I was sharing thoughts with an e-mail friend this morning. We were talking about times we stood out in public to witness to our faith. She had walked and prayed at an abortion clinic. I had participated in a public Rosary on a busy street corner with a huge banner to honor our Blessed Mother. Both of us had seen and heard things that were disturbing.
Although most of the cars that passed by our corner while we were praying either ignored us or honked in support, some people obviously went to the trouble to slow down and yell out foul remarks and resort to childish hand signs to insult us and our efforts. We had children there and were saddened at what they observed and were being treated to because they dared to pray in public.
My friend experienced must of the same to the point where she wasn't about to participate when she had her little boy in tow. We both mentally shook our heads at the ugly and unnecessary display of foul language aimed at peaceful people who just wanted to use their freedom to pray. Why?
Later, my friend came back with an interesting interpretion of all the gross and nasty actions. Sin is ugly. These people represented and supported sin by their actions. How else could they express themselves except by the way they, themselves, lived and believe? They found themselves hating what we were doing so much that the only way they could cope with the thought was through nastiness. I'm sure their instant use of obscene hand signs and words was not learned two minutes before they used them. They witnessed something good and holy and it drew out the ugly in them.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Prayer for Sufficient Rain . . .
After a relatively dry winter, we reallly could use some rain to catch up on the moisture we require to do mundane things like water our gardens, wash our clothes, and ourselves . . .! Here is a prayer we have been offering for the last few months. I thought I'd share it in order to get the petition to Heaven going a bit stronger!
PRAYER FOR RAIN
Oh God, in Whom we live and move, and have our being, grant us rain, in due abundance, that, being sufficiently helped with temporal, we may the more confidently seek after eternal gifts. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Prayer Source: Novena in Honor of St. Ididore: Patron of Farmers by National Catholic Rural Life Conference.)
PRAYER FOR RAIN
Oh God, in Whom we live and move, and have our being, grant us rain, in due abundance, that, being sufficiently helped with temporal, we may the more confidently seek after eternal gifts. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Prayer Source: Novena in Honor of St. Ididore: Patron of Farmers by National Catholic Rural Life Conference.)
Probably not your mother's cole slaw salad . . .
I was making the main course for dinner this evening and a salad was suggested to go with it. I read the recipe and didn't like it. It sounded too sour and bitter for my taste, however, I did have the main components on hand and decided to try my own version. Obviously my family liked it otherwise I wouldn't be sharing it right now.
Not Your Mother's Cole Slaw
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1 tart apple, diced - no need to peel
1 green onion or scallion, thinly sliced
Juice and zest of one lime
Place the ingredients in a bowl, mix, and set aside.
1 head of green cabbage, shredded
1 large carrot, shredded
1 tablespoon, diced pickled jalapeno pepper
Place ingredients in a heat-proof bowl.
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
Place the vinegar, sugar, and mustard in a small pot, mix, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the cabbage/carrot/jalapeno pepper mixture and combine well. Add the mango, apple, and green onion mixture to the bowl. Mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. Let sit at room temperature for serving. Leftovers should be refrigerated.
*If you find the salad too tart, you can drizzle a bit of honey into it and mix.
Not Your Mother's Cole Slaw
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1 tart apple, diced - no need to peel
1 green onion or scallion, thinly sliced
Juice and zest of one lime
Place the ingredients in a bowl, mix, and set aside.
1 head of green cabbage, shredded
1 large carrot, shredded
1 tablespoon, diced pickled jalapeno pepper
Place ingredients in a heat-proof bowl.
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
Place the vinegar, sugar, and mustard in a small pot, mix, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the cabbage/carrot/jalapeno pepper mixture and combine well. Add the mango, apple, and green onion mixture to the bowl. Mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. Let sit at room temperature for serving. Leftovers should be refrigerated.
*If you find the salad too tart, you can drizzle a bit of honey into it and mix.
Laughter, a sure cure . . .
Humor
helps us to think out of the box. The average child laughs about 400 times per
day, the average adult laughs only 15 times per day. What happened to the other
385 laughs?
- USA Today
Whipped Cream and Sweet Potatoes . . . but not together!
I had some cooking/baking ideas I've tried in recent weeks that really work and thought I'd share.
You've probably seen the easy-release foil they now sell in the stores. I have found the stuff to be invaluable when roasting to protect the bottom of the pan and facilitate clean up. I recently came across a recipe that was made for this convenience. We are trying to eat more wisely and the combination of this idea and the foil was perfect!
Oven Fried Sweet Potatoes
3 or 4 yams or sweet potatoes (I like the long, dark ones best)
Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 Tablespoon brown mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar
Grated zest of one orange
Sprinkling of cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and cut the potatoes into French fry shapes and place into a roomy bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss until every piece is coated. Lay out the potato sticks on the prepared baking sheet, one layer deep. Bake approximately 20 minutes or until tender and just beginning to brown on the edges. Serve immediately. It is like having baked yams/sweet potatoes without the fuss of the peel.
I like to frost certain types of cakes with freshly whipped cream. Freshly whipped cream, however, doesn't have much staying power and within a few hours will soak into the cake and lose it's fluffy surface. I've found a way to make it last on a cake several days in the refrigerator.
Lasting Whipped Cream Frosting
Four cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 heaping tablespoons sour cream
Whip up the cream and sugar until it starts to come together and slightly stiffen. Be careful, you don't want butter! Add the vanilla and sour cream and continue beating until it is whipped and forms soft peaks when you lift the beater. If you are making a two-layer cake, put your favorite jam in the middle and frost the top and sides with the whipped cream. Any leftover whipped cream, save for extra dollops on the individual servings.
We are cutting back on our salt intake these days but love the St. Patrick's Day corned beef and cabbage dinner. You can cut down the sodium a bit if you thoroughly rinse off your beef and then simmer it in clean water along with the included package of spices. It is still probably a bit more salt than you'd usually want in a meal but it's a once a year feast. It is a favorite meal for me to cook as the meat, potatoes, carrots, and potatoes all go in the same pot and need minimum supervision. Just remember the meat simmers about 45 minutes, then the carrots for ten minutes, then the potatoes until almost tender. The cabbage goes in last and just until it starts to wilt. You still want a little crunch to it.
You've probably seen the easy-release foil they now sell in the stores. I have found the stuff to be invaluable when roasting to protect the bottom of the pan and facilitate clean up. I recently came across a recipe that was made for this convenience. We are trying to eat more wisely and the combination of this idea and the foil was perfect!
Oven Fried Sweet Potatoes
3 or 4 yams or sweet potatoes (I like the long, dark ones best)
Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 Tablespoon brown mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar
Grated zest of one orange
Sprinkling of cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and cut the potatoes into French fry shapes and place into a roomy bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss until every piece is coated. Lay out the potato sticks on the prepared baking sheet, one layer deep. Bake approximately 20 minutes or until tender and just beginning to brown on the edges. Serve immediately. It is like having baked yams/sweet potatoes without the fuss of the peel.
I like to frost certain types of cakes with freshly whipped cream. Freshly whipped cream, however, doesn't have much staying power and within a few hours will soak into the cake and lose it's fluffy surface. I've found a way to make it last on a cake several days in the refrigerator.
Lasting Whipped Cream Frosting
Four cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 heaping tablespoons sour cream
Whip up the cream and sugar until it starts to come together and slightly stiffen. Be careful, you don't want butter! Add the vanilla and sour cream and continue beating until it is whipped and forms soft peaks when you lift the beater. If you are making a two-layer cake, put your favorite jam in the middle and frost the top and sides with the whipped cream. Any leftover whipped cream, save for extra dollops on the individual servings.
We are cutting back on our salt intake these days but love the St. Patrick's Day corned beef and cabbage dinner. You can cut down the sodium a bit if you thoroughly rinse off your beef and then simmer it in clean water along with the included package of spices. It is still probably a bit more salt than you'd usually want in a meal but it's a once a year feast. It is a favorite meal for me to cook as the meat, potatoes, carrots, and potatoes all go in the same pot and need minimum supervision. Just remember the meat simmers about 45 minutes, then the carrots for ten minutes, then the potatoes until almost tender. The cabbage goes in last and just until it starts to wilt. You still want a little crunch to it.
The last quote is sure applicable today . . .
"Ability will never catch up with the demand for it."
-- Malcolm Forbes
"All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why."
-- James Thurber
"Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe."
-- H. G. Wells
-- Malcolm Forbes
"All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why."
-- James Thurber
"Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe."
-- H. G. Wells
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