Cooking: A Favorite Pastime

May 31

Letter from the Pastor
May 26, 2023

What is your favorite pastime? I have two. I love to be in the garden getting my hands dirty either tending to the plants or picking out the weeds. There is something to be said about seeing the results, immediate or otherwise, after working in the garden. Another favorite pastime of mine is cooking. I enjoy creating something from the variety of ingredients and watching it turn into something else. The best part is you not only get to eat what you prepared but you also get to share it with those around your table. That, actually, is very Eucharistic. Jesus invites us to create something [ourselves along with The Kingdom] from the variety of ingredients [events and circumstances of our lives] to create something new [ourselves, to be as close as possible to being the alter Christus – another Christ] and then share it with those around the table of our lives. That is how we help build God’s Kingdom in our midst. That is what we do when we celebrate Mass. It is what we do when we cook a meal and gather around our table in our homes with our family and friends.

I realize that not everyone enjoys cooking. Chinese Restaurants depend on it. But I do know that we have many people in our parish community who do like to cook and have gathered favorite recipes over time. I have a recipe for Chocolate Crème Broulee that is outrageous!

One of our beloved parishioners, John Oliano, has offered to compile a parish cookbook so that we can collect the favorite recipes of our community and share them with one another. He sees this as a fundraiser for the parish. I see it as the sharing of our secret meals that hold us together on our journey. Truthfully, there is no reason why it cannot be both.

John writes, “Cookbooks are a wonderful way to share cherished family recipes. These can be family favorites, simple or complex, that you would like to share with the parish community.” For the past 8 years John and his lovely wife, Gina, have been year-round residents of Loveladies. They have owned their home since 1981. During those 43 years they have been faithful parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi Parish [St. Clare’s in the summer, of course.] John has published 5 cookbooks: Washington Crossing Cookbook, Italian Family Cooking & Wine Pairing, Neighbors Cooking, Pizza Pasta & More, and Family Cookbook. He is now in the process of publishing Cookbook Favorites, a compilation of 4 of his previous books and has helped design, compose, and prepare his neighbor’s cookbook, Terry's Table. [All are available on Amazon Books if you are interested in seeing the finished product or perhaps in need of a new cookbook.] John has graciously offered to compile our parish cookbook that will help us share our favorite meals with one another.

The Recipe Form is an insert in this week’s bulletin. If you have a recipe or two that you would like to share, please fill it out and send it back to me at the parish . You can also complete the form online and send it to me electronically. A “sample recipe” is also posted online to give you an idea of what the final product will look like.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call, or email me at the parish. We are hoping for 150 recipes for our book. If we have more, even better! If one of your favorite pastimes is cooking, please pass along your family favorites to share your table with ours.

Let’s start cooking! Buon Appetito!

Click here for: Parishioners’ Fundraiser Cookbook Recipe Data Form