Tag: keeping it real

grilled cheese sandwich

The Lenten Meal Is Only a Penance for the Cook in the Family

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Unless it involves the grill, I’m the cook in the family.

Unless it involves Costco, I’m the grocery shopper.

This means that normally the meal planning is left to me. Except on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

On those two days, my husband has always requested that I serve the dinner his mom always served on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday: grilled cheese sandwiches and canned soup.

I’ve got nothing against grilled cheese. If I can find a good tomato (good luck finding a good tomato at this time of year), so much the better. And just the other day I had a little bit of caramelized onions left over from the previous night’s burgers, and I added those into a grilled Swiss on pumpernickel with Koszkiusko mustard … heavenly.

But we’re talking Campbell’s tomato soup (made with milk, in my husband’s ideal world) or Chunky New England clam chowder. Those are the only soup options allowed. Usually I skip the soup and just have a sandwich for dinner.

The Penitential Meal During Lent

If you want to make a meal penitential for me, lock me into a recipe routine. For me, all the fun is in the variety. I’ve been sharing meatless recipes on CatholicMom.com for 12 years now, at least eight times a year … that’s a lot of recipes. Trying new recipes or finding new spins on old favorites makes cooking fun for me, in a way that flipping grilled cheeses and heating up canned soup is … not.

My family, however, thinks this is the Best Dinner Ever.

 

grilled cheese sandwich

 

One Lent, I decided my penance would be serving up soup and grilled cheese every single Friday. I was the Hero of Lent in my house. Everyone looked forward to Friday dinner.

That was humbling. I’m spending an hour in the kitchen every other day of the week and all they want is canned soup and a sandwich?

That Lent was super penitential for me, and I would have done well to pray the Litany of Humility every Friday before getting the griddle out.

What’s for Dinner this Ash Wednesday?

Last night at dinner, the subject of Ash Wednesday came up, and the dinner expectations were made clear.

“Ash Wednesday is next week?! Best dinner! Let’s gooooooooooooooo!”

What’s for dinner this Ash Wednesday? Grilled cheese and canned soup all around, and a slice of humble pie for the cook.

Copyright 2025 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Photo copyright 2025 Barb Szyszkiewicz, all rights reserved.

#WorthRevisit: Playing with (Advent) Fire

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When you’re in the thick of minute-by-minute parenting and corralling little kids, there’s always that one sage parenting veteran who observes, “You’ll miss this one day.” And usually your first impulse (which you resist with all your might) is to punch that person in the face.

I am now that person, missing the crazy of Advent with 3 kids who enjoyed their Advent wreath a little TOO much.

It’s easy to tell that whoever thought it was a good idea to observe Advent by putting candles on the table, in the reach of children, never had children themselves. Year after year after year I threaten to toss the regular candles in favor of the battery-operated variety, because in my house, Advent is where table manners and fire collide.

At my Advent table, you’re likely to hear:

  • “Where are the matches? These candle lighters are for WIMPS.”
  • “Finish chewing your food before blowing out the candle.”
  • “Stop warming your food over the Advent candle!” / “Awesome! It really toasted the bread!”
  • “I like to put the candle out with my spit.”
  • “I wonder if I can sneeze the candles out tonight.”
  • “No spitting on the Advent Wreath!”

And once in a while, you’re likely to see this:

advent match 2

The newest Candle Game involves sitting in your seat without leaning forward and blowing as hard as you can to extinguish as many candles as possible. Each person gets one chance, then it’s the next person’s turn. Asthmatics are definitely at a disadvantage in this game. (Ask me how I know).

If you need some tips for keeping a relatively-safe Advent (fire and all) with kids underfoot, I’ve got you covered.

But clearly, I didn’t miss my calling as an instructor in Charm School.

A very wise woman from my parish (and the Secular Franciscans) who was herself the mom of 6, once told me I shouldn’t worry when stuff like this happened. “At least you know they’re normal,” she reminded me. Martha was one of those people who could find humor in any situation. And that’s what gets me through Advent, year after year after year.

(Reposted from 2013)

 

worth revisit

I’m linking up with Reconciled to You and Theology is a Verb for #WorthRevisit Wednesday, a place where you can come and bring a past & treasured post to share, and link up with fellow bloggers!

Things Street Urchins Say (It doesn’t bode well edition)

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Things Street Urchins Say logo

 

Urchin: “I wish we could have a Boys’ Night Out.”

Urchin 2: “We’ve done that before.”

…

Urchin: “Do you want to fight?”

Visiting Non-Urchin: “Not now…”

Urchin: “OK.”

 

Suburban Snooze Alarm

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At this time of year, if you’ve got the windows open, you’ll be awoken by the birds, who start chirping and chattering around 4:45.

And if you live on my block and you managed to fall back to sleep after the birds woke you up, you’ll hear the rhythmic crash of a Dumpster being emptied into a truck, behind the Target around the corner. At 5:15.

IMG_0642I’ll take the birds, thanks. Even if one of them did poop on a shirt I had hanging on the clothesline yesterday.