Just in case anyone might think I was over the top regarding my dismay over the lack of attention paid to the historical event of the Catholic Church standing up to the obama administration's mandate and making themselves heard - re. the numerous lawsuits recently filed, the major news stations prove me out on this. What a world where the press/media would rather defend the government than the citizens.
- ABC World News – ZERO seconds of coverage. But, last night there was time for a full report on sleep apnea and Katie Couric discussing how she met Queen Elizabeth; how she wore a peach coat and "a lovely peach hat."
- NBC Nightly News – ZERO seconds of coverage. But last night there was time to squeeze in a story on a new computer app that shows America's eating habits, "graphic evidence" of how we eat badly late at night.
- CBS Evening News – a brief 19 seconds of coverage on Monday, the evening the lawsuit became public. ZERO coverage last night. But there was time in the broadcast for a Cincinnati Reds baseball fan lucky enough to catch two home runs in left field.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Super cheese dip or tasty sauce . . . soup?
I may have shared this before but summer is always a good time for a reminder. One of the most popular items I can offer at an informal party or barbecue is a spicy cheese dip. The recipe is simple and you can get very creative with it and it can't go wrong.
1-2 pounds of processed cheddar cheese. This is the block of semi-soft cheese you can find in the refrigerated section of the store.
1 16-ounce jar of your favorite salsa
1 small can of chilies - your choice for hotness
1 small can of sliced black olives
Lots of tortilla chips and a platter of crisp vegetables like broccoli, celery sticks, cauliflower, Bell pepper, jicama, etc.
If you have a crock pot, you don't have to worry about it at all. Just put all the ingredients except for the tortilla chips into the crock pot, set it on low and come by to stir it once in awhile as it melts.
You can also do this in a stove top pot but have to pay more attention so it doesn't burn.
You can set the crock pot right on your serving table with a ladle so people can help themselves. If you are putting it out from the stove, make sure your serving dish is microwaveable so you can reheat it from time to time.
This also makes a nice sauce for burritos or over grilled chicken. I like it over boiled potatoes for a fast lunch. I've even thinned down leftovers of this dip with milk, added 2 cups of steamed mixed vegetables and 1 1/2 cups of diced chicken for a hearty soup.
1-2 pounds of processed cheddar cheese. This is the block of semi-soft cheese you can find in the refrigerated section of the store.
1 16-ounce jar of your favorite salsa
1 small can of chilies - your choice for hotness
1 small can of sliced black olives
Lots of tortilla chips and a platter of crisp vegetables like broccoli, celery sticks, cauliflower, Bell pepper, jicama, etc.
If you have a crock pot, you don't have to worry about it at all. Just put all the ingredients except for the tortilla chips into the crock pot, set it on low and come by to stir it once in awhile as it melts.
You can also do this in a stove top pot but have to pay more attention so it doesn't burn.
You can set the crock pot right on your serving table with a ladle so people can help themselves. If you are putting it out from the stove, make sure your serving dish is microwaveable so you can reheat it from time to time.
This also makes a nice sauce for burritos or over grilled chicken. I like it over boiled potatoes for a fast lunch. I've even thinned down leftovers of this dip with milk, added 2 cups of steamed mixed vegetables and 1 1/2 cups of diced chicken for a hearty soup.
Fast and Easy Side Dish for Dinner . . .
I like to serve salads instead of a steamed vegetable in the summer. For one reason, it is usually too hot to enjoy a warm meal. For another reason, summer produce is abundant and it is nice to incorporate health and tasty in the same plate. This recipe goes well with just about anything but if you are serving Mexican food, it will be even better.
Easy Corn Salad
2 cups frozen corn, defrosted and drained (If you have fresh corn, use that!)
1/2 cup canned garbonzo beans, drained
1/2 green Bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 red Bell pepper, finely diced
1 Jalepeno pepper, roasted, skinned, seeded, and diced*
1 large tomato, diced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
zest of one lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Prepare a few hours ahead of time so the ingredients can marinate. You can bring it up to room temperature to serve or right from the
refrigerator.
*To roast the Jalepeno pepper, you can hold it over the flame of the stove until it gets a bit charred or under the broiler. Most of the skin will peel off. Slice, remove the seeds, dice, and use as directed. Remember to protect your hands because the oil from the pepper will stay on the skin and burn a bit.
Easy Corn Salad
2 cups frozen corn, defrosted and drained (If you have fresh corn, use that!)
1/2 cup canned garbonzo beans, drained
1/2 green Bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 red Bell pepper, finely diced
1 Jalepeno pepper, roasted, skinned, seeded, and diced*
1 large tomato, diced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
zest of one lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Prepare a few hours ahead of time so the ingredients can marinate. You can bring it up to room temperature to serve or right from the
refrigerator.
*To roast the Jalepeno pepper, you can hold it over the flame of the stove until it gets a bit charred or under the broiler. Most of the skin will peel off. Slice, remove the seeds, dice, and use as directed. Remember to protect your hands because the oil from the pepper will stay on the skin and burn a bit.
On the lighter side of life . . .
"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands
of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets."
-- Edward Abbey
-- Edward Abbey
"Money doesn't always bring happiness. People with ten million
dollars are no happier than people with nine million dollars."
-- Hobart Brown
-- Hobart Brown
"Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic
that it has to be us."
-- Jerry Garcia
-- Jerry Garcia
The Media doesn't seem to represent everyone . . .
For a long time, the news we get on most stations doesn't always report the news as it actually happens or bother to give it much air time at all. When there is a gathering of liberals protesting something, the small crowd that actually shows up is multiplied to the thousands by the time the liberal media reports and films it for viewer consumption. However, if the Tea Party or any other more conservative faction makes a stand that is in opposition to the liberal mind set, it is minimalized or mentioned in passing as the news program goes to commercial.
This week, the Catholic Church filed suit against Washington's mandate that would force Catholic institutions to go against their teachings and conscience and provide birth control and worse in their hospitals and at their colleges. The message we get is that the Catholics hate women and want to deprive them of 'women's health' coverage.
First of all, contraception is readily available these days so why should anyone be charged and responsible for people getting birth control? Second, contraceptives come with serious health warnings so why should they be considered 'women's health' coverage? Third, the rights of Catholics to worship according to their Church Laws is being taken away with the mandatory strictures being forced upon them.
Many of the bishops and cardinals have been trying to deal with the president and the liberal powers that he to not go against our Catholic rights as citizens to no avail. For some reason, the president thinks he will get votes in November by putting down the Catholic Church and forcing it to abide by his mandate.
I imagine he and Washington were taken aback when, in a concerted effort, many lawsuits were filed against them this week. In a fair and unbiased society, this would have been more than huge news and be reported on constantly with minute by minute updates on what is happening, reactions, etc. Sadly, if you want the news, these days, the media isn't the place to go for it. In fact, one group, MRCTV, sent someone out to ask people's reaction to this amazing turn of events. Ninety percent of the people hadn't heard about it. Let's see . . . The Catholic Church sues the US Government and it isn't on the headline of every television and rado news report? It isn't on the front page of the newspaper until it is settled? It is a sad world where the media protects the government yet expects the citizens to support their newspapers and programs.
The people who do hear about this mandate against the Catholic Church don't feel it applies to them. Today, they take away the Catholic's right to live by their Faith and conscience. Do the other religions think they are safe, too? We are just the first step and they hope that once the 'big' power falls, the rest will be easy to dismiss.
I have to wonder how that massive percentage of Catholics feel about what they have helped bring about with their vote for an anti-life president back in 2008?
This week, the Catholic Church filed suit against Washington's mandate that would force Catholic institutions to go against their teachings and conscience and provide birth control and worse in their hospitals and at their colleges. The message we get is that the Catholics hate women and want to deprive them of 'women's health' coverage.
First of all, contraception is readily available these days so why should anyone be charged and responsible for people getting birth control? Second, contraceptives come with serious health warnings so why should they be considered 'women's health' coverage? Third, the rights of Catholics to worship according to their Church Laws is being taken away with the mandatory strictures being forced upon them.
Many of the bishops and cardinals have been trying to deal with the president and the liberal powers that he to not go against our Catholic rights as citizens to no avail. For some reason, the president thinks he will get votes in November by putting down the Catholic Church and forcing it to abide by his mandate.
I imagine he and Washington were taken aback when, in a concerted effort, many lawsuits were filed against them this week. In a fair and unbiased society, this would have been more than huge news and be reported on constantly with minute by minute updates on what is happening, reactions, etc. Sadly, if you want the news, these days, the media isn't the place to go for it. In fact, one group, MRCTV, sent someone out to ask people's reaction to this amazing turn of events. Ninety percent of the people hadn't heard about it. Let's see . . . The Catholic Church sues the US Government and it isn't on the headline of every television and rado news report? It isn't on the front page of the newspaper until it is settled? It is a sad world where the media protects the government yet expects the citizens to support their newspapers and programs.
The people who do hear about this mandate against the Catholic Church don't feel it applies to them. Today, they take away the Catholic's right to live by their Faith and conscience. Do the other religions think they are safe, too? We are just the first step and they hope that once the 'big' power falls, the rest will be easy to dismiss.
I have to wonder how that massive percentage of Catholics feel about what they have helped bring about with their vote for an anti-life president back in 2008?
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