Scalloped Tomatoes

Wait, hear me out. I promise, these are good! 

We have tomatoes coming out of our ears here. After being gone for three days, we had a ton that needed to be picked. I spent part of the hour of Divine Mercy out there picking them with the help of Karol and Margaret. I have a million things I could do with them, bruschetta, salsa, spaghetti sauce, or canning. (all of which I plan on doing) However, tonight’s dinner was a pork loin, so I was looking for a nice side dish. After looking on line a bit and at a few cookbooks, I found a recipe for scalloped tomatoes. Yes I was afraid at first, but you know what? They are awesome. (I put my changes in italics)

 

No, really, these are good!

  • 1 large bag (22 to 24 ounces) whole green beans (I used a 12 oz bag of frozen french cut beans) 
  • 2 plum tomatoes, diced (I used five roma tomatoes) 
  • 8 ounces shredded Mozzarella, fresh if possible
  • 2 tablespoons butter (I used olive oil, mainly because I didn’t read the recipe) 
  • 1/4 cup finely diced onion
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 – 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream (I didn’t have any, so I used regular old fashioned whole milk) 
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon garlic
  • 1 cup buttered bread crumbs or slightly crumbled French fried onions (For this I used some Club Crackers I had) 

Preparation:

Butter an 11×7-inch baking dish. Heat oven to 375°.Cook the green beans in a small amount of water until just tender. Drain and arrange in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the diced tomatoes and shredded cheese. Set aside.In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add onion and saute until tender. Stir in flour until well blended. Add the salt, pepper, cream, and sour cream. Heat through, stirring constantly. Spread the cream mixture over the green beans then sprinkle the bread crumbs or French fried onions over all. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until browned and bubbly.
Serves 6.

 

Now let me tell you, Joshua said it looked good when he saw the finished project sitting on the stove when he got home. He was a bit concerned when he heard what was hidden under the white sauce and cracker crumbs. (to be honest, so was I). When we sat down to dinner a bit later,  and dug in, we fell in luv. Who knew this combo would be that good?

 

Filed under: Food

Alabama Weekend

Sometimes I think of Birmingham, Alabama as my second southern home. It is where I go on retreat, it is where we have many religious friends, and it is a city, where, while visiting, I feel pretty comfortable in.

This weekend, the whole family went to Birmingham to attend the priestly ordinations of Fr. Leonard and Fr. Patrick, from the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word, as well as the diaconate ordinations of Br. John Paul and Br. Paschal. Br. John Paul and Br. Paschal were both classmates of Joshua’s at the Josephinum (they were studying as diocesan seminarians at the time and both ended up at the MVFA.)  Also ordained on Saturday was Fr. Michael Vu from the diocese of Birmingham.

The ordination was held at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham. I’d never been to the Cathedral there before and was not disappointed, it was beautiful.
We left on Friday morning, first dropping cinnamon rolls off to our friends who were moving, that day, to above the gnat line.  We then headed west, first stopping in Auburn, Alabama to take a peak at the Mises Institute to check it out.  It was a lot smaller than I expected, but we did eat lunch in their parking lot, thanks guys.
We then headed up to Hanceville. Alabama and the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. There we met Brother David from the Knights of the Holy Eucharist. The Knights offer a free retreat from priests, religious brothers, and seminarians, so pass the link along, they are right on the grounds of the Shrine. During our tour, Brother had to help the sisters with something, so we headed over to the “castle” (aka the gift shop) but stopped for confession and a few moments of adoration.
Let me just say that once Karol was born, our practice of a daily holy hour went by the wayside. Not because we wanted to, but because the demands of being a new mother and that of a fussy Karol made for frustrations when we would try. We took all four kids in to the Shrine and prayed while waiting for confession.  I would say they lasted for just over 15 minutes. (The older ones could have gone longer, it was the 20 month old giving us grief. ;))  It was wonderful to be able to go to confession and spend a few moments before our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
After our mini-holy hour and confessions (not mini), we met back up with Brother David and continued with our tour. We stopped to see the chapel with the display of the nativity. How wonderful to have the Christ Child with us year around.
The gift shop was nice, with many things to look at and to keep small fingers away from. I did not spend over my budgeted amount and picked up a few nice gifts as well as things for the kids. At that point, Joshua went off to have a meeting with Brother (the real reason we headed up there) and the kids ran around the grounds for a bit.
After Joshua was done with his meeting, we headed back to Birmingham, to our hotel and for dinner. We got Chipotle and brought it back to our hotel room, chilled out and watched lame-o tv.  We ended up watching the Food Network for a bit then headed off to sleep, it was a long day.
The next morning was the ordination, but not until 11, so we were able to enjoy breakfast and not rush through things. The kids got baths in the morning while I ironed (shocking I know) Karol’s shirt and pants. (My idea of ironing is putting it in the dryer.) We left for the ordination and finally found parking in a garage and got in the Cathedral 20 minutes early. There were no seats. The usher took pity on us and gave us the seats of some of the Fourth Degree Knights.
Our children did pretty well during the ordination, for the length and the fact that we were sitting in the back, I was pretty amazed. The two younger ones fell asleep toward the end, and the knight sitting behind us said they’d keep an eye on them, so we didn’t have to wake them to go up for Communion.
After the ordination and small reception, we headed over to the reception given by the Friars. First we had to leave the parking garage. No attendant on duty and it cost $2.00 to get out. We had a single and a dollar in change, just in case the auto attendant did not take debit cards. Not only did it not take debit cards, it did not take anything but dollar bills and quarters. Nice. We called the number on the box and they sent someone over to let us out.
Once that was done, we headed over to the other reception, where we were able to visit with Brother John Paul and talk with a few other people as well as receive a First Priestly Blessing from one of the newly ordained. Graces, graces, graces!!
The next morning we went to Mass at Casa Maria, and were able to surprise a dear sister friend of ours. We visited before mass then after with the sisters and family I met while on retreat a few months back. The kids ran and we talked, Margaret made a new friend as did Karol. Caecilia tried to give everyone a kiss goodbye. (Asking 8 year old boys for kisses and seeing their reaction kinda funny).
A few weeks ago, Margaret told me that she wanted to be a sister because a sister is married to God, so I was excited for her to be able to meet a few sisters. Margaret was shy, but in the end she hugged our Sister friend goodbye.
We had a wonderful weekend and a wonderful visit with friends!
Filed under: General Stuff, Travel

What’s On Your Table?

For dinner tonight’s dinner at the Facemyer house we are having oven baked smoked sausage with cabbage and onions, oven roasted potatoes, and peach cobbler for dessert.

 

What are you having?

Filed under: Food

Lincoln Log Weapons

This evening, the kids are playing with the Lincoln Logs. Benedict just walked through the living room with one planted in Margaret’s back making “blaster” or “phaser” noises.

I asked him if he was shooting Margaret and he replied (with a smile I might add) “Uh huh!”

Now he is pretending to take food out of the lower oven. What a crazy kid!

Filed under: General Stuff

Quick Cinnamon Rolls

I love cinnamon rolls. I love almost all things cinnamon, actually. Some mornings I wake up and want a nice cinnamon roll with butter, but don’t have the time to make them before breakfast time, so make due without. I stumbled across the idea of a No Rise Cinnamon Roll a few months ago and let me tell you, these are great! I worked on a recipe of my own, and today I think I perfected it!

 

No Rise Cinnamon Rolls

Time:

Prep – 10 minutes

Bake – 17 minutes

 

Dough

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 cup milk
Filling
  • 4 tablespoons of butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 4-5 tablespoons of cinnamon (or to taste)

 

Directions

1. Grease an 8×8 pan.

2. Turn oven on to 400 degrees

 

Filling:

1.  Place butter into a microwaveable bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, to melt the butter. (Keep an eye on it, so that it doesn’t burn, it doesn’t have to be totally melted).

2. Add the sugar and cinnamon to the melted butter, stir. Set aside.

 

Dough:

1. Place the flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Cut the butter into small chunks and add to the bowl. Cut the butter in to the flour mixture until it looks like crumbs.

2. Making a well in the center, place the milk and stir until incorporated. This dough will be very sticky.

3. Turn the dough onto a well floured surface and knead a few times, to incorporate more flour (but don’t over do it). When the dough no longer sticks to your hands or the board, roll it out to be 10-12 inches wide and 15-18 inches long. Make sure that it is not sticking to your board or counter as you roll it out. If it seems to be sticking, lift up and add flour underneath.

4. Spread the cinnamon sugar mixture onto rolled out dough, leaving a 1/2 inch margin on one side of the long edge.

5.Starting with the long end that has the cinnamon mixture on it, slowly roll the dough, in a semi-tight roll.

6. When finished rolling, pinch the seam together and lay seam down. Using a sharp knife or a board scraper, cut into one inch pieces.

7. Place cut side down, side by side, in your greased pan.

8. Bake at 400 degrees for 17 minutes.

9. Test for doneness (Temp around 190 degrees or lightly golden)

 

Serve with butter and coffee.

 

 

 

Filed under: Food, General Stuff

Calling Indiana!

Dear Hoosier friends:

Your Primary is on Tuesday and it is an open primary (meaning any registered voter can vote). This race isn’t over and Ron Paul wants your vote, so just do it, vote for the man who will defend the constitution and defend liberty in America. Go to his website, read and listen to what he has to say. Questions, ask me, I can help!

http://www.ronpaul2012.com/

Filed under: American Liberties

The Necessity for Truth – A Guest Post

The Necessity for Truth 

Stephen Smith

Greek Philosopher, Aristotle states that we, as rational human beings, are oriented toward the truth. In our modern day and age, it can be difficult at times to discern what this truth is. Our senses are being pulled in various ways, causing us to second-guess what we already know, the truth.

I recall one particular time when I had the opportunity to visit New York City. I was baffled and amazed at the motion that never seemed to stop. In my three days there, I do not think there was a moment when I didn’t hear someone scream, talk loudly, hear the sound of sirens or car horns. Being from a small town, this was quite the noisy experience. I don’t think I slept at all. My distinct memory as we boarded the bus and drove out of this city was heavenly: silence. Not a word was spoken. The hum of the engine was soothing, and the snoring passengers played a melody. I sat there, eyes closed, and thought.

It is in these moments of silence God comes to us. Although God is with us at all times, it is difficult to hear his whisper over the sounds of society. This is not to mean that we must extract ourselves from society in order to hear God’s call, rather we must find a place within society that we can see and hear God. My place, at that time, was on that bus.

I remember sitting in quite prayer, spending time with Our Lord. As in nature, we grow in silence. The sound of the trees growing, or the flowers blooming is not heard. For it is in peaceful silence they grown into the fullness of life. So it is with us, in silence, we are able to connect with our Lord, hearing His voice. It is in this that we grow. As the philosopher Aristotle states, we are indeed oriented to the truth. It is in silence, our conversations with God, that we come to know this truth. For it is God who is Truth.

We as Catholics are called to grow in this Truth. How then do we do that? Saint Jerome gives us great advice when he says: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” It is in our knowledge of God, given through the Church, that we come to know and love God. It is Holy Mother Church that brings us from the darkness into the Light of Christ. The truths the Church teaches, and has always taught are what gives us the ammo which we are called to use against the works of the devil. Knowledge of sin should make us desire to be sinless. Knowledge of faith should make us desire to be faithful. Knowledge of truth should make us desire the Truth. It is for this reason that we as Catholics cannot stand by and refuse to know. Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance can, and will lead us to the fires of Hell. Ignorance of God draws us away from God. Knowledge brings happiness, ignorance brings hurt.

So what then shall we do? The simple answer is to strive to learn the truth. The best and surest way to attain this truth is through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Our relationship with God has its foundation in prayer. Why then would we avoid the greatest and surest prayer? The Mass is God’s sacrifice of Himself for us. It is He who has opened the gates of Heaven. It is He who teaches us the Truth.

God has ordained the Church to to be the gateway for truth. It is through the Church that we come to know God. It is through the Church that the perfect prayer is prayed. It is through the Church that we are given the truth, leading our souls to heaven. It is for this reason that we must adhere to the teachings of the Church, for it is through the Church, that we come to know the Truth. Overseen by the power of the Holy Spirit, founded by Christ himself, we on earth are given a great gift in the Church. We must take advantage of it! It is through our obedience to the Church that we are obedient to God. It is through our love of the Church, that we love God. It is through our defense of the Church, that we defend God. It is through our work in the Church, that we become soldiers for Christ. Such a wonderful gift!

It is easy to say this, but unfortunately, as we well know, it can be more difficult to live. As stated previously, our senses are pulled in every direction. Society tells us that our wills are what determine our happiness. Although we have the gift of freewill, it is a gift given, in order to chose the Truth. It is a freedom for Truth, not a freedom from Truth.

It is for this reason that the Church asks us to look into our conscience when we make decisions, or support those who make decisions for us. Supporting something or someone who is, or teaches something contrary to the truth, makes us just as culpable. When the Church asks us to look into our conscience, we are to look into our conscience, oriented toward the truth, our Catholic conscience, not the conscience we think we have, which is oriented by society.

We know that through the sins of Adam and Eve that we are a fallen society. We have created a chasm between God and ourselves. It was through our desire to be free from God, that this has been done. Christ builds the bridge over the chasm, allowing us to return to the Light of God, the Light of Truth. It is in this truth that we see clearly. False truth is what leads us away from God. As we walk across this bridge, we are held back by a rope, tied around our waist. The other end of this rope is being pulled by the Fires of Hell. It is our decision whether or not to use the scissors of truth to cut the rope, allowing us to fall into the arms of our loving Savior.

We are called to be soldiers of Christ, to fight for this truth. The mark we receive at our Confirmation gives us the graces, and the power of the Holy Spirit needed. Our decision, our love of the Truth, our obedience to God through the Church is what will determine the fate of our souls. We must, therefore, be diligent in our actions, be faithful in our thoughts, and be truthful in our works.

Filed under: Catholic, Guest

Don’t Cross That Line

As readers of my blog and those who know me in real life,  know I seldom back down from a fight. I usually don’t mind a little back and forth and I do, contrary to what others might want to believe, listen to what others have to say.

However, today, a line was crossed. 

After Mass, while we were standing in front of the church, I was approached by a fellow parishioner and was told that I need to watch who I am associating with and called those of us who support Ron Paul rabble-rousers, he said a few other things as well, about how the Ron Paul people will betray me.

Excuse me? There is a time and a place for discussions about politics (and threats) but following Mass, while standing in sight of the Tabernacle, after receiving our Lord in the Eucharist is not that time.

Also, both my husband and I are Ron Paul supporters, so why did not he not speak with him as well? Why just approach me? Why not speak with the both of us? I honestly feel that there was some bullying tactics going on there.

If you want to discuss politics with me, ask me for my phone number, ask me to meet you for coffee, ask me if you can talk to me, but do not blindside me, while standing outside of the church (where we just received our Lord) and talk to me as if I am some sort of idiot for believing in liberty and supporting the candidate who will truly defend the Constitution of the United States.

I wrote this last night and for some reason it didn’t post when I hit publish. That is fine because it gives me a chance to add this part: 

I have never discussed politics with this man, nor anyone else, at church. This man has never said more than 10 words to me. Our formal introduction was at the District Convention for the Republican Party, we exchanged pleasantries and went on our way, we have never spoken at church.  I doubt he reads this blog and I know he can’t see what I put on Facebook.  Also, at the District Convention, it was pretty clear that we were Ron Paul supporters (who are following the Party rules). Why didn’t he approach us there? 

That all being said, I still support Ron Paul for president, but what’s more, I have guaranteed God given rights under the Constitution and I am not going to sit back and shut up while those rights are being taken away from me.  

Filed under: General Stuff