Sister Ann's Key Lime Easter Pie

Cream two 8-oz pckgs cream cheese, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 3 tbsp lime juice until fluffy. Add two eggs and beat until everything is well blended. Pour into a graham cracker crust. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

It's just that easy!

Sister Jean's Lenten Diary: Week 4
In which Sister Jean succumbs briefly to Envy and eats some Spam

OK, yes, I admit it! Saturday night I make pancakes for Sister Dave and Sister John, and I made Spam for them. I'd had a hard day, and wondered why THEY should have the damn Spam when I was going to the trouble of making their supper, and have to watch their stupid movie to boot. So I ate one piece off each their plates, which amounted to two square inches of Spam, and they never knew.

I have no idea which of our Animal Friends Spam comes from, but I am heartily sorry for my sins and did OK the rest of the week

The days are really running together here, but Tuesday, I remembered a dish we used to enjoy, sesame pasta. You toast a small jar of sesame seeds on a griddle and mix them in with your favorite pasta, some baby spinach leaves, olive oil and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Basically, just toss all this stuff in a bowl and serve warm, not hot.

I've also busted the fast-food habit for lunch by going to Woody's Oasis, a nearby Middle Eastern food grocery store restaurant. Dig those falafel sammiches!

Lenten Diary: Week 3
In which Sloth once again tempts Sister Jean

OK, the days are starting to run together a bit, but except for a can of Cambell's Hearty Clam Chowder--the kind that doesn't need water added--Sister Jean stayed off her Animal Friends. It was a busy day, the can was handy. Let's not add the sin of scrupulosity to the rest of 'em and what say we move on?

Some highlights of the week: Spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, omelets, pancakes--bleah. Sister Jean is getting sick of this diet and missing meat, mostly as a flavoring. Anyway, Thursday it was off to take Sister John to the allergists and run errands and it was time to let someone else do the cooking. We stopped at the Olive Garden for supper. I recommend the eggplant parmigiana--they usually give you enough for two meals. Perk that up with some salad, breadsticks, a nice capuccino and a half a black tie mousse pie, and that cross gets a lot lighter!

Sister John had the pepperoni pizza, and doesn't believe pepperoni comes from animals, anyway.

Friday: Mediterranean pizza. This is pretty easy--get a good canned marinara sauce, add a bit of oregano, and add the sauce SPARINGLY to the top of the pizza, which you have also brushed with olive oil. I like those foccacia flat loaves to use as pizza shells. Top the pizza with a few diced onions, sliced black olives and feta cheese. Nice romaine lettuce salad with ranch.

Saturday: Stuffed baked potatoes with salsa and Velveeta. Sister Jean is not a big fan of Velveeta, though it is handy at times as a binding agent--in more ways than one. Cook the potatoes in the microwave, and then put the salsa and cheese on top and broil so it's browned. You can also add broccoli, chopped onions, REAL cheese, like Monterey jack, colby, or cottage cheese (get the non-runny kind).

Sister Jean's Lenten Diary: Week 2

Sunday: Stir-fried pepper couscous:
1 small onion, coarsly chopped
1 red, yellow and green pepper, cut into strips
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 package couscous

Flash fry the vegetables until browned but still crisp in olive oil.
Cook couscous to yield two cups.
Add couscous and beans.
Season with curry powder.

If you have acid reflux--so many of us do as we age--ditch the green pepper and curry powder. Substitute soy sauce and firm tofu if you want.

Monday: I used to love cabbage soup, but hadn't made it in years. It's fun because once you have the basic, simple soup, you can play around with seasonings and ingredients:

4 cups tomato puree, tomato juice or V-8
1.5 cups of coarsely chopped green cabbage
1 small coarsely chopped onion
1/2 cup quick barley

Saute the vegetables, add the tomato puree and simmer about half an hour.
Add barley and simmer until done.

Variations: Add 1 can drained and rinsed kidney or black beans; 1/2 cup uncooked lentils or orzo; chopped carrots or yams; cubed tofu.

Seasonings: You can go Mexican, Italian or just use sage in this.

Top with low-fat sour cream or plain yogurt cheese (to make yogurt cheese, dump some yogurt in one of those reuseable coffee filter baskets and drain over a plastic butter tub overnight). Lower the calories of cream cheese or sour cream by cutting in yogurt cheese.

Tuesday: Long day at work. Snacked on pretzels, yogurt, bagel and cream cheese, and ate WAY too much cheese ravioli with Prego marinara for supper.

Had a daydream about the hamburgers at the Boulevard Lounge, a hangout for the afternoon shift I used to work many years ago. Must fight temptation. Must watch "Super Size Me" again and fight the temptation to eat Our Animal Friends.

So often it seems we "hunger and thirst" for meaning in our lives and feed that hunger instead with junk food, doesn't it? OK, so much for being "deep. "

Wednesday: Potato casserole
Slice 3-4 potatoes, skins on, and layer in a baking pan.
Microwave until potatoes are just barely tender.
Top with a thin layer of broccoli heads and sharp grated cheddar. In that order.

Zap until cheese is melted and potatoes are tender.

Thursday: Egg salad sandwiches and lettuce salads. Every day can't be creative, you know.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday: Friday's pizza and movie night at the Mother House. Tonight it's mushroom/onion pizza and "Strangers with Candy. Saturday's pancake night and Sunday is a belated celebration of St. Dewi of Wales (one of Sister Jean's faves who has no connection with animals whatever).

St. Dewi's Day Dinner
Welsh rarebit (pronounce it "rabbit")
Bring the bottom of a double boiler to a slow boil. In the top, combine a tablespoon of butter and flour until it's smooth. Gradually pour in a half bottle of beer, whisking slowly until it's combined with the roux. Add 1.5 cups graded cheddar. A good cheddar, nice and crumbly so you hardly have to grate it. Stir all that up until it's smooth and add more beer as needed to make it pourable.

Pour the sauce over five cups stale bread cubes and bake until it's all heated through.

Creamed leeks
Slice three large leeks (white part) and rinse well. Put in a large iron skillet with some butter and fry them up. I like them a little brown, and then turn down the heat and saute until tender. Stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream and stir in until thickened.

Buy some scones at the store for dessert. And say it right: "skahnz" not "skones."

Sister Jean's Lenten diary: Week 1
In which Sister Jean battles sloth and rationalization

This Lent, I've decided not to eat animals. This isn't as easy as it sounds.

Ash Wednesday:
For breakfast, I have a bowl of Grape Nuts with milk and honey. I say my St. Francis prayer:

Dear St. Francis, brother of the sun, the moon and the earth and all its creatures: Help us to watch over the animals, especially those in distress, and keep us ever mindful that the breath of God connects all His creatures. Amen.

I make a cheese spread on hardtack for lunch:
4 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. gorgonzola
Blend in a food processor on low.

For supper, a small portion of cheese tortellini and a salad, no dressing.

Thursday:
I do pretty well until suppertime (Grapenuts, falafel sandwich, tabouli salad--I know, not much of a sacrifice since I love Middle Eastern food).

However, I come home to beef barley soup Sister Dave has made. Time to choose the lesser of two evils: Throw out my soup or eat it so Mr. Cow did not die in vain. I eat the soup, rationalizing that the beef for the broth was purchased before Lent, so it doesn't count. Plus it saves a big fight with Sister Dave, who is NOT giving up eating animals for Lent.

Humility lesson: I would make a piss poor theologian and martyr.

Friday:
OK until lunchtime. I order a cheese and portobello mushroom sandwich for lunch. Instead, I get the chicken provalone sandwich. Drawing on the theological premise established Thursday--don't let Mr. Chicken die in vain--I eat the sandwich rather than send it back to the kitchen.

Memo to self: Find out patron saint of poultry and get a prayer up to him or her ASAP.

Saturday:
Today I thought I was home free. We always have pancakes, sausage and pineapple chunks for Saturday night supper at the Mother House. All's I have to do today is stay away from the sausage.

WRONG! There's that leftover beef soup from Thursday. Sloth get the better of me at lunchtime and I eat a bowl. A big one.

Let's pray for a better effort next week.

St. Basil's Basil Pesto

1/2 cup fresh, whole basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh whole parsley leaves (curley or flat varieties)
3/4 cup (approx) extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 garlic clove

Wash the herbs thoroughly and dry by blotting on a paper towel. Dump all ingredients EXCEPT olive oil in a food processor and blend on low. As ingredients blend, pour olive oil in a thin stream until the mixture is pourable. It should be about the consistency of cole slaw dressing.

Boil up your favorite pasta (the Sisters are partial to bow-ties), and toss with pesto sauce.

You may also garnish with crushed walnuts or sprinkle with bits of well-cooked sweet Italian sausage.

Serve with nice hard rolls, goat cheese and black olives.

St. Francis Feast Day Coffee and Biscotti
Most of the Sisters are of a certain age, so no feast day is worth a damn unless there's coffee and chocolate to go with. Here's a quick biscotti recipe:

2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 tbsp margarine
1 tsp vanilla

Beat eggs and margarine until blended. Add vanilla. Then add dry ingredients, mixing with dough hooks or wooden spoon until dough is well mixed and forms a ball.

Flour your hands and divide the dough into two balls. Roll each ball into a 12- 18-inch "snake" and bake for 30 minutes, 350, or until top is golden brown.

Cool 15 minute on a rack and cut snakes on the diagonal into half-inch cookies. Bake at 325 for an additional 15 minutes.

When biscotti are cool, melt a cup of chocolate morsels in the microwave or on the stove top. Dip one end of each biscotti into the melted chocolate, lay on its side on wax paper to cool.