Beliefs Buffet

Personal spirituality is in. Biblical doctrine is out. Such is the case in America today as individualism continues to define the religious landscape in our “one nation under God.” A recent article in USA Today proclaims, “Religion today in the USA is a salad bar where people heap on upbeat beliefs they like and often leave the veggies — like strict doctrines — behind.” Americans now treat religion as a buffet line, from which they can pick and choose particular beliefs based on personal preferences.

According to recent surveys a whopping 92% of Americans say they believe in God, and 58% say they pray every day. Yet they appear to be uncertain about our their beliefs. Sixty-eight percent believe “there’s more than one true way to interpret the teachings of my religion.” Fifty-seven percent of Protestants believe there are “many ways to get to God.” Fifty percent say “homosexuality is a way of life that should be accepted by society.” Fifty-six percent think they should either ‘adjust to new circumstances” or “adopt modern beliefs and practices,“ into their religious beliefs. Relativism is clearly alive and well.

I’m not surprised. What else can we expect when multiculturalism and relativism is the preferred worldview promoted by the government schools and the media, which are major shapers of values and beliefs in America today. In contrast, the teachings of the Bible seem intolerant and exclusive. Folks today have little appetite for Jesus’ claim that “no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Nor do they agree with Jesus when He said that “many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). Americans prefer a “Santa Claus in the Sky” god, who lets everybody into his heaven, instead of a righteous God, who casts sinners into hell.

What’s a pastor to do in times like these? Why preach about the depravity of man and the cross of Christ, when people want their ears tickled about self-esteem and life enhancement? Why offend listeners with the righteous requirements of God when you can tell the customers what they want to hear? It’s good for attendance. It’s good for the weekly offerings.

I praise God for such times. When the gospel of Christ is viewed as foolishness by the world, it is all the more glorious when its transformational power is set loose to redeem sinners. The gospel was never intended to be popular and sell well in the culture. Christ, the Cornerstone, is an offensive stumbling block (1 Peter 2:8). The words of the Apostle Paul to his disciple, Timothy, are a great encouragement to me:

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:2-5).

Fruit Leather

Simply recipes has a great recipe for Fruit Leather. I want to make some of this.

How to Make Fruit Leather

Ingredients
Fresh fruit (apricots, peaches, plums, berries, apples, pears, grapes)
Water
Lemon juice
Sugar (if needed)
Spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg (optional)
Method
1 Rinse the fruit. If you working with stone fruit, take out the pits, chop the fruit. If working with apples or pears, peel and core them, then chop. If working with grapes, de-stem them.
Taste the fruit before proceeding. Note how sweet the fruit is. If very sweet (ripe Concord grapes for example) you will not need to add any sugar. If still a little tart, you may need to add some sugar in the next step.
2 Place fruit in a large saucepan. Add a half cup of water for every 4 cups of chopped fruit. Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook on a low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the fruit is cooked through. Uncover and stir. Use a potato masher to mash up the fruit in the pan. Taste the fruit and determine what and how much sugar, lemon juice, or spices to add. Add sugar in small amounts (1 Tbsp at a time if working with 4 cups of fruit), to desired level of sweetness. Add lemon juice one teaspoon at a time to help brighten the flavor of the fruit. Add a pinch or two of cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices to augment the flavor.
Continue to simmer and stir until any added sugar is completely dissolved and the fruit purée has thickened, another 5 or 10 minutes (or more).
Note if you are working with grapes - strain the juice out of the mashed grapes to make grape juice. Force what is left behind, after straining, through a food mill, to make the purée for the next step.
3 Put the purée through a food mill or chinoise. Alternatively purée it thoroughly in a blender or food processor. Taste again and adjust sugar/lemon/spices if necessary. The purée should be very smooth.

4 Line a rimmed baking sheet with sturdy plastic wrap (the kind that is microwave safe). Pour out the purée into the lined baking sheet to about an 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness.

5 Place the baking sheet in the oven, try to keep any plastic wrap from touch the sides of the oven or the oven racks. Also try to make sure that the plastic wrap hasn't folded back over on top of the purée. If this happens, the purée won't dry out. Heat the oven to a low 140°F. If you have a convection setting, use it, it will speed up the process and help dry out the purée. Let dry in the oven like this for as long as it takes for the purée to dry out and form fruit leather. We usually keep it in the oven overnight, so about 8-12 hours. The fruit leather is ready when it is no longer sticky, but has a smooth surface.
Alternatives to the oven. If you have a food dehydrator, this would be a great use of it. My mother suggested putting the tray in the weber grill, and leaving covered, in the sun all day. Sounds like a good trick, but I haven't tried it yet. My parents remember the traditional way of making fruit leather was just to tent the tray with some cheesecloth and leave it outside in the sun on a hot day.

6 When the fruit leather is ready, you can easily peel it up from the plastic wrap. To store it, roll it in its plastic wrap, put it in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
4 cups of fruit yield about one baking sheet of fruit leather.

Ah, Appleton!

Last week my sister and her family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin. Personally, I knew nothing of Appleton other than that my friend Ken Anselment and his family live there.



Here Ken is, right, waiting to welcome Jen and Chad and the kids to Appleton. (Ken works at Lawrence University as the director of admissions. This photo, and other fabulous shots of Ken in action, can be found here.)





Anyway, in anticipation of their move, I did some research about Appleton online, and came up with some very interesting facts and stories for this week.




The town of Appleton, located on the Fox River at the north end of Lake Winnebago and not too far from Lake Michigan, began its history as a Yankee town as a little community called Grand Chute, so called because of the rapid falls of the Fox. The Fox was itself first explored by Europeans in the early 1670s. The length of the river was actually canoed, as part of the trip that led to the European "discovery" of the Mississippi, by Louis Nicolet and a Jesuit, believe it or not, Father Jacques Marquette, S.J. You know what they say, join the Jesuits, see the world.

"So I take a right at the big tree, then on through the maize...and how do I make my way out?"

Anyway, Grand Chute: The main business of the town was ladder-making; ladders from all over the country, in fact, were made in Grand Chute, and a number of presidents had their pictures taken standing on a Grand Chute ladder.

The ladder-making business also led to the local creation of a board game that would seize the imagination of the young people of both America and Bolivia, known as Chutes and Ladders. As we know, that game remains popular among children in the United States; but it's nothing like the popularity it has in Bolivia. The country has local, regional and national matches, and a championship series (going back now over a hundred years) whose media attention is on a par with Americans' attention to the Super Bowl. Matches are televised, strategies are discussed around dinner tables and barrooms, and excessive amounts of money are bet on the events. The state flag, in fact, includes a ladder, as a representation of the country's national pastime.

Can You Name this Famous Appletonian?

Nine Years Old

My godson Jimmy and his dad sport their cool glasses (and identical facial expressions).

Yesterday, June 29th, my nephew Jimmy celebrated his 9th birthday. Good on ya, Jim! When we spoke this morning, I said to him, Happy 15th Birthday! And he replied, I wish.

Can you remember a time when you wished -- wished -- you would turn 15? What in the name of God was the attraction? 21, 25, 35 -- yeah. Heck yeah. But 15?

Jimmy has a passion for Spiderman, it's a passion we share actually (Spiderman 2 -- masterpiece), but at age 9 he's already way more connected than I am. Since he was very little, in fact, Jimmy has had a direct line to the webhead's personal cellphone. I know, I know, I must be joking. FOR REAL. I've actually been there when he's called, and heard Spiderman's message. I don't know how his mom and dad got it for him, but I'm telling you, the kid's got friends in high places.

Look out, here comes the Spiderman.


When he was very little he used to tell my mom, I know everything. When she got tired of it, she would try to stump him, she'd say, Did you know that ice is water that has solidified? And he'd say, No, I didn't. But I thought you knew everything, she'd ask. Without missing a beat, his response: I do now. (Think Calvin & Hobbes. I can't wait for the snow sculptures!)




Jimmy loves science and spies and investigating new things. In fact, not too long ago my brother and sister-in-law went to the school class open house. And a father comes up to them and says something like "If you notice my son has a chunk of hair missing, it is because your son has it, so they could test the DNA."

Later my mom calls to ask him about it, how he's going to test it. And he tells her, "Gramma, it's all taken care of; he has a piece of my hair and I have his. I just yanked it out of my head."

Send in the Clones, indeed.

Happy Birthday, Jimmy! I love you! Eat lots of cake for me!

Wanted to buy a mount but…

It is not quite often that when we intend to buy something but end up buying a totally different product. When I was recommended to visit standsandmounts.com for my lcd mount requirement, I did not expect a web site that has more products apart from mounts and stands.

First, let me tell you one thing, be prepared to see literally thousands of products at standsandmounts.com ranging from every kind of stands for your television, audio equipments, home theater seats to projector screens, office furniture and even hydrotherapy shower columns.

Yes, that is what I ended up buying-the hydrotherapy shower column with a black granite body. (See picture) Of course I bought a lcd mount too.

TGIF: Jokes about Jesuits

A Franciscan, and Dominican, and a Jesuit were out playing golf one day. They were moving along the course quite well, until they got stuck behind a group of golfers who were taking quite a long time and weren't letting anyone else play through. Feeling a little frustrated, the three went up to the head of the group and asked what was going on. He told the three priests that they were part of a special program that allowed the blind to play golf.

After a few moments, the Franciscan praised this display of generosity. He apologized for being so pushy, and announced that he was so impressed by this example of service that he would incorporate it into his own prayer and service to the poor. The Dominican, too, was touched by their example, and declared that he would use this display of service in his preaching.

The Jesuit, finally, took the fellow aside and asked, "Can't they play at night?"

**

A Franciscan, a Dominican and a Jesuit are driving along on the way to a mass when suddenly they are blindsided by a truck and killed instantly. At the gates of Heaven, they are met by Peter, who welcomes them each one at at time. Upon meeting the Franciscan he shakes his hand, gives him a key to his room, and sends him in through an old, worn gate off to the side of the Pearly Gates themselves. Likewise, upon meeting the Dominican he gives him a pat on the back, hands him his key, and sends him off through the old, side gate.

When he meets the Jesuit, however, he blows a whistle and suddenly hordes of cheering people pour through the main, pearly gates. They literally throw the Jesuit up on to their shoulders and whisk him away through the main gates to his new home, which Peter informs him is a palatial mansion near the heavenly choir.

Having witnessed this, the Dominican and Franciscan return to Peter and ask for some explanation. "What's the meaning of this?" they asked. "When we came in you gave us a key like we were headed to some fleabag motel and sent us in through what looks to be the back door, but then this Jesuit shows up and you treat him like royalty!"

Peter's face fell. "Oh my, I'm sorry, you completely misunderstand. We're thrilled to have you here, absolutely thrilled. But Franciscans and Dominicans arrive here often. We almost never see Jesuits!"

**

Frank Jones goes to a Franciscan brother and asks him to pray a novena that he can get a Lexus. "What's a Lexus?", the Franciscan asks. "It's a luxury car." "Oh," says the Franciscan, "I'm sorry, I can't pray a novena for such a worldly intention."

So Frank goes to a Dominican brother and asks him to pray a novena that he can get a Lexus. The Dominican asks, "What's a Lexus?" But when Frank explains, "It's a luxury car," the Dominican also declines to pray the novena for such a worldly intention.

So Frank goes to a Jesuit priest and asks him to pray a novena that he can get a Lexus. And the Jesuit asks "what's a novena?"

**

Mrs. Potter asks her Jesuit pastor to explain how obedience works. "Well," says Fr. Rendezzi, SJ, "The Jesuit tells our superiors what he wants, and then they let him do it."

Mrs. Potter gave this a little think. "What happens if the man doesn't know what he wants?"

"Oh," said Fr. Rendezzi, "In that case they make him the superior."

**

And finally, a wicked, wicked piece of Australian satire floating around the internet about the upcoming Sydney World Youth Day:

Superb bathroom faucets.

I wanted to buy the bathroom faucets that I happen to see in a television program. But my husband did not encourage me. Faucets cannot be bought for individuals in a family-right?

See the picture here and tell me honestly-won’t you want these installed in your bathroom? The pity is the price also fits my wallet but my husband would not listen to any amount of appeal.

Finally, I could not control my frustration any longer and asked him the reason for his rejection. Then, with a broad grin, he told me that he already purchased it and expecting delivery in two days time.

The Melbourne Arts Centre.

Images of Melbourne

Downtown Melbourne at night.

Downtown Melbourne at night, along the Yarra River.

A little bit of Paris.

Along the Yarra the other way.

Be seen through attractive displays.

The moment I stepped into the air conditioned exhibition hall, I realized I am looking at stalls that displayed products on eye catching table top display. The products were immediately visible and for once the over enthusiastic sales girls faded into the background of neatly arranged trade show exhibits that spoke of volumes of aesthetic sense of the organizers.

The biennial life style exhibition is my favorite shopping paradise. I invariably end up exhausting my credit card limits in the exhibition.

My usual buys are table covers, mobile phones, artificial plants and home fountains. Do you see the picture in this blog? It is a plastic throw cover and I immediately fell for the color and texture. When I inquired where I can buy it, I was told to contact Camelbackdisplays.com, a one stop online shop for all kinds of unique trade show exhibits.

Buy the best from Wize.com.

None of my existing communication gadgets are adequate for my new online venture that I have committed to.

Partnering with my husband, I have offered my spiritual counseling services. To make it short, anyone with any kind of so called problems can approach us and we strive to give the best solution possible.

For this we needed to buy a couple of ip phones that can connect to us to the Internet even on the move. It is not a problem to buy them but we need to buy the best available in the market.

Someone suggested us to look up at wize.com, a web site that displays various communications products based on reviews of other leading websites like Amazon.

For example, one can look up for the best ip-phones for small business at wize.com, where twenty two persons have voted for Linksys CIT400 Dual-Mode Internet Telephony Kit.

Similarly, they have displayed accessories for your communication gadgets such as adaptors, battery etc.

I would use wize.com whenever I need to buy something online.

Directory of spa, massage, beauty and career resources.

When my son wanted some money to go to a Spa, I asked him for how many days he will be gone. He burst out laughing. He then told me that a pedicure won’t take hours and he will be back for lunch.

I was under impression that spa means getting locked up in a remote place where one undertakes several treatments like massage therapy, mud baths, herbal oil massage and some secret herbal drinks that bring back the shine to one’s skin.

My son then explained that there are day spas too where one go for a manicure and pedicure

“Do you want an appointment mom”?

Peach Picking

Today we started picking peaches. Our crew was hard at it at 6:00 a.m. this morning picking early cling peaches at our Belleville farm. I couldn't sleep waiting to see the first peaches of the season. The first picking was light, as it usually is. We harvested 30 totes and will be back in the orchard Tuesday to harvest many more. We harvest the same trees 5 times (every three days) to catch the fruit at the peak of maturity. It is much more expensive to operate this way but it is the only way to get peaches at the highest eating quality. Once a peach is harvested, it no longer produces additional sugar, more time on the tree equals more sugar in the peach.

The first few days of picking are always a learning experience for the crew. Here you can see Martin Mauricio working with his crew to teach them how to find fully ripe fruit. Martin has been working in our orchards for 19 years. It sounds easy but it takes a trained eye to distinguish ripe fruit from immature. An experienced picker can harvest up to 150 totes in a 8-10 hour shift in 100 degree orchards with no breeze and totally covered in peach fuzz.

Once the fruit is harvested it is hauled into our packing house located behind the country store. There the fruit is washed, sized and packaged for sale at Eckert's Country Store. When we are harvesting at full speed, the fruit can go from tree to store in less than one hour. The only way to get it closer to the tree is to pick it yourself.

I can't wait to get to the thick of peach season!

Cheers,

Chris

Irisys-a role model in pharmaceutical industry.

What am I doing here? What has gone into my head? I should have been busy on my white board working calculus problems for my 12^th standard students. Instead I am arguing with a parent of my student about why many pharmaceuticals company fail in India.

Yes, I confess I am not that sound theoretically but I know what is going wrong in phrama industry. I was arguing that the practice of cgmp manufacturing is not being followed in an organized manner in India.

Obviously the parent was not fully aware of what is cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice) which is actually is a term that is known as control and management of manufacturing and quality control testing of foods and pharmaceutical products.

I had to explain in detail about Irisys.com and their pioneering work in pharmaceutical packaging, formulations and cGMP manufacturing.

The complete machines for manufacturing and testing have to be approved according to predetermined specifications but that is the case with several small pharma industries.

Suddenly I realized that I have gone too far and I decided to let go of the argument and return to my class room.

The interview with a cook.

How long can I request my husband to help me with cooking? It is not fair on my part and so I decided to appoint a cook.

Quality cooks are a rare commodity in my city. Ours is a very orthodox family and we are pure vegetarians. But in spite of this condition, non-veg cooks only turn up.

Today, I interviewed a lady cook and fortunately she belongs to my community. But do you know what she answered to my husband's question? She said she doesn't know anything but willing to be taught! Who has got the time to train a novice?

And for all her inexperience, she demanded a chef's salary!

I think I have to put up with my husband's cooking for some more time.

What an Emcee can do you for you?

Sure, like you, I too sported a perplexing expression on my face when I first came across the word Emcee. Well, Emcee stands for MC-Master of Ceremonies. Oh yes, there are Mistress of Ceremonies too!

Mostly known as comperes or hosts of a show or an event or a ceremony, they organize everything like performers and caterers; they speak to the audience or guests in between the performances.

These MCs are now called as DJs (disc Jockeys) and they are hired to organize and host weddings, birthday parties, school events etc.

While hiring DJs, we must ensure they are experienced and we must ask them to show proof of their previous work. Generally, they would have documented their work.

Residents in and around San Diego area are fortunate to have the highest quality services of san diego wedding dj who has 10 years of experience. Since their services are in constant demand, you must check their availability well in advance.

If their dates clash with your schedule, it is advisable to adjust your event’s date according to their availability because an event that is not planned by precisedjs.com won’t be all that memorable.

Over 26 million video hours.

26 million video hours! And I thought, YouTube is the only video clips site online! I admit I know only YouTube till now. But then, even YouTube is rarely visited by me; who has the time to watch video clips?

But what little I have watched in YouTube, I have enjoyed it and appreciated the skill and taste of the videographer. I only watch nature and birds.

I came to know about Blinkx.com just a few minutes ago as I was researching content for my previous blog post on Mechanic's Lien. This video search engine is said to contain in its database, 26 million hours of video.

"Blinkx is the world’s largest and most advanced video search engine" since the tear 2004. It is a listed company in London Stock Exchange.

Who is a Mechanic’s Lien Attorney?

My husband’s golf companions comprise a diverse group of businessmen, lawyers, film personalities including a mathematics teacher. Yes, that’s I but I am literally a companion. I accompany him to golf course just to chat with other female companions like me.

Last week, I was introduced to a fine looking lady, tall and aristocratic looking. Bit taken aback by her looks, many kept a distance except me who captures the first opportunity to launch myself off into non-stop nonsense. I love talking much to the chagrin of my husband.

The new companion is a practicing Mechanic’s Lien attorney. I stared at her blankly. My self importance took a beating but only temporarily. Seeing my sudden defensiveness, she was kind enough to explain that a mechanic's lien is a legal hold against the owner of real property if he defaults payment to contractors after they have put in considerable amount of labor and material to develop the property into a building.

My new friend specializes in drafting a waiver for mechanic’s lien. I asked her what her husband is.

“He is a building contractor”.

Whales! Please stay!

Soon there will a campaign in the Internet supporting the offline campaigns to save the whales which are threatened to be wiped in the wake of increased global warming.

" According to researchers from the Federal Environment Department, humpback, southern right and minke whale populations could be damaged by a lack of food caused by a change in sea temperatures. "-Times of India

Well, I am not too bothered about the news but conservationists are all up against arms. So, what is expected from all of us who are the prime cause for global warming. There is no clear cut plan of action suggested by any global watchers of environment.

Again, who is to bell the cat?

I am only bothered about the present ugly situation in Tuticorin.

What is common between me and Jane Austin?

We both love cars but never possessed one. (Smile) That is all we share. But don’t ask me which Jane Austin?

But I intend to buy one within 6 months. It is a certainty. I have already identified exactly what I am going to buy. I have chosen a seven year old Hyundai Sonata, silver grey color.

I refused to listen to unsolicited advises as why I should not buy a used car. I know my needs and only I know what my bank balance is to make a down payment.

Looking at my choice, my husband criticized me and also asked me why he should sell his used dodge truck san diego which is serving well. I explained to him that we need to raise some funds for my car and I assured he can get by without his used truck. He can always hire one.

I avoided his look and pretended that I am on my mobile. When he was normal, I showed my husband how sddodge.com helped me calculate my repayments.

The San Diego Dodge web site has been designed to enhance and simplify your car buying experience.

U.S. dumping wastages in India.

Immediately after my post about the major environmental danger approaching America, I read in a magazine in Tamil about how the U.S. is dumping its toxic effluents in India.

Well though the dumping was not done directly, it seemed it sold wastage that filled 40 containers to the ITC, a major firm in India. Those 40 containers were docked at Tuticorin port, about 650 KMs east of Madras.

The containers said to contain contaminated municipal waster such as polythene bags, crushed soft drink cans, pesticide containers, used batteries, metal wires and others more have been rotting away at the port. A legal case is going on but the prestigious ITC says they are not poisonous wastes. America refuses to take it back.

Here is a video clip you can watch. Times of India too reported this.

What they are going to with such a garbage? Who knows, who is John Galt?

Where do you find probate attorneys?

I was busy going through questions and answers in Yahoo! Answers. I was obliging a school principal who sought my help in finding information about the role of Real Estate Probate Attorneys.

I know the school principal teaches English; so I wondered what her interest in a subject that is not even distantly related. (Smile)

Decently I didn’t ask her purpose but I promised what I can do. Not that a mathematic teacher (yes, that’s I) is closely related to the legal subject but my proficiency in using the Internet is well known among my ex-colleagues.

So, for my ex-boss, I devoted some time and came with a probate attorney directory that has all the resources. It is a nation wide, pre-screened directory of probate lawyers and attorneys as well as probate resources and estate planning information.

This opportunity proved to be beneficial to me also I picked up some valuable knowledge about probate which is a legal process of settling the estate of a deceased person, and distributing the proceeds to heirs and creditors.

I have heard and read about the long legal process in such cases where it even took as many as 15 years for the final judgment. Even my father fought for 6 years to lay his claim but unsuccessfully.

My God, the attorneys taking up the probate cases must have one hell of patience!

Image courtesy: Google Images

Don’t have sentimental attachment to silver.

I decided to book some profit two days before when the silver price showed smart upward movement. I could not resist the opportunity to book profit which meant I will deplete my fairly fat silver stock.

After trading in silver stock actively since my association with Monex Deposit Company, I learnt not to attach any sentiment to my precious metals portfolio. Generally women hate to let go of their precious metals possession at any given time.

Monex Precious Metals is home to a large and dedicated staff of hard asset professionals committed to serving your precious metals investment needs and being America’s best dealer with a convenient market and competitive precious metals prices.

I made substantial profit in the last transaction and the next day, I was again tempted to buy more silver stocks but I had to refrain from buying as I needed cash to payback the loan I took to buy silver stocks.

What to take to a crop?

I will post what I usually take in a bit. Thought it would be helpful for those that go to crops!

The History of the People of God in 658 Words

Sorry I haven't been online at all this week. It's been a full one! I'll write more about it soon.Over the next couple days I'm going to post a couple fun things.

Earlier this year I posted a link to a very funny, clever video for the new season of "Lost". It was called "Here's Everything You Need to Know about Lost in 8 Minutes, 15 Seconds."

Later this year, someone did something similar for the Democratic Party. Again, very funny.

I've been kicking around trying to do something like this regarding the Bible. For your entertainment, here's an early text version.

Here's Everything You Need to know about the history of the People of God in 658 Words.

God creates the universe. Also people. He tells them to be fruitful and multiply. And don’t sin.

The people sin. Later, they multiply. Then they sin some more. God has a flood and wipes them out.

God saves Noah and his family. He makes a covenant and promises not to flood the world again. Phew.

The people multiply a lot. They all live in a big city with a tall tower. God doesn’t like that. He creates foreign languages and subtitles. People leave.

God asks Abram and Sarai to leave their family and go where He will send them. He promises them land and a lot of descendants. And he changes their names.

Eventually, they have a son. Sarah dies. Abraham buys a little piece of land to bury her. Abraham dies.

Abraham’s grandson Jacob steals the blessing owed to his older brother Esau. God renews the covenant with him anyway. He's like that.

He changes Jacob’s name to Israel. Esau is not happy. He hates his name.

During a drought, Jacob’s descendants move to Egypt. At first, they live like kings. Later, they are the kings’ slaves. Bummer.

God rescues the people from Egypt, and makes a covenant with them at Mt. Sinai. If they will be faithful to him, he will be their God. Plus, they’ll get a land of their own, and commandments on tablets. They think this deal is sweet.

The people say yes. Then they’re unfaithful. Moses has a fit. God decides they’ll have to wait until everyone in that generation has died before they can enter the Promised Land of Canaan. 40 years of eating manna in the desert. This deal is not sweet.

40 years later, at the entrance of Canaan, Moses reminds the people of everything God has done for them. He tells them they better remember all this, or they will become unfaithful and things will go badly. Then he dies.

The people invade Canaan, conquer its tribes and make it their own. Then they forget everything God has done for them, become unfaithful and things go badly.

Later they remember and ask forgiveness. Things get better. Later, they forget again.

Eventually, the people ask for a king, because all the other kingdoms have one. Samuel tells them to trust God, having a king will just cause trouble. They say he is like totally out of touch and doesn’t understand them.

God names Saul king. Saul causes trouble.

God replaces Saul with David. David loves God, defeats the Philistines and expands the empire. Later, he commits adultery and has his lover's husband assassinated. Whoa.

Otherwise he is Israel’s greatest king. He rules 40 years.

David’s son Solomon reigns 40 years. He builds the Temple and a palace. Later, he worships foreign gods. God is not happy. When Solomon dies, God splits Israel into the Northern Kingdom (Samaria) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah).

The kings of the Northern Kingdom worship foreign gods. God takes off. The north is overrun by Assyria, its land annexed and its people exiled. The prophets call the invaders God’s instruments.

The Southern kings are more faithful. Their kingdom lasts longer. Later, they are unfaithful. Babylonia overruns them. Many of the people are exiled. The Temple is destroyed.

The Jews are confused. Their faith was based on having one land, one people, one temple. They decide one out of three is pretty bad. The prophets say it’s their own fault. They repent.

Persia conquers Babylon. Its king Cyrus allows the Israelites to go home and rebuild the Temple. The Israelites like him.

Later, the Romans take over. The Israelites revolt. They win. Then they lose.

Jesus is born. He heals people, has dinner with sinners and says the Kingdom of God has begun. Jewish authorities disagree. They have him killed.

Three days later, he rises from the dead. His followers start a new sect of Judaism based on his teaching. Eventually, it’s called Christianity.

More Thoughts on Obedience

While obedience is often understood as blind submission, my current vow guru, Howard Gray, argues that just doing whatever you're told, with no input or comment, is not Jesuit obedience. “If obedience is simply me waiting to be told what to do, then that creates a whole subcharacter of passivity, inertia, irresponsibility. In the Society every obedience involves consultation, representation, prayer, a slowing down of the process so that we can feel that God is in it."

The reality is, oftentimes missionings happen out of sudden events, and slowing the process down can be tough. But that instinct really speaks to the underlying Jesuit understanding, that what we're doing here in obedience is primarily to "suss out", as the Aussies say, the will of God, by trying to read the signs and heed what the Spirit seems to be saying.

Gray has another very provocative comment on the vow: "What obedience is in terms of its potential as an apostolic dynamism is saying that I’ve enlarged the options and therefore the apostolic imagination of my performance so that it is never limited only by my experience but open to the wider, richer experience of the Church, of my superiors, and of the people we are trying to serve.”

That's a mouthful, but the point is twofold: 1) this vow, like all the others, is for mission. 2) Obedience relates to everyone involved in the conversation. It's not just the missioned man who wants to be obedient, but the superior, to God's beckonings. That idea that the process is one of "enlarging the options" and our imaginations as to what is possible (rather than pinning them down) is quite innovative...great, challenging stuff.

It also strikes me, this way of framing the vow brings us all into the same boat. It's not just Jesuits who are trying to be obedient in this sense of seeking out and following the will of God, but all of us, yes?

Now if it were only easy!

Speaking of obedience, today I want to also honor my first encounter with obedience:


My Mom, last November, in New York. I call it "After the Third Martini".

Rusty McDermott -- she's having a birthday tomorrow. 47 (again). Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!

And for her birthday, this very funny video about some of the more problematic positions of the Republican party. I'm sure Democrats can and will be equally mocked in the coming months (yes, they will!), but for a life-long Democrat like my mom, this will bring great laughs. (I personally love the lady in the supermarket, and the boy who wants to go to Iran.)

Again, Happy Birthday, Mom!

Obedience

While chastity always generates a lot of conversation and questions, obedience does much the same. Being told what to do, the threat of being pulled from something you want to do to do something you don't -- these aren't concepts many people immediately appreciate. They're not exactly how things usually work, either, but they are what often comes to mind first.

I wouldn't want to claim to be an expert on obedience by any means. Far from it, God knows. But as we were talking about the topic a few weeks ago, it hit me that I've had some limited experience of what might be the big three of obedience -- being sent somewhere you didn't want to go; being sent somewhere you did want to go; and having an assignment change based on your comments. And in each case, things worked out for the best.

After my first two years in the Jesuits, I was sent to Loyola Chicago for philosophy. And, much to my chagrin today, I had no interest in living in Chicago. We never went into the city much as kids, and although my parents were both from there, my impressions were that it was a pretty dingy, dirty place. Plus, I had the whole country in front of me, and they wanted to send me into my own backyard.

But thank God they did. The program at Loyola was excellent, just excellent. The Jesuit communities I lived in were rich and loving. Some of my best Jesuit friends and heroes today are people I met there.


Ron Gonzales, SJ and I: We lived across the hall from each other at Lewis-Bremner Jesuit Community in Chicago. Yeah. 

For regency, my teaching experience after Loyola, I was to go either to Red Cloud or Creighton Prep in Omaha. I had worked at Red Cloud once already, wanted to go back, and was eventually sent back. There, too, I had an amazing experience, met some awesome, awesome friends.

Sr. Connie Schmidt, SSND, wondering when this picture will be over.


Red Cloud seniors Heather Sierra, Danielle Deon, Alicia Mousseau, Francine Parmenter and Christy Bear Robe, about a week before their graduation, looking happy and tuff.

But even so, through the process of decision making my formation director used as were deciding on that assignment, by the time I was told, I really was open to going to either place.

For theology I asked to go back to Cambridge, and the province sent me there. That, too, proved to be a marvelous gift, some of the best years of my life in school and Jesuit community.

My diaconate ordination class. I love this group of guys. Getting ordained together that day was a special moment.


The June 17th, 2006 wedding of Weston graduates Emily Rauer and Andrew Davis. (Happy Anniversary, guys!) Emily and I were classmates at Weston, and many of the people in the photo were our classmates, too. We have a GREAT class.

In other situations, I've been heard in the decision making process and the decisions have changed as a result. And there again, all I can say is, thank goodness.

Has it all been easy? No. Definitely not, either for me or others. Especially in the year of ordination, many guys I know have gone through very difficult times with their superiors, missionings that involved little or no consultation, bizarre or impersonal conversations (like the guy whose provincial decided to have an important missioning conversation while they were standing around in the presence of others), or that were done via email.

But so what. Superiors make mistakes. So do we. It's not fun when it happens. Hopefully, you speak your mind as honestly as you can and get through it. Because for us, that's not "talking back". Jesuit obedience and mission ideally involve "manifestation", that is, both the superior and the man being missioned articulating their desires and spiritual movements. It's not just a letter on a bulletin board that tells you your new assignment, which is how things used to go.

Sometimes you still end up doing something you don't want to. And sometimes that works out anyway.

A few scattered thoughts...

Let Me Sing For You

When I was working at Red Cloud, one of the volunteers was a tall, lanky Virginian with a quick wit and an incredible dedication to his students and the Lakota people. Tim McLaughlin taught English in the middle school; he was also a great basketball coach and a writer.

After three years volunteering, Tim went out to New Mexico and began to teach at a Native American school there. He also got a Master's degree. And in there somewhere, he began to work with students on poetry slams -- long form original poetry presented in public competitions.

He and his students have been doing this for some time now, and just recently they were written up in the New York Times. Along with the article, the Times provides recordings of three of the students' performances. I want to recommend them to you, in part because I'm just so proud of Tim and all he's done. Like his peers from the volunteer program at Red Cloud, Tim reminds me of what generosity and openness can really look like, and what can be accomplished at their service. Pilamayo, Tim! Pilamayo!

I also have to give a shout out to my brother Scott in this regard. Scott has spent the last fifteen years coaching state championship quality speech teams at Glenbrook South High School in the suburbs of Chicago. He's actually at the national tournament with one of his students right now.

People bemoan the quality of education today, and of course there are reasons for concern. But you meet teachers like Tim or Scott or my aunt Eileen and cousin Mike, my friend Tim Moran, and you see that in the midst of all the clouds there's a lot of hope and possibility, too.

I'll be traveling to Melbourne to begin my second experiment tomorrow. I'll be working with young people at a drop in center. We'll have to see how often I can post. But I'm going to try and post some tomorrow before I go.

Why blogspot is superior to wordpress?

I am of the opinion that blogspot is superior to wordpress blogging platform. I anticipate quite a few feedbacks backing WP and I have my reasons.

* WP releases constant upgrades to its version. For techno novices like me, upgrading WP is a big problem.

* It is very easy to modify the source code HTML in blogspot based blogs.

* Adding a new page element is easier than doing so in WP.

* Even inserting AdSense codes is easier in blogspot when compared to WP.

* There is never a requirement to upgrade blogspot. Man, what a relief it is!

* Getting answers to doubts regarding blogspot is also very easy as there are more places for that.

* I have come across so called experts and veterans of WP, but they were always reluctant to answer or they guide you else where.

* Above all, there is no installation headache in blogspot.

I love you Google for everything you do, for every product you develop.

Umpiring decisions can be contested.

At last, the highly conservative ICC officials have decided to be practical and allow the technology to be used in cricket matches.

For the forth coming tour of India to Sri Lanka, players are allowed to appeal against the umpiring verdicts if they feel he might have got it wrong.

Though, the initial rules concerning this arrangement are a bit confusing, I am glad the first step has been taken.

Just to keep the human elements of the game, why should a bowler or a batsman suffer on a wrong decision by the on-field umpire? A player's career may at stake when he is handed down a wrong decision due to human error.

Thank you ICC.

The drug reference guide from Epocrates.

I believe everyone in their lifetime comes across a bit of unconditional love which takes them by surprise but not immediately. Only after the effect of unconditional love settles in, the mind send signals to the brain which in turn decodes, analyzes, interprets and pass it on to the nerves and then only we feel the emotion-the emotion of gratitude.

The first time I experienced this gratitude which automatically brought tears in my eyes was when my father was fighting for his life. His body did not respond to several medicines. The doctors were baffled.

One afternoon, a doctor not attached to the hospital where my father was admitted heard about my father’s condition and studied for a long time his case record. Suddenly he pulled out his PDA, referred his drug reference guide online, made a few overseas calls and wrote out something to the doctors who were treating my father.

He simply walked away without even bothering to acknowledge the thanks from other doctors. It is needless to say that what he wrote-the medicines worked on my father.

With the Epocrates’ drug reference guide loaded on their PDA , clinicians can immediately access the information needed to make prescribing decisions – such as drug dosing, side effects and health plan coverage.

This announcement was paid for by Epocrates

Italian Dressing

1 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of Apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of onion powder
2 tablespoon of whole grain mustard or dijion type mustard
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
1/2 teaspoon of basil
1 teaspoon salt
A pinch of Stevia, or 2-4 teaspoons of sugar or natural sweeter

Combine all ingredients and mix well before using.

Got the recipe from here!

Father's Day

My dad become a father almost 40 years ago now, just one month after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. And it just so happens, one of my dad's favorite bands has just put out a music video about the moon walk. Hope you enjoy it, Dad! Happy Father's Day! You are wunderbar!

White Almond Sour Cream Wedding Cake Recipe

I made my daughter's wedding cake using this recipe. It turned out fantastic. The texture is just perfect for a wedding cake -- not too fluffy so it breaks from the weight, but also not overly dense. The flavor, texture and moistness were just right. I made two batches of the batter for a three-tiered wedding cake using 14", 10" and 6" pans that were 3-inches deep. I had enough extra batter for a 9" layer (not a deep pan). This recipe was originally created by Rebecca Sutterby.

by Donna M.

SERVES 40 -50

2 (18	ounce) boxes white cake mix (Betty Crocker or Pillsbury)
2	cups all-purpose flour
2	cups granulated sugar
1 1/2	teaspoons salt
2 2/3	cups water
1/4	cup vegetable oil
2	teaspoons real vanilla
2	teaspoons almond extract
2	cups sour cream
8	large egg whites

1. Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir together with a wire whisk.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Pour into greased and floured cake pans, filling each pan a little over half full.
4. Lightly tap cake pans on counter to bring air bubbles to top.
5. Bake in preheated 325° F oven until cake tests done.
6. Baking time varies according to the size and depth of pans being used.
7. I used Wilton's Bake Even Strips on my cake pans to ensure a level-topped cake which required absolutely no trimming-- I highly recommend these, or good quality professional baking pans.
8. In 2" deep pans, this recipe makes:
9. One 14" round and one 6" round
10. or One 16" round
11. or One 12" round and one 10" round
12. or One 12 X 18" sheet cake
13. or One 12" round and one 8" round and one 6" round
14. or Two 9" squares.
15. or 5 dozen cupcakes.
16. Half the recipe makes:
17. Two 7" rounds
18. or Two 6" rounds and 6 cupcakes.
19. For chocolate cake: sub choc. cake mix for white... instead of egg whites do 6 whole eggs... sub 2/3 of the flour for cocoa powder and sub all of the water for coffee, omit almond extract
20. For liqueur flavors: substitute alcohol (such as champagne or Kahlua) for about 1 cup of the water in the recipe.
21. For berry flavors: use frozen berries, thaw reserving the juice. Substitute the berry juice for part of the water in the recipe, and stir the berries in at the end.
22. For lemon cake: substitute lemon juice for about 1 cup of the water in the recipe, use 6 whole eggs instead of the whites, stir in 1 Tblsp lemon zest, and use 1 tsp of a good lemon extract in place of the almond.
23. For white chocolate: melt 8oz white baking chocolate & cool slightly. use 6 whole eggs in the recipe instead of the whites, temper the chocolate by stirring in a small amount of the batter, then add the white chocolate to the entire batter and stir well. Doesn't bake up quite as high as the original, so add a pinch more batter to the pans.

Reviews:
All I can say is I'm sooooo glad I found this recipe!!! It's one of the best cakes I've ever had/made. I made it for my dh's birthday last Saturday and it was such a great texture...not that fluffy, spongy airy cakes you get from a straight box mix. I look forward to trying many other flavors with this method!!! I halved the recipe and made it in a 9 x 13 glass dish. Baked it at the 325 for about 40 minutes. Thanks for posting this!! ~ Update ~ I've made this cake about 5 times since my original review.
This is now my stadard cake recipe. It can easily be divided by 1/2 to make a 13X9 (w/ a little extra batter) or three 8 0r 9 inch layers.
I made up the whole batch and got 63 cupcakes for Easter, baking them for 19 minutes. The texture and the flavour is incredible !!
I halved the recipe and made two 8" rounds which came out perfectly. I frosted with a almond buttercreme and spread rasberry jam between the layers.
I used a buttercream frosting and halved the recipe for a 13x9 pan. Baked for about 36 minutes.

For Chocolate Filling:
melt 2 cups chocolate chips with a can of sweetened condensed milk. Stir until smooth and then let cool until fudge consistency.

Moist Deluxe Dark Chocolate Cake Mix(Copycat-Duncan Hines) Recipe

2	cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4	cups sugar
3/4-1	cup cocoa
2	teaspoons baking powder
1	teaspoon baking soda
1/2	teaspoon salt
4	tablespoons vegetable shortening
To make cake
1 1/3	cups water
1/2	cup vegetable oil
3	large eggs

1. Combine flour, sugar,cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Now stir to combine. Add shortening, using electric mixer on medium speed to blend the shortening into the dry ingredients. Completely mix shortening until you can't see any chunks. This is the mix which may be kept in a sealed container for several months.
2. To make the cake:.
3. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Grease sides and bottoms of two 9" baking pans, or one 9x13" pan. Lightly flour the greased pans. Blend the dry cake mix(above) with water, oil, and eggs in a large bowl with the mixer at low speed until just moistened. Kick up the speed to medium and mix about 2 more minutes.
4. Pour batter into pans and bake 30-33 minutes for the 9" pans and 35-38 minutes for the 9x13" pan.If you wish to make cupcakes, bake for 19-22 minutes.

Homemade Buns

60 buns

Yeast
2	tablespoons yeast
2	tablespoons sugar
1	cup water
Add
1/4	cup sugar
1 1/2	tablespoons salt
4	cups water
1	cup oil
1 1/2	teaspoons vinegar
13-15	cups flour (white, whole wheat or a mix of each)
1/2	cup wheat germ (optional)

1. Mix Yeast items and let stand in a large bowl (I like my tupperware thatsa bowl!).
2. Knead out until dough is soft and does not stick to your hands.
3. Cover and let rise 45 minutes.
4. Punch down and let rise 30 minutes.
5. Shape into buns and let rise for 2 hours.
6. Bake at 375 for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.

Reviews:
OUTSTANDING - excellent flavor. These deserve more than 5 stars!!! Light textured buns, even made with 1/2 whole wheat flour! Since there were no assembling instructions, here's what I did. After step 1, I added salt, sugar, vinegar, wheat germ, and oil to yeast mixture, and mixed 30 seconds. Added oil and mixed 30 seconds. I then added half unbleached flour and mixed to form a soft dough. Then added the remaining flour (whole wheat) one cup at a time, until the dough was stiff. I skipped step 2. Sprayed mixing bowl with Pam covered with plastic wrap, and let dough rise as instructed in step 3. Continued with rising and baking instructions as listed. They were fabulous! I rolled out dough to about 3/4" thickness and cut 24 3-inch rounds. After rising, half the recipe made 24 light 3-1/2" diameter buns 1-3/4" tall. As soon as a friend make me the larger cutter, I can make those X-large hamburger buns in healthy whole wheat. I am pleased to add this recipe to my permanent cookbook. I may never buy hamburger buns again!

I made these buns today and they were delicious. I scaled the recipe to yield 12 buns (~3 c flour), and used 1 c white whole wheat flour and 1/4 c soy flour with bread flour making up the remainder. I shaped them into long buns for brats (AKA bratwurst, not spoiled kids!), and brushed the top with an egg wash so a sprinkle of poppy or sesame seeds would stick. What a great texture...soft but with substance. Really good. Thanks!

Pizza Roll-Ups (Oamc)

A once a month recipe that is great for picnics or nights when the family has to eat in shifts. They can be eaten warm or cold.

24 Roll ups

1	loaf frozen French bread dough or italian bread dough or all purpose bread dough
1	lb lean ground beef or turkey
1	teaspoon salt
1/2	teaspoon pepper
2	cups grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
1	teaspoon Italian herb seasoning
1	tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
4	cups italian tomato sauce

1. Thaw dough; roll it into 14 x 24-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
2. Brown ground beef or turkey; stir in remaining ingredients except Italian tomato xauce.
3. Spoon filling evenly onto dough, slightly pressing filling into dough.
4. Roll dough lengthwise like a jelly roll, and cut into 24 1-inch slices.
5. Treat 2 rimmed cookie sheets with nonstick spray; lay slices on sheets about 1 inch apart.
6. Preheat oven to 400°F.
7. Let roll-ups sit for 10 minutes.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
9. Cool roll-ups and freeze in 4 1 gallon bags, 6 per bag.
10. Slip a 1 quart bag with 1 cup sauce into each bag of pizza roll ups.
11. To prepare, thaw roll-ups and warm them in a preheated 400°F oven for 10 minutes or put them frozen in the microwave; heat on high for about 2 minutes.
12. Serve with warmed Italian tomato sauce.

Reviews:
I also used pepperoni instead of ground beef and it turned out perfect! These turn out so well and are perfect for keeping in the frezzer for a quick supper or snack. I can see these becoming a family favorite around here. I think that you could substitute other favorite pizza toppings as well. Thanks for this recipe!
The day I saw this recipe and a few others, I went out and bought all the ingredients. This will make my days alot less frantic (with my sometimes busy schedule).I rated this high because of the ease of preparing and it's easy to take out of the freezer and cook quickly. I have a growing boy and he likes this. I just substituted the meat for Pepperoni..since that is his favorite type pizza. Thanks for sharing it.

Mexican Stuffed Shells (Oamc)

You can add jalapeños, hot sauce or green chilies to this to add a real kick!

12 -18 shells

12-18	large pasta shells, cooked
1	lb ground beef
3	tablespoons taco seasoning, I use recipe # 4292
1/2	cup water
1	onion, chopped
1 1/2	cups salsa, divided
1	cup grated cheese, divided (jalapeno Monterey Jack is especially good, but cheddar will work well too.)
750	ml tomato sauce
	chili powder, to taste
	green onions, for garnish

1. Brown ground beef and drain.
2. Add seasoning, water,onion, and 1/2 cup of salsa and 1/4 cup cheese.
3. Mix together remaining salsa, tomato sauce,and chili powder.
4. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking pan.
5. Fill each shell with the ground beef mixture and place in pan.
6. Pour remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese on top and garnish with green onion. Cover and freeze at this point.
7. Defrost overnight and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. (Cook from frozen for 2 hours at 300°F).
8. If desired sprinkle additional cheese on top after baking and return to oven for 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts.

Reviews:
I used a whole 250gr box of jumbo shells (al dente), 2 lbs ground beef, 3 tblsp of taco seasonning and 1 cup of water.Tomato sauce were 2 cans of 398ml, 1 tblsp of chilli powder. I used the Tex-Mex shredded cheese and put 1/2 cup into the beef mixutre. I had exactly enough filling to fill all the shells in the box. I sprinkled the rest of the cheese on top, before putting in in the oven, by error, but it turned out fine. Let stand, and then I topped them with green onion and chopped lettuce. These were so good, we kept "munching" on them the next day! Thanks, for a regular stapple at our house.

Pizza Spirals OAMC

These tasty little morsels are so easy and versatile. I serve them as an appetizer or after school snack, but especially as a school lunch. I just make them ahead, freeze them and pop them into my daughter's lunch box frozen, and by the time she is ready to eat lunch they are all thawed out. There are never any left over! Hope you enjoy!

20 rolls

1 (8	ounce) package refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
3/4	cup chopped low-fat pepperoni
8	teaspoons pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce
5	teaspoons warmed low-fat cream cheese
2	teaspoons oregano
1	teaspoon chopped garlic
1 1/2	cups shredded lowfat mozzarella cheese
any other fillings
	mushrooms or bell peppers or ground beef, etc, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Unroll dough into 4 long rectangles.
3. Press diagonal perforations firmly to seal.
4. Spread warmed cream cheese evenly on dough.
5. Spread pizza sauce evenly on top of cream cheese.
6. Add oregano and garlic spreading evenly over all.
7. Sprinkle chopped pepperoni over all.
8. Add any extra ingredients you would like.
9. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
10. Roll up each rectangle starting at the shortest side, press and seal firmly.
11. Cut each of the 4 rolls into 5 slices to make 20 slices.
12. Spray cookie sheet or muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.
13. Place cut side down on sprayed cookie sheet or muffin tins. Careful, they can be sticky!
14. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
15. Remove from cookie sheet.
16. Can be served warm or cooled and placed in the freezer.

Tortilla Casserole (Oamc)

SERVES 6

6	soft tortillas
1	lb ground beef
1 (1 1/4	ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1	cup sour cream
1	cup chopped onions
1/2	cup water
2	cups grated cheddar cheese
2 (8	ounce) cans refried beans

1. Fry ground beef and onions until meat is cooked through.
2. Add taco seasoning and water and cook until thickened.
3. Line a buttered pan or casserole dish with 3 tortillas, then layer with 1/2 of the meat, 1/2 of the beans, 1/2 of the sour cream and 1/2 of the cheese.
4. Repeat.
5. If you like it spicy, then top it with some hot sauce or salsa.
6. Bake at 350 until bubbly (about an hour).
7. *OAMC directions: after baking, place in rigid container and seal with a lid (and plastic wrap if desired). Place in freezer. When ready to eat, thaw, place in baking dish, and reheat in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Reviews:
Very good, I added 2 cups of cheese to mine and didn't use but half of the taco seasoning. Next time I will surely spray the bottom of my casarole dish with cooking spray. Excelent, this also feeds a good amountof people I would say 8-10 good sized servings, we are having it again for dinner tonight. Once again thank you!
This was fantastic! Better than plain old taco's. I found it hard to layer the sour cream so I just dolloped it on and mixed it in with the meat, worked fine. I served it with chopped lettuce and tomato and hot taco sauce on the side, DELICIOUS. This was one of the easiest and tastiest meals I've ever cooked and it will definitely make many more appearances on my dinner table.