Catholic Online Forum

This Christmas we're going Italian:

Daughter in Law is making Lasagna
I'm making Eggplant Parmigiana
Oldest Granddaughter is making pies
Daughter is making bread
Wife is making Salad
Zabar's in NYC provided some Cinnamon and Chocolate Rugelach (courtesy of my Sister), alright it's not Italian but Jewish is OK too

Son, Son in Law and DIL's Father providing burps.
Younger granddaughters providing lots of charming entertainment I'm sure.

NWS is providing Snow

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BobA

Rib roast from brother, ham, sweet potatoes and green beans from brother (who was the host)
tri tip from his step son
mac and cheese from his step son
vegetable casserole, fudge and swedish meatballs from me
green beans from son
sweet potatoes from brother
various rolls and breads
Lots of wine and alcohol from various people

and, yes, lots of energy from my step nephews half brother's four kids and my great grand nephew who just turned three and was the youngest there.

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Valerie Garcia
vals1990@yahoo.com

"Listen, O my son, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart, and cheerfully receive and faithfully execute the admonitions of thy loving Father, that by the toil of obedience thou mayest return to Him ....." St. Benedict

We're headed to my inlaws for Christmas dinner:

Beef Stroganoff
Crab cake for my vegetarian daughter
Fresh bread
Caesar salads with anchovies
Chocolate cake

Hopefully some scotch too.

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Andrew McAllister

Respect for the dignity of every innocent human being from conception/fertilization, without exception, without compromise, without apology.

Out last night at friends' for light supper between some coming in for evening Mass and and some going out for midnight Mass. Shrimp and grits - yum!

Modest menu today. Wife a little under the weather, so we postponed the interstate drive a day. Working from the simple inventory here (had cleaned out the fridge and not shopped in anticipation of being away a few days) and a couple of pickups from the small neighborhood grocery, which was open for a while this afternoon.

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Rob

(Hey! If you haven't tried it, don't knock it!)

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In Christ,

Jim B

I will consider your position if stated with firm, well-thought-out, quiet reasoning. Hateful diatribe, ad hominem attacks and shouted rhetoric don't impress.

I'm sending you a food package, Jim !

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Norman
...that is the regret of a lot of old people when they look back and realize too late what might have been.
This was what President Martin regretted. He thought he was doing something good. It was a disaster. How can anybody know what is the right thing to do?
-- Theresa

Thank you, Norman.

Filét Mignon would be the cut of choice!

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In Christ,

Jim B

I will consider your position if stated with firm, well-thought-out, quiet reasoning. Hateful diatribe, ad hominem attacks and shouted rhetoric don't impress.

Jim, is that cake or fish of some kind? I wasn't sure.

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Andrew McAllister

Respect for the dignity of every innocent human being from conception/fertilization, without exception, without compromise, without apology.

Andrew, they are (or were … they have been digesting for a few hours now … sardines in soy oil. Not only do I love fruit cake, I am partial to sardines.

Used to carry my toothbrush and mouthwash with me to lunch when I brought a tin of sardines in mustard sauce or tomato sauce to the school dining room a couple of times a week.

I always had a private table on those days.

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In Christ,

Jim B

I will consider your position if stated with firm, well-thought-out, quiet reasoning. Hateful diatribe, ad hominem attacks and shouted rhetoric don't impress.

Accepted an invitation to dinner to a daughter of a friend along with their family. You ain't gonna believe this menu. He had shrimp cocktail, salsa and Christmas tortilla chips, and snacks as appetizers, and for the dinner wonderful salads with olives and cranberries and blue cheese followed with a huge plate of 10 oz lobster tails still swimming (in drawn butter). Next came the leanest most tender ham followed by the most tender and tastiest filet mignon I have ever tried. Then came roast rack of lamb cooked on the grill outside. Delicious side dishes including tender sweet corn, (not creamed corn), rolls and butter, REAL mashed potatoes, the best California wines, red and white, and imported beer from Holland. Later, dessert followed with coffee, French Cognac and Cuban cigars. I won't even describe the dessert because I ate so much I don't even want to think of it right now.

I tried to help as many poor people this season as I could. I am sure the dinner provided me was a reward and blessing for me. I thanked God all the way home.

I think it's time to buy a treadmill.

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Pax et Bonum


Schultzz

Today, Chinese food with my best friend and my brother and two movies, funny lady and the bridesmaids. There's a hat that Audrey Hepburn wears in the beginning of Funny Lady and my friend bought it dirt cheap at a store that sells used clothing from tv and movies, though not usually vintage. My friend auctioned it off for several thousand dollars.

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Valerie Garcia
vals1990@yahoo.com

"Listen, O my son, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart, and cheerfully receive and faithfully execute the admonitions of thy loving Father, that by the toil of obedience thou mayest return to Him ....." St. Benedict

I was at a nice dinner the other night. Salad course was Caesar Salad with excellent croutons and large anchovies. Nice to learn something new every day - people I was with said that is the classic (not chicken).

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Rob

I come from a large family and we traditionally all meet at my uncle's house where everyone brings a plate of food. At lunch we always start with seafood, lobster, prawns, oysters, smoked salmon and special sauces. Then a bowl of broth and then three types of meat, vegies, salads etc.

Afternoon is spent cleaning up the lunch dishes (that seem like they are in the hundreds) and resting as well as preparing for dinner when we then have to move into the backyard where a long table that spreads the width of the yard is set up. More family and friends turn up (including those that have nowhere to stay at Christmas time). Grace is said and then everybody hoes into another round (don't know how we do it). Father Christmas turns up ringing his loud bell, the children gather around and each get their gifts.

Its getting terribly squashy as the family just seems to grow and grow and there are always new children running around that I'm not quite sure who they belong to.

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Kathleen

______________________________________________________________________

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

I didn't get to cook AT ALL for Christmas. It's just my son and me, anyway, so during the week, we ate whatever. Daughter and her family are out-of-town. My sister failed to fly in from Chicago.

And worst of all, I was busy day and night, learning the Puer Natus and other Proper chants for the Third Mass of Christmas (I am subbing as cantor in the EF for Christmastide) which I find really, really hard. I was so frustrated that I couldn't get the correct undulating sound, was so tired and almost burst into tears when I finally went to bed on Christmas eve. My best friend Rosie advised that I should just use the psalm-tones, but I said they are for high school (and I'm a big girl!)

Well, I finally did it, but I've never been so exhausted learning chant, and didn't think I did very well that morning. Anyway, except for the Gradual and Alleluia, the same Propers will be used for New Year's Mass and I hope to do much better then.

Later in the afternoon, my organist friend (who's also the janitor at the parish), knocked on my door with armloads of left-overs from the pot luck after-Midnight-Mass party. So I ended up with loads of foods after all - chicken, ham, pancit noodles, salad, and all sorts of sweet rice cakes. But I love the Hostess fruit cake most of all. Merry Christmas!

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Pax et bonum,
Marie

JMJ

Friends invited me to their house for christmas day. It was traditional, except new to me was a stuffing with sausage and black olives in addition to the usual nuts, raisins and breadcrumbs (and a mix of corn and wheat crumbs, too). A Spanish grandmother's recipe, I was told. And home-made pecan pie - since the guests were from all over, it was either Pee-kahn, puh-Kahn, or Pee-can pie. Unfortunately one piece tipped everybody over the 'abdominal cliff'.

This morning, I'm the first up, and it's coffee, the last of the turkey gravy, and a spoon. yum!

chris kirk

Marie,

Sorry it was so tough and admire your perseverance. But, the pancit had to make it all worthwhile. I was trying to think of that word the other day...I wake every year for our parish festival to have the pancit and pork at the Philipino community's booth. I suppose I could just find a Philipino restaurant nearby and have it but it's not the same...it's just the festival every year.

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Valerie Garcia
vals1990@yahoo.com

"Listen, O my son, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart, and cheerfully receive and faithfully execute the admonitions of thy loving Father, that by the toil of obedience thou mayest return to Him ....." St. Benedict

Val,
Your kind thoughts always make me feel good. Thank you.

Here's a pancit recipe for you:

Ingredients:
8 oz rice noodles
8 oz. wheat noodles
1 to 4 cups diced or shredded plain-cooked or leftover chicken or turkey or pork or beef
2-4 links Chinese sausage, thinly sliced (optional but highly recommended)
chicken bullion dissolved in 2 to 4 cups water (or chicken stock if you have)
1 small cabbage, sliced
2-4 medium carrots, julienned or grated
1/2 cup chopped or thinly-sliced dark green vegetables (kale or tender green beans or sugar peas or broccoli)
1 medium onion (chopped or finely sliced)
2 or more cloves garlic (sliced or minced)
1/2 lbs shrimps (shelled and deveined) optional
1-2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce or oyster sauce (OR curry powder)
1 Tbsp fish sauce (optional)
1 or 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced or crumbled.
black pepper, sliced scallions, lemon wedges

Heat a large pan to medium-high. Add oil. Stir fry the garlic and onion until onion turns clear. (Be careful not to burn the garlic. If you only want a hint of garlic taste, throw it out after frying.) Add the diced meat, sausage, and shrimps. Once the shrimps turn pink, add vegetables all at once. Stir-fry until vegetables are crisp tender. Season with soy or oyster sauce (OR curry powder), fish sauce, ground black pepper, and a small amount of water if necessary. Set aside.

In another large pan, pour chicken stock and heat. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat down to medium. Add rice and wheat noodles and cook until done. Add the meat-vegetable mixture to the noodles and lightly combine until all the liquid has evaporated. Adjust seasonings.

Garnish with sliced hard-boiled eggs, lemon wedges, and chopped scallions.

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Pax et bonum,
Marie

JMJ

Marie,

Thanks....I saved it for a time when I'm not about to return to my radical diet from UCLA. Lost forty pounds so far and allowed myself a break. I'm sure your recipe is fancier than what is served at the booth...I think their noodles looked fatter...not sure but it also sounds very good.

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Valerie Garcia
vals1990@yahoo.com

"Listen, O my son, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart, and cheerfully receive and faithfully execute the admonitions of thy loving Father, that by the toil of obedience thou mayest return to Him ....." St. Benedict

Blessed be God Forever. I am proud of your effort Sister.

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Pax et Bonum


Schultzz

Our traditional New Year eve Black-Eyed Peas and Fried Chicken.

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BobA

Forty pounds! Val, you should write a book and make a lot of money.

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Pax et bonum,
Marie

JMJ

My dear Brother Schultz,
As Saint John Vianney, SFO, said:
"The good God is very good!"

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Pax et bonum,
Marie

JMJ

Marie,



Believe it or not I have considered the possibility of writing a book that is not a traditional diet book but one that looks at the issues of over eating and losing weight from a perspective of our dependence upon God and how my faith in Jesus has helped me thus far...when I cooperate with him. I once read that if the Christian market were to be included on the New York Times best seller list, that all the books listed would be Christian. I don't know if that is true or not but it is a huge market and I think would be helpful to Christians struggling as I have struggled. It would have to funny though.

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Valerie Garcia
vals1990@yahoo.com

"Listen, O my son, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart, and cheerfully receive and faithfully execute the admonitions of thy loving Father, that by the toil of obedience thou mayest return to Him ....." St. Benedict

Rib roast, ham, broccoli casserole, green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes, strawberry ambrogia, cucumbers in white sauce, fruit pies, lots of drink. As with tradition, we asked a choir friend over whom we knew did not have anywhere else to go, and we had my widowed mother over. No one should be alone on Christmas Eve, in my opinion, and it pains me very much to see people who are alone on that night.

I was saddened to see people at MacDonalds late on Christmas Eve (MacDonalds was open 24 hours Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day) when I stopped for a coffee to perk me up for midnight Mass. Not so much for the family I saw there, or the employees who were working, but for the people who were alone. One was on his computer. Another was going over what looked like school work (perhaps a teacher?). The third was just sitting there brooding, looking out the window.

I think one of my biggest fears is of being alone and unloved. Even if it's by choice, man was not made to be alone. I prayed that they were not lonely.

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Dean
Most people's sense of history goes back to breakfast time - Benjamin Netanyahu

Well for New Years day we had a semi-traditional Cuban New Years Dinner. The Cuban Dinner is a Roasted Pig marinated in a Citrus marinade.

We just had a roasted Loin of Pork Marinated in the Mojo Juice, with the appropriate veggies and a nice bottle of wine.


http://www.food.com/recipe/cuban-roast- ... llo-107594

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Bob C

Our Christmas dinner (okay, Dec 27th) with Mom was bacon-wrapped roast, with roast potatoes and spinach.

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Rob

Well, since that link didn't work, let's pretend that said "imagine"!

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Rob

Generally cannot link to Facebook Photos.

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Bob C

Yeah. For some reason, I thought I had at some time in the past. Don't know why I thought I had, maybe it was to a page on open viewing setting. Or maybe it was to a news story I had originally found through someone's FB link.

Anyway, it was delicious.

I'm still a little worried about FB thinking my latke had a face, but that's another story.

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Rob

Val, I do hope you'll seriously consider writing this book. There's a great need to put Jesus back into everything that our secular society deems necessary (such as fighting obesity) but at a loss finding the right solution. I, for one, will definitely want to read such a book.



I believe this. And yes, the better if your book were to be funny, since joy is part of being a Christian.

I have just finished reading John Zmirak's "A Bad Catholic's Guide to Wine, Whiskey, and Song" and still can't stop laughing. I understand it's a best seller (I don't know if it's on the NY Times best seller list) and I wished it didn't have the "bad Catholic" label (like those "for dummies" book), but it combines - believe it or not, the (Catholic) origins of various alcoholic libations, drinking songs, recipes, and catechetical instructions on the Ten Commandments. And yes, the book is hilarious but not offensive. I had enough confidence in it to give as Christmas gift to our TLM(!) priest.

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Pax et bonum,
Marie

JMJ

Bob C,

I printed that recipe..love Cuban pork. How do you grate a head of garlic?

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Valerie Garcia
vals1990@yahoo.com

"Listen, O my son, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart, and cheerfully receive and faithfully execute the admonitions of thy loving Father, that by the toil of obedience thou mayest return to Him ....." St. Benedict

Marie,

I'm so glad you mentioned that book! I've been thinking about wanting to repay a friend in some small way at least, for a very kind deed he did for me and this sounds like something he would love. Hopefully he doesn't have it already. He will be ordained a Deacon this year.

I recall someone asking about bringing alcohol to a potluck at church and the person in charge said, "of course, we're Catholic, we drink".

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Valerie Garcia
vals1990@yahoo.com

"Listen, O my son, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart, and cheerfully receive and faithfully execute the admonitions of thy loving Father, that by the toil of obedience thou mayest return to Him ....." St. Benedict

Val,



Very Carefully


Seriously, I would just use a grater, but I buy mine that way.

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Bob C

I just toss several cloves in my small processor if I need a lot or I simply crush and mince a couple of cloves by hand.

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BobA

Val,

The unique taste of Cuban Pork, is the Mojo Juice Marinade. That is readily available here in SW Florida in the supermarkets, but there are several recipes available on the internet.

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Bob C

Val, This reminds me of a game we used to play in Catholic high school of guessing what those initials after a religious priest's name mean. Two of the more hilarious guesses:

OP = Otro Pillo (another naughty boy.) In my time, the Dominicans in Manila were Spanish.

CSP = Can't Stop Preaching (Congregation of Saint Paul, an American religions order.)

And our favorite:

SVD = (Society of Divine Word) = Smoke Ve Don't, So Ve Drink. (They were German missionaries who didn't smoke.)

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Pax et bonum,
Marie

JMJ

One day our oldest was watching her mother peel onions. Finally she commented, "My eyes aren't getting very much better you know."

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- Joe Kelley

Death is only a shadow across the path to Heaven.