Salty Nettle Chips

Hello, fellow islanders - wondering what to do with all that Nettle growing in your yard? Sure, there's nettle tea, nettle pesto, use it like spinach in your soups, make clothes out of it (really!!) . . . but here's a new one, at least new to me: 

Try This Out: Salty Nettle Chips 

4/13/2012 3:33:51 PM 

by Erin McIntosh 

The stinging trichomes that make nettles famous will lose their biting ferocity as you glaze and dry the leaves. No need to worry about stung tongues! You will need a good pair of thick gloves and garden shears when harvesting though. Look for the young tender tops in spring and early summer, before the plant goes to flower or seed. Snip the plant about 6 inches from the top and collect in a paper bag or basket.

This is a super healthy, easy, and delicious recipe. Feel free to experiment with different spice combinations, finely grated cheeses, oils, or vinegars for a variety of flavors. Any leftover leaves can be juiced, added to pizza, smoothies, curries, breads, scrambles, or dried for tea, and the stems can be used to make rope. (Another fun nettle project I plan to tackle this year!)

- 20-40 freshly harvested nettle leaves

- 2.5 tsp organic extra virgin olive oil

- 1 tbsp organic rice wine vinegar

- 1-2 tbsp organic shoyu, soy sauce, tamari, or Braggs

- 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed

- 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast

- Fresh ground organic black pepper to taste

Directions 

Wearing gloves, harvest your nettles, rinse with cool water, and dry. Separate the leaves by breaking the petiole (leaf stem) from the main stem. Mix all of the glaze ingredients together in a bowl. Add the nettle leaves and gently toss until each leaf is well coated. You should be able to remove your gloves at this point. On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, unravel each delicate leaf. Place pan in a warm oven at 200 degrees and allow the leaves to slowly dehydrate. After 15 to 20 minutes, peel each leaf off of the parchment paper and flip over so the other side can crisp in the oven. Check your nettles every 5 to 10 minutes until they lose sogginess and become nice and crunchy. Be careful not to let them char and turn dark brown or black. Total cooking time can vary between 30 and 45 minutes. Once you reach the desired crispiness, remove and allow to cool. Store in an airtight glass container for up to a week or possibly longer…if they aren’t devoured by then!

Read more: http://www.motherearthliving.com/food-matters/try-this-out-salty-nettle-chips.aspx?state=c90082ac-c2e1-442b-9486-55b8294f5b1f&authError=a0cf8a42-d43b-43eb-9c28-699899067b70#ixzz2YYfl47F6

Try This Out: Salty Nettle Chips

www.motherearthliving.com

These nettle chips are deliciously unique and packed with nutrients. Try this perfectly satisfying salty snack in early spring.

St. Juan de la Cruz

Of late, St. John of the Cross' poems have been calling me to read them.  I find so much of my own spiritual journey within his poetry.  I am so far from being in this place where "My soul is disentangled from every created thing", but it is the direction I hope to be going.  Darkness, fear, and struggling through my past and all the guilt ... but poetry and music (obviously the "good" kind!) really help me, draw me toward Him, toward my Father in Heaven.  And for the moments I can immerse myself in them, all the fear/darkness/guilt are erased.  Now I just need to find my way back over to St. Mary Parish for their excellent men's chant choir at the Saturday Vigil.  It is hard to justify the 8 hours of total time it entails for me to travel to that parish, which (except for my territorial mission parish) is the closest to us, just so I can be lifted up by their beautiful Liturgy and Music. But when I can make it over, it is completely worth it.

A gloss (with spiritual meaning).

Without support yet with support,
living without light, in darkness,
I am wholly being consumed.

1. My soul is disentangled
from every created thing
and lifted above itself
in a life of gladness
supported only in God.
So now it can be said
that I most value this:
My soul now sees itself
without support yet with support.

2. And though I suffer darknesses
in this mortal life,
that is not so hard a thing;
for even if I have no light
I have the life of heaven.
For the blinder love is
the more it gives such life,
holding the soul surrendered,
living without light in darkness.

3. After I have known it
love works so in me
that whether things go well or badly
love turns them to one sweetness
transforming the soul in itself.
And so in its delighting flame
which I am feeling within me,
swiftly, with nothing spared,
I am wholly being consumed.

Faith formation tonight

Tonight at the Faith Formation Group we will be discussing the 5 Disciplines of Discipleship, from Msgr. Charles Pope's Blog.  The article is well worth the time if you haven't read it yet.

More Torture :-)

Before you ask:  yep, this one was slightly painful.  It is quite a different stretch!

"On Being Prudent...."

From "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas a' Kempis, ch. 4.2:  

"It is wise, therefore, to act slowly, not to trust entirely our own opinions, or to accept every tale and quickly pass it along to the next one.  Seek advice from a wise person of good conscience and be instructed by that person rather than follow your own way.  A good life will make you wise in the ways of God and will broaden your experience.  If you are humble and submissive to God's will, you will have peace in all you do."

375

That's how many tent caterpillars I removed from my strawberry plants this morning.  375.  I'm on the warpath.  They'd best steer clear of my strawberries!!

Wild Rose

I was never
A girl who liked pink,

But thorns I understand.

Birthday Dinner

It was my husband's birthday yesterday.  Yes, I married a younger man! He's an entire year and a half my junior.  Filet with sautéed mushrooms, sweet potato, spinach salad from the garden, and Cola cake for dessert.  Here's dinner:

Receive as though it is your last . . . .

I'm not sure what made today different.  I lead the Rosary prior to Holy Mass, and one faithful person had joined me in the small Eucharistic chapel of our church.  It kept getting louder and louder outside the door, and I could tell she was having a hard time hearing me.  As we began the fourth decade, suddenly a thought interrupted - a thought that I might not experience what it is like to lose my hearing, I might not get old enough, I might die before "old age".  I had to stop to recollect myself, as unbidden and sudden tears invaded my prayer.

As we progressed through the Liturgy of the Eucharist, this thought returned as I considered that this could be the last Eucharist I ever received. . . this was the closest I could get to Heaven here on earth . .  the closest union between me and my Lord.  There were tears in my eyes and on my face as I received.  All I could see was Him.  My focus was sharpened and singular.  My prayer, to grant me the grace I need so that I may be with Him.  "Stay with me, Lord. . . Death approaches. . . I fear the darkness. . ."

To the best of my knowledge I am not under threat of imminent death.  I don't know why this thought  came to me.  But I am incredibly grateful for the grace, at that moment, to have been able to focus so entirely on the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist; to see only His Presence as everything else faded out in that brief moment; to realize that this life is transitory and I need to turn myself completely over to Him so that I will find myself finally united with Him for all eternity.

Dial 1-800-CHR-ISTI

I went down to my favorite place today, to partake of one of my favorite things:  a Day of Recollection at the Carmelite Institute of Spirituality in Stanwood, WA.  The back way I had to take because of the bridge collapse ended up being shorter and much nicer.  It reminded me of home, driving through agricultural areas, with fields, and tractors, and cattle.  I think even once the bridge is re-built I will continue to travel that way.

Fr. Laurence Poncini, OCD, (Mt. Angel House of Studies) was visiting and gave a talk on Claude Newman.  Ever heard of him?  I hadn't, but his story is very intriguing.  I highly recommend you taking the time to read it.

One part I especially liked was when he was describing Our Lady telling him about confession:  "You know, the Lady said that Confession is something like a telephone. We talk through the priest to God, and God talks back to us through the priest."    Fr. Laurence said he really liked how modern Mary was . . . he supposed that today we'd say "cell phone", or if we really liked the priest we could call him a "smart phone"!! :-)

I have been quite impressed with these Carmelites.  I'm never in a hurry to leave.  And I have yet to have one say he didn't have time to hear my confession.  

I-5 Bridge Collapse UPDATED

Yep, I've been over that bridge numerous times.  Amazing there were so few cars on it when it collapsed, as it is a very busy bridge.  Now I'll need to find another way to get where I need to get.  The side roads are not designed for an extra 70,000 plus cars a day!

Thank God no one was killed.

"Most merciful Lord Jesus! by Thine agony and bloody sweat, and by Thy death, deliver me, I beseech Thee, from a sudden and unprovided death. O most gentle Lord Jesus! by Thy cruel and ignominious scourging and crowning with thorns, by Thy cross and most bitter Passion, and by Thy goodness, I humbly pray Thee, let me not die unprepared and pass from this life without the Holy Sacraments. Jesus, my best Beloved, my Lord! by all Thy labours and sorrows, by Thy precious Blood, and by Thy most holy Wounds, and by those last words spoken on the cross by Thee: "Deus meus, Deus meus, ut quid dereliquisti me?? - "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" and again: "Pater, in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum," - "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit," most ardently I pray Thee, save me from a sudden death. Thy hands, O Redeemer! have wholly made and formed me: ah! suffer not death to take me unawares; give me, I beseech Thee,time for penance; vouchsafe that I may pass from this life happily in Thy grace, that I may love Thee with my whole heart, and praise and bless Thee forever and ever.
Amen.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be To The Father..."  (from Catholic.org)

And while I'm at it:  Go to confession!  

You know it's going to be a bad week . . .

. . .When Sunday afternoon involves more bleeding than one would expect from a relatively small puncture wound (got the vein).

. . .You've gotten a tetanus shot before 9am on Monday.  The shot was surprisingly painless...thanks to my husband's totally awesome Medical Assistant.

. . .You know that anytime you get a shot to just plan on being down for the count for three days.  BUT you still have a big Medicare report to finish up, children to wrangle, classes to teach.

So, here I am, not doing as badly as I'd expected.  I'm very sore from my shoulder all the way up to my jaw (from the shot), quite tired, with even the slightest physical effort my muscles begin to shake. One more day, then I'll feel better . . . I hope!!

Lying is intrinsically evil...pass it on

Father Maurer's article on lying. 

Apparently, this is "gross"!

So, I've been busy and this month will only intensify in the amount of busy-ness I will have to contend with.  But, since I still teach gymnastics, I do still work-out a little.  Remember that picture a while back where I said maybe one day I'd be able to touch my foot?  Well, guess what?

 

So, now I can touch my foot - barely!  Glad I have long fingers :-).  Next goal?  Grabbing my foot!  My husband looked at this picture and said:  "Gross!"  I'm thinking, no, actually, gross would be if I could actually reach over and touch my nose with my toes - but not to worry:  Not happenin'!!