Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Mexican Chocolate Cookies




Last year, a cookie exchange was scheduled for December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  In Her honor, I made Mexican Chocolate Cookies from Cooking Light Magazine.  They were a hit and since this year's cookie exchange is today, the Feast of St. Juan Diego, I've decided to make them again.

Here is the recipe, courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine:

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE COOKIES

These cookies--bittersweet chocolate that mellows the ground peppers' heat--earned our Test Kitchens' highest rating. They're lovely after dinner with a few last sips of red wine.



Yield: 32 cookies (serving size: 1 cookie)

Ingredients

5 ounces bittersweet (60 to 70 percent) chocolate, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 1/3 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash of black pepper

Dash of ground red pepper

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Place chocolate in a small glass bowl; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through red pepper); stir with a whisk.
Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg; beat well. Add cooled chocolate and vanilla; beat just until blended. Add flour mixture; beat just until blended. Drop dough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until almost set. Remove from oven. Cool on pans 2 minutes or until set. Remove from pans; cool completely on a wire rack.


Nutritional Information

Calories:80 (33% from fat)

Fat:2.9g (sat 1.7g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.1g)

Protein:0.7g

Carbohydrate:12.8g

Fiber:0.1g

Cholesterol:10mg

Iron:0.2mg

Sodium:35mg

Calcium:4mg



Thursday, November 12, 2009

I'm addicted to Nativity Scenes

With Advent around the corner, we've started receiving our annual barrage of catalogs.  While flipping through the catalogs from Leaflet Missal and Christian Book Distributors last night, I found myself drawn to the items featuring the nativity and/or the Holy Family.  I reflected on our Christmas decor and realized that my snowman theme has melted away and has been replaced over the years with a Nativity theme.  Now, I know that we shouldn't collect too many treasures here on earth, but collecting Nativity scenes can't be a bad thing, right?  I mean, they always say to fill your home with holy images, right?  And we need to focus on the birth of Christ rather than commercialism, right? 

By loving images of the Holy Family, I have a reminder of how I hope that my family reflects the most perfect family.



Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Whatever happened to chastity and modesty?

A lot of my friends and co-workers are on Facebook and have been posting their Halloween photos.  It saddens me to see practicing Catholics dressed as devils and I pray to St. Michael to protect them from evil influences.  However, the photos that disturbed me the most were of a therapist colleague of mine who also works with young children.  Granted, her account has privacy settings so that her kiddos wouldn't be able to see her in her "sexy army chick" costume, but still.  If I knew that my child's therapist spent her evenings scantily clad and posing provocatively, I would consider switching therapists.  It doesn't matter if she is qualified to do her job -- if she spends at least an hour a week one-on-one with my child, who knows what kind of influence she'd have?  When therapists talk amongst themselves during and between treatment sessions, what sort of things are brought up in front of the children?  How does she dress at work?  (I have no comment about the particular aforementioned therapist because I already know the answer to that.)

My goodness, I feel like an old fuddy-duddy, but my job as a mother is to form and protect the virtues of my children.  I don't want to raise them in a vacuum, but with all the immorality in this society, it's hard not to.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Such a precious soul!

We were driving to Ascension Cemetery to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory today and I was telling my kids that I wanted them to be quiet and respectful while we pray.

A few minutes later, Damien said "Mommy, can I talk to God?"

"Sure.  What would you like to say to God?"

"Thank you for the rosary."

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Halloween

The whole Halloween thing confounds me.  What started out as a day of preparation for the Feast of All Saints has been transformed into a day of debauchery and a celebration of evil and immodesty.

I am astounded at some of the costumes I saw tonight.  Little kids dressed as devils (mind you, the devil is an evil demon -- not that cute if you ask me), little girls in "sexy" costumes (little girls should not be sexy), kids dressed as evil, murderous things.  What I don't understand is whether the parents enjoy parading their children in questionable outfits, or whether they lack the control and sound judgement that parents need to exert over their children.

Hubby is disturbed about this as well, so we're going to phase out the American Halloween traditions and create our own -- praying the Litany of the Saints on Halloween, dressing the kids as saints when they get a little older, etc.  We have already phased out the ghosts, ghouls, and witches.

**********

I just want to add that witches are not cute or sexy.  The Bible even cautions against witchcraft:

"Do not go to mediums of consult fortune-tellers, for you will be defiled by them.  I, the Lord, am your God."  Lev 19:31

"Let there not be found among you anyone who immolates his son or daughter in the fire, nor a fortune-teller, soothsayer, charmer, divinder, or caster of spells, nor one who consults ghosts and spirits or seeks oracles from the dead.  Anyuone who does such things is an abomination to the Lord..." Deut 18: 10-12

"Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outburts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the link.  I war you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherity the kingdom of God."  Gal 5:19-21

"But as for cowards, the unfaithful, the depraved, murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers, idol-worshipers, and deceivers of every sorth, their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death."  Rev 21:8

That seems pretty clear to me.