by Paula D.
on December 30, 2025 8:22 am in Food / Holiday
Every time I’m in CVS and see the endless wall of candy canes, I think of Jesus. It’s theology hanging right next to Snickers bars and cat toys. Be open to a whole spiritual moment in aisle 7 because candy canes represent a lot in Catholicism.
The shape: turn a candy cane upside down, and it’s “J” for Jesus. Flip it the other way, and it becomes a shepherd’s staff. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who works to gather the one lost sheep. This passage is one of my favorites, Luke 15:3-7: “(3) Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? (5) And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders (6) and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ (7) I tell you that in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Color and design: The white part of the candy cane represents purity – Jesus’ innocence, a life without sin. Wrapped around that are the red stripes, which symbolize Christ’s blood and the sacrifice of the crucifixion. There are candy canes with three thin red stripes to represent the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So while it just looks festive and cute, you’re actually holding holiness, suffering, and our hope of redemption. That’s intense for something you stir your hot chocolate with and tape onto packages. Well, now you know…
The flavor: Peppermint comes from the mint family, and in Christian and Jewish symbolism, it’s connected to hyssop, a plant mentioned in the Bible in purification rituals. Today it’s better known as Agastache, and guess what, I have it in my garden! So the taste represents the idea of cleansing, renewal, and fresh starts. Exodus 12:22: “Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood… and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood…” (Passover instructions).
The texture: A candy cane is hard. It doesn’t squish or bend or melt. That firmness is said to represent Christ as the solid rock, the foundation of faith. You can snap a candy cane, but it breaks clean—it doesn’t crumble into dust. There’s a sturdiness that mirrors what faith is supposed to feel like when everything else in life seems to be falling apart.
The next time you’re in the drug store or Stop & Shop, staring at that wall of red and white stripes—or on Fifth Avenue, at Starbucks, or Beach 91st Street, or anywhere this month, remember the deeper meaning behind the candy cane. And of course, always look for the sales.
Source: catholicidentity.bne
by Paula D.
on December 30, 2025 8:18 am in Recipes
Do you know what icing is made of? I didn’t until I made it last weekend. It’s very simply made from confectioner’s sugar, condensed milk, and lemon. It is different from frosting, which is fluffier and has fat, like butter or cream, and it is whipped. Icing is mostly sugar, has a smooth texture, and is thinner. Frosting is more malleable, and its purpose is full coverage on cakes and cupcakes; icing is better for decorating cookies, adorning cakes, and all that fancy stuff. I’m hoping this year I make Christmas cookies. Every year, I want to, and somehow, with the holiday rush, it never happens. Are you feeling the rush already?
In an effort to make my Christmas cookies and be that woman this year, I’m taking mini steps. Breaking projects into smaller parts helps so much and makes tasks, projects, and life feel less overwhelming. I know Christmas cookies shouldn’t be a stressor, oops!
First breakout: homemade icing. It keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks, or you can freeze it in an airtight container. The internet says the texture changes a bit, but that seems okay to me.
As I was adding the drops of green dye into the homemade icing, I was reminded that some folks are really against food coloring. Things like the scary Red No. 3 have been linked to a higher risk of cancer and possible behavioral issues in kids. This is depressing and not Christmas-y at all. The good news is I only used a few drops and plan on giving my Christmas sugar cookies to adult friends. Adults already have a bunch of damage done from boozing and smoking, and eating potato chips, so I don’t feel that bad.
I’m curious about using natural dyes like beet juice for red, matcha or spinach for green (not sure how that would taste), or blueberries for Hanukkah cookies?
Easy Homemade Icing Recipe
(makes about 2 cups)
Ingredients:
¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed
2 cups confectioner’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
Food colorings
Instructions: Use a stand or hand mixer on low to whisk condensed milk, lemon juice, and confectioner’s sugar until smooth. Add more lemon juice if the icing is too thick. Add drops of food coloring to batches as needed. Keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator or freeze. Note: I used sweetened condensed oat mil,k and it worked very well and is way less gross than condensed milk.
Next step: Christmas sugar cookies…
For more baking adventures, follow Paula on Instagram @theglorifiedtomato.
by Paula D.
on December 30, 2025 8:18 am in Food / Recipes
Martha Stewart is perfect, and so is her classic Thanksgiving stuffing recipe. Martha proclaims the stuffing is crisp and buttery-golden on the outside, moist and tender on the inside, and she’s right. The flavor comes from a generous amount of sauteed onion and celery, plus lots of fresh parsley and sage. She suggests adding toasted pecans and dried cherries for extra texture and a nutty–tangy moment – definitely include these ingredients. I couldn’t find the cherries and substituted them with cranberries; it worked nicely.
I’ve adapted the recipe to a vegetarian version by swapping the chicken broth for Better Than Bouillon vegetarian broth. I also added carrots for fun and color and switched the white bread to sourdough. For a rustic vibe, tear the bread apart by hand and give it a quick toast in the oven, if you don’t have stale bread.
Why do we only think of making stuffing around Thanksgiving? This one is officially going into my winter dinner rotation. Give this classic stuffing recipe a try for your Thanksgiving celebration – it will be the talk of your table!
Classic Vegetarian Stuffing
10-by-15-inch pan or divide into two smaller baking pans, serves 16
Ingredients:
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
- 4 onions (2 pounds), peeled and cut into ¼ inch dice
- 16 celery stalks, cut into ¼-inch, diced 1 large carrot, diced
- 10 large fresh sage leaves, chopped, or 2 teaspoons crushed dried sage
- 6 cups Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian Stock
- 2 loaves stale or toasted sourdough (about 36 slices), crust on, 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups (2 bunches) coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped
- 2 cups dried cherries
Directions:
Step 1: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 10 by 15-inch baking dish (or two smaller) and set aside. On a separate tray, toast hand-torn bread in the oven (if not stale).
Step 2: Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions, carrots, and celery, and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add sage, stir to combine, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 3: Add 1/2 cup of stock, stir well. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half.
Step 4: Transfer onion mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients, including the remaining stock and bread. Mix to combine.
Step 5: Transfer stuffing mixture to prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Step 6: Uncover and continue to bake until the top is golden, 30 to 35 more minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe adapted from: marthastewart.com
by Paula D.
on November 21, 2025 8:39 am in Food
With the Beach 91st Street Community Garden food drive wrapped up, I’ve been thinking a lot about what is important to me, how I want to use my time, and what matters big picture. The outpouring of support from friends and neighbors was truly overwhelming. And with Thanksgiving next week, I’ve been thinking about what I am grateful for in this year of my life. So here goes…
I am grateful my mother is still alive. I haven’t written about this, and someday I will go deeper—but for now I’ll say my mother has end-stage COPD, and this past year has been exhausting and scary for our whole family. And still, beautiful things have come out of it. Like the reminder of the bond my sisters and I have, for the way “family first” and our love and commitment to each other were instilled in us by my mother and father. This is rare, I’ve learned. I’m thankful for my mother’s “good days,” like the day we got her in the wheelchair, brought her down to the boulevard, and she went shopping! I’m grateful for my father’s quiet, selfless kindness and his strength through all of this.
I am grateful for Tom.
I am grateful for the Beach 91st Street Community Garden group. I love gardening, the soil, the plants, the whole growing thing. But the real gift has been having a place to channel my energy into something that feels like it does some good / a community service.
I want to do something special with my life. I don’t totally know what that is yet, and I do feel like I’m getting a late start, but the garden feels like it’s pointing me in the right direction. I’m thankful for the people I’ve met through the garden. I hear “our community” a lot around town, and sometimes it sounds like it’s only referring to a small circle. Rockaway is more layered than that. I want to reach people I wouldn’t normally cross paths with and the outsiders, the misfits, the searching ones. The garden has been a conduit for these connections over the years.
I am grateful for my job at the DOE. It’s challenging on a lot of levels, and it’s tiring (to say the least), but through this new experience, I’ve grown and learned new skills. I’m grateful for the little kids I’ve become friends with—for their smiles and their open, candid minds. It’s powerful energy.
And I’m grateful for a paycheck every two weeks and health insurance. In the past, I took those two things for granted. I don’t anymore, and I’m honestly grateful to be humbled by that.
I am grateful for the freedom to write whatever I choose in the tomato column, whether it’s about surfing, the passing of my cat, or Grandma Mary’s artichoke pie recipe. And the writing is an outlet for me, creatively and therapeutically.
I am grateful for you, taking some moments out of your day to read my words.
