At our family’s Christmas dinner, you will find a combination of old favorites and new recipes we are trying out for the first time. Some of our favorites come to us from generations long gone now, and have stood the test of time. But it seems each year the cooks in the family try out new things and we very much enjoy the additions. Sometimes we find one that’s a keeper and we will see it next year.
Pull out those tattered, faded favorites and share them with us, as well as the newly discovered dishes you want to try.
I am grateful especially at this time of year for the women who taught me to cook so long ago, my wonderful mother in law, as well as my husband’s paternal grandmother and aunt. I had no idea at the time that they were teaching me a skill that would nourish family and friends in ways other than eating.
Posted originally on the CTH on December 1, 2023 | Menagerie
From today’s earlier Advent post:
Silverbeard the Red
December 1, 2023 12:34 pm
Free speech is great. I will leave the politics out of the Advent thread.
Maybe in exchange you could put up a Protestant thread for those of us who hear the voice of God directly and not through human intercessors? You would benefit from hearing our experiences as well, and it would demonstrate a willingness to support free speech.
It was not my intent to be divisive during this holy and joyful season. I had hoped to offer something to all Christians of benefit during these rushed days. That is what all my posts are meant to do. I regret that it is not to be.
I find the above comment reasonable, and in that spirit I am putting up a post for those who would like to share further thoughts in this season (soon) of Advent from a Protestant perspective. I ask my fellow Catholics to respect this as much as we wish our own viewpoints to be given opportunity and attention.
Please note. This is not an open opportunity for anyone to bash the faith of another. It is not a forum for you to argue theology or Protestant vs. Catholic ideas of salvation. This blog is not a place for religious apologetics, it has a different purpose, and there are thousands of sites where you can do that very thing, if you must. You will not do it here. If it becomes too much to moderate this post, I’ll chalk it up to a bad idea and trash it.
Happy Advent, and may we all find ways to open our doors to the Holy Family seeking shelter this season, ways that will deepen our ability to welcome Christ with love, on Christmas and every day.
Advent is a season of preparation that has a twofold purpose. Advent begins with Evening Prayer I of the Sunday falling on or closest to 30 November and ends before evening prayer I of Christmas. We prepare ourselves not only for the coming joy of our celebration of the birth of the Christ child; we also prepare ourselves for the Second Coming of Christ.
For Catholics, Advent is the beginning of the new liturgical year. The seasons of that year have always led me on a journey with Christ each year, and I gain so much in the consistency of the seasons and readings. We begin with Advent, awaiting the birth of Christ, then celebrate the Christmas Octave and season, Epiphany, and then soon begins Lent, in preparation for Easter. Then, after the Easter season ends with Pentecost, we have the bulk of Ordinary Time until the end of the liturgical year, and Advent again.
The readings at Mass reflect these times in the life of Christ. They take us through his birth, baptism, ministry, Passion, Death, and Resurrection. I find Advent and Lent especially to be times that help me prepare to meet Jesus in deeper and more profound ways.
Many Christian denominations celebrate Advent, perhaps in ways a little different from those of us who observe a liturgical calendar and cycle. But the focus, the point, is to prepare for the coming of Jesus.
We will have posts for each Sunday of Advent, beginning this weekend. I ask that you save political comments for the other posts. Please, give people a place to think about and discuss something else. I hope these posts will be an aid to all who stop in here during this busy season, an invitation to take a moment and find the reason we prepare for Christmas.
Posted originally on the CTH on June 18, 2023 | Menagerie
This is a re-post of something I wrote several years ago for Father’s Day. I think this Father’s Day weekend is a good time to share it again, and now is a good time to celebrate and appreciate God’s gift of manhood.
47 years ago tomorrow I was blessed to marry the most wonderful man in the world. From the time I met him, just before I turned 18, he became the yardstick I measured all men by. He’s never failed to keep that bar high.
He inspired this post. I love him with all my heart. He has my respect, my loyalty, my admiration. He deserved the best of wives in return, but never complained about settling for me.
26 God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground.’
27 God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.
I had an experience this weekend that made me think about men, about masculinity. It seems manhood is under attack these days from many directions. Indeed, in my opinion, a part of what so offends so many people about President Trump, especially liberals and sissy Never Trumpers is his unapologetic masculinity. He is a man who knows his power and embraces it.
That being said (and I can’t believe I put it in here, knowing where it could lead) please don’t make this another political free for all. My point here is broader. I’m asking you to take your politics to the presidential thread. I’ll trash any off topic conversations or the whole post if needed.
To all you guys out there, tough guys, whether you express that inner strength clad in a business suit or well worn jeans and work boots, please accept the appreciation and approval of those of us who celebrate who and what you are, and what you do. Every day in ways large and small, you go out and just get the job done. You don’t ask for approval, thanks, or cheers, because it just wouldn’t occur to you, and you are too busy getting things done to stop for recognition.
Lots of feminists have a problem with men. I believe they throw around terms like patriarchy, which they probably never looked up in their Funk and Wagnalls. Some humans with an X chromosome, and a few without one, appear to be threatened by the reality of masculinity.
Get a grip chicks, if you are really okay with who and what you are, men are not a threat, but a gift, not competition, but complementary. If your “feminine power” must be derived from the destruction of the epic event of God’s creation, you are pathetic already and men have nothing to do with that failure, you own it.
I’m not even going to waste breath here encouraging men to not allow women to define their masculinity. He who does that is already beyond my poor advice.
All ages, sizes, colors, and other assorted variations. You were different from the moment of conception, and thank God for that. As a child you were faster, stronger, dirtier, and louder. You were often fearless while I stood beside you weighing the odds and assessing the situation. You climbed the tree while I looked for the ladder. You snuck out with the family car while I was cajoling dad for the keys.
In my day, back in the Dark Ages, as we grew into teens and young men and women, some of you actually appreciated my femininity and rewarded me with attention and admiration. Many of you were kind enough to open doors for me, walk alongside the curb beside me, and lift heavy objects before I tried to. You paid the bill for our dates, and if you ever wanted another one, you walked me to the door.
Because God is good, and loving, and gives us abundant graces and good things, in the early days of my womanhood, I fell in love with this wondrous creature God made from dust and clay. That right there ought to be a hint to us, man from dirt, earthy, strong, fundamental. But, I digress.
I married a man. A for real and not apologizing for it man. He has muscles and strength and brawn and intelligence and toughness, a toughness that nothing in this world has ever even come close to breaking. Not even a little crack. Not once in all our years (47 Monday) has he ever even paused in the face of terrible trials and hardships. Now, I know him. I know that he isn’t a robot and he isn’t superman. Sure he’s had doubts, fears, and moments of desperation.
He never once, not one time, not ever, considered giving in to them. On his shoulders landed the burdens that would have crushed me and our family without him. God alone knows the weight he bore. His faith was apparent and he led our family to church, led us in faith and worship. The kind that isn’t really so much talked about as lived.
So today, as we honor fathers, I just wanted to throw out a little appreciation for men. I pray that as the world turns and we learn from our mistakes, someday it is popular and honored for men to be men again. Soldiers, sailors, welders, business men, salesmen, teachers, pipefitters, mechanics, electricians, truck drivers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, preachers, rabbis, priests. Fathers, husbands, sons.
Thank you, God, for making men. Thank you for making them in your image. Thank you for all the wonderful men you gifted us with, especially your Son. Thank you for fathers who tirelessly protect and defend families, and not just their own. We pray that you sustain them each day and reward the fruits of their labor with strong families fit to handle the terrible troubles we face.
Happy Father’s Day guys, from the Treehouse to all of you.
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them here to me. And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, ‘The master has need of them.’ Then he will send them at once.” This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: Say to daughter Zion, “Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them. They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them, and he sat upon them. The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.” And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Posted originally on the CTH on December 24, 2022 | Sundance
“Years from now, it is unlikely anyone will remember that thing they unwrapped. What they will remember, what will have much greater impact, is a message from YOU to THEM that they matter, that they are loved.” ~Sundance
I first wrote about the great foreboding in 2021. I never thought it would apply to a second, let alone a third, advent. Essentially, this national foreboding narrative stems from a Godless political message intended to diminish the true meaning of this celebration. Seriously! Stop for a minute. Just stop.
Stop and think about the purpose of that narrative, and then ask yourself, are you succumbing to it?
This is the day of great joy, the greatest joy of all. A day when we celebrate a loving and purposeful blessing provided to us by our Creator. The universal truth. The pure perfection of a loving Child born in the most ordinary fashion for us, to us, to guide and share the most blessed and purposeful message that could ever be delivered to mankind: You are Loved.
Pause amid the human distractions. That message of love is pure.
Stop, sit in peace and join together in the joy.
Yes, it is true, all around us is this great sense of foreboding ugh, and it’s not just connected to a virus; it’s everything before and everything since. Everything being created around us is weird, everything created around us is less comfortable, everything created around us is intended to project less joy – and as a consequence, it requires an intensity of thought just to carry on ordinary events.
Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is tonight and tomorrow. Yet, almost everything created around us seems purposefully placed to distract from that joy – and focus our attention on what joy we are missing.
Diminished faith creates anxiety, a sense of foreboding, a sense of fear and worry and a sense of trepidation. Additionally, evil tribesman know the strategy to create the environment for control, isolation.
Isolation, the tool to remove hope, begins with a diminishment of God. A faith-filled person is never alone.
In our daily lives, we encounter ordinary disconnects now. For many, isolation from the workplace has disconnected our sense of interaction, our human connection. Unfortunately, and as a natural outcome of these social and technological advancements, we are accepting disconnect and creating a void inside ourselves. At the same time many are physically disconnected from their families.
Many families will not gather this year to celebrate the joyous event of Christ’s birth. Perhaps parents and grandparents will not see their adult children for the first time in years. Perhaps destabilized families are disconnecting as they succumb to cultural fractures, economic challenges and purposeful roadblocks created by people who appointed themselves as leaders.
It is almost unbelievable when you contemplate the damage. Politicians, yes P.O.L.I.T.I.C.I.A.N.S, have created terms and conditions, instructions for you and me, with the expectation that somehow, we will adhere to their fiats or accept their cultural aspersions. I reject this.
I reject this effort with every fiber of my being.
Division, regardless of intent, is not a term or condition that I will accept. However, amid all of this bombardment, flux and ugh, even simple tasks like decorating the Christmas tree feel somehow senseless, seem less joyful.
Perhaps financial worry, again driven by the outcomes of man, stems the joy in shopping for family and friends. Perhaps the shine within the cheer is slightly dimmed, because all around us is something we cannot quite describe, yet we feel it.
Perhaps tears flow at times, and we struggle to understand what this unusual anxiety is all about. Then, we begin to struggle with the feelings of shame or guilt for being weak and allowing our humanity to pour out of our human selves. Then, at the worst possible time in the year, our faith organizations are slow to understand the importance of fellowship and community amid an upheaval that has taken our center from under our feet.
The insufferable lack of regional leaders standing tall only makes the anxiety worse. Where is the brave?
Where are the purposeful few who know the benefit of larger messages? I do not fault their absence, because their void reminds me to stop, look at that face I see while brushing my teeth, and remember the greatest strength of all is from within. Nothing has the capacity to remove the strength provided by a loving God unless we allow it to, unless we allow them to.
As our grip on our familiar surroundings becomes more tenuous, we are faced with dictates and mandates that only exacerbate the issues our community faces. Meanwhile, this ridiculous media drumbeat an incessant noise intent on destabilizing us. Perhaps we cannot quite put our finger on why the impact is worse now…. but it is. This effort of theirs is more impactful. It is all ugh. It is all just ugh.
If you find the assembly of these simple words familiar to your current sense, first understand YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Second, understand there is nothing wrong with you. This blanket of anxiety is laying across our entire nation, indeed the entire world, and no matter where we stand – we are all sensing a various level of this ‘ugh’ with some familiarity. However, that said, it is important to know this is transitional. We will not be in this place long. This too shall pass.
How do we shake these destabilizing feelings and emotions?
How do we reconnect to the core-spirit we carry in our lives?
These are the questions we should use to leverage ourselves back to a center of peace and hope. These are the questions that empower us to recharge our sense of purpose and life within the lives of others, including our community, family and friends.
♦ The first way we shake this ‘ugh’, is to give to others without reservation. Giving with purpose is the true spirit of human contact. The giving is not related to money or wealth, the giving is related to our human purpose. Perhaps we give a smile. Perhaps we give a kind word. Perhaps we give a compliment, or perhaps we just give time to another.
You could give a more valuable gift this year to anyone simply by reaching them. Perhaps send an email; or better yet, write a letter to a dear friend or family member, or just pick up the phone. Reach out and tell them they matter and express why their place in this life of yours is important. Remind them of your specific thankfulness and connect to the purpose of why we endeavor in this thing we call life.
Years from now, it is unlikely anyone will remember that thing they unwrapped. What they will remember, what will have much greater impact, is a message from YOU to THEM that they matter, that they are loved.
That moment you create, perhaps those multiple moments provided by your strength, will NEVER be forgotten.
That look in your eye or sound of your voice that reached into them and emphasized their value, their worth, their importance. That is the gift they will remember in great detail, forever.
The important thing is to give, and to do it without any other intent or purpose than to fill their heart.
♦ Within the giving, remind yourself what this journey is all about, and look around to recognize how fortunate we are to have this life. Choose to cherish the ultimate gift from a loving God who wants joy and hope to permeate our human sense.
Hope is the one necessary human element beyond all other facets of life. Give the gift of hope and light to those you love by first reminding yourself of the gift that a loving God has given us all. It is too easy in our human sense to forget the biggest gift we have been granted, the gift of life. The ability to live and choose how we engage in the lives of others.
Remind yourself of the kind of purposeful HOPE that would leave the most glorious throne to be born into a manger as a baby, only to grow into a Man willing to lay down His everything for the flawed people amid humanity. Why? Because that hope is pure. That love is perfect.
No politics or false sense of security can overwhelm the message of HOPE that a loving God has provided. No effort of man or human disposition can surmount the greatest love of all. The message of Christ’s birth is bigger and greater than any COVID virus or legislative battle.
“No power of hell, nor scheme of man” can come close to the purpose of God’s intent and love for you as a unique person qualified to receive that love.
Wrap yourself in the blanket of that unconditional love. Stop what you are doing.
Pause in the peace of this moment… set down your troubles, LISTEN and FEEL.
“Long lay the world in sin and error pining, til He appeared and the souls felt its worth. A thrill of HOPE; the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn…”
Let the tears flow, and with them release the foreboding. Engage in the next moment with a loving purpose filled with the HOPE that He provides. Fall forward to the centered purpose of your life, a very special life, and reflect on the gift we are too quick to diminish.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”
I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
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