Ever since the president decided to cross the line that separated Church and State with his mandate re. all medical insurance companies provide contraceptive coverage and worse, we have kind of been waiting for the other shoe to fall. It is falling as Franciscan University will not be offering medical insurance to the students this Fall. Today, the news reports that Ave Maria University will probably follow suit. Given the previous attitude seen at Notre Dame, I'd really be surprised if they worried about it but I hope I'm wrong and they will stand by the Catholic conscience this time around.
It is fascinating to me that the president wanted the healthcare bill and such to make sure everyone was cared for yet he is making it impossible for Catholic institutions to take care of their students because of the president's lack of regard and lack of tolerance that isn't in line with his idea of what should or should not be tolerated.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
My Midnight College Adventure . . .
Well, it is not exactly for me that I'm having a midnight college adventure. What is happening is that my son's registration date for classes is tomorrow but given the small amount of classes being offered, I know our only chance of possibly getting one class for the summer session is to be on the computer exactly at 12:01 Midnight! We have been watching the open class list today and it is somewhat hopeful that he will get something but we won't celebrate until they have accepted out fees and printed out a schedule. If all goes well, he is hoping to get US History at 8:00-9:40 a.m., European History Part 2 from 9:50-11:30, and Philosophy from 1:30-3:10.
With the economy such as it is and the college cutting classes back 25% and offering absolutely no art classes this summer, we are just sending off a prayer and hoping that God's Will is in line with our human wants.
I'd have either my husband or son stay up for this occasion but even with the best of notes, I know I will be awakened from a deep sleep by them with questions so here I sit, type, and wait.
With the economy such as it is and the college cutting classes back 25% and offering absolutely no art classes this summer, we are just sending off a prayer and hoping that God's Will is in line with our human wants.
I'd have either my husband or son stay up for this occasion but even with the best of notes, I know I will be awakened from a deep sleep by them with questions so here I sit, type, and wait.
Really Spicy Spiced Cookies - not for the timid . . .
I like interesting recipes that call for ingredients that don't seem to fit with the other ingredients but, somehow, end up being different and still tasty. My son still claims that the chocolate bean cupcakes were the best ever. This recipe is a bit more tame but still not run of the mill. My husband used to make a pepper cake cracker so this was just in line with our tastes.
Really Spicy Spiced Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar*
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon your favorite chili powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black or white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of cayenne pepper - depends on how much heat you like.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest*
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
(To really incorporate the fresh orange zest taste into your dough, you can grind the sugar and zest together in a blender or food processor before using.)
Beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar, baking powder, spices, vanilla extract, orange zest, and beat to combine thoroughly. Beat in the egg and milk and mix in the flour. Knead dough into a ball, divide into two, and shape into a long roll. The width of the roll depends on how big a cookie you want. Wrap in waxed paper and chill for 2-4 hours or until firm but not frozen.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut rolls of dough into 1/4th-inch thick slices and place about an inch or so apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake approximatel 8 minutes or until the cookies take on a golden edge. Cool on wire rack.
Ideas . . .
Melt 1 cup of milk or semisweet chocolate chips until smooth. Spread one cookie with the melted chocolate and top with a second cookie.
Melt 1 1/2 cups of white chocolate chips. Dip each cookie half way into the melted white chocolate. Place the cookies on sheets of waxed paper, grind a bit of fresh black pepper on the white chocolate, and let them harden and set.
Lay the cooled cookies out on waxed paper. Melt 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips. Drizzle some of each on every cookie and let them harden before serving.
Mix one cup of apricot jam, 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon zest together. Use this to sandwich the cookies together. You can still drizzle melted chocolate over the top of each one for added appeal.
Really Spicy Spiced Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar*
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon your favorite chili powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black or white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of cayenne pepper - depends on how much heat you like.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest*
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
(To really incorporate the fresh orange zest taste into your dough, you can grind the sugar and zest together in a blender or food processor before using.)
Beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar, baking powder, spices, vanilla extract, orange zest, and beat to combine thoroughly. Beat in the egg and milk and mix in the flour. Knead dough into a ball, divide into two, and shape into a long roll. The width of the roll depends on how big a cookie you want. Wrap in waxed paper and chill for 2-4 hours or until firm but not frozen.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut rolls of dough into 1/4th-inch thick slices and place about an inch or so apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake approximatel 8 minutes or until the cookies take on a golden edge. Cool on wire rack.
Ideas . . .
Melt 1 cup of milk or semisweet chocolate chips until smooth. Spread one cookie with the melted chocolate and top with a second cookie.
Melt 1 1/2 cups of white chocolate chips. Dip each cookie half way into the melted white chocolate. Place the cookies on sheets of waxed paper, grind a bit of fresh black pepper on the white chocolate, and let them harden and set.
Lay the cooled cookies out on waxed paper. Melt 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips. Drizzle some of each on every cookie and let them harden before serving.
Mix one cup of apricot jam, 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon zest together. Use this to sandwich the cookies together. You can still drizzle melted chocolate over the top of each one for added appeal.
Modesty?
There is always an ongoing argument about whether strapless dresses are appropriate for a bride and her wedding party. I think this picture answers that question!
http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2012/02/21/strapless/
http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2012/02/21/strapless/
A beautiful thought . . .
The
fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose.
- Heda Bejar
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Knowing where to go for help . . .
Another of the stray cats that visit our yard. Howl, the cat (if you heard him meow, you'd understand the name!) seems to think he has sought and found sanctuary at the foot of our Blessed Mother!
Blogged with my husband's permission . . .!
Twice a week, I get to spend two hours in the college parking lot waiting for my son to get finished with his history class. We live a distance from the college and with the price of gas, it is more advantageous to our budget for me to park and stay put. I actually enjoy my two hours of 'free' time in order to work on crocheting/knitting projects that I don't have time to work on at home.
This morning, like all the other school mornings, I grabbed my crocheting bag and followed my son out the door to the car. For once, we got off in a timely manner, traffic was smooth, and I got my favorite parking place. My son sauntered off to this calls and I reached for my crocheting. My yard was there, my instruction book was there, but dig as I might (and several times over!), my trusty crochet hook was not in the bag. With a very deep sigh, I recalled using it the night before to finish off the border on an afghan and setting it on my side table instead of directly back into my bag. I'm there with two hours, no book or magazine and absolutely no crochet hook.
I called my husband for sympathy and he gave me a verbal 'there, there' understanding my frustration. Okay, the phone call used us three of my two hours of minutes. I listened to the news and searched under the car seats for any kind of reading material. I was reading a coupon booklet from the grocery store (fascinating prose, by the way - sarcasm alert!) when my cell phone rang and it was my husband. He said he had to head into work early and could drop by with my crochet hook so where was it. I happily said it was on the table by my chair. He looked and asked, "There is a silver one and a gold one here." I didn't remember having a silver one but the one I had been using was sort of yellowish gold. My husband has some colorblindness so I didn't quibble over his kindess and said to just bring both.
Twenty minutes later, he pulls up and hand me the two items and I just started laughing. He had brought an orange and a pink knitting needle. Luck was with us and he didn't feel too badly as the needles were the same size and I said I could begin knitting a scarve or shawl.
My husband says he now knows for sure what a crochet hook is but I had to remember that it took him awhile to recognize a paisley pattern! The remark brought back memories when we had to bring all four of our much younger children with us to the fabric store. Everyone wanted to help. One day, I really needed to concentrate so when my husband asked what I was looking for, I said I needed him to go find paisley-patterned fabric. He happily went off with the four children. A few minutes later, my older son was yanking on my sleeve. He said, "Dad wants to know, what's paisley?"
This morning, like all the other school mornings, I grabbed my crocheting bag and followed my son out the door to the car. For once, we got off in a timely manner, traffic was smooth, and I got my favorite parking place. My son sauntered off to this calls and I reached for my crocheting. My yard was there, my instruction book was there, but dig as I might (and several times over!), my trusty crochet hook was not in the bag. With a very deep sigh, I recalled using it the night before to finish off the border on an afghan and setting it on my side table instead of directly back into my bag. I'm there with two hours, no book or magazine and absolutely no crochet hook.
I called my husband for sympathy and he gave me a verbal 'there, there' understanding my frustration. Okay, the phone call used us three of my two hours of minutes. I listened to the news and searched under the car seats for any kind of reading material. I was reading a coupon booklet from the grocery store (fascinating prose, by the way - sarcasm alert!) when my cell phone rang and it was my husband. He said he had to head into work early and could drop by with my crochet hook so where was it. I happily said it was on the table by my chair. He looked and asked, "There is a silver one and a gold one here." I didn't remember having a silver one but the one I had been using was sort of yellowish gold. My husband has some colorblindness so I didn't quibble over his kindess and said to just bring both.
Twenty minutes later, he pulls up and hand me the two items and I just started laughing. He had brought an orange and a pink knitting needle. Luck was with us and he didn't feel too badly as the needles were the same size and I said I could begin knitting a scarve or shawl.
My husband says he now knows for sure what a crochet hook is but I had to remember that it took him awhile to recognize a paisley pattern! The remark brought back memories when we had to bring all four of our much younger children with us to the fabric store. Everyone wanted to help. One day, I really needed to concentrate so when my husband asked what I was looking for, I said I needed him to go find paisley-patterned fabric. He happily went off with the four children. A few minutes later, my older son was yanking on my sleeve. He said, "Dad wants to know, what's paisley?"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)