A Taste of Summer (with Recipes!)

by Guest Blogger Barb Szyszkiewicz

Happy summer! Happy Fourth of July! In honor of this summer holiday, Carolyn invited me to bring along a few of my favorite recipes. She knows that I love to cook for my family and friends! Since I can’t cook for all of you in person, sharing these recipes is the next best thing. They’re all easy to make, and both the salad and dessert are definitely picnic-worthy.

Summer recipes to savor: corn & tomato salad, shrimp scampi & CMP brownies. @franciscanmom Share on X

Let’s start with the salad. I’m a Jersey girl, and this is the time of year when the corn and tomatoes are ready to go, fresh and flavorful. This warm salad uses your garden-fresh corn, tomatoes and herbs. If you don’t have any grilled corn, you can bake it in the oven–directions are at the bottom of the recipe. Continue reading

Seeing the Fruit of Grace In Parenting

by Guest Blogger Jeannie Ewing

My oldest daughter, Felicity, is newly fascinated with how babies grow in their mother’s wombs. Shortly after she turned five, she would muse aloud, “Tell me about when I was in your tummy, Mommy.” Without thinking, I shared the story of when my husband and I first saw her on the early ultrasound, when she was about eight weeks old. I was considered “high risk” for pregnancy, so my husband and I were relieved when we saw our “little bean” and heard her heartbeat on the Doppler.

Felicity’s eyes widened as I demonstrated how small she was at the time – “about the size of my thumb nail,” I told her. “Is that how small I was to begin with?” she inquired. “No, sweetheart,” I lovingly replied, “you were so small when you began that we wouldn’t be able to see you, almost like a period at the end of a sentence.” Continue reading

Lover of Virtue, Lover of Christ

by Guest Blogger Virginia Lieto

I am a lover of virtue! There I’ve said it! I know that I am in a minority, because most people do not even think about virtue as they traverse throughout their day. I, on the other hand, live for virtue, because it is virtue that draws me near to Christ. I can’t think of a better place to be than near Christ. Maybe that is because I am also a lover of Christ: I want to be like Christ! I look up to Him; He is my role model. Continue reading