Sunday Morning . . .

"We are all apt to believe what the world believes about us."
       -- George Eliot

 

"I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them."
       -- E. V. Lucas

 

"Nothing ever goes away."
       -- Barry Commoner

Don't divorce yourself from the Crucifix

I've run into this several times over the years and thought it was most worthy to share. With the divorce rate so high in today's society, this is certainly a reminder that there is a lot more to the "I do" of the wedding ceremony.

In the small town of Herzegovina, when a Catholic couple is married, they are told:  

You have found your cross. It is a cross to be loved, to be carried, a cross not to be thrown away, but to be cherished. 

 In Herzegovina, the cross represents the greatest love. During the marriage ceremony, the bride and groom place their hands together on a crucifix. Then they kiss, not each other, but the cross. The crucifix they kiss at their wedding then becomes a focal point of their home. It’s a reminder that if one should abandon the other, they cannot do so without abandoning Jesus Crucified.

Ode to the Heat of Summer Days . . .

My favorite quote of the day!

"If it feels like an oven outside, shouldn't it smell like brownies?"

Finding tomatoes in unusual places . . .

 Made the ultimate sacrifice for my beloved younger son during the last heat wave and turned on the oven and made him some muffins. Why was that a sacrifice? The outdoor temperature was 110 today! It was in the 90's inside our house. I pray for a cold, wet winter.

Anyway, I didn't have pumpkin or zucchini to make the muffins with so used . . . fresh tomatoes from our garden! I pureed two cups' worth into a liquid and used that instead of the suggested pumpkin or zucchini. I added some grated orange rind, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to the batter, and they came out a pretty, deep red/brown and my son snacked on them all day. I don't think canned tomato sauce would have worked quite as well as the fresh tomatoes had an interesting, fresh tang.

Sweet and Spicy Pork

I like to fuss over dinner preparations. I also like to not fuss over dinner preparations. This recipe appeals to me because it tastes like I spent a lot of time on it . . . but I didn't have to!

Sweet and Spicy Pork

Approximately two pounds of cubed pork
1 chopped onion
2 peeled cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 can (usually 15 ounces) either crushed or chunk pineapple with the juice
1 small bottle (8-12 ounces) of your favorite chili sauce
2 quarter-inch slices of peeled, chopped fresh ginger (can substitute 1 teaspoon of ground ginger)

Sprinkle the pork cubes with some salt and pepper and place in a skillet. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix in well.  Cover, bring to a boil, and then turn down to simmer for approximately an hour and a half or until the meat is tender.

This goes well over freshly cooked, hot rice.

Ideas . . .

Sprinkle each serving with a bit of chopped, green onion.
Toss on a teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds over each serving.
Mix in a couple tablespoons of chopped cilantro just before dishing up.

Proverbs 14:32

Proverbs 14:32
When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge.

Sure describes the tragedy in Norway . . .

Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.

Herbert George Wells

Eternal Rest Grant onto Them, Oh Lord . . .

The news out of Norway since yesterday has been horrendous. I can't even begin to imagine the sorrow of the many families who lost a child yesterday or are still waiting to find out if their child is still alive. It graphically demonstrates how just one person can make a difference in so many lives in the space of a short time. This time, the difference was devastating.

It really makes me think about this aspect of how an individual can literally change a city, country, the world. We always think that we do not have the power or the vote to make any kind of difference. Imagine how much good this killer from Norway could have made if he had been a righteous man instead of one bent on destruction to prove his point. God gave him intelligence and he used his free will for evil instead of good.

My heart just aches for the mothers of those murdered teens. I imagine they sent them off to a weekend of camp thinking they would be safe on the island to enjoy their conference and friends.

One man made an  awful change in the world, yesterday. It should make us rethink how we live each day and what we can do to instill some good into it and start making changes in our own way for the betterment of everyone. A kind word instead of gossip . . . An extra prayer for someone who is annoying . . .  We have more power in our bare hands and full hearts than a mean-spirited, self-centered gunman who hides behind a gun and kills, hurts, and maims innocent people.

It really, really makes you think . . .

Orange-Cinnamon Cake

This is one of my all-time favorite coffee cakes to make. If you don't like raisin, don't make the cake because it needs them! Just my opinion! Of course, with this cake you might find a growing fondness for them. This cake, baking in the oven, scents the house wonderfully. It tastes best at room temperature or cold. The cake makes a nice breakfast snack with a cup of hot coffee and not a care in the world!

ORANGE-CINNAMON CAKE

This cake makes a festive coffee cake for a holiday breakfast or brunch.

6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup light raisins
½ cup chopped walnuts

Grease and flour bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ½ cup orange juice concentrate with remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Blend at lowest speed for 30 seconds. Beat three minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until golden. Drizzle remaining orange juice over warm cake and sprinkle with topping.

TOPPING
½ cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine ingredients and use as directed.

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Getting the last word in with our husbands . . .

My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you'll be happy; if not, you'll become a philosopher.

Socrates

Beware of the Killer Zucchini!

 
Zucchini are sneaky plants. They are best eaten at a rather small stage in their life and no matter how often we check on them to make sure they are maintaining their youthfulness, one will get past us . . . almost as in overnight!

My husband checked his plants everyday yet woke up one morning to find this giant squash taking over his yard. Not to waste the fruits of his labor, we had a lot of zucchini cake, zucchini bread, steamed zucchini . . . We may be eating healthily but we are sure rapidly getting tired of zucchini!

On a lighter note . . .

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."
       -- Dorothy Parker

 

"All of us learn to write in the second grade. Most of us go on to greater things."
       -- Bobby Knight

Deep thought for a Friday morning . . .

None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Tomato Shadow?

 
Every afternoon, I have gone into my bedroom and noticed how the hanging tomato plant is casting a pretty shadow against the closed blinds. Today, I finally grabbed the camera and took a picture of it.

My husband was at the home improvement store back in May and they were selling out some 'upside down' tomato plants for 25 cents. He purchased a couple of them and the tomato plants actually seem to thrive that way. The plant in the picture already has a huge tomato hanging off it. Interesting to look out in the morning and see a ripe tomato at eye level.

Gingerbread Shortbread

I ran out of shortening and the results with using butter were a spicy cookie with a shortbread texture. No one is complaining!

After spending a couple of hours just doing my own sewing stuff, I decided to close down early and make the family a treat. My son isn't feeling well so I figured some ginger in his life (and stomach!) wouldn't go amiss.

As you can see from the pictures, my baking sheets are very, very old friends and show their wear. I wouldn't trade them for the world as they do such a good job of baking for me. I like the fact that they have rims which makes them double when I want to bake a batch of bar cookies or make a sheet cake.

It's funny what becomes a favorite in your life as you grow older!

California ideas . . .

I heard on the radio news that there have been objections to the DUI checkpoints that are put up to catch drunk drivers especially during 'drinking' holidays. Statistics show that this does prevent more car accidents and deaths when the drunken drivers are caught before they do damage to others or themselves. Well, in all their collective wisdom (and I ain't saying a word here!), it has been deemed profiling because many of the people going through these checkpoints don't have valid drivers' licenses. Huh? Isn't it the law to be registered at the Department of Motor Vehicles? Would traveling in another country give us this much respect if we didn't have proper documentation there?

This is not a matter of profiling but upholding the laws that let us drive on the roads. Driving is not a right but an earned privilege that comes with responsibility. If you don't bother with proper documentation for operating a vehicle, what are the chances you have insurance in case of a mishap? Another benefit of the checkpoints is that criminals are sometimes discovered, parole violators, etc. Seems like a good system to me. Not to some areas of California, however.

To further reduce the effectiveness of protecting us on the road, it has been suggested that the police notify the cities where and when there will be DUI checkpoints. In case one forgets, signs might be posted to warn you that if you do not turn at this corner, you will be stopped at a checkpoint at the next one.

One person actually said that she is working, does own a car, but can't afford insurance but is sure people will understand that she is a hard worker and doing her best. Not sure I would if my insurance had to cover me when she comes up uninsured. In fact, my college daughter learned how to drive but can't drive because we can't afford insurance for her while she is in school. Driving is not an entitlement program.

If you have nothing to hide, this checkpoint shouldn't bother you. If you are drinking, this checkpoint situation might save your life. If you are an innocent driver, having a drunk stopped at a checkpoint could well extend your own life. If people breaking the law are caught . . . Sigh . . . still can't see the problem here.

Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken soup is the cure-all for colds but when the cold/flu season hits, it can get pretty tiring. Since the simmering of the chicken is the key to helping us over what ails us, why not go Asian? To me, nothing is more comforting than a hot bowl of Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup. You can always freeze containers of the broth and add vegetables and stuff at a later date.

Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup
2-3 pounds of chicken pieces
Approximately 3 quarts of water
1/4 cup soy sauce
8-10 shiitake mushroom, soaked in water for ten minutes before use
4 slices of fresh ginger, slice lengthwise and about 1/4 inch thick
Salt to taste

Bring the water and chicken to a boil, add the rest of the ingredients and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add a sprinkle of salt to taste. Let the broth simmer for an hour or more until the chicken is tender. Drain the broth into another pot. Bone the chicken and add back to the broth. Taste for salt.

You now have a beautiful pot of chicken soup with an Asian flare. What to do next?

Ideas . . .

Sprinkle with freshly diced green onion and serve in mugs.

Slice up some wonton skins or Spring roll skins into noodle-sized slices and simmer until just done - noodle soup!

Add some slivers of carrot, celery, and green onion and pour it over cooked rice in a bowl.

Beat a couple of eggs and drizzle into simmering soup while gently stirring so as to form 'strings' - egg drop soup.

Ladle soup over a bowl of cooked, angel hair pasta with a dash of chili flakes.

*Ginger is usually readily available in the vegetable section of most grocery stores. It is the funny, light brown root.

*Shiitake mushrooms can be found in the Asian aisle or, if you are blessed, at an Asian market.

Sort of a miracle . . .

I have four quilt tops that require lots more work to join the ranks of completed. Usually, when I hit this point, I discover I don't have enough of any one color to provide the necessary backing for the quilt. Much to my surprise, I found that I not only had enough backing fabric for all four but it even matched. For me that is a minor miracle. More often than not, my quilt tops get put away for a payday that can support a fabric expenditure. For some reason, the family prefers I purchase food befor fabric!

Sigh . . . Making four more quilts has provided me with more scraps! I can see that it is time to design another scrap quilt. Actually, they are my favorite as they are entirely 'mine' in that anyone else would be hard put to copy it.

Meanwhile, morning Mass calls and I have to gather up my altar boy and head out. It is a long two-minute drive, you know!

Bonus day for great quotes . . .

"Failure is not the only punishment for laziness; there is also the success of others."
       -- Jules Renard

 

"My favorite thing about the Internet is that you get to go into the private world of real creeps without having to smell them."
       -- Penn Jillette

 

"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance."
       -- Will Durant

 

"In this business you either sink or swim or you don't."
       -- David Smith

Funny but so true . . .

To wear your heart on your sleeve isn't a very good plan; you should wear it inside, where it functions best.

Margaret Thatcher

Simple explanation . . .

“The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner He wills it; and thirdly to do it because it is His will.”  ~St Elizabeth Ann Seton

Irish Soda Bread

Since I posted my favorite cranberry butter, I thought it only fair to now include the best bread with which to enjoy it. My children claim that the only thing for a warm slice of Irish Soda Bread is a slathering of cranberry butter. Some say it tastes better cold. We like it warm from the oven. Bake two loaves and make your own decisions on this.

Simple Irish Soda Bread

3 cups - all-purpose flour (I like to substitute one cup with whole wheat flour)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Either grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan, make a free-form loaf on a baking sheet, or make it in muffin tins. Adjust your baking time accordingly.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a lareg bowl. Add the egg, buttermilk, and butter and mix until just combined. Spread into your selected pan.

Bake for approximately 60-70 minutes depending on your oven's heat output. Loaf should be golden brown. Cool a few minutes before taking out of the loaf pan. Finish cooling on a baking rack.

A smile to start the day . . .

"If Pac-Man had affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in dark rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive electronic music."
       -- Marcus Bridgstocke

 

"Walking isn't a lost art: one must, by some means, get to the garage."
       -- Evan Esar

 

"To be stupid, selfish, and have good health are three requirements for happiness, though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost."
       -- Gustave Flaubert

 

"It matters not whether you win or lose; what matters is whether I win or lose."
       -- Darrin Weinberg

Back to class . . .

I love being a grown up although the jury might still be out on that at times! Our pastor has been conducting weekly religion classes for the last two Wednesdays and . . . today is Wednesday, again. I remember dreading anything that took away from my perceived schedule but have found the classes to be informative and a real blessing. The last class is next week and I will actually miss this midweek interlude.

Amazing, too, that even though the class is during the early morning of a work week, there have been around 60 people showing up so far. A real liberal infiltrated the group, last week, but Father was very good at kindly directing her attention towards the 'light' not what she thought was 'right'. Someone has taped the talks and is busying typing them up to share. I'm hoping I can also share some bits and pieces here at at later date.

Bills and religion class are the schedule of the day so whether I do any sewing or not depends on how the first two Wednesday requirements go. I do have some tote bag orders and that will go before more quilting.

Although the news says heat and humidity is the call of the day back East, we haven't fared too badly with the weather. Can't entirely bann the heat or our tomatoes won't ripen! It's a give and take world and nothing will every be perfect for everyone at the same time.

Blessings on everyone's day!

Cranberry Butter

I ran across this recipe in an ancient cookbook my husband brought home from the library for me. Thoughtful husband! He always checks out the Friends of the Library book sales and brings home likely books for me.

Anyway, this is a nice change of pace for breakfast munching. I'm always on the lookout for interesting spreads for freshly baked bread. This is great on whole wheat especially.

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 stick of stoftened butter
zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients together in a food processor and process until berries are finely chopped.

*I went a step futher and put it through my blender so as to really break down the cranberries. My brood tends to get stubborn about 'pieces' of stuff in their flavored butters!

__._,_.___

Beautiful . . .

“Mary is more blessed because she embraces faith in Christ than because she conceives the flesh of Christ.”  ~St. Augustine

Not enough sewing time in a day . . .

 

After I completed the tasks I have to do in order to maintain the household, there wasn't too much sewing time left today. I now have three quilt tops that need their batting and backing plus a lot of handsewing to complete. I promised myself that I would not make another quilt top until I got the current two well on their way to the next stages . . . Sigh . . . I found the fish fabric tucked away in the back of the cupboard and, well, inspiration struck and I found myself unarmed for the time it took to cut out yet more fabric.

My feelings exactly!

October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. Other dangerous months are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August and February.

Mark Twain

Interesting way to put it . . .

"Fathom the hypocrisy of a Government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured...but not everyone must prove they are a citizen."    

Ben Stein

My Musings for today . . .

I was visiting my neighbors today and we got to talking about religion, faith, etc. They are Protestant and I am Catholic but we enjoy each other's company and share the differences rather than argue about them.

We were talking about how we observe Holy Week and I mentioned how some of our priests prefer having boys serving Mass rather than girls. One of my friends bolted upright and said, "Excuse me? Did you say GIRLS serve Mass at your church? That just doesn't sound right! Does your Pope ALLOW that?"

I said that Rome had allowed girls to serve but it was sad how it chased away some of the boys who might be missing out on a vocation because they never get to be that close to the altar. My friend just kept shaking her head over it.

We then went on to agree that males and females are different and it was a shame the world kept trying to make them one and the same. She said she worked because she was a single mom and had to in order to support her daughter. She said that when women just work 'to find themselves' or to buy a bigger house or fancy cars, they could be taking away a job that a male head of the household needed for basic support of his family. She wondered if pushing females into the service of Mass could also be pushing males aside.

Personally, I'm for teaching my girls to emulate the Blessed Mother and doing so does not include serving Mass, being a reader, or an extraordinary minister. I did not, however lead this particular conversation on and it was interesting to see how our liberal Catholic ways are seen by someone outside our Faith. Not starting a debate here but you have to wonder how it will all turn out.

Sharing Words of Wisdom for today . . .

"The male is a domestic animal which, if treated with firmness, can be trained to do most things."
-- Jilly Cooper

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."
-- Mark Twain

Another keeper!

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.

Albert Einstein

From the Garden to the Dinnner Table . . .

 
Since bell peppers can cost anywhere from a dollar to two dollars each, my husband's garden saved us a bit on this evening's dinner. The tomatoes and squash made an important appearance, too. I even had some frozen beef/pork meatballs and wild rice that I cooked down and used to stuff the pepper halves. The tomatoes provided the sauce. A little Provolone cheese on top of each stuffed pepper didn't hurt, either.

Just a note, the deep purple peppers cook up back to the familiar green pepper look. I guess if you want to enjoy the vibrant color of purple, you need to eat the pepper raw.

Profound way of saying 'look before you leap' . . .

Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second when it can be recalled and perhaps remedied.

Pearl S. Buck

Bragging on behalf of my husband!

 

My husband happily harvested his first, large crop of tomatoes, squash, and peppers today. The purple bell peppers look so pretty but weird to taste 'green' bell pepper but 'see' purple! I thinking about making a vegetarian stuffed bell pepper for a side dish this evening using the peppers, tomatoes, cheese, and rice. The two children currently at home will hate it so it's got to be good, right?