Celibacy, Silly Me, 50th Anniversary,

There is, as you may be aware, yet another scandal concerning catholic priests (from Ireland this time) and sexual abuse. It made me think about the whole business of celibacy; where did the idea come from that Roman Catholic priests should be celibate? In my opinion it is a very unnatural state for men. So Saturday evening I did a search on the net and came up with this information which is a brief summary of what happened in the church over the centuries. It turns out the whole thing is a man made rule and it has not been adhered to totally even in recent times. If you are interested, and I found it quite revealing, there is a page of information here http://www.futurechurch.org/fpm/history.htm which shows even modern day priests have been married, several popes have been and there have been popes who were the sons of previous popes. So, I ask, why on earth to the Roman Catholics cling to this outmoded and frequently ignored, rule that priests should be celibate. Surely if they were permitted to marry, it would help to do away with all these abuse scandals which have been cropping up more and more often lately. Talk about a dumb bunny. A couple of weeks ago a woman called me and said her name was Sue. I assumed Sue who lives in the building and is an Avon customer of mine. She said it was her parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary and they were holding a secret celebration at the Golf Steak House, locally. I wondered why she would invite us, but I accepted and thanked her politely. A few days ago I spoke to her sister who said she didn't know what I was talking about and her dad had been deceased for some years. I got back to Sue who said it wasn't her either. I then used my brain and realised a couple of very good friends were about to celebrate their 50th by going away so it must have been their daughter Sue, or Suzie to us, who had phoned. I called her and was assured that it was her who invited us. We had been puzzling what to get as a gift for complete strangers too. Anyway, we went on Saturday and joined in the celebration and had a very pleasant evening with lots of their family there and lots of the people Matt used to work with as well. I had soup and a delicious piece of salmon, Matt had the salad bar and a strip loin steak. There was also prime rib and chicken cordon bleu on the menu - a special one chosen and printed for the occasion. There was an anniversary cake which was served adorned by a ball of ice cream which had been rolled in chocolate powder. Being an idiot, I also discovered, on Sunday, that I had ordered the wrong version of Windows 7, my laptop needs a 32 bit and I had a 64 bit. No, I am not very up on what this all means but they are incompatible, that much I do know. I am hoping I can exchange it OK. Guess my brain is too busy with other things, that's my excuse anyway. So the health bill finally got passed in the States. There are dozens of people on TV saying what a terrible thing this is and how the country doesn't want or need government interference - OK for them, but what about the thousands who are helped by this reform. There are many people in the States in major debt through medical bills. I don't pretend to understand the whole thing, but any improvement has got to help people without coverage. One of the latest emails I had from Eating Well was promoting salads which were relatively low cal. This one sounded really good to me, I am very fond of beets (in the UK we always called them beetroots, took me a while to get used to the shortened version) so I will have to get myself a few and try this recipe. I eat salad for lunch most days. Spring Salad with Beets, Prosciutto & Creamy Onion Dressing From EatingWell: March/April 2010 Tender mixed salad greens (mesclun) from the garden or farmers’ market along with baby beets, crispy and salty prosciutto and a creamy dressing make a fabulous salad. 6 servings Ingredients •1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided •4 very thin slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces) •1 bunch beets (about 12 ounces), preferably baby-size, stems and greens removed •1 medium sweet onion, sliced •1/4 teaspoon dried thyme •1/4 teaspoon salt •1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper •1/4 cup nonfat or low-fat buttermilk •2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar •2 tablespoons mayonnaise •1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives •14 cups mixed salad greens Preparation 1.Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush 1/2 teaspoon oil over a large baking sheet. Cut prosciutto into 1- to 1 1/2-inch squares and place on the baking sheet. Brush the prosciutto with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Bake until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully transfer the prosciutto “chips” to a wire rack with a spatula. (If you leave them on the baking sheet, they won’t be as crisp.) 2.Meanwhile, place beets in a large saucepan with enough water to cover by at least 2 inches. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, 20 to 30 minutes. (If using larger beets, they will take up to 40 minutes.) Drain and let stand until cool enough to handle. Trim both ends of the beets and rub off the skins. Cut into wedges. 3.While the beets are cooking, combine onion with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, thyme, salt and pepper in a small saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until the onion is very soft and caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes more. (If the onion begins to brown before it becomes very soft, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.) Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. 4.Stir the onion, scraping up any browned bits. Set aside 1/4 cup and transfer the remaining onion to a food processor or blender. Add buttermilk, vinegar, mayonnaise and chives; puree until smooth. 5.Toss salad greens, the reserved 1/4 cup onion and the dressing in a large bowl. Divide among 6 plates. Top with the beets and prosciutto chips. Nutrition Per serving : 134 Calories; 7 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 12 mg Cholesterol; 13 g Carbohydrates; 6 g Protein; 4 g Fiber; 424 mg Sodium; 601 mg Potassium 1 Carbohydrate Serving Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 1/2 fat Tips & Notes •Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate cooked beets (Step 2) for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. Have a great day