The Rite of Election

This past weekend was the First Sunday in Lent. Now, if you are not a Catholic, or not a 'practicing' Catholic, this might not be significant to you. But for those who practice, this is BIG!
At my parish, we normally hold the 'Rite of Election and 'Rite of Called to Continuing Conversion' at the parish. We are in a snow area, and it's usually not convenient to drive to Bend (3 hours away), where the Diocesan Offices are located,  or Baker City (6 hours away), which is where the Diocesan Cathedral is located.
The 'Rite of Election' is for those who are unbaptized, and are elected by GOD to join the Church. Note that they are not elected by the people, but by God. He picks, not us!  The 'Rite of Called to Continuing Conversion' is for those who are baptized in another tradition (but, by virtue of their Baptism, are already one with us in the Christian Faith) who state in the presence of the Catholic Community, that their intent is to join with the Catholic Church. This is usually a very moving celebration.
This year, we have a new Director of Evangelization and Catechesis...and more importantly, a new Bishop. It really is the job of the Bishop to conduct the Rite of Welcome...although, it can take place in the parish.
I called our new Director a couple of months ago and casually asked if Bishop was planning a group 'Rite of Election' for the Diocese, since the previous Bishop and Administrator had chosen to not offer this Rite.
Barry, our Director, was a little startled, I think- he probably assumed that it would happen since he himself is a convert. (a 'Convert' is someone who moves from unbelief to belief--not a Christian who chooses a different denomination)
He went and lobbied for this idea, and voila! We had a Rite of Election for the Diocese of Baker planned on the First Sunday of Lent midway through the Diocese!

We had some unusual circumstances- one of our 'Catechumen's' (unbaptized)  is a fireman...you can just imagine how difficult it is to make a weekly meeting at the same time for the RCIA so we have been creative with him...and his Sponsor is a fireman, too! I am so proud of both of them- they got off work at 7AM on Saturday and picked up their families and drove the 3 hours to Redmond, Oregon! They also had to be back at work at 7AM on Sunday, so this was really important to them!  You can see them in the far left part of the photo- the two tallest dudes...
Our other Catechumen had a sick child and couldn't make the trip. It's OK, the Bishop also blessed her and greeted her by name- even if she wasn't able to be at the event!!!
Our Candidate was very awed by the beautiful ceremony....you can't see her, but she and her 'proxy' sponsor are on the far right! They are tall, so they are a little hidden :) 
This was a very beautiful and solemn event. yes, I did 'boo-hoo' a bit. It reminded me of the many times we have done the Rite of Election at Sacred Heart in the middle of a snow storm over the past 7 years I've been at Sacred Heart!

The Church is absolutely beautiful. It is in the Craftsman style with beautiful padded and upholstered seats throughout the Church, and gorgeous Gothic arches. I loved the 3-d painting behind the altar with Jesus and 'Doubting Thomas'. It was awesome! The Church is St. Thomas, in Redmond, Oregon.

Bishop Liam Cary was oh, so gracious and welcoming to our folks! The best part is that even though we drove the furthest- there were still over 100 Catechumens (now, the 'Elect') and Candidates and their Sponsors present.
Pretty impressive!!!
St. Thomas Parish also hosted a wonderful lunch in their parish halll! It was wonderful and we are very blessed that they opened their parish doors to be hospitable to our soon-to-be-Catholics!
The funniest moment was when one of our youth ministry students (he's a freshmen) walked boldly up to the Bishop and said, "um, hey yah, hi, my name is..." It was funny! He wasn't quite sure how to address the Bishop, but he was determined to talk to him...and then, he said, 'can I serve the Easter Vigil Mass?? and the Confirmation Mass". LOVE that kid!!

Grilled Flank Steak with Smoky Arrabiata Sauce

I'm still cooking my way through Giada de Laurentiis's 'Weeknights with Giada'.
I'm a big fan of flavorful and spicy sauces, so I thought that the Smoky Arrabiata would work well with a flank steak, since we didn't have any rib-eye steaks in the house. I bought this gorgeous flank steak at Dick Howard's Meats-a local butcher shop- a week ago, and froze it.

Howard's carries 'Prather Ranch' beef, which is 100% free range, grass fed beef from Coburg, Oregon. You can really taste the difference! I buy most of my meat at either Howard's or Diamond S Meats, the other nearby butcher shop. One funny note about Diamond S Meats- today is a 'cash mob' event at Diamond S. These are 'word of mouth' advertised events where as many people as possible go to a pre-arranged local shop and spend money there. It brings much needed business to local places and is usually a lot of fun! I'm heading over later today to get a couple of heart shaped steaks for Valentine's Day...more on that later.
The recipe for the Arrabiata sauce couldn't be easier...toss everything into a blender, and cook it down for 25 minutes or so. It was just long enough to put the flank steak on the grill.
Here's the original recipe... Rib-eye Steaks with Smoky Arrabiata Sauce
And here's the sauce, bubbling away...

Of course, I used roma tomatoes from my garden that I canned back in September.
I also made warm farro salad for me and farro with butter and parmesan for Kevin. He's not a big fan of grain-type salads, so it was easy to just portion it out. I dressed my salad while I added the butter and fresh grated parmesan to the piping hot farro for Kevin. If you don't know what farro is, it is a delicious, easy-to-cook ancient grain. It's similar in texture to barley. It's very versatile to use. I've used it in soup, as a side dish and as a cold or warm salad. It has a tender texture with a tiny bit of bite, and does not turn 'mushy' like some grains if you forget it while it's cooking. I bought this pack from Trader Joe's when we were in Eugene, Oregon a couple of weeks ago, but you can find it in most grocery stores.
I tossed my portion with 1 freshly squeezed Meyer lemon (from my tree!) and a couple of glugs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I added some fresh cracked Applewood Smoked Peppercorns (thanks, Gene and Carla!) and a little of my homemade Basil salt. Yum.
A handful of steamed haricot verts rounded out dinner.

Oh, and a lovely glass of M. Cosentino Ol' Red. (Napa)

Super Bowl 2013 Menu

Kevin and I have hosted a lot of Super Bowl parties over the years...but since Kevin worked the Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast at Church today and I had Religious Education classes- that wasn't happening this year!
Kevin got home at about 1PM and I didn't walk in until almost 2PM...and the game started at 3PM-ish. Thankfully, I had planned our menu earlier in the week and shopped on Friday!

This is the initial feast...
a fruit tray with strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries and black berries; a veggie tray with sungold cherry tomatoes, celery, cornichons (Trader Joe's) , cucumbers, radishes and marinated mushrooms(Trader Joe's) with a smoky ranch dip; and a walking Caesar. We have some jarred stuff from Trader Joe's stockpiled from last weekend:)
The walking Caesar is an idea I got at a reception for the Catholic Daughters by my friend, Deb Brunold. Thanks, Deb! I love this so much that I stole the idea....basically, wash, and spin dry some romaine lettuce leaves. Spread a small amount of Caesar dressing down the middle of the leaf and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Brilliant. Finger salad!
I made homemade mayo from this amazing blog to make this absolutely delicious Caesar Dressing with a freshly laid egg from my hen, Moa
So I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe!

By the way, that's Kevin's Sunday Blurry Mary. It's Mrs. T's Spicy and Bold Bloody Mary Mix with a dash of homemade kosher pickle juice, Worcestershire sauce and locally made Tulelake horseradish sauce, mixed with Bakon Vodka and a celery stick. Usually, it's a homemade pickle instead of celery, or a homemade pickled green bean, or a homemade pickled jalapeno...except, I only have pickle slices left out of all the jars I canned and we ate all the jalapenos....so today we went with boring celery.
I was drinking a Southern Delight ...you can't see it but it's the best Sunday drink ever! My sister in law, Carla, introduced me to this drink on a ski trip...2 shots of Southern Comfort with 8 ounces of Sunny Delight. Original Tangy, of course. Yum.  Perfect for Super Bowl.
I also made the most amazing, delicious Guy Fieri's Korean Crispy Chicken Wings

This picture does not do justice to how incredibly flavorful, spicy and meat-a -licious finger-lickin' good they are to eat!
I followed the recipe exactly. I bought fresh chicken wings, chopped them and got rid of the wing tips, patted them dry, tossed with a little kosher salt, some applewood smoked peppercorns, freshly cracked, and a little oilve oil.
The sauce is fantastic! And since I always have sambal olek in my house (chili garlic sauce) by the way, NOT Sriracha sauce- as well as local honey, about 12 kinds of vinegar, and frozen or fresh or pickled ginger-this was easily tossed together.

I also made some fresh guacamole and salsa, but we didn't break that out until the game was over. There's lots of fruit left for a smoothie tomorrow...and more snacks for the next hockey game we will watch...oh, wait- there's one on now!
Hope you try these recipes!

Two More Giada Dinners

I've discovered that it's not easy to create fast, fresh and delicious meals from just one cookbook.
We usually have at least a 3 (usually a 4) course meal for dinner. I make a main dish (meat, fish, or veggie) a starch of some sort, and at least one vegetable as a side dish...and usually a salad. Plus, a glass of wine with dinner. Rarely, a dessert.
While the meals from the 'Weeknights with Giada' cookbook are fantastic, they are somewhat limited. So, I am supplimenting the menu with some additions of my own to round out the meals.
On Friday night, I adapted a version of Giada's Antipasto Calzone.
Well, it was remotely related!
I made homemade whole wheat pizza dough from this incredibly simple and fast recipe Williams-Sonoma Thin Crust Pizza Dough

and cooked up some sausage, chopped, drained and jarred roasted red bell peppers, homemade tomato sauce (using home grown and canned San Marzano tomatoes) and freshly grated parmesano-reggiano and mozzarella cheese. I also added some frozen artichoke hearts that I cooked quickly and chopped.  I stuffed the calzone and brushed it with a beaten egg from my cute little chickens (they are still laying everyday!) and baked it on a pizza stone for 20 minutes at 425.

It was HUGE!
Kevin and I split it! I also had a small container of more of the tomato sauce for dipping. You can't see the salad, but we had salad, too.

You might notice we switched the china for February- we used the wedding china from 1980 (Viceroy by Noritake) for the month of January, and now we are using the Ashbourne by Royal Daulton for the next couple of months. It's just beautiful! It has beautiful pink peonies on it. Kevin's mother, Lee, gave it to me about 10 years ago before she showed symptoms of Alzheimers. I am so glad I have it now- she loved it, but she gave it to me!! She is in heaven, now, but every time we use it, I think of her, and smile.
Tonight, I had to work at the Church for the 5:30PMN Mass, because we held the Rite of the Presentation of the Creed (the set of beliefs handed down from the Apostles) and the Lord's Prayer (the Prayer Jesus taught the Apostles in Sacred Scripture). It's a short ceremony, but rich in meaning.
I had defrosted some beautiful 'breakfast' pork chops that are super thin this morning in anticipation of a 'quick' dinner when I got home.
I decided on Giada's Spiced Pork Chops with Sweet and Sour Glaze
Of course, I changed it a bit.
I added one half sliced onion and 1 seeded and sliced Anaheim pepper to the garlic saute.

Everything was going great; until I burnt the balsamic vinegar & honey mixture. It was horrible.
I dumped it out and started over.

Once it was made and I drizzled it over the cooked chops, it was fantastic!
I also made some tater tots. Yah, I know, cheater starch, but did you know that TOTS are the 'item of the year' for most hip restaurants? I'm telling you...you have to google 'tots'.
Here's the dinner, complete with a perfectly cooked glaze, veggies and...tots.

You will love this recipe!

King Estate Winery

Last weekend, our friends, Brian and Patty, invited us to go to an amazing annual event in Eugene, Oregon, at a wonderful winery- King Estate Winery. It was my 54th birthday so they decided to treat us!!

They specialize in Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Each year, they hold an "All You Can Eat Crabfest and All You Can Drink Pinot Gris" event in January. We also went wine tasting before the dinner and, of course, bought some pinot noirs in addition to pinot gris...

 

The food was fabulous! We actually did try the fantastic side dishes (in very small amounts! ha ha) but the Crab was king.
Roasted Kale and Garlic

Spicy udon noodle salad with shrimp

cole slaw and potato salad

incredible crab chowder and some flavored aoili and butter...I loved the Saffron Aioli and Kevin loved the roasted  garlic infused butter

As much freshly steamed crab as we wanted....

and dessert 'bites' that were absolutely delicious!

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All desserts (like all the food!) is local, sustainable and made in their kitchens...lemon tarts, meringues, homemade marshmallows, brownie bites, jello cups, dark chocolate cups. gingersnap cookies, chocolate chip cookies, raspberry bars, and more...

Here we are...almost too stuffed to walk out...thankfully, we arranged for a Designated Driver! Thanks, Pammy!!! You are awesome!!

Smashed Potatoes with Lemon

I am working my way through some Christmas gifts from my lovely Daughter in law, Melissa. We share a love of cooking and some of the Food Network Celebrity Chefs!!
One of the chefs we both love is Giada de Laurentiis....one of the several cookbooks Melissa gave me for Christmas is, "Weeknights with Giada",  and I am trying to get through as many of the recipes as possible!

Tonight, with some thin cut quick pan-fried rib eye steaks, I made "Smashed Potatoes with Lemon". Amazing!!!
Smashed Potatoes with Lemon

First, I picked up some beautiful tiny locally grown yukon gold potatoes. I washed them, and boiled them for about 20 minutes. I drained them, dried them over the remaining heat on the stove, and then, gently smashed them.
I chopped some garlic and flavored the oil in the fry pan with it for a good 1 minute. I removed the garlic (and I added it to the lemon and herb mix) and dumped the potatoes in to fry on one side.

I also squeezed and zested a beautiful Meyer's Lemon from my lemon tree in the breakfast nook window.
 I added some chopped flat leaf Italian parsley and lemon thyme from the herb pots in the window, finely chopped, with a little kosher salt and some DELICIOUS freshly ground applewood smoked peppercorns (Thanks, Gene and Carla!!) Mixed it all together in anticipation of the crispy, fried potatoes.

I fried the potatoes in the garlic flavored oil for about 6 minutes on each side, then tossed them in the lemony dressing.

This was incredibly delicious!
You should make these! I made a LOT less than Giada's recipe because, well, it's just me and Kevin and the dogs are not fond of lemon....neither are the chickens...but it's OK, I seriously licked the plate. No one was looking!!! Yes, I did put the dishes in the dishwasher...I'm not that low class :)

My Latest Food Obsession...

Have you heard of Dukkah? Well, me,neither, until Christmas. My son and daughter in law gave me an amazing cookbook from America's Test Kitchen called "DIY- Can It, Cure It, Churn It, Brew It". As I was going through all the great recipes for things I need to make fresh at home instead of buying pre-prepared (think- ketchup, worstershire sauce, bacon jam, ricotta cheese, oreos, and more!) I found one recipe for an interesting mix called, "Dukkah". It is a seed, nut and spice blend from North Africa that is served as a crunchy topping or crust for meat or fish, blended into hummus or yogurt, or stirred into olive oil as a dip for bread. It's primarily made from pistachios, almonds, sesame seeds, cumin and coriander, but there are many versions.
This past weekend, we went on a wonderful weekend getaway to the beautiful King Estates Winery in Eugene, Oregon for their annual 'All you can eat Crabfest and All you can drink Pinot Gris" Event. That whole story is for another post :)
On the way home, we decided to take the 1-5 to Medford to the 140 to the 97, instead of taking the 58 to the 97--which was a good call, since the 58 was loaded with snow and a winter weather advisory. We only encountered about 10 miles of heavy snow on the 58 and the roads were clear. Anyhow, in Medford, I begged our friends to stop at Trader Joe's- since it recently (December 2012) opened and I haven't had a TJ run since October 2012.
While wandering up and down the aisles, I encountered a container of "Dukkah" in the spice aisle. Since I'd never actually tasted it, I picked up a jar. It's delicious!
Last night, we weren't very hungry, so I baked up a small spaghetti squash and tossed it with my 'fake alfredo' sauce- some half and half and chicken stock blended with a package of Boursin cheese. Yes, I know, it's cheating, but it's soooo good!
Tonight, we wanted something a little more substantial, so I made some garlic lemon sauce with shrimp and peas and added a couple of dollops of the 'fake alfredo' from last night. I tossed it with some eggs noodles and topped it with chives and parsley from my herb pot, and sprinkled some Trader Joe's Dukkah on top.
OMG.
Here's the finished product...

 It was so delicious!
Enjoy!