Kale soup and a concert.

I'm sure if I've ever said anything about meals at Loyola House before, so this post may be a first. The novitiate has a cook who comes in from Monday to Friday to prepare dinner, but on weekends the task of cooking falls upon us novices. We're assigned to cook in groups of two on particular days, and the way the rotation works we all end up cooking at least two or three times a semester. I'm on for today, and - as I'm sure Mom will be happy to hear - I'm making kale soup. I'm reasonably confident this is the first time that this traditional Portuguese stew incorporating chopped kale, linguiça sausage, kidney beans, onions, potatoes and macaroni has been served at Loyola House. This historic first wouldn't have been possible without the assistance of several people: Mom and Dad, who provided the requisite linguiça, which is unavailable in Detroit; first-year novice Chris Staab, who guarded aforementioned linguiça with his life, thwarting other novices' attempts to use it in their own cooking; veteran Detroit shopper Sister Beth Finster, S.S.J., who located hard-to-find kale at an area vegetable market; and my fellow second-year novice Jim Shea, who ably assisted in the preparation of the soup. Bringing kale soup to Loyola House was a true group effort, and I'm thankful to all involved.

I thought about including the recipe for kale soup in this post, but I should probably check with Mom first. It's also worth noting that there are a lot of kale soup recipes already on the Internet, though there's a lot of variation among them in terms (especially in terms of suggested ingredients) and none is exactly like the family recipe I used. I suspect most Portuguese families have their own unique kale soup recipe, and mine is no exception. Since I've never posted a recipe on this blog (and will probably never consider doing so again), I'm also skeptical as to whether readers would be interested. Any feedback on this topic would be appreciated, either in the comment box or via the e-mail link on my Blogger profile.

After dinner tonight, the residents of Loyola House will be attending a concert at Most Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Detroit to premiere a CD by Jesuit Father Bob Scullin, provincial of the Detroit Province. The proceeds from tonight's event will benefit the Jesuit Refugee Service. For more information about Bob's CD, which includes performances by my fellow secundi Ryan Duns and Tony Stephens, click here.

Unfortunately, neither tonight's dinner nor the concert that follows will be attended by Detroit Province second-year novice John Petit. John left the novitiate this morning, and he did in his own unique way - in a Ford Mustang he just purchased (ex-Jesuits need transportation, after all). I've gotten to know John well over the past fourteen months, and I'll miss him. However, he goes forth with the blessings and best wishes of his community and we all hope that he'll keep in touch. Good luck and Godspeed, John - hope you'll leave a comment on this blog every now and again. AMDG.