Friday Feasting: Lenten Recipe Book

graphic came from http://mikeraynersermons.blogspot.com/

Lenten Recipe Book

Many years ago I created the recipe book 
(linked above) for a group of Catholic women. 

You are welcome to click and print the booklet. 

Enjoy a fresh infusion of meatless recipes to carry you through Good Friday and into the Easter season, if you wish to continue the meatless Friday sacrifice.

Holy Week: Ideals vs Reality?

For many years, I found it hard to deal with the huge difference between my ideal Holy Week and my real Holy Week. This is the week! The culmination of all of our preparations, our prayers and sacrifices! Truly, this is the time to go so deep into the mysteries of our Faith, meditate on the Scriptures, and let God speak directly into our hearts.

But wait, we are still moms. Even if we take off school and pare down the schedule, there are still meals to be made and the dishes that follow. There is the laundry, the diapers, the interruptions. How are we supposed to dwell in the spiritual world when our material world never stops calling? Don't we deserve a "Holy Week "?

I can remember a day, a Good Friday, many years ago, when my husband and oldest went to confession and left me with five little people between the hours of 12:00 and 3:00. All I wanted was to meditate on the Passion. All I did was be mommy. And I was frustrated instead of Holy.

Our other Good Fridays consisted of wandering the church grounds or sitting in the van with a toddler and baby, while the older kids were inside for the Veneration of the Cross. I felt sure I was in the wrong place, missing where I was supposed to be.

But that's the point, that's where I was supposed to be, doing the mom thing when I wanted to be spending time in Adoration or even home meditating with a candle and a Bible, sitting in the van with the fussy little person when I wanted to be at the foot of the Cross. Because the point of Holy Week isn't to have it our way. There will be a time in our lives, God willing, for quiet, deep meditation. The point during these years is to embrace our Cross (which is also our blessing) and die to self while doing our best to point our littles ones towards God.

So, how do you live Holy Week as a mom of many? Small aspirations. Seize the moments for short meditations. Read to them about the Passion on their level. Participate where and when you can and offer the rest up.

Wishing you a Holy Week full of graces, obvious and hidden.

Friday Feasting: Orange-Vanilla Monkey Bread

**photo credit here**

"The recipe I'm sharing today would make a great addition to your Easter planning menu.  It's a perfect crowd pleaser with it's zesty sweetness.  My oldest daughter tracked the recipe down after watching the Pioneer Woman make it on television.  I assure you it's delicious.  We even adjusted the sweetness factor down a bit and found it just perfect for our many tastebuds!"

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 Minutes
Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS

-3 cans Buttermilk Biscuits, not the flaky kind; cold
-1 cup sugar
-2 whole oranges, zested
-1 dash salt
-2 sticks salted butter
-3/4 brown sugar
-1 tbsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make sure all biscuit cans are very cold. Open all the cans and cut biscuits into quarters.  Fill a large Ziploc bag with the granulated sugar, orange zest, and salt.  Seal the bake and shake it around until contents are well mixed.  Add the biscuit pieces to the bag, seal, and shake the bag.  Be sure all the biscuit pieces are well coated with orange sugar.  Pour the pieces into a bundt (my preference) or tube pan and set it aside.

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and then stir in the brown sugar and vanilla until just barely combined.  Pour mixture over all the biscuit pieces, scraping the pan to get all the yummy butter and brown sugar pieces!  Let the whole thing settle for just a minute then place in the oven.

Bake for 25 minutes or until top of the biscuits are golden brown.  Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a rack to cool for at least 10 minutes. Then turn the pan over onto a cake plate.

Serve and enjoy!

Ode to Big Van

(To the tune of “Big Bad John”)

The van seated 11 so it took our whole crew
We could do bout anything we wanted to do
We drove down the highway like a great white shark
But it was impossible to parallel park
The Big Van.

It carried ball gloves and swimsuits away in the back
And if you were hungry you could always find a snack
We were ready for action as we rambled about
Coulda lived a week if the power went out
In Big Van.

We drove birthdays and baseball and trips to the zoo
Drove two hundred thousand miles and we took the dog, too
We drove that Big Van till it just fell apart
We were there at the end like we were there at the start
Of Big Van.

Well, we all headed east one morning in May
And the Big Van took us bout a half of the way
On a Pennsylvania mountain came a terrible noise
And Dad said, I got a bad feelin’ boys,
Bout Big Van.

The Van drug itself to the side of the road
Had to call a semi-wrecker to get the thing towed
It spilled all its oil till every drop was spent
The trooper said, That’s a catastrophic event
For Big Van.

We rented one car for five and another for the rest
Finished our trip and then we headed back West
The rental cars were nice and they were certainly game
But the kids all said they just weren’t the same
As Big Van.

Driving back through the mountains we were running late
Had to stop off to grab the license plate
Driving away crying just as fast as we can
Cause everybody knew they’d seen the last
Of Big Van.

Got a couple five-seaters now we’re ready to go
And I have to say they’re better when we drive in the snow
But the Van lingers on in the hearts of our clan:
Somewhere in Pennsylvania lies a Big, Big Van.

Monday Meme: Priorities: Marriage or Children?

God, family, everything else.  Those are the priorities my parents taught me.  The list is streamlined, but it is not so clear.  Look at the second priority:  family.  Spouse and children, but does one come first?

I am blessed with a loving husband and five healthy, robust sons.  Our daily activities were quickly filled, but we were determined to keep our relationship going.  We never let a day go by without saying, “I love you.”  Sometimes it was just a whisper at midnight, but we said it.

Within one particular year, our youngest three boys were diagnosed with autism, with typical symptoms of nonverbal, self-abusive, tactile and sensory issues.  Obviously, my younger kids required A LOT of attention.  I was a self-employed, stay-at-home mom who faced unsurmountable challenges daily.

My husband worked 10-12 hours frequently.  At times, I felt alone.  However, when he came through the door, he’d pick up the pieces of whatever I couldn’t do.  If it was dinner or laundry, he finished it.  Quite often, he simply gave me a hug. We then did what needed to be done. We ended each day with “I love you.”

Although our lives were crazy with therapies and doctors, my husband and I recognized our relationship first.  By our example, we knew we were teaching our boys about love, marriage, and sacrifice.

We’ve all heard that about 50% of marriages end in divorce, but that rate skyrockets to over 90% when the couple has a child with special needs.

The relationship between spouses can never be secondary.  Just like fruit of the tree is the result of a healthy tree.  When the tree is not watered, the fruit will shrivel up. A good or bad marriage effects children in a similar way.  Children learn what they see and hear.