Italian sauce . . .

I tried a new way of making an Italian marinara sauce this evening and have discovered a keeper! It was easy and only required a stir with the spoon ever so often.

Ingredients:
Ten peeled garlic cloves
3 peeled carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 large onion
1 green bell pepper
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
Generous pinch of black pepper & salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 small cans tomato paste
2 cans dices tomatoes

Put all the ingredients, except tomatoes in the food processor and pulse until they are ground but not slush. Simmer for about five minutes in a large pot. You don't want to overcook it at this stage. Add the tomato products, cover, and simmer for 4 to 5 hours. Would work well in the crock pot, too.

Serve over pasta or with meatballs and a good sprinkling of freshly grated Romano or parmesan cheese. Wouldn't hurt to have some garlic bread on hand to sop up the sauce!

And the questions get harder, too!

"You know that children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers."
---John J. Plomp

Hopeless . . .

I recently completed a rail fence scrap quilt. After seeing it on the sofa for the last few weeks, I couldn't stand it any longer . . . I spent yesterday cutting all my scraps into MORE rail fence pieces and plan to make another one. I find it fascinating to see how a random combination of fabric can be soothing, interesting, and pretty at the same time.

Kind of like people when they cooperate and work together towards a common good. Each one is different and unique yet they all blend together somehow. I like looking at quilts and trying to find a reason for them!

I do have a secret incorporated into my quilts. Many of them have a scapular sewn inside. Kind of like sending a little blessing along with the gift.

A word to the wise . . .

One of my husband's ongoing complaints about life is trying to get his glasses washed and polished every morning. A clean towel doesn't seem to get the water up and he often ends up with a blur somewhere on the lense.

My husband got new glasses last week and he noticed the clerk easily wiping glasses with a bright, yellow towel of some sort. The clerk told him they were shop towels they sold at Costco. We checked it out and you get 36 towels for around $16. We immediately splurged and no more complaints about foggy glasses.

Having to purchase 36 towels in order to preserve our eyeware seemed a bit much BUT we have found these towels are great for drying dishes QUICKLY, dusting the furniture, cleaning surfaces, etc. They wash easily and are saving us on paper towel use. I think the micro fiber componet of the fabric makes it great. I know my bathroom surface cleaning and furniture dusting seemed to go faster than usual today.

Thought I'd pass on an idea that is working for us!

A Scrappy personality . . .

I have a cupboard full of beautiful lengths of perfect cotton fabric for quilting yet my inspiration keeps pulling me back to the scrap box for quilting ideas. I finished piecing and eight-point star patterned quilt yesterday and am in the finishing phases. I'm very much looking forward to my favorite part . . . putting in the final stitch!

I also started cutting out fabric for yet another rail fence quilt. This will be my fourth one in as many months. This is all in Spring colors and pretty much evolving from the scrap box . . . AGAIN!

I have a very large scrap quilt on the sofa in the living room. My family likes to race each other to it's warmth on a cold evening while they watch television or read a book. Of all the quilts I have ever made, this one is my favorite. I used every piece of fabric I could find so there are few duplicates in the pattern. Each piece included, however, has some kind of memory. Sometimes, I'll notice a piece that used to be an Easter dress I made for one of my daughters when she was little. Or see a scrap from a favorite shirt my son wore to pieces because Mom made it. I'm also always amazed that a pile of seemingly useless scraps can become a very useable blanket.

Old quotes that apply to current events . . .

"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."
-- Will Rogers

"A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money."
-- Senator Everett Dirksen

Observations after Easter . . .

On Easter Sunday, there were four altar servers (male) lined up to serve the Mass. Three, little girls showed up and the pastor made the director either incorporate them into the already crowded group or drop some of the boys. The dignity of the Mass was compromised with too many servers literally standing around the altar.

I know that females are allowed to serve the Mass but it seems that when there are males to do it, the males should have priority. Our pastor is overworked yet his continued actions, in this regard, could make it even more difficult for pastors, in the future, to nurture their parishes. If the vocations aren't encouraged, churches will be crowded, people will wander off to other churches, ordinations will go down. It is really up to the women in the church to alleviate this situation.

Men have to stand up to be heard, too. At the various Easter readings, it was all women lectors. A lot of men in the congregation but no one willing to do the job.

I can't help thinking about how little we actually hear from the Blessed Mother in the Bible. The female gender might rediscover their femininity if they tried to emulate the Blessed Mother more and power less.

Just sharing some of my impressions during Holy Week!