Paraments and Sunday Beans

Fill the soul as well as the belly. I wanted to begin this post about paraments. Lovely word. They are textiles placed on altars, pillars or pulpits that offer praise and celebration of the church seasons and aid us in centering and finding peace in worship. In church this morning we dedicated new paraments (or altar cloths) that were handmade by some of the women in church. They are examples of extraordinary craftsmanship and community. I will take photos of them when they are officially on display but until then I wanted to share some I found elsewhere. The image directly below is a liturgical textile from a quilting site. . http://kameleonquilt.com/gallery/2002.htm Others I found were done with needlepoint, embroidery, applique etc. They are gorgeous and truly help to creat sacred space. The photo above is taken from the site http://www.inthecottonpatch.com/greenparaments.htm. Ok, the next image below is not a parament but it is meant for worship as a miter and is a work of art. I found this needlework at http://www.needlenthread.com/.


Now, about the belly and the beans. I have mostly taught myself how to cook (thank goodness for cookbooks and Every Day Food magazine by Martha Stewart) and there is nothing better than chili on a rainy Sunday. I love making a very simple chili I found in Every Day with Rachael Ray (her magazine). The name of the chili is Tex-Mex Corn Chip Chili and it is delish!! I use beef but if you are a talented foodie you could likely use another meat or even create a vegetarian version. I set chips out as an optional addition but the chili is perfect without it. You can find the easy easy recipe at http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/soup-stew-choup-recipes/tex-mex-corn-chip-chili/article.html. My copy of the recipe is now torn and tattered but clearly well loved. bon appetit! Happy Sunday!