A sad, sad cake tale and a lenten recipe

I'm sick. Everyone take a moment to feel sorry for me. So yesterday, I had two meetings that I could not miss. I dragged myself into the office, kept to myself as much as possible, and trudged through my day accomplishing an astonishing amount of work. I wonder if I should get sick more often as it seems to be a boon for my productivity. Anyway, I arrived home to find subsection 16.8 of Murphy's law in evidence. That's the section that states, "The amount of do-gooder responsibility is inversely proportional to the amount of energy a woman has to spare." In other words, I had to make a cake for Jake's school. I powered through making dinner and the cake. I fended off multiple cake feints by both husband and boy. "No you may NOT eat that cake! It's for the fish fry! Don't even THINK about eating the cake! I can see you thinking about eating that cake, you know." After dinner, the kids were working on their homework while we adults were clearing the table. Nick and I were periodically spelling words for Jake and reminding Claire to share share SHARE the markers. I looked over Jake's shoulder to check his work and saw something on the periphery. Or more accurately, I didn't see someone on the periphery. And then...I heard a giggle. "Noooooooooooooo!" Too late. Claire had snuck over to the counter, snaked her little hand up and taken a big chunk of cake. Knowing she was caught, she attempted to shove the entire illicit lump of cake into her mouth. Jake knew better than to attack the cake, but the huge crumbs on the floor were fair game. He hit the floor running and started snuffling up the cake crumbs like a dog. Nick went to the grocer and bought another cake. I ate a big piece of the ruined cake with my tea. And I have to admit, I was a little bit glad that Claire ruined it. Tonight, we're eating this unless I'm too tired. Plus cake, of course.

Aslam's Mash Daal [Lentils] (serves 6)

Recipe from Operation Rice Bowl

• 3 cups dried lentils
• 1½ onion, thinly sliced
• 5 cups water
• 1½ tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• ¼ cup oil
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1-4 cloves garlic, chopped (to taste)
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• Salt (to taste)

Wash and drain the lentils. In a large pot heat the oil, and then add thinly sliced onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, salt and, cumin, and chili powder. Fry until golden brown and crisp. Add the tomatoes and stir well for about 10 minutes.

Add the water and heat until it reaches a boil. Put lentils in the pot and continue to cook at a full boil, stirring frequently, until the lentils are half-cooked. Finally, put on the lid and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve hot over rice.

Rice Bowl Recipe

I used the official Operation Rice Bowl recipe for this week on Ash Wednesday. It wasn't a big hit so I'm not going to repeat it. So, I'm winging it! The country of the week is Mexico, so I'm making Arroz con Huevos (recipe from the American Egg Board). This looks pretty good and I think the family will eat it. Plus, I have too many eggs in the refrigerator. Arroz con Huevos

	•	1 cup water
	•	1/2 cup rice
	•	1/4 cup chopped onion
	•	1 clove garlic, minced
	•	1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
	•	1/2 cup chopped green pepper
	•	2 tablespoons bottled taco sauce or salsa
	•	1/2 cup chopped tomato
	•	4 eggs
	•	1/4 cup (1 oz.) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

In medium saucepan stir together water, rice, onion, garlic and salt, if desired. Cover. Over high heat, bring to boiling. Reduce heat to keep water simmering. About 10 minutes before rice is done (check rice package for total cooking time needed), stir in green pepper and taco sauce. Re-cover and cook until rice is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in tomato. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm while poaching eggs.

In saucepan or deep omelet pan, bring 2 to 3 inches of water to boiling. Reduce heat to keep water gently simmering. Break cold eggs, 1 at a time, into custard cup or saucer or break several into bowl. Holding dish close to water’s surface, slip eggs, 1 by 1 into water. Cook until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard, about 3 to 5 minutes. With slotted spoon, lift out eggs. Drain in spoon or on paper towels and trim any rough edges, if desired.

To serve, spoon 1/4 (1/2) of the reserved rice mixture onto each of 4 (2) plates. Top each with 1 (2) of the poached eggs, sprinkle each egg with 1 tablespoon of the cheese.

Except of course I'm using brown rice and I'll just put in a can of tomatoes instead of bothering with fresh (Because fresh tomatoes at this time of year? No way.) and I'll be frying those eggs instead of poaching them. But rice and eggs? Simple fare and cheap to boot.

Challenge: Rice or Water

Lent starts Wednesday, for those of us who observe it. Lent is traditionally a time of penance, fasting, and alms-giving for Catholics. The fasting part is always a problem for me. Woe is the person who crosses me on a fast day when I'm crabby and irritable. I know that fasting is supposed to bring clarity in many religious traditions, but I've never had that experience. Last night, while I was complaining about eating chicken again, I found the rice bowl packet in my son's school folder. I moaned and groaned about high quality, easily available food while millions of people in the world have poor quality food that is not readily available to them. Shame on me. Needless to say, my family will be participating in Operation Rice Bowl this season. I would like to challenge everyone who reads this blog to do the same. You don't have to be Catholic and the contents of your rice bowl don't necessarily need to go to Catholic Relief Services. Just eat a simple, inexpensive meal once or twice a week and deposit the money that you've saved on that meal in a cardboard rice container. On Easter (or Passover, or the spring solstice, or just the first day that you see buds on your trees), give that money to a hunger relief organization. I will post a cheap recipe every week (provided by CRS) if you need an idea of what to make. And while we're on the topic of hunger, let's talk about water too. More than one billion people in the world do not have a safe supply of drinking water. WaterPartners International is an organization that focuses on sustainable water projects in developing countries. My friends Jolyn and Matt introduced this charity to me a few years ago, and I admire its mission. If you aren't up for the rice bowl challenge, please consider a donation for clean, potable water.