The Holy Family

Today is the first Sunday after Christmas, and that makes today the Holy Family Sunday. The Gospel reading is from Luke 2:41-52:

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.

A couple of things stand out in this passage from the Bible. One is "... and was obedient to them..." Now what this means to me is that, even though He was God come down in the flesh, He recognized the Commandment to "Honor you Father and Mother." They were the parents, and as such, were responsible for bringing him up as a good Jewish boy. Wow, what a humbleness for God!

The second thing that impressed me is the last line. "And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man." The KJV Bible states it as "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." He was well respected by the Jewish community as he grew up and his earthly parents did well.

It will be well for all of us if we too and emulate Jesus. We are called to be children of God, dwelling in God's house, listening to God's word and growing in understanding, wisdom and love. I hope I am always found to be doing so.

I love cheese balls

LAZIO GOURMET ALBACORE TUNA CHEESE BALL

2 (6-ounce) cans albacore tuna, in water, separated, undrained
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated onion
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 tablespoons parsley

Combine albacore tuna (in its juice), cream cheese, lemon juice, onion, horseradish, salt and liquid smoke. Mix thoroughly and chill several hours.
Combine pecans and parsley.
Shape tuna mixture into ball. Roll in chopped nuts and parsley. Chill well, serve with assorted crackers.

Variation: Roll tuna mixture into little bite-size balls, flatten with a knife and roll in nuts and parsley. Serve on a cracker, or supply some toothpicks and watch them disappear.

I love Cheeses

"Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese. "
- G. K. Chesterton

Dad's 90th Birthday!!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today, June 16, is my Dad's birthday. But, it is not just any birthday, for today Dad is 90 years old and still going strong. The picture above is of me and my Daddy when I was about 2 years old. We were crossing the country from Arkansas to live in California. Dad was about 37 at the time this picture was taken (I'm 55 now!). I love my Daddy and appreciate him and Mom more every day as I grow older. We are getting together tomorrow to celebrate with him. I am looking forward to it.

Once again, Happy Birthday Daddy!

Confused? maybe

Here’s a Quote of the Day for Friday, June 2, 2006 that I can identify with very well. I have been in the same situation!

"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks."
~ Daniel Boone ~
(1734 – 1820, American explorer, frontiersman)

Birthdays on April 20

Today is my birthday (April 20) as well as the birthday of some other people like

Edward IV, King, England (1442)
Hitler, Adolf (1889)
Lloyd, Harold (1893)
Joan Miró (1893)
Hampton, Lionel (1908)
Mother Angelica (1923)
Puente, Tito (1923)
Takei, George (1940)
O'Neal, Ryan (1941)
Vandross, Luther (1951)
Electra, Carmen (1972)

Here is some info on one of those people,
Joan Miró (1893 - 1983),
with a copy of one of his paintings on the right.

Joan Miró - Spanish painter, whose surrealist works, with their subject matter drawn from the realm of memory and imaginative fantasy, are some of the most original of the 20th century.Miró was born April 20, 1893, in Barcelona and studied at the Barcelona School of Fine Arts and the Academia Galí. His work before 1920 shows wide-ranging influences, including the bright colors of the Fauves, the broken forms of cubism, and the powerful, flat two-dimensionality of Catalan folk art and Romanesque church frescoes of his native Spain. He moved to Paris in 1920, where, under the influence of surrealist poets and writers, he evolved his mature style. Miró drew on memory, fantasy, and the irrational to create works of art that are visual analogues of surrealist poetry. These dreamlike visions, such as Harlequin's Carnival or Dutch Interior, often have a whimsical or humorous quality, containing images of playfully distorted animal forms, twisted organic shapes, and odd geometric constructions. The forms of his paintings are organized against flat neutral backgrounds and are painted in a limited range of bright colors, especially blue, red, yellow, green, and black. Amorphous amoebic shapes alternate with sharply drawn lines, spots, and curlicues, all positioned on the canvas with seeming nonchalance. Miró later produced highly generalized, ethereal works in which his organic forms and figures are reduced to abstract spots, lines, and bursts of colors.Miró also experimented in a wide array of other media, devoting himself to etchings and lithographs for several years in the 1950s and also working in watercolor, pastel, collage, and paint on copper and masonite. His ceramic sculptures are especially notable, in particular his two large ceramic murals for the UNESCO building in Paris (Wall of the Moon and Wall of the Sun, 1957-59). Miró died in Majorca, Spain, on December 25, 1983.

Wondrous White Elixer

Got Milk?

Milk goes good with those tasty Bierocks or Swedish Thin Pancakes. Check out this link for some Got Milk? commercials about aliens and cows.

http://www.gotmilk.com/fun/aliens.html

I think you will find it amusing.

Ciao Bello, sldubya

Bierocks or Beerocks - either way they taste good!

An incredible edible pocket sandwich of German origin. I wish mine looked as good as this picture, but they always taste great!

BIEROCKS

2 lbs. hamburger
1 c. onion, chopped
4 c. cabbage, chopped
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Cook hamburger, onion, cabbage, salt and pepper until browned. Roll out dough and cut into large circles. Put 1/4 cup meat mixture in center of dough. Pinch closed. Bake until browned, approximately 20 minutes, at 375 degrees.

DOUGH FOR BIEROCKS:
2 pkgs. yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 c. warm milk
4 c. flour
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. warm water
1/4 c. butter, softened

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Set in warm place. Add warm milk, butter and salt; let stand for 10 minutes with yeast mixture in it. Add flour and sugar. Let double for 50 minutes.

Continue the theme: Swedish Thin Pancakes

( Found this recipe on the net. Not sure if it is a good as Grandma Nadine makes. -sldubya)



As you might have guessed from the name, this very thin pancake hails from Sweden. Swedish Pancakes can be served for breakfast, but Swedes prepare them for supper accompanied with a bowl of hearty pea soup.Unlike the thicker American "flap jack", the Swedish pancake is more like the French crepe. Rather than syrup, the pancakes are usually garnished with lingonberries, a tart, or red berry and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Ingredients and Preparation:
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional
In a blender, combine all the ingredients above until smooth.
Heat a 10 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat until very hot.
Lightly butter the skillet and pour 1/2 cup of the batter into it.
Swirl the pan with batter to expand to a thin layer.
Cook until bubbles form and the pancake is golden brown on the bottom, about 1-1/2 minutes. Flip turn and continue to cook for about one more minute.
Remove from the fry pan. It should not be necessary to add more butter to the pan for more pancakes.
When finished, fold each pancake into quarters. Top with the traditional dollop of lingonberries or other fruit of your choice and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Ya, Kottbullar

Swedish Meatballs

1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 cup minced onion
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon minced parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups water
3/4 cups sour cream

Mix first 10 ingredients. Refrigerate 2 hours. Take rounded tablespoons of mixture and form into balls. Place the oil in large skillet add meatballs and brown. Remove meatballs; keep warm.

To the skillet add the flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth (we used a wire whisk) and bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in water. Return skillet and heat to boiling, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Reduce heat and gradually stir in sour cream; mix until smooth. Add meatballs; heat through.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Hail, Hail, the rains all here!

Hail fell for a short while at home on Saturday. This photo was early into the storm so it does not show as much "white stuff" as fell a few minutes later. It was about small marble size down to pea size and kind of mushy so it did not do any damage that I could tell. The dog walked in it and was all excited, as were the family! This is unusual for central California. At the same time this was happening, there were tornados in Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. Much damage and some deaths. Some in Springfield, MO where my cousin's daughter lives. I called back to Missouri on Sunday and talked with them. All was well and not much damage for them. A tree or two fell down, electricity was out for a while and their driveway was washed out, but easily repaired with some more gravel and a tractor, which they have.