West African Chicken Stew . . . How it all turned out!

My first attempt at this recipe was well-received by my son and daughter. My daughter, who disliked sweet potatoes, managed to overlook them and enjoy her stew in spite of them. My son is more adventurous and ate his stew very happily. It wasn't a difficult recipe but had, as you can see from the picture, some chopping and prep work. It will probably appear on our dinner table another time in the future!

My quilt order . . .

In spite of massive house clean up, this morning, I did get some work done on the quilt someone ordered last week. As of now, I have it pinned and ready to do the quilting stitches tomorrow. I plan to be extensive in the stitching so don't imagine I will get all twelve squares completed . . . but hope for a start. The back of the quilt is a summer green with a rose print on it. The dark blue border alternates with the floral one.

West African Chicken Stew

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/West-African-Chicken-Stew?cpi=1&sort=0&Login=login

This is simmering on the stove for dinner right now! Interesting ingredients but it all seems to work together. We are having it over hot, white rice. Didn't have the suggested brown rice in the house. Wanted to share what smells to be a good meal and the ingredients aren't exotic or expensive - my kind of dinner!

Quick and Easy Pound Cake

I like to bake but I always welcome having a few recipes that call for everything to be dumped in the mixing bowl and going from there. This is such a recipe. Within minutes, you will have a cake in the oven and look like the Kitchen Maven.

Quick and Easy Pound Cake

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup softened butter
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients. Blend on a low speed of your mixer and then beat to mix thoroughly, about 3-4 minutes. Spread into a vegetable-oil sprayed Bundt or angel food tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 60 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes and then remove to cooking rack to finish cooling.

Finishing touches . . .

Dust with powdered sugar.
Combine powdered sugar with a bit of cocoa powder and cinnamon to dust the cake.
Combine a cup of powdered sugar and enough orange or lemon juice to make a glaze.
Serve slices with sliced strawberries and whipped cream.
Have it plain with a good cup of coffee!

Some quotes to start the day . . .

"There's an old saying about those who forget history. I don't remember it, but it's good."
-- Stephen Colbert

"Sometimes people carry to such perfection the mask they have assumed that in due course they actually become the person they seem."
-- W. Somerset Maugham

"A book of quotations . . . can never be complete."
-- Robert M. Hamilton

"We are inclined to believe those whom we do not know because they have never deceived us."
-- Samuel Johnson

Something to check out . . .

http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/no-granola-is-good-granola/

Very interesting article on granola! It makes sense and has one rethinking what is healthy for their family. Almost every e-mail report I get from the Healthy Home Economist has something of interest in it. She seems to be factual and no-nonsence in her approach to various topics.

Patrick J. Buchanan setting the matter straight . . .

With his usual expertise, Mr. Buchanan has gone to the true heart of the subject. His final words are so telling about how the Catholic vote can determine the 2012 election. It certainly did in 2008 when the Catholic vote helped get a pro-abort president into office. We have to pray that all Catholics vote according to their Faith and not their political inclinations. That's the problem these days . . . people are aligned with a political party, first, and their religion, second.

Obama Sandbags the Archbishop
January 31, 2012

By Patrick J. Buchanan

At the end of Sunday mass at the church this writer attends in Washington, D.C., the pastor asked the congregation to remain for a few minutes.

Then, on the instructions of Cardinal Archbishop Donald Wuerl, the pastor proceeded to read a letter.

In the letter, the Church denounced the Obama administration for ordering all Catholic schools, hospitals and social services to provide, in their health insurance coverage for employes, free contraceptives, free sterilizations and free "morning-after" pills.

Parishioners were urged to contact their representatives in Congress to bring about a reversal of President Obama’s new policy.

Now, not only is this a battle the Church must fight, it is a battle the Church can win if it has the moral stamina to say the course.

In forcing the Church to violate its own principles, Obama has committed an act of federal aggression, crossing the line between church and state to appease his ACLU and feminist allies, while humiliating the Catholic bishops.

Should the Church submit, its moral authority in America would disappear.

Now, undeniably, the church milquetoast of past decades that refused to discipline pro-abortion Catholics allowed the impression to form that while the hierarchy may protest, eventually it will go along to get along with a Democratic Party that was once home to most Catholics.

Obama’s problem today is that not only is he forcing the Church to violate her conscience, he dissed the highest prelate in America.

In November, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, held what he describes as an "extraordinarily friendly" meeting with Obama at the White House.

The president assured the archbishop of his respect for the Church, and the archbishop came away persuaded Obama would never force the Church to adopt any policy that would violate her principles.

Ten days ago, Obama sandbagged the archbishop

He informed Cardinal-designate Dolan by phone that, with the sole concession of the Church being given an extra year, to August 2013, to comply, the new policy, as set down by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, will be imposed. All social and educational institutions of the Catholic church will offer health insurance covering birth control, or face fines.

"In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences," said Archbishop Dolan, who went on:

"To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their health care is literally unconscionable. … This represents a challenge and a compromise of our religious liberty."

Where do Obama and Sebelius get the power to do this?

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law on March 23, 2010, the colloquial name for which is "Obamacare."

NARAL Pro-Choice America is celebrating the new policy. Planned Parenthood’s president, Cecile Richards, calls it a "health care issue … based on what’s best for women’s health." Others have argued that many Catholic women practice birth control.

But that Catholics choose to ignore doctrine does not justify the U.S. government imposing on Catholic institutions a policy that violates Catholic teaching.

Even Washington Post liberal E.J. Dionne, in a Jan. 30 column titled "Obama’s Breach of Faith," charges that the president "threw his progressive Catholic allies under the bus. …

"Speaking as an American liberal who believes that religious pluralism imposes certain obligations on government … the Church’s leaders had a right to ask for broader relief from a contraception mandate that would require it to act against its own teachings."

Why did Obama do it?

Facing a close race for a second term, Obama chose not to antagonize his left. Yet he must have known that siding with them meant leaving Archbishop Dolan with egg all over his face. Obama, calculatedly, came down on the side of those he believes to be more crucial to his re-election.

This affront should tell the Catholic hierarchy, if they did not already know, where they stand in the party of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Kathleen Sebilius. And where they sit — in the back of the bus.

Yet if the bishops will look upon this crisis of conscience, this insult, as an opportunity, they can effect its reversal and recapture a measure of the moral authority they have lately lost.

Not only should the bishops file suit in federal court against the president and Sebelius for violation of the constitutional principle of separation of church and state, they should inform the White House that no bishop will give an invocation at the Democratic Convention.

Then, they should inform the White House that in the last two weeks of the 2012 campaign, priests in every parish will read from the pulpit at Sunday mass a letter denouncing Obama as anti-Catholic for denying the Church its right to live according to its beliefs.

If Obama loses the Catholic vote, he loses the election.

The White House will come around, fast. Rely upon it.

Interesting Viewpoints for a Monday . . .

"An idealist is a person who helps other people to be prosperous."
-- Henry Ford

"A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future."
-- Sidney J. Harris

"I have just returned from Boston. It is the only sane thing to do if you find yourself up there."
-- Fred Allen

"A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something."
-- Wilson Mizner

Vegetable Oil Biscuits?

I've never heard of using vegetable oil in biscuits but am assured that it is truly possible. I haven't tried this yet but am printing up a copy to have at hand. I am more often out of shortening than I am of oil so this would be a blessing on those evenings when biscuits would go so well with a particular dish.

Vegetable Oil Biscuits
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup whole milk

Mix and stir together the dry ingredients. Combine the oil and milk. Add the oil and mix mixture to the dry ingredients and mix to just accomplish a soft dough. Place dough on a floured board and knead just a few seconds to smooth out. Roll out to about 1/2-inch thick. Use your favorite biscuit cutter and place your biscuits on either an ungreased baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

Bake for 10-15 minutes in a preheated 450 degree oven until golden.

If you like crusty biscuits, space the apart on the baking sheet. If you like softer one, place them closer together so they touch. Feeling decadent and longing for some richness, brush the tops with melted butter before baking. Need a biscuit to go along with soup or stew? Add 1/2 cup of your favorite grated cheese to the mix.

Almost Fried Chicken - an easier way . . .

My family likes fried chicken but there are two reasons why it doesn't happen too often around here: 1.) It takes a lot of oil to fry. and 2.) It isn't the healthiest way to serve chicken. I do like to treat them on special occasions, however, but I just remembered my third negative reason - I tend to get my shirts spattered with oil spots!

Yesterday, I tried an experiment. I marinated the chicken pieces in creamy Italian salad dressing for several hours. When it came time to frying it, I didn't! Instead, I wiped off the excess dressing and coated each piece with Panko crumbs, pushing them on to keep them in place. I put a rack on a large baking sheet, and then placed the chicken on the rack. This was so the underside wouldn't touch the pan and get soggy. I baked the chicken for approximately 45-60 minutes (depends on the size of your chicken pieces) in a 350 degree oven. About 15 minutes before it was done, I sprayed them liberally with vegetable oil spray to increase the crisp factor and browning.

The marinating provided us with very juicy chicken and there was enough crunch to please the fried-chicken fans.

It is up to you but I did season my Panko crumbs. I also remembered to make extra chicken as it tastes good cold, too.

Why God Never Received Tenure at Any University - Internet Find

Why God Never Received Tenure at Any University

1. He only had one major publication.
2. It was in Hebrew.
3. It had no references.
4. It wasn't published in a referred journal.
5. Some even doubt He wrote it Himself.
6. It may be true that He created the world, but what has He done since then?
7. His cooperative efforts have been quite limited.
8. The scientific community has had a hard time replicating His results.
9. He never applied to the Ethics Board for permission to use human subjects.
10. When one experiment went awry, He tried to cover it up by drowning the subjects.
11. When subjects didn't behave as predicted, He deleted them from the sample.
12. He rarely came to class, just told students to read the book.
13. Some say He had His son teach the class.
14. He expelled His first two students for learning.
15. Although there were only ten requirements, most students failed His tests.
16. His office hours were infrequent and usually held on a mountaintop.

Smiles to begin Monday . . .

"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience."
-- George Bernard Shaw

"To err is human--and to blame it on a computer is even more so."
-- Robert Orben

"Misquotations are the only quotations that are never misquoted."
-- Hesketh Pearson

"My theory of evolution is that Darwin was adopted."
-- Steven Wright

Cleaning Clutter Pays Off . . .

I was going through papers and books, saving and discarding as I went along. I ran across an ancient recipe card with just the dessert I've been thinking of but couldn't locate. Kind of nostalgic to hold this stained and spattered card and realize how many places it has been and find it in my possession once more. My mother baked this often when I was growing up. It was probably what got me enjoying lemon so much. I have made it over the year but it slipped my mind so I was happy for the reminder. Thought I'd share it with everyone. Perhaps, someone will end up making a family memory of it for themselves.

Tart Lemon Pie Cake

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
pinch of salt
2 eggs - separated
2 lemons, juice and grated zest
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup whole milk
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust

Bake the pie shell at 350 degrees for five minutes. Leave the oven on.

Combine sugar, flour, butter, salt, and egg yolks. Beat until smooth. Beat in the lemon juice and grated zest. Add milk and lemon extract, beating slowly. Whip egg whites until stiff but not dry; fold into the lemon mixture. Pour into partially-baked pie crust. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until filling is set.

Let pie cool thoroughly. When you cut into the pie, there will be a delicate cake on top of lemon pie filling. Magic time!

Where have all the bishops gone . . .

Although the United States Conference of Bishops has given a representative response to the president's recent support of the mandate requiring  all employers, Catholic/Christian or not, to include anti-life elements in their health coverage regardless of their religious convictions, I'm still a bit disappointed. Where is a massive outcry coming forth from our diocesan offices? Why hasn't every bishop, archbishop, etc. in the United States made statements of objections?

Yes, I know several bishops/archbishops have been outspoken but I feel that each and every bishop in each and every diocese should have required the information brought up at Sunday Mass, today, and sent out letters to all Catholics in their diocese setting out what the mandate is about and why it infringes on our religious rights. I won't accept that it would take too much effort to do so as the annual diocesan collections get a large mailing from the diocese.

Naturally, I read with great respect and thankfulness the articles and interviews by Archbishop Timothy Dolan, etc. but people in a specific diocese want to rally around their own bishop. I have done some Internet searches and have yet to come up with a statement from our bishop. The world is waiting to see what we do on this current attack on our Faith and we don't seem to be gathering the prayerful forces that we should.

Cats, Cats, Cats . . .

We are still trying to befriend the Siamese cat but seem to have acquired two of his friends. Right now, our food is fine, our house is fine, and they wish all these big people would leave! We won't abandon the other two cats and plan to take them for adoption to a place that doesn't put them down. So far, we haven't been able to even touch any of them although they put up a racket every morning for breakfast.

After the storm is over . . .

Almost no wind today! The two days of wind storms are over and we have lots of sunshine . . . and lots of work to do in order to bring the fence back in order. Fortunately, it was the shared fence that fell down and we have good neighbors who are anxious to work together on the replacement project. For now, the fence is braced up on both sides until we can price the costs and get to work. We certainly don't want to plan a windy day for the job.

Although the fence was open and our dog could have escaped, she was too shocked about it all and begged to come in the house. It all could have been worse. Our dog didn't wander off and we have help in getting the fence back in order.

Rising to the occasion . . .

When I got married, I had a basic understanding of baking bread and could produce an average loaf of it. My husband, however, had a hobby of breadmaking and shared all his discoveries with me. Over the years, he has been more occupied with the maintenance of the house and yard so most all the bread baking is now done by me.

When his parents were still able to travel, they often spent a week with us here and there during the year. At lunch, one day, my father-in-law complimented me on the sandwich and asked where we purchased our bread rolls. My husband proudly pointed to me and said I was the baker. Later in the week, my father-in-law watched me put some yeast dough together and was hooked. He went home and started baking bread. He would call for advice ever so often but mostly just enjoyed discovering things on his own.

About six months into his new-found hobby, his daughter decided to surprise him with a bread baking machine. I think he used it two or three times and stopped. He never really baked bread, again.

I'm sure his daughter just figured the novelty had gone out of the hobby. From a couple of phone calls regarding the outcome of the machine loaves of bread, I think that by taking away the process, the joy was removed, too. People who don't bake just don't understand that it is not so much the results but the action of working with the simple ingredients of flour, water, yeast, and salt that make the work so worthwhile. It is taking next-to-nothing items and seeing the 'creation' rise up and be counted among the foodstuffs of the world.

You don't always need a more efficient, faster way to do things. The bread machine took away that time with the bread dough and the thoughts that might go through one's mind as they knead and think. Ten minutes to toss ingredients into a machine and then come back to the finished product isn't an accomplishment.

I know my sister-in-law probably thought the latest and greatest item for bread baking would be a great gift. I think a super book on making bread by hand would have been a more creative present. The easy way isn't always the happiest way. Taking away the process doesn't alway make the end result as satisfying.

Beautiful . . .

It is easy enough to be pleasant, When life flows by like a song, But the man worth while is the one who can smile, When everything goes dead wrong. For the test of the heart is troubled, And it always comes with the years. And the smiles that is worth the praises of earth Is the smile that shines through tears.

- Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Passing on an article from the Wall Street Journal

In case you might have missed this latest piece of legislation from our president and government, this article was submitted to the Wall Street Journal by Archbishop Timothy Dolan. Even if you aren't a Catholic, don't be complacent as the next word from the powers that be could be a further infringement on more rights shared by all. You can't shake just 'one branch of a tree' without it being felt by the whole tree.

WALL STREET JOURNAL

ObamaCare and Religious Freedom

How about some respect for Catholics and others who object to treating pregnancy as a disease?

By TIMOTHY M. DOLAN

Religious freedom is the lifeblood of the American people, the cornerstone of American government. When the Founding Fathers determined that the innate rights of men and women should be enshrined in our Constitution, they so esteemed religious liberty that they made it the first freedom in the Bill of Rights.

In particular, the Founding Fathers fiercely defended the right of conscience. George Washington himself declared: "The conscientious scruples of all men should be treated with great delicacy and tenderness; and it is my wish and desire, that the laws may always be extensively accommodated to them." James Madison, a key defender of religious freedom and author of the First Amendment, said: "Conscience is the most sacred of all property."

Scarcely two weeks ago, in its Hosanna-Tabor decision upholding the right of churches to make ministerial hiring decisions, the Supreme Court unanimously and enthusiastically reaffirmed these longstanding and foundational principles of religious freedom. The court made clear that they include the right of religious institutions to control their internal affairs.

Yet the Obama administration has veered in the opposite direction. It has refused to exempt religious institutions that serve the common good—including Catholic schools, charities and hospitals—from its sweeping new health-care mandate that requires employers to purchase contraception, including abortion-producing drugs, and sterilization coverage for their employees.

Last August, when the administration first proposed this nationwide mandate for contraception and sterilization coverage, it also proposed a "religious employer" exemption. But this was so narrow that it would apply only to religious organizations engaged primarily in serving people of the same religion. As Catholic Charities USA's president, the Rev. Larry Snyder, notes, even Jesus and His disciples would not qualify for the exemption in that case, because they were committed to serve those of other faiths.

Since then, hundreds of religious institutions, and hundreds of thousands of individual citizens, have raised their voices in principled opposition to this requirement that religious institutions and individuals violate their own basic moral teaching in their health plans. Certainly many of these good people and groups were Catholic, but many were Americans of other faiths, or no faith at all, who recognize that their beliefs could be next on the block. They also recognize that the cleverest way for the government to erode the broader principle of religious freedom is to target unpopular beliefs first.

Now we have learned that those loud and strong appeals were ignored. On Friday, the administration reaffirmed the mandate, and offered only a one-year delay in enforcement in some cases—as if we might suddenly be more willing to violate our consciences 12 months from now. As a result, all but a few employers will be forced to purchase coverage for contraception, abortion drugs and sterilization services even when they seriously object to them. All who share the cost of health plans that include such services will be forced to pay for them as well. Surely it violates freedom of religion to force religious ministries and citizens to buy health coverage to which they object as a matter of conscience and religious principle.

The rule forces insurance companies to provide these services without a co-pay, suggesting they are "free"—but it is naive to believe that. There is no free lunch, and you can be sure there's no free abortion, sterilization or contraception. There will be a source of funding: you.

Coercing religious ministries and citizens to pay directly for actions that violate their teaching is an unprecedented incursion into freedom of conscience. Organizations fear that this unjust rule will force them to take one horn or the other of an unacceptable dilemma: Stop serving people of all faiths in their ministries—so that they will fall under the narrow exemption—or stop providing health-care coverage to their own employees.

The Catholic Church defends religious liberty, including freedom of conscience, for everyone. The Amish do not carry health insurance. The government respects their principles. Christian Scientists want to heal by prayer alone, and the new health-care reform law respects that.

Quakers and others object to killing even in wartime, and the government respects that principle for conscientious objectors. By its decision, the Obama administration has failed to show the same respect for the consciences of Catholics and others who object to treating pregnancy as a disease.

This latest erosion of our first freedom should make all Americans pause. When the government tampers with a freedom so fundamental to the life of our nation, one shudders to think what lies ahead.

Timothy Dolan is archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

　

　

　

Quotes to quote . . . especially the first one!

"If you live long enough, the venerability factor creeps in; first, you get accused of things you never did, and later, credited for virtues you never had."
-- I. F. Stone

"No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately."
-- Michel de Montaigne

"Most turkeys taste better the day after; my mother's tasted better the day before."
-- Rita Rudner

"The best way to become acquainted with a subject is to write a book about it."
-- Benjamin Disraeli

Interesting . . .

We attend a parish where there is widespread hand holding during the Our Father. It is interesting, particularly at morning Mass, how people all claim the same seat every day, far away from everyone else for their 'space'. Come the Our Father, however, the miles must be reduced and most everyone practically climbs over pews to reach another outstretched hand.

During the Swine Flu or H1N1 'pandemic' a few years ago, some bishops sent out requests that we refrain from this 'liturgy' until after the 'pandemic' was over. It cut the Mass time down noticeably although there were a few parishioners who were going to hold hands regardless. The rest of us would whip out our pocket-sized hand sanitizer and prepared for the worst!

After Mass one day, some kindred spirits and myself had to laughingly acknowledge that the bishop's request to forego the hand holding was basically asking us to "stop doing what we aren't supposed to be doing, anyway"!

Since the bishop had come out strongly in favor of taking precautions with what turned out to be not a pandemic, it makes we wonder why he isn't as concerned during the annual flu season where thousands die. The world is certainly a strange place and I imagine my being in it adds to the strangeness, too!

Lent should be a time of thanksgiving . . .

Lent is approaching and many of us are considering what penance we will do during this seemingly long six weeks. Often, we forget that we are working towards something and not just 'suffering' in the moment. Some people have experienced a Lent that cover years while we inwardly groan about a month and a half. We may fast but we always know there is a meal in our future. We may have to give up meat but the next day will see it back on the dinner table. Lent always seems to bring to mind the many stories my mother shared about her trials and tribulations during World War II. Our current economic troubles might mean putting off the purchase of a desired tech gadget. I don't think many of us are facing true uncertainty and starvation.

World War II, for most people, started in 1940 when the United States entered the war in Europe. If you lived in Germany, World War II probably seemed more like an extension of World War I.

My mother was born and raised in Germany. She was a young girl during World II. In Germany, however, the hard times didn't begin in 1940 and abruptly end when the war was over. Germany was in economic straights after World War I. Although we could go into the politics of life at that time, the governing problems are not being addressed right now. Suffice to say that many things contributed to poverty and hardship and it didn't begin with the events of 1940. My mother was born in 1925. Her father died the same year of a lung wound received in the First World War. He spent a good portion of the first war in a French prisoner of war camp with his unattended injury. When he came home, irrevocable damage had already been done.

By the time the war was in full force, rationing had long been an ever-present reality in Germany. Rationing in Europe was much different than the rationing in America during the war years. In America there were items to ration. In wartime Germany, ration books were often useless bits of paper. By the middle of the war in Germany, it was unusual to see litter in the streets as every scrap of paper and cardboard was put to use. Having a piece of cardboard to line worn shoes was a blessing. You thanked God if there was black cabbage and rotten potatoes to eat.

When the war was finally winding down, relief was tempered by empty stomachs. Somehow, in the midst of all this, my resourceful grandmother acquired a small bag of wheat grain. It was old, hard stuff but could be pounded down enough to bake into almost equally tough bits of ‘bread'. Naturally, there was no butter or fat available but just the chewing of these almost unyielding breads kept my mother and grandmother hopeful of survival.

With the advance of the American and Russian armies, there were many refugees passing through my mother's little hometown. Some of them were German soldiers fleeing the defeated army and desperate to locate their families. Many were displaced people searching for a place to settle down and await the final outcome. All were hungry.

As you would expect, there was many a knock on my grandmother's door by these homeless, searching people. Even though the wheat kernels were the only food in the house, no one left my grandmother's doorstep without a handful or two of this precious food. The final episodes of the war took time and it was a matter of weeks before food was brought in to feed the starving people.

My mother was glad to see an end to the war. Being the only Catholic in a Protestant town during a Nazi reign doesn't have many perks. It was only when the first tanks and trucks of the American forces came in, however, that my mother and grandmother realized that the small bag of wheat had lasted them. No matter how much they had given freely away, the wheat had not run out until the day needed supplies arrived.

Quilting . . . one square at a time . . .

When people look at one of my quilts, their first words are usually, "Gosh, that's amazing! I couldn't make something that big." Uh, neither could I . . . at least, not all at once. Quilts, like any other endeavor in life, starts small and grows from there. One often looks at the 'big picture' or the completed quilt and doesn't stop to consider all the small pieces that comprise the whole. Quilting has certainly taught me patience as all those small scraps of fabric do take their time in becoming a big quilt! And, since a quilt is a big project, quality plays an important part. Cheaply made fabric will give you a cheap result.

I do a lot of thinking when I quilt and this kind of sewing and real life have a lot in common. No matter what your job (office worker, clerk, homemaker, etc.), unless you put quality into it, the results will be disappointing. All worthwhile ideas start with a scrap of something and a lot of effort and attention.

Yes, you can see the wind . . . at least, the after effects!

The 50 mph-plus gusts of wind did their damage last night. My husband's grape vines will not be producing this year as their white trellis has ripped off the supporting fence. You see the 'supporting' fence that is falling as fast as the trellis? It looked like it snowed oranges under my beloved tree so I will probably be baking orange chiffon cakes in the very near future. We initially were bemoaning the work ahead on the grape trellis until we saw that another portion of fence was completely down giving my dog freedom to roam the neighborhood. Our dog's plans were cancelled once we saw this. A good part of our tree is nestled around the mailbox which won't stay closed . . . again, thanks to the wind.

I had fun gathering up the windfall of oranges but couldn't get the ones way under the tree. My husband is laughing and amazed at finding me solving the problem with a pair of kitchen tongs for reaching there.

And the wind? It is still blasting away with hopes of it fading away by tomorrow evening. Buy stock in hair spray as I know I used a lot of it today!

Yet, we are still smiling. The house is standing, the power is on, and the fence needed some work, anyway.

I like it!

Wonder rather than doubt is the root of knowledge.

- Abraham Joshua Heschel

For those who wish to join in prayer . . .

One day, after celebrating Mass, the aged Pope Leo XIII was in conference with the Cardinals when suddenly he sank to the floor in a deep swoon. Physicians who hastened to his side could find no trace of his pulse and feared that he had expired. However, after a short interval the Holy Father regained consciousness and exclaimed with great emotion: "Oh, what a horrible picture I have been permitted to see!"

He had been shown a vision of evil spirits who had been released from Hell and their efforts to destroy the Church. But in the midst of the horror the archangel St. Michael appeared and cast Satan and his legions into the abyss of hell. Soon afterwards Pope Leo XIII composed the following prayer to Saint Michael, which is the original version:
Original - Prayer to St. Michael

“O Glorious Prince of the heavenly host, St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the battle and in the terrible warfare that we are waging against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the evil spirits. Come to the aid of man, whom Almighty God created immortal, made in His own image and likeness, and redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of Satan.

“Fight this day the battle of the Lord, together with the holy angels, as already thou hast fought the leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and his apostate host, who were powerless to resist thee, nor was there place for them any longer in Heaven. That cruel, ancient serpent, who is called the devil or Satan who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss with his angels. Behold, this primeval enemy and slayer of men has taken courage. Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all the multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out the name of God and of His Christ, to seize upon, slay and cast into eternal perdition souls destined for the crown of eternal glory. This wicked dragon pours out, as a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men of depraved mind and corrupt heart, the spirit of lying, of impiety, of blasphemy, and the pestilent breath of impurity, and of every vice and iniquity.

“These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the spouse of the immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on her most sacred possessions. In the Holy Place itself, where the See of Holy Peter and the Chair of Truth has been set up as the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety, with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep may be.

“Arise then, O invincible Prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of God, and give them the victory. They venerate thee as their protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defense against the malicious power of hell; to thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude. Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly find mercy in the sight of the Lord; and vanquishing the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen.

V. Behold the Cross of the Lord; be scattered ye hostile powers.
R. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered the root of David.
V. Let Thy mercies be upon us, O Lord.
R. As we have hoped in Thee.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.

Let us pray.

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Thy holy Name, and as supplicants, we implore Thy clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin Immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious St. Michael the Archangel, Thou wouldst deign to help us against Satan and all the other unclean spirits who wander about the world for the injury of the human race and the ruin of souls. Amen.”


Roman Raccolta, July 23, 1898, supplement approved July 31, 1902,
London: Burnes, Oates & Washbourne Ltd., 1935, 12th edition.

Contraception mandate prompts Peoria Bishop to instate St. Michael Prayer

It is both heartening to hear our bishops gather forces in the wake of the recent mandate which will take away our religious freedoms. It is also with deep concern as we realize that the matter is so very serious that we require joined forces in reciting the St. Michael Prayer - which is to ask the intercession of this Archangel in our building battle with the powers of Satan.  Another wake up call to the world.

Contraception mandate prompts Peoria bishop to instate St. Michael Prayer

By Kevin J. JonesRead more: http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/US.php?id=4749#ixzz1kiKlIvBZ

Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, Ill. has asked parishes, schools, hospitals and religious houses to insert the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel into the intercessions at Sunday Mass to pray for Catholics’ freedom.

The move comes in response to a new federal requirement that will force many Catholic organizations to provide insurance coverage for sterilizations and contraceptives.

"It is God’s invincible Archangel who commands the heavenly host, and it is the enemies of God who will ultimately be defeated," the bishop said in a Jan. 24 letter to the Catholics of his diocese.

 The prayer should take place in the general intercessions before the concluding prayer, Bishop Jenky said. He asked that the intention of the prayer be announced as "for the freedom of the Catholic Church in America."

The St. Michael prayer was authored by Pope Leo XIII, and was once commonly said in U.S. Catholic parishes as part of a petition for the freedom of Soviet Russia.

He said it is his duty to summon the local Church into "spiritual and temporal combat in defense of Catholic Christianity."

"If these regulations are put into effect, they could close down every Catholic school, hospital and the other public ministries of our Church, which is perhaps their underlying intention," Bishop Jenky said. "What is perfectly clear is that this is a bigoted and blanket attack on the First Amendment rights of every Catholic believer."

Bishop Jenky’s comments add to the continued reaction to the Department of Health and Human Services ruling that requires insurance coverage of procedures which Catholic teaching recognizes as sinful. The rule’s narrow religious exemptions only include institutions which hire or serve their fellow believers and have the inculcation of religious values as a primary purpose.

The requirement will make it impossible for Catholic institutions to continue to offer health care coverage for their employees, the Diocese of Peoria said. The institutions could be forced to drop healthcare coverage for employees because of their moral and religious objections.

Bishop Jenky stated that the president does not have the authority under the U.S. Constitution to "require our cooperation with what we consider to be intrinsic evil and mortal sin."

"I am honestly horrified that the nation I have always loved has come to this hateful and radical step in religious intolerance."

The bishop pledged that the Church will never abandon its commitment to the Gospel of Life and called on the faithful to "vigorously" oppose what he called an "unprecedented governmental assault upon the moral convictions of our faith."

Bishop Jenky also struck an encouraging note.

"Have faith! Have courage! Fight boldly for what you believe!" he said. "I strongly urge you not to be intimidated by extremist politicians or the malice of the cultural secularists arrayed against us."

Invoking the First Letter of John, he said Catholics should always remember that "the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

Orange-Scented Cranberry-Bran Muffins

Still on my mild health kick, here is a recipe for a good-tasting treat that sneaks in a few good things in the diet. I like using dried raisins but dried, snipped pineapple can be substituted or plain, old raisins! If you opt for raisins, I'l suggest a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter.

Orange-Scented Cranberry-Bran Muffins
1 cup flaked bran cereal, your choice
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Line 8 muffin cups with paper baking cups.

Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to mix. The batter will be a bit lumpy. Fill the paper-lined muffin cups about 2/3 full to allow for rising.

Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes.

The Good News and the Bad News . . .

My family likes homemade cheesecake. I love my family. Cheesecake if full of fat and calories so I have been making it with non-and low-fat cream cheese. Yes, there is a slight texture difference but I figure that if they want to have a treat and I can save them some calories, they will have to deal with it. I noticed that the last time I tortured them with a low-calorie cheesecake, they complained through mouths full of dessert! I do compromise as I prefer a pineapple glaze on top but make the more popular strawberry one!

Mother Angelica's Miscarriage Prayer

My first three children were almost exactly two years apart. It wasn't planned that way but seemed to be God's way of sending us these gifts. Between my third and fourth child, however, is a gap of four years. If plans had gone our way, there would have been a baby two years after the third birth . . . and there was but God had other ideas for our Matthew. I was four months along when we miscarried. I ran across this prayer by Mother Angelica and wished I had read it when I went through that so wanted to make sure to share it today. Baby number five was born two years after the miscarriage. Although I will never forget the baby I lost, I have to thank God for the gift He sent me in this cheerful young man, my youngest son.

Mother Angelica's Miscarriage Prayer

My Lord, the baby is dead! Why, my Lord - dare I ask why? It will not hear the whisper of the wind or see the beauty of its parent's face - it will not see the beauty of Your creation or a flame of a sunrise. Why, my Lord?

"Why, My child, do you ask why? Well, I will tell you why. You see, the child lives. Instead of the wind, he hears the sound of angels singing before My throne. Instead of the beauty that passes, he see everlasting Beauty - he sees My face. He was created and lived a short time so tht he, who has the image of his parents imprinted on his face, may stand before Me as their personal intercessor. He knows secrets of heaven unknown to men on earth. He laughs with a special joy that only the innocent possess. My ways are not the ways of man. I created for My Kingdom, and each creature fills a place in that Kingdom that could not be filled by another. He was created for My Joy and his parents' merits. He has never seen pain or sin. He has never felt hunger or pain. I breathed a soul into a seed, made it grow, and called it forth."

I am humbled before You, my Lord, for questioning Your wisdom, goodness, and love. I speak as a fool - forgive me. I acknowledge Your sovereign rights over life and death. I thank You for the life that began for so short a time to enjoy so long an eternity.

Saturday Morning . . .

Saturday Morning arrives tomorrow! For most of us, it is a day to not rush around and a good time to treat the family to a great breakfast. Pancakes are always a favorite but, in order to take away a bit of the guilt, Oatmeal Pancakes could be the choice. We won't discuss the melting butter and syrup that will probably be soaking into each serving. We've added heathy oatmeal so discussion is over!

Oatmeal Pancakes
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. If you like thinner pancake, mix in spoonfuls of milk until you get the right texture of batter.

For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup of batter onto a hot, greased frying pan or griddle. Cook until pancakes are puffed and tiny bubbles appear on the surface. Turn and cook other side until golden brown.

Makes about a dozen pancakes so feel free to double the recipe as needed! If you don't have the usual toppings available, applesauce works great. A little butter with cinnamon and sugar is a great change of pace. Leftover pancakes? Freeze them and then warm them in the toaster later. Have the time and the budget? Sandwich an over-easy friend egg between to pancakes.

United States Divorce Agreement

Someone passed this on to me and amusing as it is, it has a lot of common sense truth being pointed out to everyone.

The person that wrote this is a college student. Perhaps there is hope for us after all.

DIVORCE AGREEMENT

THIS IS SO INCREDIBLY WELL PUT AND I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT'S BY A YOUNG PERSON, A STUDENT!!! WHATEVER HE RUNS FOR, I'LL VOTE FOR HIM.

Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al:We have stuck together since the late 1950's for the sake of the kids, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated eachother for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has clearly run its course.

Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right for us all, so let's just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.

Here is a model separation agreement:

--Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking a similar portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.

--We don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them.

--You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU.--Since you hate guns and war, we'll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military.

--We'll take the nasty, smelly oil industry and you can go with wind, solar and biodiesel.

--You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell. You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them.

--We'll keep capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street.

--You can have your beloved lifelong welfare dwellers, food stamps, homeless, home boys, hippies, druggies and undocumented.

--We'll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO's and rednecks.

--We'll keep the Bibles and give you NBC and Hollywood

--You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us.

--You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we'll help provide them security.

--We'll keep our Judeo-Christian values.

--You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism, political correctness and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N. but we will no longer be paying the bill.

--We'll keep the SUV's, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Volt and Leaf you can find.

--You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors.

--We'll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right.

--We'll keep "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "The National Anthem."

--I'm sure you'll be happy to substitute "Imagine", "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing", "Kum Ba Ya" or "We Are the World".

--We'll practice trickle down economics and you can continue to give trickle up poverty your best shot.

--Since it often so offends you, we'll keep our history, our name and our flag.

Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like-minded liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I'll bet you answer which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.

Sincerely,

John J. Wall
Law Student and an American

P.S. Also, please take Ted Turner, Sean Penn, Martin & Charlie Sheen, Barbara Streisand, & ( Hanoi ) Jane Fonda with you, and don’t forget Alec Baldwin, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga.

P.S.S. And you won't have to press 1 for English when you call our country.


　

Surviving the College Dining Hall

http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/01/surviving-the-college-dining-hall/

One of my readers kindly shared this site which could be helpful for those of you sending children off to college this Fall. My daughter just got finished dealing with the infamous college cafeteria and could have used this information! Healthy eating isn't always found at the food counter at most colleges. With a little help and information, however, you can find your way around the empty calories and keep a sharp mind for the studying!

Cheese Puffs . . . way too addicting!

As you know by now, I like cheese and if a recipe calls for cheese, I'm sure to stop and take a look. This is a great take on cream puff batter. It is good for a snack, goes well with a salad course, or as a hot bread with dinner. Just having them in the freezer provides you with a quick snack for hungry children.

Cheese Puffs

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Tiny pinch of cayenne
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
4 ounces of softened cream cheese
5 ounces of your favorite process cheese spread - I like sharp cheddar
Grated Romano or Parmesan for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a cooking pot, combine water, butter, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Bring to a boil and add flour all at once, stirring constanting until mixture forms a ball and leaves the sides of a pan.

Remove from heat and place in a mixing bowl and beat in the eggs, one at a time until batter is smooth and glossy. Stir in the softened cream cheese and processed cheese. Drop by teaspoons onto either a well-greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

 Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from baking sheets immediately and serve warm or cold.

You can freeze the baked Cheese Puffs and just reheat them in a 350 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes.

Food for Thought for Christians of All Faiths . . .

“True followers of Christ; be prepared to have a world make jokes at your expense. You can hardly expect a world to be more reverent to you than to Our Lord. When it does make fun of your faith, its practices, abstinences, and rituals-then you are moving to a closer identity with Him Who gave us our faith. Under scorn, Our Lord ‘answered nothing’. The world gets amusement from a Christian who fails to be Christian, but none from his respectful silence.” ~Bishop Fulton Sheen

Cynical but, alas, also true . . .

"Every increased possession loads us with new weariness."
-- John Ruskin

"My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular."
-- Adlai E. Stevenson Jr.

"Television has done much for psychiatry by spreading information about it, as well as contributing to the need for it."
-- Alfred Hitchcock

"A nation is a society united by delusions about its ancestry and by common hatred of its neighbors."
-- William Ralph Inge

Feeling scrappy today . . .

I've been busy clearing out my fabric cupboards and, more especially, my large collection of fabric scraps. Up until now, I felt there was no way I could part with any of them until I had the time to incorporate them into a quilt. I reached my limit on 'memories' and ruthlessly either cut them into precise squares or put them in the thrift store bag. I managed to reduce two boxes of scraps into filling only one-fourth of a box. The ones featured in the above picture are for sale. I figure that there are people out there who would enjoy getting some different tastes is colors and designs into their own collections. I still have a bag of scraps as well as another box . . . but that is for another day!

Tired of having the radio on, today, but the neighbor has had a handiman who pulls his car halfway into their garage while he works and turns on his car radio rather loud with, of course, lots of deep bass going on. It provides the perfect acoustics for transfering the bump, bump of the music into my work area. These people are so intent on the environment yet don't recognize noise pollution when they hear it.

The promised heat arrived and reached up into the 80's today. Fortunately, at this time of the year, the house remains pretty cool so we don't need to resort to turning on the air conditioning.

Dinner is popular but an easy fix except for lots of chopping and dicing. I'm braising slices of Hillshire sausage with olive oil, chili flakes, and lots of garlic and bell peppers. We have it with steamed Jasmine rice and, for some reason, it is a perfect compliment to each other. Let's see . . . I got the sausage and peppers recipe from an Italian cookbook and am pairing it with Asian Rice. Small world, huh?

Politically inclined . . .

"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first."
-- Ronald Reagan

California weather . . .

Monday, we had the car problems and made five, long distance drives in the pouring, cold rain to see to the recovery of the car's ailments. Yesterday, we broke a record for temperatures for this time of year with it being over 80 degrees, dry, and hot. California seems to plan its days around you more than yu can plan your days around the weather.

We are heading into two very dry days with 50 mph gusts of wind and a fire danger warning. It has been a frustrating winter as no sooner do we get a drenching, the winds kick up and dries us to the bone, again.

Still getting used to our new schedule the my son being in college. Even with only one class, it changes around our week. I'm sad to miss out on daily Mass but relish my hour and a half waiting for my son to get out of class - guilt-free time to crochet! His class is at eight but he likes to arrive around 7:15 so he can learn his way around the entire campus and be on time for class. On the rainy day of class, the powers that be forgot to unlock the main door to the history class building. The teacher had the key to the classroom but not the main entrance. They were ten minutes late getting finally settled into class and the teacher immediately gave them the promised quiz and they got on with the lecture. Ten minutes after that, more students showed up. Just before class ended, the really, really late students inquired as to whether there would be the quiz! Interesting as the ones that were only ten minutes late, lucked out with the locked door but the ones arriving twenty minutes late were not. Strange, new world as I don't recall people being that late, if at all, when I was in college. Perhaps, we appreciated the value and cost of an education back then and didn't feel so entitled.

Interesting, our governor wants to raise the State-wide sales tax to cover education costs. When polled, people were in favor of using the raise to fund education but were not in favor of the sales tax being raised. Seems our media should either reread their copy or phrase their questions better when they take a poll like that. Every time our leaders temporarily raise a tax or fee for a set amount of time, it lasts forever. They should take a leaf our of our homemaker's book - if you need money, cut out something else. If there isn't any money, don't spend it. It is so simple yet our politicians don't seem to understand the workings of a checkbook. I guess that is reasonable for them as it isn't their checkbook account they are invading!

I keep finding new favorites . . .

We've heard that a million monkeys at a keyboard could produce the Complete Works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.

- Robert Wilensky

Super Rice Fritata

With two children at home but attending the local college and a husband with a changeable work schedule, I don't always have the time to create a dinner as much as cook something and get it on the table. Since we do try to eat relatively healthy, I am always looking for tasty shortcuts that don't involve boxed foods or fast food. This is a good one and, as always, is open to creative change. I have been known to stir in some cooked, diced chicken or crispy fried pork.

Super Rice Fritata

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, smashed and diced
2 tablespoons butter
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sause
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
2 cups cooked rice
4-ounce can chopped, mild green chilies, undrained
1 tomato, diced
3/4 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

In a large frying pan, cook onions and garlic until tender.

Mix together the eggs, milk, and seasonings. Stir in the rice, chilies, and tomato. Pour mixture into pan with onions and garlic. Reduce the heat, cover and cook until just set. Sprinkle with cheese, cover, and remove from heat. Let it set for about five minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Serve.

Sharing a great idea . . .

I do a lot of ironing with both my sewing projects and keeping my husband's dress shirts for work in good order. My iron doesn't always seem to do the best job and I end up going over the same areas more than once to get the look I want for whatever I'm doing. The other day, I saw a word of advice from a reader in Country Woman Magazine (which is a great magazine!) that suggested putting down a layer of aluminum foil on your ironing board before putting on the cover. Foil attracts heat and I have to say that since I tried this, my ironing seems to go more smoothly. What a simple idea for an ongoing chore to make it just a bit easier.

My favorite way to clean the kitchen surfaces and table is ammonia! I put it in a spray bottle and it cleans and takes away odors from the surfaces and no rinsing required. I don't have little ones at home so if you still have the youngsters running around, keep it our of reach. When my brood was little, there was nothing like a spray bottle to grab their attention. You don't want mishaps. We also save a lot of money using the ammonia and it does just as good a job as the expensive name-brand cleaners.

School is over for my son . . . and me, the faithful Mom busy crocheting in the car while I wait for him. He is really enjoying the challenge of college History and I'm relishing the hour and a half of alone time with no guilt involved with just sitting there and crocheting. I can't hear the call of the laundry and dirty dishes from there!

Two friends undergoing surgery today so If you have an extra prayer for Carlos and Annie, I'm sure their families would appreciate it.

Amusing quotes to start the day . . .

"Perpetual devotion to what a man calls his business, is only to be sustained by perpetual neglect of many other things."
-- Robert Louis Stevenson

"The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you."
-- Rita Mae Brown

"The last time somebody said, 'I find I can write much better with a word processor.', I replied, 'They used to say the same thing about drugs.'"
-- Roy Blount Jr.

"Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody."
-- Mark Twain

Rich Vegetable Soup!

Among my favorite foods are vegetables and cheese. This simple yet savory soup combines the best of both worlds for me. It is rich but small servings with fresh bread and salad would make for an excellent meal.

Rich Vegetable Soup

2 brown onions, thinly sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into pieces
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup butter
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth - canned or homemade
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and diced
5-6 fresh Basil leaves, minced
1 bag leaf
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 cup mild cheddar, shredded
1 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 cup heavy cream

Slowly brown the onions in the butter until they are tender and golden. Place in an oven-proof baking pot with a lid. Add the zuchini, beans, green beans, tomatoes, wine, broth garlic, Basil, and bay leaf. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Stir and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix together the corn starch with the cheeses. Stir in the cream and cheeses into the pot and cook in the oven for another 15 minutes or until cheeses are melted and the soup is bubbly.

The Many Faces of Howl the Cat!

We are still trying to domesticate Howl the Cat to become a part of the family. So far, Howl has agreed to the food situation but is still paws off on becoming friendly with us. He does come right in the front door when we set out his bowl of food. He sleeps in the box we left on the porch. He has even brought home friends but isn't quite sure of the human aspect of accepting the entire situation.

A scenario to try out for size . . .

Here is the scenario:

You have a wonderful friend. The only 'problem' with the friend is that if he is handed a gun, he will immediately begin shooting people. However, he can be in a room full of guns and will never pick one up himself. The only way he can use a gun is if it is handed to him.

Well, one day you decide to see for yourself if this story is really true. You hand the friend a loaded gun and he begins to shoot at every person that comes within range. Hiding behind a a protective barrier, you find you are amazed to realize that the friend truly would shoot and kill people if given the chance.

Eventually, in my made-up scenario, your friend is apprehended and the shooting stops and all that is left are wounded and dead people. You shake your head over the waste and destruction of human life.

Stop to think about it . . . Who is actually a part of this shower of deadly bullets? Would he have done this horrible deed if he had not been handed the gun? And, most importantly, who put the gun into his hand, knowing that he would use it?

Isn't this a lot like the 2008 election? We had a candidate running for office who was quite openly and adamantly in favor of death . . . the death of the unborn baby. One of his big contributors was Planned Parenthood. Even if he had never said a word, his voting record for the short time he was in the Senate spoke volumes of his point of view on the matter of the preborn. He was in favor of abortion and partial-birth abortion. He even stated he would never want his daughters burdened with an unwanted baby.

Now we are outraged at the turn of events during the last four years. Within days of getting into office, all of President Bush's restraints on abortion and embryonic testing were rescinded. Just recently, he signed a mandate that would require all employers, Catholic/Christian or not, to cover all the medical procedures that result in the death of innocent babies at their most delicate stage of life.

A look at the voting results shows that the election got major support from Catholics and Christians. Those votes put this man into office. Since it wasn't any secret that the wannabe-presidential candidate was in favor of everything anti-life, what moved these people of faith to place their vote and the lives of untold future babies into his hands?

Thinking back on the little scenario with the gun, do you see a like situation? Like the friend with the 'gun problem', a president can only act on such things if handed the 'power'. Who handed him the power by way of their vote to see if he would use it?

Saga of our car ends on a happy note . . .

Yesterday, as I sat waiting for my son to exit his history class at college, I noticed a funny little light on the dashboard of the car. I do not like unexplained, funny little lights because they usually mean something needs attention. When we got home, my husband confirmed that we do not want that little light on our dashboard and set out to find a repair shop to check this out for us . . . before something either falls off the car or starts a fire. :-)

This is one of those times that we sincerely bless the Internet because he was able to get remarks, experiences, and reviews about a number of car repair shops. We gingerly approached the selected shop with eyes darting around to see if anything would set off alarms in our mind. Nope. It was clean, well cared for, and tidy. We went in and the owner said they could do a diagnostic test on the car but it would take two hours. Since I had followed my husband over in his work car, we went home to have lunch and await the dreaded recommendations.

Two hours go by and no word so we call and the owner said they had pinpointed something from the test but they couldn't find a thing wrong with a part called the 'air flow control'. We took our daughter over to college for her class and got back to the shop a total of three hours later. The owner said they reset the light. They could find absolutely nothing wrong. We started to pay for the $80 diagnostic test and he said there was no charge for that since they didn't find any problem! The pouring rain didn't seem quite as bad as I happily drove home!

We have dealt with the car dealerships on repairs before but have several bad experiences. The last time, they informed us that my husband's work car had a leak. Uh, the garage floor was absolutely clean and no guages indicated any losss of fluids in the car. They were willing to 'rush' the job knowing we needed the car and the cost would be over $600. We declined. I'm willing to bet that if we had gone to the dealership for yesterday's non-problem, they would have, indeed, charged us for the diagnostic and replaced the air flow thingy . . . regardless. One guess where we are going for the next oil change?

I remembered my prayers, yesterday . . . you think they helped?

Hard to argue with fact . . .!

Everywhere I go, I'm asked if I think the universities stifle writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a best seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.

- Flannery O'Conner

Best of plans . . .

It always seems that our car needs attention on rainy days! I have more than one memory of following my husband in his car trying to find a repair garage and straining to see through the pouring rain. I was happily crocheting in the car this morning. I was waiting for my son to come out of his college class. I was feeling quite content until I glanced at the dashboard and there was this funny symbol lit up. I had never seen it before but figured I didn't want it to stay there if I wanted the car to continue to work properly. When I got home, my husband confirmed that we, indeed, had some kind of problem . . . but what?

Naturally, the rain really cut loose as we headed out to yet another car repair shop. My poor, old van is currently there being hooked up to a diagnostic machine to try and pinpoint how much it's return to health is going to cost.

The fun part? The repair shop is in the same area as the college. So far, I've driven to the college (20-30 minute drive depending on the traffic) one complete round with my son's early-morning class. We just got back from taking the car in the same direction, another round trip. When the repair shop calls, we may be doing the same trip, again. Oh, and yeah, my daughter has a class this afternoon as the college which equates into another round trip.

I'm counting my blessings, however, that the car didn't just die on the freeway. I always pray for the car to 'die at home' like any family member should be blessed! :-)

Anyway, my elaborate plans for dinner have gone by the wayside. I did find some bratwurst in the freezer and will be braising that with lots of onions, garlic, and peppers for dinner. I serve it with Jasmine rise and steamed carrots. It is a favorite of my children so they won't be missing anything from their idea of an evening meal.

I did get half a scarf crocheted waiting for my son at the college, however. Silver linings in my day when I take the time to look for them. Right now, we are just praying the repair bill will be well within budget. God's Will, of course, but we keep sending Him messages about it!

Prayer Request . . .

Here is a link describing the health problems of a sweet, little boy. I, personally, don't know him but have gotten to see his personality through the stories his mother has written, his health concerns, and spirit. Anyone who has an extra prayer, I think this child and his family could certainly use it!

https://sites.google.com/site/prayforliam/home

Couldn't resist . . .

Being intelligent is not a felony, but most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor.

- Lazarus Long

A Price for Everything . . .

Yes, we love peace, but we are not willing to take wounds for it, as we are for war.

- John Andrew Holmes

Funny but sadly true in some cases . . .

I enjoy the music and comedy of Tim Hawkins. He has a tweet every so often that is always on the humorous note. This morning, it was no exception:

I'm getting the evil eye from a lot of people in church service today. Makes it hard for me to focus on games of Temple Run.

I laughed but with a mild grimace as I remembered an incident from morning Mass last week. During the sermon, I kept hearing this soft click, click, click. It was distracting and I wondered if there was a problem with the light fixtures or something. I glanced over and a woman was busily using sermone 'break' time at Mass to text back and forth with someone! She did this the entire fifteen minutes of the sermon without looking up once. When the sermon ended, she closed her phone and put it away. I had to wonder why she even came to morning Mass if not to attend morning Mass. If there was an extended emergency at home, shouldn't she have gone outside to finish the conversation? These are the times I'm glad my children are grown up and I don't have to figure out ways to answer their questions about the incorrect behavior of people at Mass.

One time, a woman's phone went off during Mass and she picked up and started talking as she walked down the aisle outside. She came back in, sat down, and the phone almost immediately went off, again! She headed back down the aisle, speaking loudly and clearly as she went out. You would think that by this time, she would have put her phone on vibrate but, no, it went off again and we shared in her continuing conversation. She came back into church just as Communion finished. She sat down, looked around expectantly and said out loud, "Did I miss Communion?" No one responded.

Yes, I know Tim Hawkins was joking and this woman was clueless!

Winter Vegetable Roast . . .

Overcast but no rain today which is a blessing from God as we can meet and greet with friends after Mass. Cold, yes, but no damp drizzle seeping down our necks! Found out a friend is having cancer surgery this coming Wednesday. We saw him and his wife going to their car, arms linked, and realized how short and fragile life can get. They have been married 61 years but I imagine they are wondering how the years got past them so fast. If you have a prayer for Carlos' surgery, that would be great. He is open to God's Will but has strong ties to this life . . . as do we all.

I'm enjoying the cold turn in the California weather this weekend. Last night, I made Pita bread to go with our soup. I don't do that much in the summer heat as the oven has to be set at 500 degrees to get the bread to 'pop'. Last night, I was eager to turn on the heat.

Today, I'm thinking of a winter vegetable roast. It is one of the easiest ways to prepare vegetables and even my picky eaters almost enjoy it. What can I say? Some offspring will never face off with vegetables happily.

What I like about roasted vegetables (besides turning on the oven!) is the recipe can be anything you want. I'll list what I usually include and you can add or subtract to your own tastes.

Zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch circles
Miniature bell peppers
Small, whole potatoes (These should be cooked until just done)
Steamed carrots, cut into 1/2-inch circles
Wedges of red onion
Mexican squash, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
Parboiled Brussels Sprouts, barely tender and cut in half
Cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch flowerettes
Broccoil, cut into 1/2-inch flowerettes

Place all the prepared ingredients in a large bowl. Sprinkle generously with olive oil, salt, pepper, and onion power. Peel, smash, and dice 8 cloves of garlic and toss with the vegetables. The vegetables should have a light sheen of oil on them.

Scatter on a large, parchment-lined baking sheet (Or grease with vegetable oil spray) and bake in a preheated, 350 degree oven for approximately 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. Check after 10 minutes to see how it is going.

When done, remove from oven and sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese and serve.

United States . . . beware!

Socialism is Bolshevism with a shave.

- Detroit Journal

Paula Deen didn't do it!

I seem to be in the minority here but I'm shocked at the reaction of people to Southern Cook, Paula Deen's revelation that she is and has been diabetic for three years.  She is being called all sorts of names because she continued her cooking show in spite of her disease. To my thinking, she has always had a cooking show based on Southern recipes. Traditionally, Southern recipes are rich, savory, and sweet to a greater degree than many cuisines.  She is not telling people they have to eat this stuff. She is just sharing what she has cooked over the years. If I were a diabetic watching the show, I'd enjoy the entertainment value, find the recipes interesting, but be grown up enough to know that they would not fit into my dietary requirements and good for anyone who can or wants to cook that way. It's a free world!

The sense of entitlement and the nanny state mentality seems to slip into every avenue of life these days. The uproar is that Paula Deen didn't tell people she was diabetic yet continued to cook all the wrong foods for a diabetic. First of all, she didn't ever have to reveal her private medical situation. Second, she is cooking traditional Southern cooking with her own twists. I have a Southern cooking book and I have absolutely no interest in whether the author can or should not eat the recipes included there.

It is much like the people who blame fast food places for their obesity problems. I have yet to see them load up people in a truck and force them through the fast food drive-thru and stuff them with fries and fatty hamburgers. People take themselves there. They put the food into their mouths on their own. If it jeopardizes their health, they have no one but themselves to blame. There are commercials for candy and cookies. Should they include a mini-sermon directed at the diabetic and obese about not eating the product they are advertising? No, because adults who have health issues, should educate themselves about what they put into their mouths. And, as parents and adults, we are in charge of what our children eat and drink, too.

I've known a lot of diabetic people over the years and more than a few of them just shrug when I raise my eyebrows watching them consume a sugary treat. One of them just said, "Okay, I know I shouldn't but I'll just inject a bit more insulin to compensate." The person didn't give the family that brought the donuts to the potluck a talk about the dangers of sugar. She knew and ate them, anyway, Isn't that kind of the same thing with Paula Deen? I watch the show for entertainment value. I watch my weight so as soon as she adds two sticks of butter, I know I'm never making that reciple. I don't need her to preface every ingredient addition with a warning.

The whole world will be a better place once we take responsibility for our own actions. Paula Deen's recipes didn't jeopardize any diabetics. Paula Deen's recipes didn't make anyone fat. Not being a grown up in charge of your own destiny compromises your health as the spoon is  in your own hand.

I agree!

Abraham Lincoln: "What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tired, against the new and untried?"

Cold Evenings/Hot Soup!

The rainy day put me in mind of hot soup so that is what I currently have simmering on the stove. I used beef because that is what I had on hand. My personal opinion is that the chopped onions should be cooked first and long and slow to gently carmelize them. It adds a lot of good taste to the beef broth. I also use a lot of garlic along with a variety of vegetables. And, yes, bread is rising on the counter!

An Hour of Quilting today . . .

I didn't get all the time I wanted to quilt today but I am a third of the way through applying the quilting stitches. It was a nice occupation on a cold, rainy day. I really like the outerspace theme of the fabric especially the use of the deep, vibrant colors. You will seldom find pastels in my quilts!