Replace, Repair, Restore

I have a new post on OCN, The Cobbler’s Repairs and Lent.   It's about repairing a great pair of boots.  And it's about Lent. Actually, it's about restoration.   Here's a snippet:

"I received a pair of gray and black patent leather cowboy boots for my fortieth birthday. They were a gift from my mother-in-law. She thought cowboy boots would serve as a reminder of what American grit can accomplish and that I once lived in Colorado. I loved wearing them—that is until the heel broke. For the past few months they waited, slouched over with a detached heel, near the door to my garage waiting to catch a ride to the cobbler to be repaired."

"We need more cobblers and fewer retailers. We need more seamstresses and fewer catalogs. We need more repairing and less replacing. I imagine fewer people are experiencing Lent with prayer, fasting and almsgiving because they don’t know what it means to repair anything. Everything broken is replaced with new. We’ve lost the art of restoration, and this spills into our spiritual life."

"... if we aren’t used to repairing what is broken, if we just replace things when they are no longer a use for us, how will we make that association when we are spiritually broken? Most of us, when we are spiritually broken, just live with it. We forgive ourselves. We cry out 'No regrets!' or 'God must have had a plan.' But we are not repaired.  We are not restored."

Click here to read the full article.

What is your Cross?

Yes, we've closed two weeks and are heading towards our Third Sunday of Lent.  I love how the Church, in Her wisdom has brought the Cross to our attention.  What a great reminder of why we are doing this.

Lent isn't a simple discipline or a diet.  It is for salvation!  

Look at the Gospel of Luke 9:22-26: 

And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?    Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Lent is a time to look at what truly matters and to make daily life decisions that will draw us closer to Him.  Are we looking to gain the world?  There is no salvation in gaining the world!  

Are we ashamed of God, enough to be embarrassed to ask for a vegan meal at a catered event or when we go out to eat?  I am not saying we should announce to the world that we are fasting.  It's just that if there is an option, we should take it.  

And what about the struggles hunger brings.  I think of those Snickers commercials where they talk about "hanger," when hunger induces anger.  The tagline is “You are not you when you are hungry."  But you know what?  We are more ourselves because hunger reveals our passions.  It brings them to the forefront so we can deal with them in a healthy way.   

 And in some ways, this is how our Cross is revealed to us.  Is your cross Gluttony?  Jealousy? Fear? Pride?  When we remove ourselves from our comfort zone we see our faults more easily.  We even see our strengths we didn’t know we had.

I encourage you to take time to see what your Cross is as we approach Sunday so that you can know your weaknesses and your strengths.  Then you will have a more honest understanding of what we need to repent of.  

Hymns for Sunday: 

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Third Tone

Let the Heavens rejoice; let earthly things be glad; for the Lord hath wrought might with His arm, He hath trampled upon death by death. The first-born of the dead hath He become. From the belly of Hades hath He delivered us, and hath granted great mercy to the world.

Apolytikion of Sun. of the Holy Cross in the First Tone

Lord, save Your people and bless Your inheritance, granting our rulers to prevail over adversaries, and protecting Your commonwealth by Your Cross.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone

To you, Theotokos, invincible Defender, having been delivered from peril, I, your city, dedicate the victory festival as a thank offering. In your irresistible might, keep me safe from all trials, that I may call out to you: "Hail, unwedded bride!"

A Parent's Guide to the Lenten Services

I recently posted an article on myocn.net.  It was written to help parent attend as many of the Lenten services as possible. 

Parenting Guide for Lenten Services

Lent is a three-legged stool of Prayer, Fasting and Alms Giving. If you try to balance on only one leg, you are sure to fall. It is very common for people to make this mistake when it comes to fasting during Lent.  We often get distracted by the foods we are or aren’t allowed to eat, and forget about the extra prayer services and opportunities for charity.

Take a moment to look at your church calendar. Does the service schedule seem impossible for you and your family?  The standard service schedule for Lent includes Compline on Mondays, Pre-sanctified Liturgy on Wednesdays, Akathist Fridays, Vespers on Saturdays and Liturgy on Sundays.

The article focuses on the following:

• Know your limitations

• Reward system

• Pick a weekday that works with your family schedule

• Prioritize the services.

• Take turns

• Hire a sitter

• Bring a sleeping bag (but don’t set up camp)

• Watch online services

I would love to know what you think about the article. 

And Then There Were Six

We have closed a week of lent and here are a few thoughts running through my brain: 

It's not all about the food

It's so easy to get caught up in the fasting part of Lent.  When we focus only on food, we become very self-centered.  It's all about us and what we physically put into our body.  Yet, there are three legs to support this spiritual season we have entered and they are Prayer, Fasting, and Charity or more specifically, Giving Alms.  

What are Alms?   In an article on Compelling Truth, "...almsgiving was the act of filling a material need for someone less fortunate, usually by giving money."  When we give alms, we focus on what we physically give to other bodies.   We focus outside of ourselves. 

I want to work harder on looking outside of myself and offering to others. 

We need the proper supplies

Were you prepared for the vegan menu or were you caught off guard too?  I was not prepared and found myself in a drive-thru too many times.  So I reassessed my pantry and made sure I had the following: fresh veggies (spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, potatoes), chickpeas for hummus, flour and yeast for bread, tomato sauce, dried beans, frozen pierogies, rice milk, and pasta.  

I also had to be sure to fit a church service or two into my schedule.  On Wednesday, I lost track of time and missed the presanctified service.  I need to do a better job this coming week especially since Annunciation is Friday, and we have Liturgy.

We are different

As a first generation American, I often feel a little left out of things.  Now that My Big Fat Greek Wedding II is out, you have a good idea what this means.  Being Orthodox, and temporarily on the "Old Calendar" those feelings have returned.  We have just started our fast and there are wooden bunnies and Easter flags decorating my neighbors' yards (which seem too soon to me.)  By next week, all the Peeps, jelly beans, hams and egg dyes will be gone and the grocery shelves will shift to Mother's Day and graduations, leaving us in the dust.  

Temporarily being on the Old Calendar with such a late Easter/Pascha is interesting.  It reminds me that we are different from the world; separate and not part of it.  Sometimes I get distracted by trying to keep up with the world.  A late Easter can cure that. 

And yes, there is the added benefit of cheap candy...   

We won't be here forever. 

It's always good to "live like you were dying."  Why do we focus on the temporal things and not the eternal ones, like our souls?  I like how the Orthodox Church starts Lent off remembering the dead with three liturgies we call Saturday of the Souls.  It serves as a proper inspiration to stay the course.  

What we do during Lent is in preparation for our possible time in Paradise.  

May we all have the strength and courage to complete the Lenten Season with grace. 

Vegan Moussaka

 

Looking for a vegan meal for Saturday of Lazarus or Palm Sunday?  This is definitely "Company Worthy."   I posted a recipe for OCN of a Vegan Moussaka and it's delicious!

 

 

 

 



 

For more detailed info on the "Cream" Sauce...

 

“Cream” Sauce:

Boil 5c water in a large saucepan and remove from heat.  Stir in 3/4c instant potato flakes until dissolved and set aside.

 

 

 

Heat ½ c oil in medium saucepan.  Stir in ¾ c flour and cook while stirring until it turns a golden color. 

 

 

Lower heat and slowly stir in potato water, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.  Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  

 

 

 

Returning to the Classics with PB&J.

One of the most basic sandwiches around is the classic peanut butter and jelly.   It's a childhood favorite (unless you or a classmate have an allergy to peanuts.)  We used to eat them all the time. Crunchy peanut butter and grape jelly on soft (mushy) white bread.  It was even better when cut into four squares, as opposed to triangles.  I remember getting into trouble for not eating the crusts. 

I had forgotten all about PB&J until I found myself making them for our son. He loves them!  Can eat them everyday if I let him... even the crusts.  And that's when I was reintroduced to the perfect sandwich.  It possesses the balanced combination of creamy, crunchy, sweet and salty.  I just love them now!   And with the Fast for the Panagia, it is an easy go-to for protein and energy.  


I still prefer the classic crunchy peanut butter and grape jelly but I toast my wheat bread and cut the slice in half, diagonally.   Do you have a favorite combination you can suggest? Share it with us below.

Today's JAR- Just a Reminder. Lent requires your time.

The third week of lent is a tough one.  I'm still getting used to the new diet.  I am realizing that my high ideals of everything I was going to accomplish during Lent was too high.  And I see that as we near the midpoint, I still have a long way to go. 

It's not too late for me to take a more realistic approach to the three major aspects of lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  But I am finding time to be my biggest struggle right now.  The new recipes take more time to prepare and cook as I learn them.  I've been "too busy" to attend the extra services.  I am also sure I can actually pick up one of my stacked books and make time to read those enlightening books on the lives of the saints.  And even if I don't have a dime to spare, there are plenty of people who don't need my money, just my time, some one to visit them and keep them company. 

 

Looks like a key element of lent is time more than anything else. 

How do we spend our time.?

On Marsh 29th I am going to be speaking at a retreat at the St. Photios Shrine in St. Augustine, FL about time and ways that we sanctify time, make it holy. 

I will first identify the 5 different types of time... Seasonal, Cyclical, Measurable, Relative, and Healing... I even add Greek as a sub category for those who think being late is a virtue.   

Then we will go through the twelve major feast days of the church calendar and identify how we can make room in our busy schedules to recognize them and celebrate them.  I will give a synopsis of each feast day and we will discuss traditions and menus.  For example, Palm Sunday is a day we traditionally eat fish and the Elevation of the Cross is a strict fast day. 

Do you know the twelve major feasts?  Can you identify the ones that are moveable, associated with Pascha/Easter?  

1. Nativity of the Theotokos,
2. Elevation of the Cross,
3. Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple,
4. Nativity of Christ,
5. Theophany of our Lord,
6. Presentation of Our Lord,
7. Annunciation of the Theotokos,
8. Palm Sunday,
9. Ascension,
10. Pentecost,
11. Transfiguration of Our Lord,
12. Dormition of the Theotokos. 

Stay strong as you continue on your Lenten journey.  If you are hungry, make adjustments and take your vitamins.  If you are finding it hard to make time for Lent, look at what you spend your time on.  Re-evaluate your priorities.  If we don't have time for prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we have to adjust something.  

Two Weeks Down

Counting down the weeks with Lady Lent... Kyria Sarakosti.

 

 

 

How are you all holding up?  Getting hungry yet?  Tired of spaghetti?  I have been sharing some of my old recipes on my facebook page.  I hope you are following me there. 

 

 

 



 

Lenten Update and Menu Plan

Lady Lent one week down...

One and a half weeks down and five and a half more to go... and I feel like an amateur vegan.  Partially because no one is paying me to cook.   hehehe.  But mostly because  I see so many cool recipes online and it makes me think of all the cool things I am not cooking for my family.  Home made veggie burgers, zucchini and gnocchi, coconut milk cheese... all seem "above my pay scale."  Not impossible... It is not my normal Greek cuisine... and seems like a job that requires more counter space. 
 
With the vegan diet shift, I have left my blender (for smoothies,) mixer (for breads,) crock pot (for bean soups,) and food processor (for hummus and taramosalata,) out on the counter.  These are appliances I usually keep in the cabinets but find myself using more often than before so I haven't put them all away.  Unfortunately, they are really cramping my style.  I will have to rethink the counter situation. 
 
I did make a successful Lenten mashed potato with the roasted garlic, sea salt and soy milk.  I favor soy milk with cooking, coconut milk with smoothies and almond milk with pancakes.   I don't get any of them sweetened or flavored, and I try to buy them one at a time. 

My menu plan for the rest of the week?  (Is it Wednesday already?!)

Wednesday:  mashed potatoes and fake meat Skyline Chili chili

Thursday: fried zucchini, mushroom orzo/rice pilaf, sautéed spinach, and a cucumber salad

Friday: baked tofu, grilled veggies and steamed (or left over) rice

Saturday: veggie pizza with left overs including grilled sweet potatoes.  The sweet potatoes add a creaminess that makes up for the lack of cheese. 

Sunday: Maybe out for Mexican after church...

I hope you are taking advantage of all the aspects of Lent, and not just on a restrictive diet. This season of reflection and prayer is a great gift. 

The Perils of Lentils, My New Found Favorite

When President George Bush, declared in 1990 that ''I do not like broccoli, and I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States, and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli!'' I stood and cheered!  Such was my dislike for Lentils. 

 

But as I enter into another fast, I am finding it harder to get the necessary nutrients and I have finally found a recipe I can not only swallow but enjoy. 

 

My mom helped me with this post... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Half a bag of Lentils is all we make at a time. 

Lentils... look for small pebbles.

Rinse with warm water.

Fill large pot with enough water so the lentils have room for movement while boiling. 

Boil for 5 minutes.  Water will get cloudy.

Strain lentils, to remove dark water but no need to rinse.   I've found the meal to be lighter when I rinse out the water. 

Have three quarts of boiling water on stove ready to quickly return to cooking the beans. 

Return to boil.

 

 

 

Chop 2 celery stalks, 3 carrots, 1 onion, parsley, 4 whole garlic cloves and add to soup. 

Also add 1/2 c tomato sauce, 1 bay leaf, 1 t salt and 1/4 t pepper.

 



Cook for another 30 minutes and remove foam if necessary.

Add olive oil at end to taste.  I don't know why my mom uses such a small spoon. 

Add your choice of vinegar to taste.

www.shop.vscardbox.com
 

 

 

On Your Mark! Get Ready! Go! Fast... Slowly.

It's that time again and facebook is buzzing with Clean Monday traditions of seven legged Lenten Ladies, kites and lagana- Lenten bread.  These are wonderful traditions that celebrate the start of a new season of preparation.  I haven't written about those traditions... maybe next year...

For the next seven weeks I hope to offer recipes and encouragement to help you, and me, in maintaining a proper fasting experience.  The balance of prayer, fasting, and alms giving can be tricky.  The hardest part is not letting the diet consume us (like that play on words?)  or the services exhaust us.  Above all, this season should serve as a joyful offering of ourselves and not a forced sacrifice or punishment.  Be a cheerful giver.  If your offering isn't a gift that is freely given, it isn't really a gift at all, and in my opinion, you can keep it.  But if you are sincere about making an offering, one of love... then join us on this journey.  You won't regret it.

I love the play on words... while we are called to fast from certain foods, we are also called to slow down and redirect our attention to prayer, worship services and service to others... all which require us to slow down.  Slow down and pay attention to the words in the prayers.  Slow down and cancel things in your schedule so you can attend services.  Slow down and look the person you are helping in the eyes so you can make a personal connection to what you are doing. 

This is a yearly opportunity the Church offers us to step out of the world for a bit and enter into paradise.. for just a glimpse of it... one service, one meal, one relationship at a time.

I hope you are experiencing a good start to this holy time in the calendar.  Are you joining us in this journey?  We've lined up at the starting line and it's time to see what's waiting for us. 

On Your Mark! Get Ready! Go!

Fast... Slowly.

Today's Jar- Now is the Time.

 

 

Hoping you have a blessed Lent. 

 

 

I love how the psalmist compares the fast to a great sea...  Leavening images of a challenging journey where  some patches are rough, others are smooth... The sea is very deep and storms (temptations, struggles, passions) will come.  But we are on the sea with a destination in mind.  We are out at sea with a purpose.  Use your nautical tools: prayer services, fasting, alms giving...  Don't get lost at sea.  Keep your eye on the horizon.  Soon we will cry out "Land, Ho!"  And the relief of salvation will come as we sing "Christ is risen from the dead!"  

Still Getting Ready.

It's almost here!   That special time of year when we set aside part of the world and regroup, to a more peaceful and simple lifestyle.  We make time for prayer and charitable activity.  We simplify our menus to a vegan/vegetarian diet.  We read a book to help us grow spiritually and we attend the special services of Lent: Compline, Presanctified Liturgy and Akathist.  And in 7 weeks we will joyfully proclaim Christ's resurrection with a crack of our red eggs and feast as if we were at a wedding banquet!  Our celebration will be ever more sweeter with the care and dedication to prayer, fasting and almsgiving that are elements of the Lenten Season. 

I've just started saving up my onion skins for my natural egg dye...  Last year I started late, and stopped by a restaurant, famous for their homemade onion rings and asked for their help in securing the onion skins.  This year I will try to save them myself. 

 

 

I wish you all a Good Beginning!  and a most Blessed Lent. 



Are You Getting Ready for Lent?

http://shop.vscardbox.com/Prayer-of-St-Ephraim-90-001.htm 

 



As the days pass and we find Lent quickly approaching, there are several things we can be getting in order to have productive Lent.  Have you found your Lenten Cookbooks? Do you have the service books for the special services:  Akathist, Presactified Liturgy, Compline?  Do you have a plan for any extra charitable works or donations?   This is the time to lay out a plan.  Easter will be here in a few short weeks.  Are your Peeps in a row?  (giggle.) 

The card of the Prayer of St. Ephraim is available on my website, www.vscardbox.com   Click on the ONLINE STORE, to order your card today. 

Celebrate Summer Feast Days with a Chilled Rice Pudding.

I love Summer.  It is a season of ease and reflection; closure and anticipation.  Remember the wonderful feeling summer vacations offered as a buffer from life... no schedules, no home work, no school?  Remember the gratifying feeling of finishing one grade and spending the summer in anticipation of the one to come?


As we age, summer songs on the radio bring flashes of memories to the forefront and we smile as we drive with the windows down remembering the past.  We remember days of waiting, bored out of our minds, for something to do and when we finally had something to do our days were blissful. If we were lucky (blessed) we were able to attend camps year after year. Counselors and friends reconnected with us and reminded us of experiences we all shared; the things no one else could possibly understand, and they stood as a mark to reveal how we have grown. As we revisited these places we were reminded of who we once were and show how we've changed.  Cyclical experiences like summer vacations and annual events excite me because they become a Post It (a red flag; a notch on the door frame) on our memory and reveal who we are becoming. 
 
The Orthodox Church knows about cyclical experiences.  As we celebrate the Liturgical Calendar's feasts and fasts year after year, we grow in our understanding and experiences. Look at the blessings Great Lent had for us to refocus our lives to God's will and now, having recently celebrated Pentecost, we are about to close the season of movable feasts of the Triodion.  After we celebrate All Saints with a fast-free week (this year on June 30th) and when we reach the Synaxis of the Apostles (every year on June 30th) we continue with our regularly scheduled fixed calendar. 
 
Summer feasts and celebrations unfortunately are often forgotten by our schedule shift of summer ease.  During the summer we remember many strong and faithful women of the church: Sts. Paraskevi, Makrina, Markella, Mary Magdalene, Christina, Euphemia and Olga.  More importantly, we celebrate minor fasts and feasts: Apostles Fast (following All Saints till the Synaxis of the Apostles) which is non-existent this year because it was squeezed out by a late Pascha; Panagia's Fast (August 1-14th) encompasses Transfiguration, (August 6th) a Great Feast of Our Lord and Dormition of the Theotokos (August 15th) closes the Liturgical Year.
 

This summer celebrate the Feasts of the Church with a delicious summer treat of chilled rice pudding with a side of fresh peaches and whipped cream or celebrate the Fasts by following this recipe using Almond Milk (and skip the topping.)  Either way, you will be pleased. 

 

RICE PUDDING

• In a small sauce pan simmer, after boil, 1 c long-grain rice in 2 c water for 10 minutes or till liquid is absorbed.  

• In a larger pot warm 6 c milk (2%, skim or almond) with 1 c sugar and 1 t vanilla extract.  Be careful not to scorch milk.   When rice is cooked and milk is warm, combine the two. 

•  Continue cooking milk and rice over medium heat until rice is fully cooked and mixture has thickened, which should take another 40 minutes.  STIR OFTEN!!

• After 40 minutes whisk 1 T softened butter and 3 beaten egg yolks in a separate bowl.  Do not add the egg mixture to the pudding until you temper it by slowly whisking it with 1/2 c of warm pudding. 

• Add the tempered egg mixture to the pot of rice pudding.

 

 

 

• Simmer another 2 minutes over medium heat.
• Pour into individual serving bowls or a serving platter.  Be sure to let the pudding cool to room temperature before you chill in the fridge or a film will form.  You don't want that. 

• When you are ready to serve, sprinkle with ground cinnamon.  

• Scoop out a portion and garnish with peach slices and home made whipped cream.  Yumm!!

Lenten Meal Plan Week #7

Lenten Meal Plan Week #7

SUN-   Tuna Like Lamb

 

 

MON- Baked Tofu and Rice

 

 

TUES- Pasta and Clam Sauce.

 

 

WED-  Spinache and Rice

 

 

THURS- Pierogies

 

 

FRI- Shrimp and Rice

 

 

SAT-  Baked Vegetables

 

 

Shrimp and Potato Soup

I saw a recipe for soup in a magazine. I haven't had soup in a long time and the idea of it was persistent. So I made soup for dinner.

 

Sauté celery heart and 1/2 a diced onion in olive oil. When translucent add chopped parsley, salt and dill. (I used the frozen parsley from an earlier blog.)

 Throw in a diced potato and then 32 oz vegetable broth. Boil till potato is cooked.

 Add a handful of chopped shrimp and cook for a few minutes.

It's delicious!

You can eve use orzo, pasta or rice. 

Finish What You've Started and Receive Your Just Rewards! (Large Lima Bean Casserole)

 

If anyone has wearied himself in fasting, let him now receive his recompense.

 

We are coming to the end of our Lenten Journey and as I start planning my Pascha/Easter feast for my family, and listing the foods that are now available to us, I sit here at a crossroad.  I love Lent.  I love the opportunity it offers us to repent, to take a hard look at how far we've slipped away from where we want to be.  I love the invitation to remove ourselves from the world even if just a little bit.  I love remembering that there is something greater for us.  There is more than just this life, as blessed as it may be.  And as excited as I am about finishing the fast with ambition, I'd love to sink my teeth into a messy, medium rare cheeseburger with all the fixin's including a bit of chili slipping down the side. 

But there are only 7 days remaining.  Only 7 days left in this season of Holy and Great Lent.  Then we will all be rejoicing.  Then we will all shout from the depths of our souls, "Christ is Risen!" 


To help us finish the fast well, I have posted the Homily of St. John Chrysostom which is read at the end of the Resurrection Service.  

If anyone is devout and a lover of God, let him enjoy this beautiful and radiant festival.

If anyone is a wise servant, let him, rejoicing, enter into the joy of his Lord.

If anyone has wearied himself in fasting, let him now receive his recompense.

If anyone has labored from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let him keep the feast. If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; for he shall suffer no loss. If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near without hesitation. If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let him not fear on account of his delay. For the Master is gracious and receives the last, even as the first; he gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, just as to him who has labored from the first. He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one he gives, and to the other he is gracious. He both honors the work and praises the intention.

Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and, whether first or last, receive your reward. O rich and poor, one with another, dance for joy! O you ascetics and you negligent, celebrate the day! You that have fasted and you that have disregarded the fast, rejoice today! The table is rich-laden; feast royally, all of you! The calf is fatted; let no one go forth hungry!

Let all partake of the feast of faith. Let all receive the riches of goodness.

Let no one lament his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one mourn his transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave.

Let no one fear death, for the Saviour's death has set us free.

He that was taken by death has annihilated it! He descended into hades and took hades captive! He embittered it when it tasted his flesh! And anticipating this Isaiah exclaimed, "Hades was embittered when it encountered thee in the lower regions."

 

It was embittered, for it was abolished!

 

It was embittered, for it was mocked!

 

It was embittered, for it was purged!

 

It was embittered, for it was despoiled!

 

It was embittered, for it was bound in chains!

It took a body and, face to face, met God! It took earth and encountered heaven! It took what it saw but crumbled before what it had not seen!

"O death, where is thy sting? O hades, where is thy victory?"

Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!

Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!

Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!

Christ is risen, and life reigns!

Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!

For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the First-fruits of them that slept.

To him be glory and might unto ages of ages. Amen.

Until then... Here's a bean casserole you might like to try. 

GIANTS!

Large Lima Bean Casserole

Prepare 1 lb. Large Lima Beans- I like to rapidly boil the beans in PLENTY of water for ten minutes and then cover and and let stand for an hour.  I drain the water and rinse the beans well. 

Put beans in a large baking dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add:

• chopped onion
• 3 sliced carrots
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1/2 can water or vegetable broth
• oregano
• ground pepper
• 2 t salt
• 1/2 t sugar

The oregano container had such little bitty holes!  I twisted the top of and seasoned like a Greek!  :)

Bake uncovered for 1 hour.