As we wait out the last few hours of 2013, it’s hard not to pause and think about all the changes that have taken place over the last 365 days.
It’s been a year of joy, and excitement. Lot’s of good memories and hopes fulfilled.
It’s also been a year of sadness, of loss, and unrealized dreams.
Yesterday was an amazing day for me. It was amazing because of encounters I had with three amazing men who have made big impacts on the people around them.
In the afternoon, I met up with a friend and we went to visit an elderly priest who now lives in an assisted living facility. My friend and I got to know this priest many years ago, and he provided us and countless others with great spiritual advice.
Winter doesn’t officially start until next Saturday, but in my neck of the woods, it came in with gusto last weekend. The snow started Sunday morning, and within a few hours, everything was covered, including the roads. What a mess, albeit a pretty one.
image courtesy of VintageHolidayCrafts.com
Every good cook as a few signature dishes, and Corn Casserole was one of my mom’s best. I loved it as a kid, and now as an adult, I often take to potluck dinners. It’s an easy recipe to put together, and the results are always good. It’s a fine complement to all the foods of Thanksgiving, so I offer it to you a day ahead, just in case you needed to go to the store to pick up a few last things. I hope you enjoy it as much as me and my family does.
Have a very blessed and peaceful Thanksgiving Day. Safe travels to all who are on the road.
Mom’s Corn Casserole
serves six
2 cups corn kernels
1/2 cup (one stick) butter
two eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup diced Monterrey Jack cheese with jalapeno
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray 2 qt. rectangular casserole with Pam. Puree 1 cup corn with melted butter and egg in blender or food processor.
Mix remaining ingredients in medium bowl. Add pureed mixture and blend well. Pour into prepared pan and bake uncovered for 50-60 minutes. Can be made one day in advance and reheated. Also freezes well.
November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and before too much more time slipped away, I thought it important to mention it.
If you read my posts regularly, you know that diabetes has become a nationwide epidemic, with 25.8 million people having the disease, and 79 million people having pre-diabetes. These are staggering numbers.
Take Control Of Your Diabetes recently came out with their latest newsletter. You can get it here. They are a great organization, and if you have diabetes or know someone who does, you should try to attend one of their regional conferences held all over the United States. I attended one with two of my family members last year, and it was a wonderful day of learning.
Diabetes is not something to pretend will go away, but with diet, exercise (and sometimes medicine), many people are able to avoid the very serious complications that come with this disease.
If you have a family history of diabetes, be sure your doctor is aware of it. Get yourself tested. You’ll be grateful you did.
I for one continue to be impressed with Pope Francis. Just the other day, he was photographed hugging and kissing a man who clearly had a very debilitating skin condition. Without a doubt, the man would be treated as an outcast by most by many, and maybe some of us would avoid contact with him at all costs. But not the new pope.
I have two beautiful dogwoods in my backyard (no, this isn’t them), and this fall the leaves turned a wonderful butterscotch color. Just gorgeous.
Well, as each day rolled into the next, I kept saying to myself that I had to go out and take some photos to share with you.
I was in the public library the other day, and as I walked past a display of fall cookbooks, one caught my eye.
Entitled An Everlasting Meal, it was the subtitle which led me to pick it up: Cooking with Economy and Grace. Wow, if I could just master that. 🙂
At the beginning of my Ignatian Retreat last weekend, I received a folder which included an outline of the retreat and a tip sheet on how to get the most out of our silent time together.
I know from personal experience that silence during meals, when everyone is sitting together, can be a big challenge. It’s hard not to ask the person sitting across from you how they are doing, or to pass the salt.
I had the chance to get away for a retreat this weekend, and ended up at
Loyola on the Potomac, a retreat house I had heard about for years but never visited.
The theme of the retreat was Rivers of Living Water, which was perfectly suited for the location of this center, which is in Southern Maryland and sits above the Potomac River. What a peaceful place!