Not being Catholic, I am usually unaware when Lent begins. (*This year, Lent begins today and ends on March 24.) When a spate of pancake recipes hit my reader earlier this week, I was reminded that before Lent begins, there is Shrove Tuesday or "Pancake Day", when housewives would try to use up all the ingredients they couldn't use during Lent.
As I said, not being Catholic, I am not familiar with Lent, but I do know that when making pancakes, one should not over mix the wet and dry ingredients or the pancakes will become "tough". A few lumps are all right - they'll bake out when the pancakes are cooked.
I used to brag that someone could bring up a topic and I would know a joke about it. Since it's Lent, here's my Lent joke:
A couple had just gotten married during this time of year. On their honeymoon night, they went to bed and the new bride eagerly reached over to her husband, but he gently pushed her away.
"I can't...it's Lent." he explained.
"That's silly." she sniffed. "To who and for how long?"