God Talk and Tea

Spotlighting Crispy Chicken Milanese on this month’s "What Are You Cooking for Dinner?" ~ Lois Rogers

I was seeking a simple, inexpensive and tasty dinner recipe to serve friends before heading off to the “Treasures of the Church” exposition at the Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine in Freehold Feb. 16, and was blessed, yes, blessed, when I mentioned it to the rector, Msgr. Sam Sirianni during a phone interview about the program.

“I have a good recipe for Crispy Chicken Milanese that I can send you,” was the Monsignor’s immediate response. Monsignor hails from a Long Branch family well known for their culinary abilities.

Having collaborated with him before over the years on Lenten food traditions and offerings for Keeping the Feast – the blog I developed for The Monitor – I immediately asked him to email it so I could give it a try.

Preparing a sheet pan dinner was a new experience for me and I was a little concerned about getting the timing right on all the ingredients and what the results would taste like. But the recipe, which Father Sam acknowledged was prepared for dinner in the rectory by Father Brian Butch, the parochial vicar, proved to be a delicious mix of tastes and textures and it was very well received by my guests.

Light enough to take the edge off the appetite but not heavy enough to weigh you down, it proved an excellent meal to have before the exposition which began with an hour-long presentation by Companions of The Cross Father Carlos Martins about the relics he brought with him.

It was followed by what he referred to as a “walk with the saints” in Dentici Hall where those in attendance were able to come
into close contact with 165 relics, from the many he has collected over the years which could be venerated by the faithful.

Among its treasures were relics of St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Faustina Kowalska. Highlights of the exposition included one of the largest relics in existence of what is believed by the Church to be the True Cross, along with a portion of the veil believed to have been worn by the Virgin Mary.

 

In answer to the question “What did you have for dinner,” here’s the recipe for

Crispy Chicken Milanese and Vegetables baked in a sheet pan

Ingredients for the Milanese

- 1 large egg

- 2 tsp. Minced garlic

- ½ tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

- ½ tsp. Each salt and pepper

- ½ cup breadcrumbs

- 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan and Romano cheese

- 2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice

-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs

Ingredients for the vegetables

- 8-10 (1 pound) baby potatoes, quartered

- ½ cup butter, melted

- 2 tsp. Minced garlic

- salt to taste

- 1 pound green beans cut into thirds

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking tray / sheet with cooking oil spray, or a light coating of oil. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Dip chicken into egg mixture, cover and allow to marinade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour (if time allows).
• In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the blend of Parmesan and Romano cheese.
• Dredge the egg coated chicken in the breadcrumb/cheese mixture, lightly pressing to evenly coat.
• Place chicken onto the baking sheet/tray and lightly spray or brush with cooking oil. I brushed on safflower oil. Arrange the potatoes around the chicken in a single layer. Mix together the butter, 2 teaspoons garlic and salt and pour half the mixture over the potatoes. Toss to evenly coat.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

• Remove baking tray from the oven and carefully flip each chicken breast. Move the potatoes to one side and place the green beans around the chicken on the other side of the baking sheet. Pour over the remaining garlic butter over the green beans and return the sheet pan to the oven to broil (or grill) on medium-high heat for a further 10 minutes, or until chicken is golden and crisp, and potatoes are cooked through.

Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley (optional) and serve immediately

 

Photo caption -St. Robert Parishioner Kristina Mueller venerates relics at Treasures of the Church presentation.

Lois Rogers has been writing about faith, family and food (most notably in her award-winning blog, "Keeping the Feast" which has appeared in The Trenton Monitor) for most of her professional career. She may be reached at [email protected].

Make an easy milanese before an evening of relics! ~ Lois Rogers, "What Are You Cooking for Dinner?"

This month's "What Are You Cooking for Dinner?" by Lois Rogers is due to arrive at God Talk and Tea on or around Feb. 18 and will feature a recipe for Parmesan Baked Chicken Milanese and vegetables, a favorite from the rectory kitchen of St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral in Freehold.

Lois plans to cook the recipe for friends before they head out for a special event at the Co-Cathedral.                                                 

“Treasures of the Church,” a spectacular collection of Vatican relics will be hosted at the Co-Cathedral on Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. If you can’t be there in person to see it, “What Are You Cooking for Dinner,” will also include some insight about this rare opportunity to view, venerate and come close to some 150 relics of beloved saints.

Presented by Companions of the Cross Father Carlos Martins, a Vatican-appointed expert on relics, the exposition includes relics from the dawn of Christianity through the Middle Ages and Renaissance down to modern times.

Among its treasures will be relics of St. Joseph, St. Maria Goretti, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Faustina Kowalska. A highlight of the exposition is one of the largest relics in existence of what is believed by the Church to be the True Cross, along with a portion of the veil believed to have been worn by the Virgin Mary.

“Treasures of the Church” has been touring widely for some time and has been hosted in almost 200 Catholic dioceses in various countries according to the website, treasuresofthechurch.com. Each exposition begins with a multi-media presentation on the Church’s use of relics that is scriptural, catechetical and devotional, according to the website.

Father Martins opens each presentation with a talk that prepares those in attendance with what they are about to behold on what he calls the “walk with the saints” where the relics will be lined up along one of the long church corridors.

Those who attend can expect to come in close contact with objects that have a direct association with the saints or with Jesus. All are encouraged to bring articles of devotion – Rosaries, holy cards and medals, as well as pictures of ill friends or family members in need of prayer that can be touched to the relics when praying for intercession.

St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral is located at 61 Georgia Road, Freehold. For more information call 732-462-7429.

Lois Rogers has been writing about faith, family and food (most notably in her award-winning blog, "Keeping the Feast" which has appeared in The Trenton Monitor) for most of her professional career. She may be reached at [email protected].

Love transforms the world, one encounter at a time

As I watched my three-year-old grandson 
sitting at the kitchen table, creating a Get Well/Valentine card for his great-uncle, it brought back memories of my own sons doing the same thing for their grandfather many years ago.

It was Valentine’s Day, so on my way home from the hospital, I stopped to buy the small red heart boxes of Valentine’s
Day candy my dad would have given them. As they sat around the table, I gave them each a box. They didn’t smile. My youngest pushed his away and said, “Can we bring Poppy home tonight?”

I had to tell him no and answer his difficult question of why. Their poppy died the next day.

My dad had suffered an unexpected heart attack and I was told he would not recover. He could not breathe on his own and there was little brain activity. As an only child, with my husband and sons in another state at that time, I was alone in making decisions. After a few days, doctors suggested I remove him from life support. I refused. At his age, I felt he had earned some time to recover.

Out of respect for my mom, who was a Hospice patient on the next floor, I called the Syrian Orthodox Catholic Church to ask for the Sacrament of Anointing the Sick. Though the new pastor did not yet know my mom or my dad, he was at the hospital within the hour. He anointed my father with blessed oil and prayed over him with an unexpected tenderness.

Then he sat with me, prayed with me, stayed with me. Through tears, I shared my inability to make the decision to remove my dad from life support. He took my hands and assured me I had done the most important thing that could be done … I made sure he received the Sacrament. The decision about life support could be made when I was ready knowing he was in God’s hands.

Within that experience was a powerful encounter of Jesus. The love and compassion of this priest made it possible for me to make that very difficult decision, and to sit alone with my dad when he died. It gave me the courage and strength to take care of all that needed to be done from that point on, including caring for my mom. It strengthened my faith at a time of great loss, then and a year later when my mom died.

Encounters with Jesus such as this are agape encounters, transformational encounters with God’s love, the love St. Paul talks about in his Letter to the Corinthians, a love that is greater than faith and hope, a love that never fails.

That is why our encounters with Christ are so very important to the well-being of the world, and why we are called to be these encounters for others. Our daily decisions to love, unconditionally and with a willingness for self-sacrifice, are the one thing that can transform what is into what should be.

“One day everything will be made of agape.”

I wish I had written those words, but I didn’t. Still, the thought is something to hold on to during this very challenging moment in time when it is so easy to become discouraged, to lose hope and faith.

Jesus reminds us to become like little children. Perhaps because they give so freely of themselves and their simple, humble, handmade expressions of love.

Little bundles of agape.

 

© Mary Clifford Morrell

Jon Tyson photo on Unsplash