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| O Holy Night! |
O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees!
O hear the angel voices!
O night divine,
O night when Christ was born;
O night when Christ was born;
O night divine,
O night, O night Divine.
O night, O night Divine.
by Adolphe Adam 1847
My first memories of the Nativity go back to my childhood home on Deer Path Lane. There, we set our Nativity in the fireplace; strangely. (It did not occur to me until I was a bit older that Santa and baby Jesus cannot occupy the same space!) So each year Dad would clean the real, wood-burning fireplace in our Living Room and Mom would gently lay a sheet of fluffy cotton with glitter sparkles over the grate. She would then place the stable on top, lace it with "Italian lights," and set all the figurines inside. I remember them to be light, almost like paper mache, and on the bottom a stamp "Made in Italy," which seemed special to me. Their appearance was that of a figure right-off the canvas of a Botticelli painting. Needless-to-say, we took great care handling such delicate pieces . . .
My brother Danny and I loved to re-arrange the figures; each with different ideas on placement. So he would do his set-up and I would casually drop by to "fix it." I paid special attention to the two angels in pink robes giving them a place of prominence near Mary. Danny invariably would bump them to the background and move the blue-robed angels to the front. And the animals . . . no telling where they would end up on any given day! All this covert activity occurring while on alert for being "naughty or nice" thereby disqualifying ourselves from Santa's spoil.
Our little "game" seems silly now but this little manger helped me to play out the scene. A stable . . . straw and a manger . . . cows and donkeys and sheep . . . a young woman and her husband . . . a baby. What is difficult for even an adult to imagine, became so real in the hands of child's play!
So on this day of remembrance of Christ's Birth, may the "reality" of His presence be in your heart. For He is Emmanuel; God with us!
(The Nativity captured in the photo above is from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Darien where Mom attends Mass. She told me that this Nativity is the same one that was used in the movie "Home Alone." And yes, that is snow in the foreground.)
Mediterranean White Bean Soup
This soup is a traditional dish that we serve on Christmas Eve. I used to call it "Vegetable" Soup to hide the fact that it is bean-based. But you will find there really are more vegetables than beans in this soup! No matter the name, it is a hearty bowl of goodness that can be a first course when served in a cup or the main course served in a bowl alongside crusty bread and a green salad with vinaigrette dressing. This recipe is from my favorite cookbook, "New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant." Many years ago I was in Ithaca, New York on business and stopped in at Moosewood which is a restaurant/co-op of sorts. Great vibe; amazing dishes . . . Enjoy!
1 cup dried navy beans, soaked overnight
Stock or water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 bay leaves
4 whole garlic cloves
3 sprigs fresh thyme (1/2 tsp. dried)
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 large carrots, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon dried mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
Put the drained beans into a 4 quart pot and add stock or water until it reaches a point an inch above the level of the beans. Add the oil, by leaves, garlic, thyme and fennel seeds. Simmer Covered until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Replenish liquid occasionally, keeping the beans covered with an inch of liquid. When the beans are tender, discard the bay leaves, garlic cloves and thyme twigs, if you are using fresh thyme.
Meanwhile, saute the onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and saute another 5 minutes. Stir in the peppers and saute 5 minutes more. Add 1/2 cup water and cook the vegetables covered until the carrots are just tender.
Stir the vegetables into the pot of cooked beans and simmer 15 to 20 minutes to blend the flavors. Add the mint, parsley, and lemon juice. Salt & pepper to taste This will vary depending on whether stock or water was used. Serve with grated parmesan or romano cheese. (Make several days ahead and reheat for the best results.)
"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, "God with us"). Matthew 1:23
Thank you Jesus for coming to live among us so long ago. We are reminded in this season of Advent that you will come again, in great glory. Until that time, we celebrate Christmas with the anticipation, excitement and JOY of the season. By your Spirit, prepare our hearts that we will carry the hope of our Saviour throughout the New Year.
My brother Danny and I loved to re-arrange the figures; each with different ideas on placement. So he would do his set-up and I would casually drop by to "fix it." I paid special attention to the two angels in pink robes giving them a place of prominence near Mary. Danny invariably would bump them to the background and move the blue-robed angels to the front. And the animals . . . no telling where they would end up on any given day! All this covert activity occurring while on alert for being "naughty or nice" thereby disqualifying ourselves from Santa's spoil.
Our little "game" seems silly now but this little manger helped me to play out the scene. A stable . . . straw and a manger . . . cows and donkeys and sheep . . . a young woman and her husband . . . a baby. What is difficult for even an adult to imagine, became so real in the hands of child's play!
So on this day of remembrance of Christ's Birth, may the "reality" of His presence be in your heart. For He is Emmanuel; God with us!
(The Nativity captured in the photo above is from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Darien where Mom attends Mass. She told me that this Nativity is the same one that was used in the movie "Home Alone." And yes, that is snow in the foreground.)
Mediterranean White Bean Soup
This soup is a traditional dish that we serve on Christmas Eve. I used to call it "Vegetable" Soup to hide the fact that it is bean-based. But you will find there really are more vegetables than beans in this soup! No matter the name, it is a hearty bowl of goodness that can be a first course when served in a cup or the main course served in a bowl alongside crusty bread and a green salad with vinaigrette dressing. This recipe is from my favorite cookbook, "New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant." Many years ago I was in Ithaca, New York on business and stopped in at Moosewood which is a restaurant/co-op of sorts. Great vibe; amazing dishes . . . Enjoy!
1 cup dried navy beans, soaked overnight
Stock or water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 bay leaves
4 whole garlic cloves
3 sprigs fresh thyme (1/2 tsp. dried)
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 large carrots, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon dried mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
Put the drained beans into a 4 quart pot and add stock or water until it reaches a point an inch above the level of the beans. Add the oil, by leaves, garlic, thyme and fennel seeds. Simmer Covered until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Replenish liquid occasionally, keeping the beans covered with an inch of liquid. When the beans are tender, discard the bay leaves, garlic cloves and thyme twigs, if you are using fresh thyme.
Meanwhile, saute the onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and saute another 5 minutes. Stir in the peppers and saute 5 minutes more. Add 1/2 cup water and cook the vegetables covered until the carrots are just tender.
Stir the vegetables into the pot of cooked beans and simmer 15 to 20 minutes to blend the flavors. Add the mint, parsley, and lemon juice. Salt & pepper to taste This will vary depending on whether stock or water was used. Serve with grated parmesan or romano cheese. (Make several days ahead and reheat for the best results.)
"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, "God with us"). Matthew 1:23
Thank you Jesus for coming to live among us so long ago. We are reminded in this season of Advent that you will come again, in great glory. Until that time, we celebrate Christmas with the anticipation, excitement and JOY of the season. By your Spirit, prepare our hearts that we will carry the hope of our Saviour throughout the New Year.
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