Living al Dente

I learned very early this morning that Amy Welborn’s husband, Michael Dubruiel, passed away yesterday morning at the gym.

"Michael collapsed this morning at the gym and was not able to be revived despite the efforts of EMTs and hospital personnel.

When I was in high school my aunt introduced me to pasta with hot peppers.  I only made it once in a while as a young adult, but recently I’ve had a "hankering" for it that just won’t quit.

While your water is boiling, add some extra virgin olive oil to a pan. Saute finely chopped garlic (as much as you desire, although the more you use the better it tastes) and chop up some hot banana peppers into the mix. My aunt used cherry peppers, but I haven’t found any hot enough to suit me. Do not use jalepenos as they’re not pickled in a jar, which is where you get most of the flavor.

After the pasta is cooked and the water drained, add the oil, garlic, and hot peppers and mix well.

This is becoming standard meat-free Friday fare in our house. Topped with grated Parmesan and washed down with an icee cold Yuengling, it hits the spot at the end of a long week.

I am in the process of making lasagna for the family. While the noodles are cooking let’s have some fun. For all you foodies out there, a plethora of websites devoted exclusively to gastronomical delights, just a hop, skip, and a click away:

Fifteen heavenly cheesecakes from Woman’s Day online.

The Hungry Mouse, a visual guide to food and cooking, has an archive for your viewing pleasure.

Nothing but chocolate recipes. Need I say more?

"Chi mangia bene, mangia!" I agree. Deborah Mele’s insights into Italian cooking from Italy.

Cathy over at The Noble Pig has some gorgeous pictures of Super Bowl food ideas.

More pretty pictures from The Crepes of Wrath.

(Some of these people are so gifted with a camera! I’ll bet they could make my Steve eat liver if they shot the picture just right.)

To continue . . .

Not up my alley, but clever none-the-less.

Recipes for tough times.

Slow cooker recipes over at Keeping the Castle

These two websites share some of the same pics, but I love the variety.  Foodgawker and Tastespotting will keep you captivated page after page.

There used to a restaurant in Gaithersburg, Maryland called Roy’s Place that served only sandwiches, from the Bender Schmender to the boring. It could still be there for all I know. This site reminds me of Roy’s.

Potatoes, the ultimate comfort food.

And once you’ve had your fill of these links, I’ll offer another post on fitness items only. Not as entertaining, but probably necessary. 

To murder her child. No other way to put it.

Gary Graham has an incredible post up at Big Hollywood. Warning: There’s some objectionable language in his rant, but I don’t think I have ever read anything so clear, so basic, so perfect from a man’s point of view.

"I’m telling you, once you draw that line and say this is the moment it’s a human being…you’ve lost the argument. Because it’s arbitrary. On this date it’s a baby, but yesterday it was just a bunch of cells…this blob of a nothing and you can do anything you want with it, it’s okay. Babies have been born premature in the second trimester and lived. Happens all the time. So please, somebody tell me how is taking a baby and delivering all but the head, then plunging a tube into its skull and sucking the brains out…how is that not murder? This is what happens in partial-birth abortions, and unfortunately, this happens all the time, too."

And this: "Well I do know. And I stand condemned. I’ve paid for three of them and was responsible for probably several more, I’m not really sure. But it breaks my heart. Because I’ve been convicted in my soul. It took years after the fact, but I was shown the Truth. And not to get mumbo-jumbo, oogly-boogly on you, but it was a spiritual awakening that did it. It happened unexpectedly, and it threw me to my knees in sudden tearful epiphany of what it meant for a man to be with a woman, what sex was really designed for by our Creator and… what abortion is."

Disclaimer: I’m not familiar with the website in its entirety, so please know that I’m not promoting it that way. Just go read the whole post. It’s long, but you’ll be glad you did.

Faith Here and There:  West Coast March pics.

And more.

And it continues.

This is certainly good to know.  As is this. 

Family Here and There:  Yikes. I know lots of people have thoughts on this issue.

I pray all goes well with this family. Anyone want to guess how many diapers will be changed over the next few years?

Very interesting.

If one of your new year resolutions was to become more organized, this link is for you.

Food Here and There: Some Super Bowl "eats" ideas.

And this.

Another.

Fitness Here and There:  Key to a Healthy Lifestyle

An oldie, but worth reading again.

We knew this, didn’t we?

Obama’s First Week   [Michael Novak]

On January 20, President Obama called for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. He also declared his intention to give multiple rights and privileges to homosexual couples. 

On January 22, he issued an order announcing his intention to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay within one year, but admits he has not figured out how to do that. President Bush had expressed a similar wish, but could find no nations willing to take responsibility for the detainees.

On January 23, President Obama issued an order that authorizes tax dollars for abortions abroad. 

From these announcements we learn that President Obama recognizes no difference between the Jewish-Christian covenant between a woman and a man (a covenant that they will have and nurture children, if they are so blessed), and a civil contract between two persons of any sex, in order to set up a household of affection and sexual favors.

This is a relapse into paganism. The point of monogamous family networks is to treat male and female with complementary and mutually cooperative dignity and to tie the power of sexuality (male, especially) to self-sacrificing communities of love. 

We learn, second, that this president’s guiding light in matters of national security is not a realistic assessment of the national interest but personal concern for what kind of figure he is cutting in the international eye. Good headlines first, practical thinking later.

Thirdly, we learn that the president is willing to do what a substantial bloc of U.S. taxpayers abhor, and will resist in conscience. Moreover, it is a mistake to think that people in most other nations love, honor, and respect the secularist preoccupation with abortion.

The first week did not have to begin this way. These first steps were unworthy of a great nation and unworthy of a serious leader. These decisions humiliated those who voted for President Obama because they had been assured, and assured others, that the new president would take seriously the culture of life. It is now clear that the new president was willing to allow those who risked their moral reputations to support him to feel in retrospect like liars. E.J. Dionne expressly warned the president-elect against not to issue these early executive orders.

In his first week in office, Bill Clinton deeply wounded the moral force of his own presidency by turning abruptly against those who regard abortion as the greatest evil of our time, as slavery was in Lincoln’s time. It is sad to see a Democratic president make that same mistake again.

Barbara Nicolosi from Church of the Masses offers this:

Obama to Reverse Abortion Policy (This post is from Friday, Jan. 22.)

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama plans to sign an executive order ending the ban on federal funds for international groups that promote or perform abortions, officials told The Associated Press on Friday.

The move, long expected in the Democratic president’s first week in office, will be welcomed by liberals and criticized by abortion rights foes.

Obama was expected to sign the executive order at a low-key event, one day after the 36th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion.

The move was not a surprise as both Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who will oversee foreign aid, had promised to do away with the gag rule during the presidential campaign.

Organizations that had pressed Obama to make the abortion-ban change were jubilant…

And how about you "Obama Christians"? Are you still jubilant too? Own it, because you made this happen. Here is the mantra for you to say 87 times today, "Their blood be upon us and on our children!"

Have a nice day.

This is an especially good zinger in my book because it speaks so appropriately to those I know - priests, relatives, and friends alike - who arrogantly voted for Obama. There is no excuse for their rationale.

Steve, Chris, and I attended the 2009 March for Life in Washington, D.C this year. It’s been several years since we were there and it felt good to return. It was somewhat surreal this time, riding on the Metro, using a ticket with Obama’s image imprinted upon it and seeing his face plastered on women’s purses, scarves, and toboggans, knowing where we were headed and the reason why. Occasionally we spotted a young family or groups of people whose positions were evident by the crucifixes or crosses around their necks. And once we arrived on the mall we were, of course, among so many other pro-life men, woman, and children that it was hard to believe we had the most radically pro-abortion president in office ever.

From what we were able to see with the naked eye this was a record turnout. The media’s report of thousands or tens of thousands was woefully inaccurate. Try hundreds of thousands of people, as far as the eye could see. From the Washington Monument up to Fourth Street there was nothing but people. Ahead of those crowds walked the Silent No More group, over one hundred women strong with a smattering of men carrying "I Regret My Lost Fatherhood" signs. Friends and family followed on their heels in support. Leading the March was an entire contingent from Christendom College in Virginia.

As the March began we saw even more people lining the walks for several blocks leading up to the Supreme Court. It really is difficult to describe the number of people in attendance. Awesome is an understatement. I saw various police officers in all manner of dress, at the ready in case of disturbance. (There was none.) I saw helicopters hovering overhead. I couldn’t help but wonder if President Obama was aware of what was taking place in his backyard. If so, it must have been with casual disregard.

This was the first year that we heard the testimonies of the Silent No More contingent, probably because my husband was there to give his own testimony, admitting his regret for lost fatherhood from an abortion in his previous marriage. The men and women spoke for hours, continuing as the sun began to slink lower into the west, casting a cold, harsh shadow on the Supreme Court steps.

One of the things that impressed me the most was the aftermath of abortion, the various effects on the women who sought abortion. More than a few spoke of the horrible pain they experienced, even though they had been reassured they would not feel a thing. Several talked about the sound and shared that to this day they feel a wrenching in their gut when they turn on a vacuum cleaner. Sadly, there were even those who lost their fertility as a result of the abortion and could never conceive a child afterwards. Some attempted suicide. All of them agreed and testified that something other than a child also died inside them that day.

I believe this is the difference between those who experience regret over this deed and those who continue on in blatant disregard for the murderous act committed. The difference is that those woman and men who courageously spoke in Washington on Jan. 22,and even many who could not be there to speak out, had a conscience. They experienced shame over what they had done. There are others, however, who deride them for speaking out. They have, I believe, hardened their hearts and feel nothing. No shame. No regret.

I saw this poster and felt sadness for those who even lost their own lives to abortion:

EWTN provided the only comprehensive coverage of the March. Visit their website although I’m not sure if they have a link posted to the recording yet or not. I browsed the web and came up with several stellar posts about the March, listed below. Do yourself a favor and take the time to read them. They’re excellent.

Kathryn Jean Lopez from National Review Online was there.

Amy Welborn provided an open thread for coverage of the March.

Robert George at The Witherspoon Institute discusses Our Struggle for the Soul of Our Nation.

Check in with Stephanie over at Digital Hairshirt. She’ll be posting soon about the West Coast March.

There is plenty of coverage out there and there are many pictures. You just won’t find them on your TV screen or your typical internet news outlet. Take advantage of the internet now to read up on the 2009 March . . . while we can.

Years ago when the boys were younger we took an annual vacation to Bethany Beach, Delaware. We stayed at a house on Oakwood Street, just two and a half blocks from the ocean, that we were able to rent through a cousin’s college buddy. We looked forward to that week all year and packed for it as though we were staying a month.

Menus were planned well in advance as we certainly couldn’t afford to eat out every night. The boys ate cold cereal for breakfast, with an occasional omelet for variation, but Steve would run out to the town bakery early each morning to pick up a daily dose of cheese danish for the adults. We drank our coffee on the screened-in porch while hawkers drove slowly down the street, peddling their produce from summer gardens.

We tried to hit the beach by ten or eleven o’clock each morning. Sandwiches, snacks, fresh fruit, and drinks were packed in coolers and brought down to where Steve had staked our claim of beach with a rented umbrella stuck securely in the sand. And we parked ourselves at that spot until five or six in the evening. The older boys each had their own boogie boards to ride while the younger one(s) played by the shoreline, digging up sand crabs.

By the time we returned to the beach house late in the day were naturally ravenous. While I prepared dinner, Steve made fuzzy navels with fresh peaches. We guzzled them down while dinner was in the oven. One of the meals that was a favorite on the weekly menu was chicken made with Bisquik, a buttery, cholesterol-laden dish, served with macaroni and cheese, corn, and a tossed salad. It was quickly dubbed "Bethany Beach Chicken" and it sure hit the spot after a laborious day on the beach riding waves and sunbathing.

Eventually, in the early nineties I believe, the beach house was sold and just this past year, Chris, one of the original owners, passed away from a brain tumor. We haven’t been back to Bethany in years.

Over Christmas, Son #2 happened to mention that it had been ages since we had Bethany Beach Chicken. So, as I write, he’s on his way over to share a meal that will bring back many happy memories for us all. No mac and cheese tonight, though. I have seasoned potatoes simmering in olive oil in the oven alongside the chicken, and stir-fried vegetables ready to go, while a tossed salad awaits Steve’s wonderful Italian homemade dressing.

 It’s going to be a great evening!

Marriage Encounter teaches that there are three stages of relationship. The first is Romance, when all the world’s a fairytale. Fireworks are in the air every time you’re with your honeykins. Words take on new meaning, and every single one spoken by your beloved hangs in the air encrusted with jewels. Colors are brighter and there’s a rosy glow cast even over the litter along the highway. Everything feels right.

Disillusionment is the second stage and sometimes when this sets in, it hits like a bug on a windshield. You didn’t see it coming, but there it is facing you for the duration of the ride. (Unless you’ve got some heavy duty windshield cleaner in reserve.) This is when the stars begin to fade and suddenly those cute little behaviors of his grate on your last nerve, like a cacaphony of cats screeching in the alley all night. What in the world did you see in him? How did you ever end up with this guy?

But good things come to those who wait. Stick it through and you’ll find you’ve eventually entered into . . .

Joy. This is the realization that love is forever, no matter what. You finally settle into a cozy comfort of familiarity that is safe and secure. You may occasionally drift back into the second area, but with work and commitment you will also find that romance is never far away, either.

Ahh. The sweet bliss of marital love! Take time to study these three stages and you’ll realize that they also apply to job situations, friendships, and  . . . um, presidential nominees.

Really? How can that be?

First of all, for the record, there was no romance on my part in any way whatsoever toward the new messiah. That said, I can hardly enter into disillusionment, can I? But I sure can experience joy when those things glaringly obvious to me in the campaign are already being brought up before the inauguration.

Take Kirk Peterson’s remarks at All That is Necessary: "But eventually, even mainstream media outlets will turn their guns on the man who, in the eternal formulation of insider Washington, will become known as "this President." No matter how much the media was in the tank for Obama during the campaign, no matter how enthusiastic they were in celebrating the coming of BAM-A-LOT, eventually Obama and his Administration will make missteps that even the most liberal papers cannot ignore."

I’ve heard those warnings before, but Peterson also says this: "The difference now, of course, is that journalists no longer have to worry that Obama might lose the election. Now the natural competitiveness of the news media will begin to overwhelm partisanship, at least until the 2012 race heats up. The honeymoon isn’t over yet, and it certainly won’t end before the Inaugural. But starting next Tuesday (ok maybe Wednesday), when President Obama doesn’t bring the troops home, doesn’t close Guantanamo, doesn’t end the recession, doesn’t deliver national health insurance, doesn’t roll back global warming and make the oceans recede — or at least doesn’t do any of these things as fast as the Left would like — then things like the peccadillos of Tim Geithner will start to get more coverage."

I’d like to add to the mix: "When President Obama doesn’t make the world a utopia for every single human being, doesn’t eliminate hunger, doesn’t provide jobs for everyone, etc" maybe those who voted for him will realize that innocent lives are being lost through abortion anyway. So much for social justice being a panacea.

Yes, disillusionment will set in for some, but not all. It’s a narrow road after all.

Inaugural revelers may still be hanging around Washington on Thursday, Jan. 22, while other dedicated souls march peacefully on our nation’s capital in solidarity against abortion. Please pray for our safety and that somehow, somewhere, a heart or two or even many will turn towards Life.

"May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace as you trust in Him." Romans 15:13