Books, Boxes, Bread, and Babies

You know what’s not easy? Dealing with mortgage lenders. Also, finding contractors who actually show up when they say they will to give you an estimate. And most of all, staying off Facebook when you have 101 opinions about the recent election that need expressing, but also a dozen different deadlines that need meeting. You know what else isn't easy? Blogging and moving houses at the same time. It’s kind of like patting your head and rubbing your belly. Only harder. Regardless, now that Facebook is moving on from the "Trump versus Clinton" debate to the Gilmore Girls' "Dean versus Jess versus Logan" debate (I’m an ABD girl: Anyone But Dean), the publishers and I have decided that maybe it’s time for us to start talking about the little project that kept me hopping all last spring…

The Catholic Table: Finding Joy Where Food and Faith Meet

is here It’s bee-yoo-tee-ful! And it makes the perfect Christmas gift for anyone you know who likes to cook…or eat…or support the Help Emily and Chris Put Heat and Electricity in the Attic Where They’ll Be Living for the Next Four Months Fund. Which should pretty much be anybody who has a stomach or a heart. So, what’s behind the prettiest cover you’ll see all year? The title should give you a clue. In the book, I talk about many of the things I talk about here, only in much greater depth: how food is a sign of God’s love, goodness, and generosity; the connection between our daily bread and the Eucharist; the need for fasting and the glory of feasting; what Sacred Scripture has to say about food; the nature of hospitality; how the virtues help us eat well and eat right; and what it means to eat with the Church. I also talk quite a bit about my own struggles with anorexia and binge eating. I wasn’t planning on talking so much about that, but I found when it came to writing a book length treatise on food, I couldn’t separate my history from my theology and practice. So, my story—the roots and causes of my eating disorder and the process of my recovery— serve as the narrative thread that binds all the other topics together. I was talking to one of the publishers the other day, and he described it as my conversion story. I guess, in a way, it is. Leave it to me to have a conversion story that revolves around food. In addition to all that, there’s also all sorts of fun little bitsy stuff to break up the theology: saint stories, anecdotes, movie and cookbook recommendation, quotes from people smarter than me, and, best of all, recipes. This is one of them: My Grandma Miller’s Pumpkin Bread.

A couple weeks back, right before I had surgery, we had my in-laws over for lunch. Because I am insane, I decided I needed to make and photograph a couple recipes from the book, while I was also preparing a meal for them, cleaning the house, and packing the kitchen. Then, the in-laws arrived half an hour early. Don’t try this at home kids. It didn’t go well. There was definitely weeping and gnashing of teeth. (And maybe some cursing as well.) Nevertheless, the bread still turned out. It’s missing the walnuts the recipe calls for (making it was a very last minute decision, and I had none on hand), but it’s still super tasty. Pro-tip: resist the urge to eat it straight out of the oven; it’s even tastier the next day. (Recipe below). Over the next few weeks, while we relocate from our beautiful lovely home to a cold, dark attic, I’m going to try (emphasis on"TRY") to both rub my belly and pat my head. There will be some book excerpts and more recipes (photographed on that fateful October day), plus pictures of the work we're doing  on our new money pit in Crafton, PA.

(Yes, it's big. Yes, it needs work. And yes, the picture is blurry...best I've got.) In the meantime, Chris and I could use some prayers that all goes well with our closing and we’re actually able to get out of here on November 29, as planned. Prayers that no walls collapse or pipes explode would also be welcome. Oh, and prayers for a (yet to to conceived, No this is not an announcement) Baby Chapman are also appreciated. During my surgery, our wonderful, wonderful NaPro Surgeon discovered that my fallopian tubes were obstructed by scar tissue from an old fibroid surgery back in 2009. Now that the pipes are open, he assures us the odds for a little redheaded tike are quite good. We would like to improve those odds even more, however, with the prayers of a couple thousand friends and strangers on the Internet. Thanks in advance for those. Okay, I have a dozen deadlines that need meeting, 110 more boxes that need packing, and 8 gajillion mortgage forms in my inbox that need signing. And you need a pumpkin bread recipe!

Grandma Miller’s Pumpkin BreadMakes: 2 loavesPrep Time: 15 minutesCook Time: 90 minutes Growing up, it wasn’t Thanksgiving or Christmas, without my Grandma Miller’s pumpkin bread. It still isn’t. Ingredients

• 3.5 cups flour

• 3 cups sugar

• .5 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1.5 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cloves

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

• 2 cups pumpkin puree

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• 1 cup water

• 4 eggs

• 2 cups walnuts, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. Mix dry ingredients together; set aside.

3. Mix eggs, sugar, oil, water, and pumpkin together.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.

5. Fold in nuts.

6. Divide into greased pans and bake for 90 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

7. Enjoy!