Friday Food – Saturdays are for Ice Cream Sundaes

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Last weekend I went on retreat. The spiritual companionship of a weekend retreat is soothing. It is inspiring, it is motivating, and in this case it’s non-routine routine is comforting.

Lunch is usually soup and salad bar with ices or ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

Saturday’s dinner is something wonderful (last week was onion chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and garlic knots) and dessert is ice cream sundaes.

Always.

Vanilla ice cream. Chocolate or caramel sauce. Whipped cream. Sprinkles – rainbow or chocolate. And cherries. (Last week there was also strawberries.)

I want all the cherries, and the woman who scoops the ice cream knows this about me, so I get “all” the cherries. (Not really, obviously, but more than one or two.)

I save them for last, and then I savor them.

I savor the cherries.

And then, Saturday night concludes, often with mass, sometimes with quiet fellowship. And then, we get ready to rejoin our regular lives.

(c)2025

Inspired, and More

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The last few weeks have been nothing short of active, and I hope I’ve gotten through it with less scathing than would be normal for this kind of busyness. This post will be part mental health check-in, part inspired, part goal-setting.

I went back to my original post to see what the goals were that I thought I needed to focus on, and this was less than helpful. Goals and goalposts are constantly being adjusted. Looking at the biggest priorities, it’s still been iffy. Although to be fair to myself, I’ve been busy and not wasting time and opportunities, so while it’s been slow-going, it has still been going.

This is very much a positive.

Where are we this week?

  1. I was working on my presentation until about 7pm the night before. I realized there comes a point when it just needs to be done. I laid everything out on index cards, and did my thing. It was fantastic. I think everyone liked it and learned something new about St. Kateri Tekakwitha. I was able to constructively see things that I would change. I did a little improvisation and even though I finished later than planned, I was able to end on a decent note, and skipped a few slides at the end, and no one was the wiser. All in all, a good experience. I’m willing to do another powerpoint, although I’m hoping someone else presents it.
  2. Work. July 8th, I began working full-time. I haven’t worked full-time (outside the house) since my now-twenty-eight year old was two. It is a big adjustment for everyone, but my family is being supportive and picking up some tasks, and my co-workers and colleagues are amazing.
  3. Cursillo needs attention.
  4. I mentioned that I was going to avoid snoozing my alarms. I’ve still snoozed, but not as much and it’s made me more aware of what I need to do in the mornings to get out the door more efficiently.
  5. I’m disappointed in how our government is being run. I’m disgusted and repulsed by the Republican party, their hypocrisy, and their hatred. I don’t know how we come back from this precipice or how we survive.

Mental health check-in = EH.

I’m looking forward to taking my presentation and using it to push my book in the right direction. Below the cut are some of my inspiring and inspired photos from St. Kateri Tekakwitha’s feast day weekend.

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Friday Food – Montreal

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We spent the last five days in Montreal doing research for my book, seeing the St. Kateri Shrine, attending masses, seeing St. Brother Andre Bessette’s tomb and relics at the St. Joseph’s Oratory, and we also ate some really great food!

Picture heavy/links to restaurants below:

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Friday Food – “Kids” in the Kitchen

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Salad with Chicken
Main Course
(c)2025

It was my daughter’s turn to cook. She can be very creative, but often she just wants to get it over with. Who can blame her? Since her day off is Tuesday, I asked her to make dinner. She chose salad with chicken. She decided on all the ingredients, she did the grocery shopping, she planned, cooked the chicken early so it was cooled off for the salad. She even included items she doesn’t like that the rest of us could add onto our individual bowls.

In addition to our salads, she got really delicious dinner rolls and we had those with a bit of butter.

What was in the salad is below the cut.


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February Inspired & Friday Food

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My  new favorite drink at Starbucks is also my new inspiration. When Starbucks got rid of the Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher (that I adapted to my own tastes with customization) I was so sad. How would I ever go on? I tried their new berry drinks as they came along: the Summer-Berry Refresher and the Cran-Merry Orange Refresher, and they were both good.

(c)2025

When this new one came out last week or so, I thought, okay, let’s give it a try. Well, folks, it is all I’ve been drinking when I go out for a drink.

It’s delicious, and I think it surpasses the Hibiscus one that I enjoyed for so long.

Pictured is the new Blackberry Sage Lemonade Refresher. The only change I make is “light ice” so it doesn’t water down as I leisurely drink it.

No, Starbucks doesn’t pay me (they really should); I just love this drink and want to share it.

Have a great week in whatever way you are spending it.

Friday Food – Experimenting in the New Year

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A bit ago we made a simple dinner: chicken tenders with sweet potatoes and pull apart garlic bread. The chicken tenders were very simply made, and if I were being honest, a little bland so each could add a sauce individually for dipping.

Looking at those sad, pepper covered white tenders, I decided to try something new.

I grabbed a can of mandarin oranges from the pantry, poured them into a saucepan on medium, added dried cranberries, a tiny bit of orange peel and vanilla extract, and mixed them, letting the oranges crush just a little bit. It thickened just slightly, and when it was warmed, I poured it over my chicken tenders.

It was lovely.

From the photo, you can see that I still need to work on my food color balancing, but all in all, delicious.

Orange Cranberry Compote. (c)2025

Friday Food – Thanksgiving Leftovers

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We eat turkey all week after Thanksgiving, and while many complain about the amount of turkey leftover, I love it!

Here are a few samples of our dinners this week (not pictured Turkey Cottage Pie):

Holiday Dinner: Turkey, of course, mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato pie, macaroni & cheese, cranberry sauce, and a dinner roll.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s Turkey Trot Tot Hot Dish (with a few of my own modifications). It was cheesy and delicious!

Turkey Salad sandwich. I usually put in cranberries, but we had none in the house, so I spread some cranberry sauce on the bread. The turkey is very simple: chopped turkey, 1/2 granny smith apple, fresh ground pepper, and mayo all mixed together. I wish I had enough turkey for more than one sandwich!

All photos copyright kbwriting, (c)2024