Dinner Time Interlude . . .

We are still trying to befriend the cats left behind by their owner who was suddenly taken very ill and moved away on very short notice. My daughter wants to adopt the Siamese mix but I'm getting partial to the other two, also. I am NOT, however, taking on three cats. I'm too old to raise cat children! :-) The one of the left is called Charcoal. The one at attention and checking the perimeter is Stubby, Howl, the Siamese is busy eating. The only way Howl will even come close to my daughter is if she has bacon in her hand. He swipes the bacon and exits very dramatically to munch down on the treat at a save distance.

No longer a country of religious freedom?

When I read this, my first thought was . . . How will all the Catholics, priests and bishops included, feel about this turn of events? How will they reconcile their voting conscience with what it has now brought down upon the people of all faiths who are pro-life? There are so many people who stopped talking to me, relatives included, because I dared to speak against voting for our current president. Just this week, some friends were told by a priest that our president is a good person, should be re-elected, and will use the next four years to rectify the problems. How can any person in good standing with the Church stand against the Church and support this? There are times when we have to vote for a candidate based on a single principle. In 2008, it was the abortion issue and see how God's people responded? Kind of late to reconsider your 2008 vote now and say sorry, isn't it?

From CatholicVote.org:

This morning President Obama called New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan to break the news. Secretary of Health and Human Services and pro-abortion Catholic Kathleen Sebelius just announced that the proposed mandate requiring all insurance plans to pay for contraception, sterilization and some abortion drugs is official -- and Catholics cannot escape.

...and the fig-leaf exemption for religious groups will not be modified, apart from allowing some groups an additional year to comply.

Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan responded minutes ago, saying: "In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences."

Beginning August 1, 2012 (less than eight months from today), the insurance premiums we pay, including the insurance premiums paid by Catholics for employees of churches and schools -- will be used to cover drugs and procedures that are in direct conflict with the teachings of our Church.

That's right. Our government will now force us to pay for insurance coverage for birth control, sterilization and even some abortion drugs.

President Obama ignored the organized efforts of Catholics across the country, including bold
statements from the Bishops, university presidents (including Notre Dame's Rev. Jenkins), and even his Catholic allies like Sr. Carol Keehan. Instead, President Obama stood with his real friends -- Planned Parenthood.

Make no mistake, this decision is a direct attack on you, our Church, and the religious liberty of all Americans.

Just yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the bishops from the United States who were completing their "Ad Limina" visit in Rome. The Holy Father specifically cited the "grave threats"
to the freedom of the Church in America, and urged the Catholic community to respond, especially with "an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity."

Finally, today marks exactly one year from Inauguration Day. In exactly 12 months, America will welcome a new president, or usher in four more years of Barack Obama and his assault on our liberties. This irony is not lost on us.

We built CatholicVote into a movement to advance the cause of life, family, and freedom. Today's decision is an assault on all three. And it MUST be defeated.

You have our pledge that we will do everything possible to educate and mobilize the Catholic vote in 2012.

For on a day such as this, we realize that elections indeed have consequences.


The Catholic vote must rise up like never before.

Sincerely,
Brian Burch, President

CatholicVote.org

Crazy Quilt . . .

This is one of my crazier crazy quilts. I like making them because I can get a full-sized quilt and use up leftover scraps of fabrics from bygone projects. The problem, as my husband kindly stated, is that in doing so, I just come up with more scraps! I liked the way this one turned out right down to the top border on the left. Even my crazy quilts have some planning involved. Okay, not too much but some!

Just a little friend . . .

Just a little friend that crossed my path, one morning. Thankfully, he appeared on the front lawn of our church and not at our house where, as you know, we have been entertaining a multitude of cats as of late. The bird didn't seem all that afraid of us but still kept a bit of distance. He certainly didn't mind me snapping a picture of him.

Cheesy Chicken Casserole

I like the scent of baking casseroles on a cold day. It gives the family great hopes of a fantastic dinner! Any time I can add some cheese, just improved the production for me. This is a basic recipe in that there is plenty are places where you can add or subtract seasoning, etc. for personalizing the taste profile. Just add a big, green salad and you will have a happy group around the dinner table.

Cheesy Chicken Casserole
16 ounces wide, egg noodles
½ cup diced red and green bell pepper
1 large onion, minced
3 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
1 stalk of celery, diced
1/4 cup butter, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth - homemade or canned
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 cup diced Monterey Jack cheese
6-8 cups of cooked, cubed chicken
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced parsley

Cook noodles until just done; drain, and set aside.

In a large frying pan, braise the peppers, onion, garlic, and celery in the butter until tender. Add the mushrooms and cook another few minutes until tender. Remove vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

Do not wipe out the pan! Add the flour to the skillet and stir in the remaining fat in the pan until blended and warm through. You might need a bit more butter.  Gradually add the broth and bring to a boil, cooking and stirring for about 2-3 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken. Reduce heat and stir in cream and milk bringing it back to a slow simmer. Add the cheese and cook until melted. Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, salt, pepper, noodles, pepper mixture, parsley, and cheese sauce, stirring to combine and coat. Transfer to either one large or two smaller baking dishes. Sprinkle on the topping, cover and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the topping is golden and the chicken mixture is bubbly.

Topping:

1 cup Panko or toasted bread crumbs
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning

Combine all the ingredients and sprinkle over the casserole(s).

What a Disappointment . . .

How very sad to discover that a respected priest and associate pastor has revealed just how liberal he is in political views. It is not so much the fact that he holds an opposing mind set on political issues but the fact that he refuses to see the impact on the country through his support of our current administration. Even when it is pointed out that his continued vote for our incumbent president would be the continued death threat to the unborn, he refuses to see. Where is his Catholic training? Where is his respect for life? Sure, he can say he is in favor of life but his vote says something quite different. Not only does it jeopardize his soul, it takes away one's heartfelt respect for his sermons and advice. He is in a large group of Catholics, sad to say, as the Catholic vote certainly helped put this problem into the system in 2008.

One woman actually lit into me about this. She was signing up people to pray at the local abortion clinic. Just about to do so, I mentioned that after the election, we certainly need all the prayers we can get for the unborn. She literally reared up in indignation and said that saying our president was anti-life was a myth and a Republican lie to make him look bad. I didn't sign up as I could not walk and pray with this woman who couldn't see past her preconceived notions.  I do pray for her as she is a contradiction in terms as she works hard at praying to stop abortion while her vote helped increase it.

Yes, she is  an erring example of being a real Christian but her example to limited to her vote and those in her immediate vicinity. Father's liberalism can seep into his sermons, conversation, and advice with a whole parish within his scope. To me, that is a scary thing to think about.

Not happening these days . . .

Leaders are the ones who keep faith with the past, keep step with the present and keep the promise to posterity.

- Harold J. Seymore