On my life

I thought that with the end of school, would come the opening of my schedule. The availability to do what I wanted, relatively, and when I wanted. Ha. I think I got addicted to this ultra-busy schedule of mine and thought I would be bored having nothing precise to do, so hey, why not plan a wedding on my own? It is absolutely ridiculous the amount of preparation, organization, and ultimately stress this has brought. And for what? For me to be able to prove that yes, I can do this! Yes, I can have a wonderful wedding ceremony and reception on a low low budget by planning to do many little things by hand and burying myself in research on how to get that thing without paying that price. Once again, ha.

How many times did I listen to married women saying how if they could go back and change things, they would do things simpler, easier, and draw support from family and friends, they absolutely would. Because those tiny little details you spent 5 hours on? Noone notices or remembers. And why would they? Most of them are there to witness the union of two people for a lifetime commitment, celebrate and feast afterwards. Our society has added on useless things like programs, useless and expensive guest favors, table centerpieces that serves only to bring unhappiness and envy through comparison, and enormous wedding cakes that for some reason have to match the wedding bouquet (??????). I had always said to myself that I would never crumble under the pressure of giving in to consumerism and waste. Did I already say HA?

I vented to Amy through a letter a couple of weeks ago about all this craziness in my head that resulted from stupid wedding things. And her reply really made me pause to reflect (especially the fuck 'em part LOL). I was self-inflicting this stress, and really, I have all the power in the world to make it stop. And I will. There are two aspects of the reception that I always dreamed about, that have completely been put aside through devoting myself to dumb stuff.

One, is the guest book. That silly book that costs a forune because it must be in a pretty case and then gets stowed away in the attic type thing. I dont want that. Or rather, I do but I want to do something with my hands. I was thinking of making a painting with a tree and having each leaf be a signature, or something of the kind. The second thing, is I have always dreamed of having a dessert buffet where everyone (that wants to) would make their special dessert and have a potluck of homemade sweets if you may. I had tentatively broached the subject to my mother and mother-in-law and met such backlash that I immediately dropped the subject. But I realized how much I wanted that, and that if I couldn't have that, then I could myself make some desserts. So I have made a list of easy desserts that I can freeze and thaw the day prior, and this is one thing I am really looking forward to making.

Throughout all of this, I have to remember that I can lay all my problems at the feet of God, and He will take care of me. And if I can remember to praise Him in everything I do, and to lean on Him in times of stress and difficulty, then everything will fall into place and things will happen as they are meant to happen.

I dont do that anymore

I have a friend of mine who has thrown herself at cooking/baking in the hopes of getting a man to notice (her words, not mine) and has other outwardly shocking tactics, which she frequently posts on Facebook. I look at her posts and think, was I ever like that? Did I ever post long, boastful, and precises details on what I made just to get comments or attention?

The answer is, shamefully, yes. From a to z, anything that might have cause food envy to others, I posted. I feel so ashamed to have taken such pleasure from being validated, why did I need that? Because I wanted to prove to myself and to others that I was good at something?

And more importantly what changed for me to barely post anything food related? I don't need to prove to anyone that I can cook, or boast that I haven't bought store made bread in almost a year, or say this and that just to get attention to what Im doing. I get all the attention I need when Jeff asks me if I can make that sort of pie again, or if I can bake that special cinnamon bread I made last month. And instead of fighting to be the best and most knowledgeable baker out there, Im happy to share my recipes and tips with anyone who bothers to ask.

I feel so much better than I did, so much lighter, and so much more content. Life is good, and I dont need to broadcast it across a social network.

Silly Love

Here we are

On earth together
It's you and I
God has made us fall in love
It's true
I've really found
Someone like you

Holy Mother

Ave Maria, gratia plena,

Dominus tecum,
benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui Iesus.
Sancta Maria mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen

Of Stepford Wives

I found this book in the used book store up my street, here is an excerpt:


                    ''In the 1970s, the pro-feminist bestseller Stepford Wives turned the traditional housewife into a mindless, husband-pleasing, yes-woman who was literally heartless—because, come to find out, she was actually a robot. The message was clear: a woman who faithfully serves her family, loves pleasing her husband, and joyfully takes care of her home (from home) is not a “real person,” but a contrived fantasy of her overbearing and selfish husband. Instead of treasuring women and properly utilizing their gifts, our culture has attempted to discard the beauty and uniqueness of biblical womanhood and create an emotionally androgynous power-woman whose worth is measured only by the degree of her ambition, the shape of her body, and her money-making potential. Rather than women renouncing this affront to their dignity, amazingly, the slaves are demanding their slavery!
                    In place of the glorious picture painted for us in Scripture of the passionate keeper at home, a hollow counterfeit has emerged—a desperate image concocted and promoted by Hollywood stereotypes, magazine models, and women’s selfhelp books. The rise of the Internet has only added to the confusion. As women have gravitated to the web en masse, they have met a flood of men and women of all backgrounds and persuasions propounding conflicting notions of what it means to be a woman.
                  The cacophony of ideas and teachings that today’s Christian women must wade through as they contemplate their rightful place in God’s created order can be simply overwhelming. (...) While today’s women may be bombarded with more media streams than their counterparts of previous generations, biblical femininity has always been an unusual quality. This is what led King Lemuel’s
mother to observe, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies” (Proverbs 31:10). Virtuous women have always been rare, and oh, how precious they are!''

Oh yes she did! I think I'm going to enjoy this book (which is by the way called Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Stacy MacDonald).

Good or Bad?

Is this a good or a bad thing?? I love and hate it at the same time and I can't find any references anywhere as to the protocol for rosaries. Help!!!

I can's help but like the whole funky Catholic thing, however I don't think I would ever bring this into Church.

vs

Much more traditionally feminine, beautiful and simple in its own right. And, I think, much more appropriate for Church.

To be carried

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.

“Lord, You said that once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.”

The Lord replied, “My son, My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

- Author Unknown

Welcoming the Fall

September 23rd can't come soon enough for me. Autumn is my favorite season by far. The weather is perfect, the air is crisp and clean and its just cold enough for a sweater, and can't you tell I LOVE sweater weather! But more than that, this is when I truly see the beauty in God's earthly creation. The colors of the maple leaves are truly spectacular, and the whole world seems wrapped in a blanket of beauty and plenty. And part of the plenty is the bounty of apples. This is the simplest and quickest recipe in the world and brings in the true-tested combination of apples, cinnamon, and sugar.

Ingredients

• 2 tart green apples
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 tsp crushed nuts (I used pecans)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Scoop out the core from top of the apple, leaving a well. Do not cut all the way through. Stuff each apple with 1 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/2 tablespoon butter. Place in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon. Top with the nuts.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until sugar begins to caramelize and apples are tender.

Note: This is such a basic recipe that you can add whatever you want to the centre of the apples like: raisins, orange zest, and in my case, dried cranberries

               

Baked Ziti

Can I say yum? Baked ziti is so delicious, and freezes quite well (it also ends up usually making tons of leftovers in most cases). Its also one of the most affordable meals one could make, super comforting and quite fast if you have the sauce pre-made and frozen (as in, make a huge batch of sauce and your set). What more could you ask of a meal?

Ingredients

• 1 pound ziti (I didnt have any so I used mezze penne lisce, which is what I had on hand)
• 2 large onions, sliced into very thin half rings or about
• Garlic (I used 5 cloves)
• 6 slices provolone cheese
• 8 oz container of  sour cream
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• About 3 cups of sauce (I used 2 parts of my arrabiata vegetable sauce and one part meat sauce) 

Directions

• The first thing you have to do is caramelize the onions, in a bit of butter and oil, at medium-low heat. In my experience, this process takes a good long while, at least 30 mns if you want a good flavor, but it can be done in less. Here is a good video on how to do this. The chef uses balsamic vinegar, which is what I use, but you dont absolutely need that. When the onions are halfway thrrough, throw in your garlic.
• When the onions are done, throw in the sauce in the same pan to keep that glaze at the bottom of the onion pan running through your sauce. That way you lose none of your flavors, and only have to clean one pot (double score!). Keep the heat at medium to prevent scorching.
• Next, heat some salted water in a pot to cook your pasta, but only al dente, because it finishes cooking in the oven, so overcooking it in the water would mean a mushy mess in your plate. That should take about 5-6 minutes, no more.
• By now the sauce temperature should have evened out and slightly bubbling away. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream.
• At the bottom of a pyrex glass pan (the ones you use if you want a lasagna), put some of the sauce, then layer half the pasta, half the sauce, and the provolone cheese. Repeat and top with the mozza. Top the cheese with some fresh cracked pepper.
• Bake for about 20 mns. EAT!

I didnt include a picture because although ziti makes a delicious dish, its ugly in photograph LOL