This week’s menu: (will be linked [...]]]> Sigh. So this gluten-free thing isn’t really working yet, as I still have a ton of stuff to get rid of from pantry, fridge, freezer. So next phase of the project is to get rid of everything. Hubby meanwhile (who’s the wheat-free guy) will only have the non-wheat stuff.

This week’s menu: (will be linked to recipes yesterday)

1. Chocolate Stout Bread (to use up the Chocolate Stout that Aisa bought and didn’t like)
2. White Bean Chili (too many white beans in the freezer) ***
3. Roast chicken ***
4. Hot and Sour Soup (to use up the pork chops) ***
5. Banana-Spinach Smoothies for Dad and me — aka Liquid Banana Bread around here ***
6. Pan-roasted green beans with umeboshi dressing ***
7. Grilled fish (TBD, probably cod) with brown-butter caper sauce ***
8. Olive Bread
9. Spicy Crunchy Kochujang Shrimp ***
10. Sesame-Seed-Crusted Salmon
11. Potato-Pea Samosas with Tamarind Chutney
12. Minestrone ***
13. Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
14. Mashed Lima Beans ***
15. Sour Cherry Cobbler
16. Ampalaya with Egg ***
17. Pear-Cherry-Brie Soup ***
18. Calabaza Soup ***
19. Celebration Bread

Dishes marked with *** are gluten-free.

Last week, when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, we saw Sandra Fluke’s opening statement before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.

If you Google “Sandra Fluke” and [...]]]> For a background on all of this, here again is the link to the video of Fr. Sammie Maletta’s homily + transcript.

Last week, when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, we saw Sandra Fluke’s opening statement before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.

If you Google “Sandra Fluke” and click only on links from mainstream media, most of the information you’ll find will refer to Rush Limbaugh’s use of the word “slut” when he was talking about her testimony. These links, as to be expected, don’t tell the whole story. Here’s more information on Sandra Fluke from a REAL Georgetown student and what’s really going on here. Meanwhile, traditional media continues to frame this as a contraception debate instead of a religious freedom debate, to propagate the lie that the Church oppresses women and all who need “reproductive health care”.

As in a well-orchestrated play, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards releases her “I Have A Say” video the day after Fluke’s statement, inviting women to share their thoughts on why birth control is an essential part of women’s health care. (If you click to watch the video on YouTube instead, YouTube will give you related videos of other women “having their say”, including pro-abortion NARAL’s Nancy Keenan.)

We faithful Catholics, we who Occupy the Pews, we who believe in the teaching authority of the Magisterium and who know that our Truth comes from Scripture and Tradition, *could* just keep quiet about all this and offer it up…. or we could respond to Fr. John Hollowell’s invitation and call to action:

It would be great if we moms and our daughters and other women, young and old, could contribute to Fr. Hollowell’s blog specifically set up for this by sending in a picture, a video or even just a short paragraph sharing our thoughts — because I don’t know about you, but neither Sandra Fluke nor Cecile Richards speaks for me. We cannot and should not underestimate the power of alternative media — Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs. These ultra-liberal women are using precisely these tools to continue to brainwash those who unfortunately are only marginally aware about these issues. Our Holy Father recognizes the reach that social media has, and even he is Tweeting these 40 days of Lent. We, now more than ever, need to learn to use social media, to do our part to spread the Gospel Truth, and to defeat the father of lies and his minions.

Oh, and I apologize in advance for this, but I just couldn’t resist. I’m still working on becoming a turn-the-other-cheek Christian and Catholic… not quite there yet !!! So here it is…. the newest movie poster in town, which I found at freerepublic.com.

I’m posting the transcript of his homily here for my parents’ benefit. If you see any errors, please comment and I will edit.

In recent years, we’ve had cause to [...]]]> Prayers for and cheers to this courageous priest-lawyer for speaking the truth! May more of our priests be like him. Spread the word.

I’m posting the transcript of his homily here for my parents’ benefit. If you see any errors, please comment and I will edit.

In recent years, we’ve had cause to discuss the subject of political speech from the pulpit here at St. John the Evangelist. Many many many of you have regularly challenged me to speak out more frequently on matters that I deemed are purely political and as a result, I have refused to do so. However, others are so sensitive about this that even when I recently recommended two of our parishioners that were running for local office, they became vocally upset. Generally speaking, the message we priests preach should not be political except when it comes to faith and morals. What I’m about to share with you in my opinion moves beyond faith and morals and goes to our very existence to function and therefore I claim the right as your pastor. I claim the right as an American citizen. I claim the responsibility as a priest to speak what I perceive to be the truth.

Little more than three years ago, after Mr. Obama was elected but not yet sworn in as President of the United States of America, the bishops finally gave us priests permission to tell our congregations the truth about what Mr. Obama’s intention was and that was to force the Catholic Church to engage in morally repugnant actions or lose our ability to carry out the gospel message in health care, social services and education. I gave a stirring talk that Sunday, and you as well as people across the country, because the priests in their parishes also got up and spoke, sent millions of cards, letters, phone calls to DC, demanding reassurances that the Obama administration would not proceed with its plans. Almost immediately, the President-elect contacted the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and invited the bishops to a meeting, at which time he gave his word. He gave his word to our bishops that the conscience clause that exempts religious organizations from participating in those federal mandates that go against our conscience would not be disturbed. At that time, President-elect Obama feigned surprise that Catholics would even think that he would do something like this. And with those assurances, the bishops backed down. Within a few months of his administration, Obamacare was introduced creating a deep division in our country as the President’s vision of comprehensive health care coverage became clearer. Arguing that the poor would finally receive health care which is a longstanding goal of our bishops and of all Catholics, arguing also that the cost of healthcare under Obamacare would be reduced, another longstanding goal of our bishops and Catholics, the President asked the bishops to support this legislation. They were once again given assurances that abortion, sterilization, and other so-called reproductive services would not be included in the legislation, at least not in a way that would compromise Catholic conscience. As a whole the bishops declined to support that legislation. However, some naive bishops believed the President and came out in support of the ideas behind Obamacare.

Last week all those assurances and promises President Obama made were broke and his true intentions made known when the Department of Health and Human Services announced that virtually all insurance plans must pay for reproductive services even if they are morally repugnant to the organizations, specifically including the Roman Catholic Church.

Stop and think of this. We are the one voice that speaks out clearly to this culture of death that abortion is wrong. We are the one voice that speaks out clearly to this nation on issues of life. And now we will be forced to actually pay for someone to have an abortion. This is only part of the war that the Obama administration is quietly waging on the Catholic Church. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the US Labor Department has aggressively attempted to expand its control of how we conduct business. This is one of the regulations, there’s about eight of them. Imagine how thick that is. This is page after page, detailed. I as a lawyer, it takes me about an hour to go through and try to understand each of these pages.

Now, I’m your pastor! Now, we have to comprehend and implement every detail of that because the government wants to get into our business and tell us how to run our business, how to run our Churches! And there are no exemptions for us. I mean it’s overwhelming, just stop and think of that. How can I be pastor when I got to stick my nose in this kind of stuff every single day. I can’t make a decision about the Church without going through all this stuff, and this is across the country.

Furthermore, again as I mentioned a few weeks ago, federal moneys are being withheld from Catholic social services even though the Catholic services receive top ratings from the government. The government creates the rating system, the government scores the rating system, the government sets the rating system. Catholic social services get the highest score, even though part of that rating service is to penalize the Catholic church because we don’t provide reproductive services. And so the scores drop down, even after that, we’re higher than others. And consistently the government is giving money to other organizations with lower scores in other words to other organizations who reach fewer people, do it less effectively and cost more, will not give it to us because we do not provide reproductive services.

One would think that many of the objectives of the Obama administration would be consistent with Catholic objectives, relative to caring for the forgotten, the underprivileged and the needy. The president has been most eloquent in speaking about this segment of society and frankly, his words are very appealing to our sensitivity as Roman Catholics. So why is this president’s administration so intent on destroying the Catholic Church’s ability to perform our ministries which we do better and for less than the government can do?

Why is President Obama’s administration, with all the problems in this world, with the economy, with terrorism, with our country being sold to China, with Iran possibly becoming a nuclear power, with all these things. Why is it so obsessed on reproductive services and so obsessed by forcing us to go against our faith to do what they want us to do in that matter?

The Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of health services, social services and education. If the government can put us out of business, and make no mistake, the Bishop is right, we cannot and we will not follow this law. We will close down our schools, our hospitals, our nursing homes, our orphanages. We will go out of business in that area before we will pay to have a child murdered.

And once we are out of business, there will be literally millions of people suffering because who will provide those services for them? There will be a gap, a crisis in our nation and then we begin to see the real issue that’s going on here, because once that happens the government can reasonably argue that we cannot as a nation allow that suffering to continue. And the government will step in and provide less effective and more costly services which will mean more government employees, more individuals who become completely dependent on government help. Taxes will be raised to cover this, and the ultimate goal behind all this is exposed, for the United States of America will be one step closer to socialism. And in every country that has become socialistic, religion has become peripheral, but you’ll be able to have reproductive services available at every corner.

Why is the Obama’s presidency so addicted to expanding abortion and so called reproductive services on all of America and forcing Catholics to participate in what we consider to be the culture of death? Why would they sacrifice the First Amendment of the United States Constitution in favor of reproductive services? When did reproductive services become the national cry of our nation? When did it become more important than the Bill of Rights? More important than the Constitution?

And so before you get upset with me or any priest at our bishops’ instruction for addressing a political issue, get more upset over what’s happening in this country on this issue and how it will be devastating to your Church! I especially address those of you who voted for this President. I cannot believe that you voted for this, and now, I need you and all of us to stand up for the First Amendment, to defend your Church and to stand up for your Catholic faith. This week, we are going to follow the Bishops’ instruction and I ask you all to pray, to fast, to ask God for wisdom.

Next week we will have materials available for you to let your voice be heard to do what we can to stop this. We need to contact DC and demand that the longstanding conscience clause is respected and preserved even under Obamacare.

Let our message be clear. President Obama, let us be Catholic! And let us continue to contribute to this great nation as Catholics providing vital services and care especially to that segment of our nation that needs us the most. Let the Church say Amen.

You can read more about Fr. Sammie Maletta here.

Let’s pray, fast, pray, fast, pray, and fast some more.

St. Michael, defend us in battle! Mama Mary, ora pro nobis!

At lunch:

Mom: Wow, my finger is healing really well! I wish I had taken pictures to document the healing process!
Yena: Or, you could [...]]]> Mom: I injured my index finger last week, and now I injured my middle finger! What’s next?
Yena, 10: Maybe that’s why God gave you five fingers.

At lunch:

Mom: Wow, my finger is healing really well! I wish I had taken pictures to document the healing process!
Yena: Or, you could cut it again!

I bought some gummy vitamins again, something I don’t do all the time because I prefer the kids get all their nutrients via food/the sun .
Nino can now take two gummy bears a day, so we give him one in the morning and one in the evening. He doesn’t quite get the concept yet so we tell him he can get the next one when it’s light/dark. This morning at breakfast:

Nino, 3: Can I have another gummy bear now? (after having his morning vite)
Mom: When it’s dark.
Nino: Why, Mommy? Why do you keep saying dark, then light, then dark, then light? [punctuates with frustrated groan]

We are using Jenn‘s Lent for Children.

This evening I also put together a music playlist based on the suggestions in this thread.

Our mornings will begin with this Lenten Novena:

Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, during the Holy Season of [...]]]> I am keeping it REALLY, REALLY SIMPLE this Lent.

We are using Jenn‘s Lent for Children.

This evening I also put together a music playlist based on the suggestions in this thread.

Our mornings will begin with this Lenten Novena:

Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, during the Holy Season of Lent, You call us to a closer union with Yourself. Help me to prepare to celebrate the Paschal Mystery with mind and heart renewed. Give me a spirit of loving reverence for You, our Father, and of willing service to my neighbor. As I recall the great events that gave us new life in Christ, bring the image of Your Son to perfection within my soul.

This great season of grace is Your gift to Your family to renew us in spirit. Give me strength to purify my heart, to control my desires, and so to serve You in freedom. Teach me how to live in this passing world with my heart set on the world that will never end.

I ask for the grace to master my sinfulness and conquer my pride. I want to show to those in need Your goodness to me by being kind to all.

Through my observance of Lent, help me to correct my faults and raise my mind to You, and thus grow in holiness, that I may deserve the reward of everlasting life.

In Your mercy grant me this special favor: (Mention your request).

The days of the life-giving Death and glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Your Son, are approaching. This is the hour when He triumphed over Satan’s pride, the time when we celebrate the great event of our Redemption. The Suffering and Death of Your Son brought life to the whole world, moving our hearts to praise Your glory.

The power of the Cross reveals You judgment on this world and the kingship of Christ crucified. Father, through His love for us and through His Sufferings, Death and Resurrection, may I gain eternal life with You in heaven. Amen.

Thursday evenings will be for Eucharistic Adoration, and Fridays will be for Stations of the Cross. As in previous years we will be using our homemade set that we put together 7 years ago. Next year, Nino will probably be ready to join us in making a new set.

For money offerings, we’ve got a baby bottle that Yena got from a fellow AHG’er that will benefit a local crisis pregnancy center. Besides this we’ve got a date reserved to help out with Kids Against Hunger. I haven’t looked at our Saturdays yet but if there are any that are open we’ll most likely join the prayer warriors at the abortion mill.

I’ve also stocked our freezer with an assortment of beans and fish. Our family likes beans and we have them at least once a week, but this Lent I would like to shoot for 3 times a week.

Beyond that, we’ll just be doing a lot of the usual reading and discussing, but with a particular focus on sacrifice and detachment. The basement decluttering wasn’t finished last year, but we got half of it done at least. This is the year we finish the other half!!

Lastly, for the first time in months I got an anti-life comment on this blog tonight. The evil one is gearing up, looks like — so we’re doing our best to arm ourselves!!

Mama Mary, ora pro nobis!

Savored some precious bonding moments with oldest daughter this afternoon. She invited me to their dress rehearsal for tomorrow’s concert and at first I didn’t want to come because it was a Saturday and… too many things! to do! chores to catch up on! kids’ Latin worksheets to check! laundry to do!… and then [...]]]>

Savored some precious bonding moments with oldest daughter this afternoon. She invited me to their dress rehearsal for tomorrow’s concert and at first I didn’t want to come because it was a Saturday and… too many things! to do! chores to catch up on! kids’ Latin worksheets to check! laundry to do!… and then I thought, if I don’t go, and in a few years she happens to have been whisked away by Prince Charming, or is getting ready to profess final vows at the convent, I will so regret saying no to this day. And so I said yes. I sit here now with papers piled beside me, and laundry to do, and e-mail to write, but I had the gift of several uninterrupted hours of just being in the company of one of my favorite people. No regrets, just lots of memories and I wanted to blog about it so I don’t forget And by the way, Ais, that was really yummy lavender coffee and the spinach feta croissant was exceptional. We’ll have to figure out the Paris trip somehow… even if you have to talk to Mother Superior about getting special dispensation for it. – love, mom

A mother’s song / by Janet Lawler
A father’s song / by Janet Lawler
Marven of the Great North Woods / written by Kathryn Lasky
Pond year / Kathryn Lasky ; illustrated by Mike Bostoc *****
The magic kerchief / by [...]]]> Books he’s been enjoying since November (not including Advent/Christmas books)

A mother’s song / by Janet Lawler
A father’s song / by Janet Lawler
Marven of the Great North Woods / written by Kathryn Lasky
Pond year / Kathryn Lasky ; illustrated by Mike Bostoc *****
The magic kerchief / by Kirby Larson ; illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger *****
The end / by David LaRochelle ; illustrated by Richard Egielski *****
Snowbaby could not sleep / by Kara LaReau ; illustrated by Jim Ishikawa
The little matador / words and pictures by Julian Hector
Peedie / Olivier Dunrea
Pip in the Grand Hotel / Johannes Hucke, Daniel Müller *****
Merry Christmas, Spot! / Eric Hill
My chair / written by Betsy James ; illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma *****
Picasso and Minou / P.I. Maltbie ; illustrated by Pau Estrada (super-favorite! i love that it has the street we passed, roaming around Montmartre, where Picasso lived, or at least what looks like it) *****
A box full of kittens / story by Sonia Manzano ; illustrated by Matt Phelan
George and Martha rise and shine / James Marshall *****
All for pie, pie for all / David Martin ; illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev *****
When I was born / Isabel Minhós Martins, Madalena Matoso
Mrs. McDockerty’s knitting / Ruth Martinez ; illustrated by Catharine O’Neill
A gift from Saint Francis : the first creche / by Joanna Cole ; illustrated by Michele Lemieux *****
The First Noel : a child’s book of Christmas carols to play and sing.

***** – Nino’s favorites

I have never been a celery fan. Especially NOT of those celery sticks served with ranch dip that appear at almost every party table. What makes it worse is it’s often obviously store-bought, with wilted edges. There it is keeping company with the pretend baby carrots that look dry as a bone, AND [...]]]>

I have never been a celery fan. Especially NOT of those celery sticks served with ranch dip that appear at almost every party table. What makes it worse is it’s often obviously store-bought, with wilted edges. There it is keeping company with the pretend baby carrots that look dry as a bone, AND the half-yellowing broccoli florets that don’t even look washed. Ranch doesn’t really do anything for celery — and I suspect people eat the raw veggies just for the sake of being able to say “I ate something ‘healthy’” while actually indulging in the ranch dip, which is just about the only tasty thing in that sectioned black plastic tray. Ugh. Someone should ban those from the party foods section at the supermarket already.

I *do* love celery cooked. Of course, as one of the required aromatics in a stew or soup. I’ve also, on occasion, enjoyed Julia Child’s butter-braised celery, but it seems I’m the only person in the family that does, so nix that. Celery also HAS to be in Filipino pancit and chop suey, but it is fantastic in this Szechwan celery-chicken stir fry.

Enter this crunchy, buttery salad — based on one from Melissa Clark. Her version has dates, but I’m picky about dates as well, and don’t like them in a salad, so I just left them out. I confess to buying celery now just so I can make this salad as often as I can. Heh, it helps that I have an excuse to hog it too — as most of my family either dislike walnuts or are allergic to it.

The freshest stalks from a whole celery (I save the outer ones for soup), rinsed and sliced thinly on the diagonal — use the leaves too if you like
A handful of walnuts toasted in a 350-degree F oven (or toaster — but be careful not to burn them!) for 7-10 minutes, or until fragrant and JUST beginning to turn color, chopped
juice of half a lemon
tablespoon or so extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
shavings of Pecorino, Grana Padano or Parmigiano

That’s it! Toss in a bowl and eat! You’ll be thankful you tried it.