Spontaneous Lenten Pasta

Yesterday I was running around, getting ready for a house guest coming from the old country and preparing for Boy's preschool birthday celebration today. It wasn't pretty. Priest-husband gave me the ultimate gift; he took the two littles with him to the airport so the two bigs and I could clean without the littles undoing everything.  But by the time 7 PM rolled around and priest-husband called with a half-hour warning, I still hadn't gotten to the grocery store.

Uh-oh. I like to live on the edge. As a kitchen adrenaline-junkie, it is not uncommon for me to go to the store with no idea what I am going to make for guests. I'll chose whatever meat and produce is on sale and looks the best and go from there with no official recipe. But I've never worked just from the pantry and freezer when preparing food for guests. Here's what I made, meatless-but-not-vegan for a Tuesday in Lent, in a half hour:

Yummy Green Pasta-in-a-Hurry

In a frying pan, drain and saute one large bag of frozen chopped spinach and one bag of frozen artichoke hearts with some olive oil. Add half a head of freshly crushed garlic. 

Boil pasta in a large pot. I used Trader Joe's Fiber-rich Penne. Drain when pasta is al dente, and then add the spinach mixture to the drained pasta. Add two big spoonfuls of basil pesto (use just basil or another favorite herb to stay vegan). Mix and then taste. Add salt and pepper if needed. 

Serve with bread (your guest is from the old country where they eat bread with bread!) after the shrimp cocktail and fruit salad appetizers. Promise yourself never to put yourself in this crazy position again......grocery store before cleaning....grocery store before cleaning.....

The pasta was yummy. I don't have a photo because I can't find the charger to the battery cartridge of the camera. I guess I have more cleaning to do. But in any case, the pasta was yummy. The color contrast between the khaki green of the artichokes and the dark green of the spinach was nice. And anything is delicious with garlic and basil pesto. I didn't have tomatoes to add to the plate (didn't get to the grocery store, natch), so I served very, very addictive Lebanese purple pickled turnips. Run, don't walk to your nearest ethnic-type store and buy some. Just don't blame me when a jar lasts only a day. My two-year old just finished one. 

image from flitzyphoebie.blogspot.com

Family Size does NOT Equal Birth Control Usage

- I know someone who, married for over ten years, has never become pregnant and has never used any birth control

- I know someone who had six children and used artificial birth control between pregnancies to space the children.

- I know someone who had biological children, got sterilized, later regretted the decision and went on to adopt multiple children. 

- I know a young woman who suffered a stroke from using the pill  for her acne.

 not cool- but many people think "one kid= she's using artificial birth control"

- I know someone married for six or so years who has two children. She doesn't use anything artificial. 

- I know someone married thirty years who has one child. She never used artificial birth control or even NFP to 'space' while waiting for another child.

- Years ago, three of my teaching colleagues discussed their husbands' vasectomies in the coffee room (classy, no?). My colleagues had four children between the three of them. One husband became impotent after the surgery and the two others had urinary problems.

-I have 'only' four children (along with a baby miscarried at 20 weeks) and have never used artificial birth control.

- In my tiny little 'Catholic bubble,' there are married women with no children, one or two children, and up to ten children. They don't use any artificial birth control. Some use NFP to space; some use it to conceive. A few women might be 'Providentialists' and disagree with using NFP for anything but the most grave and serious reasons. But nature and nursing usually keeps even their family sizes to eight or less children. 


Assuming anything when one looks at the family size can be very hurtful. I think every woman has a story- infertility, medical problems, high-fertility, miscarriage, abortion, crisis pregnancy. I can't really think of any woman who doesn't have one kind of issue or another when it comes to baby-making. This is part of our cross as women. In the blogosphere, there are many places for support for infertile Catholic women who are trying to conceive through natural means. They are such heroes to me! The non-infertile blogger Leila has a really great blog list of her infertile Catholic friends- look to the right and start clicking for many, many stories of faithful women who would love to have their first or second (because of secondary infertility) child. There are also many beautiful stories of finding a child through domestic and international adoption. But my point is- unlike the evil comic above, don't assume someone is using artifical birth control. If she is a friend, let her share her story.


“The pain I feel now is the happiness I had before. That's the deal.” said C.S. Lewis. Babies are just about the most wonderful thing on earth, but they don't come without complications. The sword that pierced Mary's heart is also for all mothers and women. So if someone tells you that their one girl-one boy-family is 'perfect' and 'they're done'- you know. If someone is out and announcing how proud she is about 'fixing' her husband, you know. If you are especially close to someone, you might be comfortable asking why she has 'only' one child. Perhaps she is amazed that she was able to have the one child with all her medical complications. And sadly, you can't assume about that family down the street with twelve children. We might think- they are so open to life! But what is sometimes true is a 'quiver-full' mentality where the babies are purposely nursed for less than three months so the mother will get her fertility back so the next arrow in the husband's quiver can be conceived.


“To love at all (or to be a parent or even try to be a parent for even in the openness and desire for parenthood this comes about- P's W) is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.” (C.S. Lewis again)...this is all about prayer and making a world where children are seen as gifts. It is about strong, non-abusive marriages. It is about self-esteem for girls (does a girl really need to have sex when she is 15?) and women. It is about decent economic and education policies. It is about a peaceful world where a woman can have some confidence that her child can grow up safe. It's complicated, yes, but it is not all about that Pill.

Quirky, Maybe: Thoughts from the Homeschooling Trenches

--- "You can call us quirky, but please don’t call us dumb," Dorian Speed, maybe-temporary homeschooling-mom and always blogger, published my motto for 2012.

--- quirk  (kwûrk)

n. 1. A peculiarity of behavior; an idiosyncrasy: "Every man had his own quirks and twists" (Harriet Beecher Stowe).

2. An unpredictable or unaccountable act or event; a vagary: a quirk of fate.

3. A sudden sharp turn or twist.

4. An equivocation; a quibble.

5. Architecture A lengthwise groove on a molding between the convex upper part and the soffit.

--- So, we are quirky- definition #1, of course. Is it 'normal' that my homeschoolers look forward to memorizing Modern Middle English/Early Modern English? Last weekend, my two oldest daughters performed in a production of Shakespeare's Winter's Tale. One daughter was Hermione; the other was Camillo. The production was made up of homeschoolers, ages eight to sixteen, who met once a week for seven months to get the play together. It was a joy to see.

--- We are quirky to public schooling friends. The kids cannot imagine what it is like to be around mom and the little ones all day, and the moms cannot imagine taking charge of their kids' education. It is pretty scary, I give you that!

--- I think my older girls feel quirky even to themselves. They know they don't really fit in anywhere. I think my eldest (almost 13) felt a bit relieved when I made her a Google account today. Yes, I know the password. She knows that I will read her stuff before she opens it. But she felt good being able to share her email address with her friends from Shakespeare.

--- I think my kids feel pretty comfortable in their own skins, but again they also betray a bit of pride and relief when they can identify a song by Taylor Swift. They know what Justin Beiber and the Jonas Brothers look like because of the boxes of granola bars that we purchase from the 99 cent store. They have never heard a song by them. We are not classical homeschoolers, but they know old fairy tales (edited by Andrew Lang, please) better than the newest YA novels. There is time for all that is good and true. 

--- I think it might be easier to be either Amish-like, completely shut off from the secular world, or totally worldly, allowing my daughters to play video games and watch normal television like Glee and watch PG-13 rated movies. On this impossible tightrope of the balance I am seeking, we are quirky to the 'Amish' and to the normal people. My girls dance ballet, sometimes listen to Elton John or The Monkees and wear jeans occasionally. They know the difference between John Lennon's and Paul McCartney's voices. This is just not acceptable for some. But we're fasting from meat and going to church a lot. My daughters can cantor, but not serve at the altar, a bi-lingual Liturgy. We homeschool and hang out with each other. Now that is quirky.

--- It will be interesting to see how this all works out. Motherhood is always a bit of an experiment.But no matter what and however my children will be angry with me when they are grown, if they are honest with themselves, they will know my intentions were good. 

--- Dorian also says, and I so very much agree that in homeschooling "We're not afraid of the world - rather, we venture into it together with our children." 

more quick takes at conversiondiary.com

Very Easy Veggie Stew

This is embarrassingly easy- but it is what is waiting for us after church services this evening:

Peel and parboil 6 carrots and 8 potatoes.

In a crockpot set to 'high,' place one large can of diced tomatoes with juice.

Peel and crush one full head of garlic; place in crockpot.

Put carrots and potatoes in crockpot. Add chopped celery if you have it.

Add half a bag of frozen pearl onions (or one large diced onion) in crockpot. Stir.

A few hours later, turn to low and add half a bag each of frozen peas (or green beans) and corn (I like lots of color in my stew).

Next, add about 10 oz. of chopped fresh mushrooms or a can of mushrooms if that is what is on hand (if the family likes them).

Go to the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.

When you get home, add some vegetable bullion to taste and any freshly chopped herbs you have on hand- at least fresh parsley. Put salt and pepper on the table along with 'Red Hot.'

Have the kids set the table, adding bread with hummus (to stay vegan) or egg salad (to stay meatless) and maybe pickles along with peaches or applesauce for dessert.

Say your prayers and enjoy a very easy meal.

in the Lenten desert- but with the hope of Easter!

PRAYER BEFORE MEALS 

The poor shall eat and be filled, and they that seek the Lord shall praise him; their hearts shall live for ever and ever. O Christ God, bless + the food and drink of Your servants for You are holy always, now and ever, and forever. Amen.

PRAYER AFTER MEALS

We thank You, Christ our God, for You have satisfied us with the good things of Your earth. Do not deprive us of Your heavenly kingdom but as You appeared to Your disciples, O Savior, granting them peace-come also to us and save us. Lord have mercy (Three times) Give the blessing. Blessed is our God who, through His grace and loving kindness, is merciful to us and nourishes us from the abundance of His gifts, always, now and ever, and forever. Amen. 

guest post replay: On Easter, part 2

...continuing a guest post by the Western Rite Sister in the South (as opposed to the Eastern Rite Priest’s Wife in the West)

After a mere five hours of sleep (this is the standard amount of sleep for every parent in the U.S. preceding Christmas and Easter mornings), hubby and I both arose to light candles and welcome the most important morning of the year, commemorating the most important day of history! Dad brewed the morning joe while I searched the computer on youtube for some good time Alleluia tunes.  Keith Green’s Easter Song filled the kitchen, “Joy to the World, He is risen!  Alleluia!”  Sipping cream-infused java and praising the Risen Lord woke our sleepy heads upstairs.  What a beautiful family morning!  Chocolate, marshmallows, jelly beans and patience with younger siblings abounded. 

I searched for the  Alleluia Chorus on youtube, the perfect Easter song to sing.  On the computer screen, there appeared a random group of people chowing down in a food court in a mall somewhere.  Suddenly, the strains of Handel could be heard over the loudspeaker.  People noticed in mid-munch and then resumed eating.  A young woman seemingly on a cell phone stood up at her table and sang the first stanzas of “Alleluia, Alleluia”.  She was joined by a scarf-clad tenor across the court….it was clearly a set up.  A beautiful random act of kindness kinda thing put on by a marvelous choir posing as shoppers, workers and store owners.  It is what is known as a “flashmob.” One by one, even the innocuous bystanders joined in, and so did we.  It was truly inspiring.  Our family was filled with Easter joy as we changed into Sunday best, which had been flung wrinkled on the floor from the night before, and filed into our mega van.   

As we entered the church, the perfume of lilies greeted our noses.  AAH….the sensuality of Catholicism is like no other!  The pews were filling in with much welcomed guests….OK folks, you’ll wanna come back after this nuptial feast!  The organ began to bellow….here it comes, kids; belt ‘er out!  And then…. That was it.  Most choir members were out of town.  The minor chord Alleuia intoned by a single cantor.  Standard homily (and this pastor was also hitting the hay early, he’d had a long week too).  An off-key One Bread, One Body for Communion.  They must have run out of incense and holy water as well, as none were to be found.  We ended with a barely audible Jesus Christ is Ris’n Today. “This is like a funeral Mass,” commented my usually effervescent husband.   

We drove home past several churches, expelling crowds of beautifully adorned congregants beaming with joy….some roofs seemed to be bumped off their soffits from the choruses inside.  I started to miss my old Protestant days.  But no—we have the contrast of Lent, and an entire season of Easter…..  We kept our disappointment to ourselves, as chocolate bunnies and computer games seemed to satiate the souls of our young.  As long as they could get back to our Saturday Family Movie Night with Don Knotts, our kids knew that Lent was over.  But, how to help them remember that Easter had begun?  It can’t just be 'back to business,' we are a changed people!   

We would just have to fend for ourselves.  It is kind of like filling your own plastic eggs if Mom and Dad are just too tired to do it.  Maybe a few pastors don’t realize that they act like lazy parents who buy the prepackaged Walmart basket, never realizing that their parish family needs 'optional' traditions that elevate the Resurrection. Lent cleans me out, and Easter fills me up!