Mardi Gras, Lent
It's coming...
The School for Housewives brings you short, practical, and thoughtful messages to inspire you to shake off feminism and make your home. If you’re new here, go to the homepage for the previous Lessons; the categories are arranged in the menu bar at the top.
Today being The Very Last Day, I’m making donuts for the grandchildren who will be here this afternoon. Some of the dough will go to a couple of buns so my husband and I can have Bleu Cheese Bacon Burgers for supper; the rest will go to some Hot Cross Buns for tomorrow. I doubled this recipe. I’ll put raisins in the HCB portion, of course.
Back in the day I would have probably quadrupled it, though I didn’t make donuts on this day (saving that tiring project for the rare Sunday festivity), though I did try to make things a bit treatsy.
Some things, like standing there frying donuts, you need a grandma for.
This Lent, I will try to go back over some of the Amiability and Femininity posts of last year. I think Cheerfulness goes along with Amiability, don’t you? So we’ll touch on that as well, along with all the other little housewifely information that occurs to me as we go along.
Lent is a good time to start something transformative. The most transformative thing I know to do, for your interior life and for that of your family, is to make your Little Oratory in your home, the domestic church. See below for a book on that.
Syllabus for Lent
… in case anyone is unsure of what to read.
The School doesn’t have a Spiritual Direction Department. Such matters are very personal, and your headmistress is only too aware of that. These are only suggestions, based on what has helped me most. If you read these books, you will perhaps be able to see what is behind a lot of the things I say here.
To make a traditional prayer place in the home that nevertheless reflects your unique family life: The Little Oratory: A Beginner’s Guide to Praying in the Home, by yours truly and David Clayton. (Note that Sophia Institute Press has a 20% off discount and free shipping over $50 going on now! And further note that David is here on Substack as well!)
For finally getting your interior life going — a book to take all of Lent to read, slowly, letting it sink in: The Spiritual Life and Prayer, According to Scripture and Monastic Tradition by Mother Cécile Bruyère, O.S.B. (affiliate link). I wrote about it here.
For scruples, doubts, and discouragement: Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Fr. Jacques Philippe (affiliate link). This is a short book full of the wisdom of venerable saints; if you are trying to help a child with these issues, it will show you the way.
Not a book, but if you are not in the habit of reading Scripture (a book, The Book), or if you just want to go deeper this Lent, read this:
(You might already be subscribing to some of the Pelican authors here on Substack; if you are, your subscription will transfer over there.)
Read more of my recommendations for spiritual reading (as well as criteria for what to avoid) here.
Don’t forget to subscribe to The School for Housewives! You can subscribe for free; it just means you will receive my short messages in your inbox. If you are leaving social media for Lent, you won’t fall behind in your studies!
Apply my thoughts here to your situation with discernment, prudence, and confidence — and a sense of humor! Who am I? Go here.
Be happy at home!
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For the longer version of this Substack and much more on this topic:
My 3-volume book on Order and Wonder in Family Life:
Great idea to get several uses out of the dough! I will remember that for the future.
I never made doughnuts before. I am from Lancaster, PA where everyone eats fassnachts (pa Dutch for eve of the fast) of fat Tuesday. I now live out of state and always miss them and have always wanted to make it. This year I finally did, and want to recommend it as it may be less time consuming than a normal donut! If you aren't blessed with a grandma nearby to do it!
They are a square fried dough and can be plain, glazed or dipped in powdered or granulated sugar. Because they are square and have no hole you can just roll out the dough and use a bench scraper to cut into rectanglish shapes. No perfection required, the ones on the ends can be triangles or whatever. Then fry and dip in a tray of powdered sugar while the next group is frying. I used a stockpot to fry so there was no splattering and I fried in lard, which was a delight and didn't get smoky or anything. I stood on a step stool bc the stock pot was high. I've already assumed peoples interest in this far too much, but am happy to share the recipe with any interested parties. Happy Fassnacht Day!
Love this! For hot cross buns, will you leave this in the refrigerator until the morning and then shape and bake? Should I look at a different hot cross bun recipe if we aren’t doing donuts at all?