Lenten progress and the continuing saga of new food with picky children...

Hello all! I'm coming off of a very lovely, albeit disastrous March Madness bracket, weekend. :) It feels like a long time since I last talked to you! Although it's only been 3 days. So, let's see, what's happening...

Lent is in full swing, and Easter is less than a month away. How is everyone's Lent going? I always keep it real here on this blog, so I'll admit that mine is going "just ok." :) My spiritual dryness persists, and Mass with the kids has been less than inspiring of late. They have both been super good, no complaints there, it's just so exhausting hauling them there every week by myself. I think part of it is this interminable winter we're having. The routine surrounding bundling up and schleping out to the car with two kids, one of whom is always whining about going to church, is just soul sucking. I also miss *hearing* a lot in Mass lately because of Anne wanting my attention or needing to use the potty. This too shall pass, but right now Sunday Mass isn't the transcendent experience I would like it to be. ;-)

I also haven't been keeping up with my Morning and Evening Prayer. Sometimes I do it, but often I don't. I do pray my rosary in the car, and meditating upon the Sorrowful Mysteries each day definitely brings Lent to the forefront of my mind. I need to get to confession. I haven't been in months, and that could be contributing to my dryness. If I can, I will get there tomorrow. I have been avoiding sweets at lunch, as per my initial resolution, and the discipline involved in that has been good for me.

And so, that's kind of...that. It's not going *poorly*. It's not like I'm doing nightly battles with a forked tail creature or anything. My faith is always an important part of who I am, even during spells like this I just always hope that I don't take it for granted.

In food news, we had a real good weekend. Last night I made pulled pork in the crock pot (this recipe is AWESOME, you must try it!), steamed broccoli, and homemade apple crisp for dessert. It went over BIG. Both kids ate their food with very little complaint. The fresh apple crisp I think would even make a wonderful breakfast dish (without ice cream, of course :)). Very versatile! I used a recipe out of my Betty Crocker cookbook, but it's very similar to this one, I just substituted whole wheat flour. I did use brown sugar, but if you'd prefer to sweeten with honey, you could use this recipe.

So, overall I would say things are going well. There are going to be ups and downs, but on the whole we have made improvements to the way we eat and the kids are adjusting. I'll take it. :)

How was your weekend? I'll be back tomorrow, and Wednesday I'm scheduled to review March's selection for the Catholic Book Club, Dedicated to God!

Weekend cooking and other obsessive activities

This weekend, I did a lot of cooking. On Saturday, I made a pot of Cheddar Broccoli soup, which turned out awesome. Mike and I loved it. Hank couldn't get past the broccoli (sigh) but for the two of us, it was great. Yesterday, we went over some friends' house for dinner (Halftime Chili, wonderful for a winter day), but after we returned home, I was hard at work in the kitchen, making sauce and meatballs that we could feast on today.

Mike wanders in, and I'm frantically kneading ground beef and other assorted meatball fixins'.

Mike: "Oh wow. You're nesting, aren't you?"

Yes, I totally am. Not that I plan on saving any of this food for when the baby comes in, you know, MAY. But when I nest, I just really want to do things around the house and home. I also weeded Hank's toy collection in preparation for Christmas.

Someday soon I need to tackle our small storage area. All of the baby stuff and clothes are in the *back*, so this will be a major late winter/early spring nesting project. This time though, I have to admit, our attitude toward the new addition is a lot more practical and cavalier.

Adorable baby bedding? Zilch. All you need is about 3-4 solidly constructed crib sheets. Since, you know, the baby will spit up on them, pee on them, and have poo explosions (coined term: "poosplosions") on them pretty frequently. They get washed a lot.

Nursery? Don't need one. :) The baby will be sleeping with us for a couple of months. We'll need a changing table, and I would like the crib set up for naps. But we're using that room for an office right now, and don't plan to paint it and get it organized until late spring.

Dainty baby clothes? We'll use whatever is left over from Hank, even if the baby is a girl. She can wear blue!

Multitude of baby equipment? Using a weeded down version of what we have left from Hank. Pack n' play? Only for sleep when traveling. Will the baby actually play in there? HA! That would be no. We tried putting Hank in there once and he acted like we had just put him in a cell and thrown away the key. My mom claims that we used to play in our play pens "for hours" but I think she's suffering from yet another instance of the diagnosed syndrome "Grandmother Brain." I am doubting that this actually happened the way she's remembering it. :)

Swing? This is a necessity, and the only piece of baby equipment I'll consent to set up in our downstairs living space. Once the baby outgrows the swing, I'll swap it out for the Exersaucer, because that thing is also a life saver. I was dubious when I first had Hank, but I was wrong. You want to take a shower and the baby is awake with no other hands to hold baby? Swing/Exersaucer. For 10-15 minute increments, these things saved my bacon.

Bouncy seat? Nah. High chair, yes we have one. I do love it, despite it's sheer ugliness. Even for small babies, if you need your hands freed up in the kitchen, ours reclines, and baby can lounge in there while you cook. It's nice, because you can wheel it around with you if need be.

I am going to try a sling this time, and we do need a new diaper pail. We also need a new stroller, since ours from Hank is completely worn out. Definitely got our moneys worth out of that guy.

I really feel like I don't need to prepare that much. But this is now. April will be another story.

Weekend plans, and fall food

The fall semester begins in 2 weeks, and as is usually the case this time of year, I panic. I definitely don't feel ready for the crush that is the first 2 weeks of school. Thankfully, I did get my article finished and submitted this summer. My tenure dossier preparation process is only a little over a year away, and that publication is very much needed for that. That was the main thing, so I'm grateful that I was able to meet that goal. However, my to-do list burgeons over with other projects. What can one do, right? I do what I can at work, and leave it when I go home.

I've been eschewing the humid weather and have started using my oven again. I can't take the summer moratorium on cooking any longer, and I'm happily back on a healthy eating plan. The current issue of Woman's Day, September 2010, has some awesome recipes in it. I espied it last weekend while waiting at the hair salon, and went out to buy a copy I liked the recipes so much. We had fish tacos this week (that went somewhat disastrously with my Henry eating plan - he hated the corn tortillas and vomited after consuming a bite of avocado. The joys of parenthood) as well as an awesome Taco Beef Casserole.

Tonight, I'm making an old standby, chicken with stuffing. You pop some chicken breasts into a 9x13 pan, mix a can of cream of mushroom (or cream of chicken, etc., you preference) with some skim milk and add it to the bottom of the pan. Make stuffing of your choice (I've been getting the ultra easy Stove Top made with whole wheat) and set around the chicken. Bake at 350 for one hour, or until breasts are done. Add slice of cheese of your choice to the top of breasts and melt at the end. It's a good one.

This weekend should be quiet, with just some house stuff going on. I've been really into my fall knitting. My bear is nearly done, he just needs a face. But his body is assembled, and he's very happy about this development. I'm working on Hank's requested black and yellow hat, and I may start some socks and a sweater. Catholic Librarian is a happy knitter these days.

Crafting away, and the joys of spring break...

It's spring break here on campus, and for me, that means a nice reprieve from the busyness of the library. I'm actually having time to work on some book reviews for the Catholic library periodical that I write for, and generally experience some quiet time in my office to get small things done. This isn't that much different from spring breaks back in my own college years. I wasn't exactly what you would call a "party animal" at any point in my life. Spring break meant that I had more time for my leisure reading. *snorts* It's little wonder that I didn't have the guys beating down my door...

Yesterday, I left work after my morning reference shift so that I could spend additional time with my in-laws prior to the end of their visit. I made a meatless dinner that earned praise, so I thought I'd reproduce it here. The joy of all my dinner recipes is that they are EASY. I'm no cook extraordinare. Anyhow...

Spinach Ravioli Bake

1 pkg. (10 oz. or so) frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 pkg. frozen ravioli (approx. 24 oz. to feed 2; I used 3/4 of a 48 oz. bag to feed 4 adults and 1 child)
1 medium pkg. part skim mozzarella cheese, grated
Parmesean cheese
Tomato sauce

All you need to do is layer the above in a casserole dish as follows: sauce, ravioli (yes, go ahead and pop them in there still frozen), spinach, mozzarella cheese, and then sprinkle parmesean cheese. Do this 2 or 3 times. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes, and voila! Instant meat-free goodness.

I'm always very self-conscious (surprise, surprise...) when I cook for others. I spend the whole dinner with my little mind all awhirl; "do they like it?" "how fast are they eating it?" "are they going up for seconds?" "is it warm enough?" "should I...?!*" This is all complicated by the fact that my mother-in-law is enviably slender and eats like a bird. I'm always frantic that she doesn't like what I make and secretly thinks that it's all too fattening, although she always tells me that she does like it. So, again with the crazy thing.

Another thing that I do when my in-laws visit is crochet and knit my little heart out. I'm incapable of simply sitting and relaxing when I have houseguests. I'm either tornadoing around the house, or I else I have to have something in my hands. So, the stitches were flyin' this weekend. I finished my inaugural baby hat:



It has a bit of what I call "Loose Pom Pom Syndrome" which is really bugging me, but I can't fix it now. I think I'll just hold this one in reserve for a potential future male Baby CatholicLibrarian. Did you all know that there are such inventions as Pom Pom *makers*? I sure didn't. But I found out, and even had a fight with one this very weekend. The yarn simply didn't want to wind around the maker the way it was supposed to. I fixed it's wagon by cutting a slit in the Pom Pom maker and then it complied.

As well, I finally finished the spring placemats and centerpiece:

They need to be blocked, which I hope to get to this weekend. That should be interesting, as I've never done it before. These are made of cotton, so let's hope they don't end up miniature sized when I'm finished with them. I'm now working on baby hat #2, improved edition, and I'm about to start a scarf and shawl bonanza with leftover yarn that I have in my stash. I want to make some for my sisters for Easter, and a few for myself. A girl can never have too many scarves and shawls.

Oh and...*IMPORTANT ALERT* JoAnn's is having a *huge* sale this week. We're talking coupon commotion here, people. I have my eye on some of the new Stitch Nation yarn, created by Debbie Stoller, author of the Stitch 'n Bitch books, as well as some pattern books. The amount of excitement that I feel at the prospect of a trip to my local craft store is really quite comical.

Lenten recipe and a book suggestion...

I haven't posted about meatless recipes or Lenten book suggestions for a few days, so I thought I'd do both today. Last night, I made one of my new favorite meat-free on-the-go dinners. I call it "Chick Pea Pita Pockets."

All you do is sautee some fresh galic in olive oil, and then add a can of chick peas and a package of spinach (I use fresh, although you could use frozen if you prefer). Cook the spinach down, and then squeeze a fresh lemon overtop. Serve in toasted pita pockets. Additional add-ons include feta cheese, chopped tomatoes, or avocadoes.

Very good, and quite healthy. On a food note, I wanted to recommend a book that I read a few Lents ago. It's Facing East: A Pilgrim's Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy, by Frederica Mathewes-Green. Granted, this is not a Catholic book, but it is a thought-provoking religious memoir all the same. What I liked about the book is how the author takes us through a year in the life of her new Orthodox congregation, beginning in Lent. Of all religious traditions (it seems to me, at least) we mostly know the least about Eastern Orthodoxy. I guess because their numbers are pretty small in this area of the world. But it's a beautiful, rich faith, and I enjoyed learning about it. One of the issues that she touches upon is fasting. The Orthodox abide by a very rigid menu for fasting, and avoid all meat, fish *and* dairy for Lent, which they call the Great Fast. Fascinating stuff. I also enjoyed learning about their liturgy and prayer life. A highly recommended memoir.

A wedding? You'd think that would be self evident. Not necessarily so - a tale of my weekend...

I had a good weekend, and I'll backtrack to that in a moment. But first, I wanted to start with a sweet anecdote from this morning. Henry had a dentist appointment this morning, and since Mike had class, I took him. We arrive, and are taken back to a dental chair.

Wide-eyed and anxious looking, Hank slips in. The hygienist is all perky, trying to get him to talk and smile.

"Hi Henry! How are you doing today? Did you brush your teeth this..."

"I WANT MY MOMMY."

He was not in a mood to be trifled with :) But he ended up doing great. Precious little sweetie.

Anyway, so my weekend. As you well know, Mass this weekend would mark my first major headcovering experience for my Lenten pilot project. I was all excited. I had chosen my outfit earlier in the day (we attended the Saturday evening vigil Mass this week), and about 15 minutes before we were slated to leave, I went to choose my covering. The one that went with my outfit best was actually the black velvet headband, so I strapped that on. I felt very cute.

I emerged from the bathroom, and Mike noticed right away.

"Oh! I like your hair thing."

:)

We pull up to a church for 4 pm Mass that we don't usually attend. Mike and I had dinner plans that evening, Sunday morning I was invited to a wedding shower brunch (eliminating Sunday morning Mass as a possibility), and my parish doesn't have a vigil that was as early as we needed for our dinner reservations; thus, we ventured down to a gorgeous church in the city. We'd been there before, but not for some time. And Mike often wants to accompany me to Mass when I go to one of the older churches, since they're so beautiful in this area. Thus, it worked out well. We pull up, and I immediately sense something going on.

"Why are all those girls in matching red dresses going up the stairs?"

My first thought was that I wanted to crochet them some shawls right then and there, because their dresses left a lot of skin exposed :) But also important,

"Do you think there's a wedding?"

Mike pshaws. "No, I don't think so. How could there be? I know they have regular Mass at 4."

I raise my eyebrows at my non-practicing Catholic husband, because he does take his Mass times very seriously.

He adds, "Maybe the wedding is after this Mass. Maybe they're just early."

"Maybe." *skeptical* "Look, there's more dressed up people. Oh wait. Oh dear."

"What?"

"There's a bride. There is clearly a bride. And she's coming out of a limo."

We both crane our necks. Girl wearing a full-out bridal gown mounts the stairs.

Mike remains very hopeful that we'll get to attend a 4pm vigil. "But wait. Doesn't that look like the groom? Why would they be arriving together?"

"I don't know. But it *is* possible to get married during a regularly scheduled Mass. You don't get to choose the readings and do all the customization that a separate wedding liturgy allows, but it technically can be done. Maybe they're doing that. Sometimes people want a later Saturday wedding ceremony, and the vigil is the only way to have a wedding after 2 pm in a Catholic Church, usually."

Mike looks utterly flummoxed. "Really?"

"Yeah. I've never seen it done, but I know that you can do it."

We continue to spy on people entering the church, and see people wearing clear non-wedding attendance clothes, so figure that the regular vigil is still on. We get out and head in.

As we enter the church, we see the wedding crowd all jammed into the front hallway, right out in the open. I'm even more confused at this point.

We find a pew, and Mass begins. The wedding folk process up with the priest and the altar servers. I think to myself, "yes, definitely must a wedding during the regular Mass."

Well. I was wrong :) As soon as the priest commenced the Mass, he noted that we were celebrating a Quinceanera - a Latin American coming of age ceremony for young women turning 15. I swear - she looked older than 15 :) Considering I was marrying her off...

Anyway, during the Mass, the young lady professes a statement of faith that she will strive to carry out the responsibilities of a Christian woman throughout her life, and receives a Bible, a rosary, and her first pair of high-heeled shoes. Interesting, huh?

What I was unprepared for was how elaborate everything was. There were a dozen attendants, and they all arrived in a limo. Everybody was wearing either a coordinated suit, bridesmaid gown, or a wedding gown. It really, really looked like a wedding :) But it was all very cool, and we enjoyed being a part of it.

So, on the headcovering. I enjoyed wearing it very much. I'll wait until after Lent to post a longer missive about my larger experience with headcovering, so I'll just say that week 1 was a smashing success. It stayed on my head with no fuss and everything.

Ok, instead of a book today I'm going to link to a meatless recipe. Looking for a good Friday dinner? One of my *favorite* on-the-go meatless dinners is Self's Better Bean Burritos. You mix sauteed onions and bell peppers, black beans, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and grape tomatoes (I leave out the lettuce), pop into a whole grain tortilla, and voila! It's a family favorite.

Lent eve...

So, today is Fat Tuesday, and I'm happy to report that my week *is* in fact going better. Shauna'h read my post yesterday and IM'ed me, "You sound cranky." My reply was "I *am* cranky." It was just a painful couple of weeks at work. Thankfully, I'm over the worst of it. I had an English Composition class today, and it went very well, followed by an extremely long meeting that also surprised me by how interesting and helpful it was.

Tonight, we're having our last meat dinner for all of Lent by making (at Mike's request) my mom's recipe for Sammy's Mustard Chicken. It involves sauteeing strips of chicken, and then adding a can of diced chiles, a cup of ranch dressing (lite still works very well), a tablespoon or two of dijon mustard, and some sliced onions and bell peppers. Serve over rice. It's quite good.

I'm going for my ashes at my parish's 8 am Mass, I think, and hence will commence my Lent. I'm looking forward to some good spiritual reading, meatless eating, and extra prayer time. I'll post some of the books that I will be reading as I come to them. And of course, I will post on my experience with beginning headcovering, which will hopefully commence this Sunday, should my headcoverings arrive in time.

I love Lent :)

Good winter recipe...

This morning, Henry helped me prepare a slow cooker meal for our dinner later. This is a really good, and easy, one, so I thought I'd share :)

Chicken & Wild Rice

Chicken breasts (as many as you want; up to 8)
1 pkg. wild rice, with seasoning
Carrots (I chop up some baby carrots into bite sized pieces)
1 can Cream of Chicken (I prefer Cream of Mushroom) soup
1.5-2 cups water

Mix up the soup, water, rice and seasoning packet in the slow cooker. Place chicken in the mixture and coat. Cook on low 7-8 hours.

Important tip: make sure to spray your slow cooker with Pam or the like. The rice tends to stick to the edges, bad, if you don't do this.

Delicious idea: sprinkle some shredded cheese on top right before serving.