I'm feeling a little bit more on track with our menus. I was able to pick up some organic ground beef for a good deal this week, since we have been out for a while and I didn't want to buy grocery store ground beef and was waiting until we got our next steer, so I'll be able to add some ground beef meals to the menu over the next few weeks. Also, we got a literal taste of home this week, courtesy of Rich's boss. He still has his house on the other side of the mountains and his apple tree there is bearing, so he sent Rich home with a nice bag of apples. The apples smelled and tasted just like fresh pressed cider. We have so many memories of apples like that from over there, so it was a nice sense memory for all of us.

We are also celebrating All Saints and All Souls this week, so we have a busy time ahead of us. We are thankful for all those who have gone before us, who lived as examples of the life of Christ, and whose work continues as they pray for us in the presence of God. We also pray for all those who have passed that they might find eternal rest and joy in the resurrection.

O Almighty God, who has knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord; Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys which thou has prepared for those who unfeignedly love thee; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Coffee and Milk
  Dinner: Shredded Beef, Baked Potatoes, Sliced Tomatoes


• Monday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Cinnamon Sugar, Coffee and Milk
  Dinner: Crock Pot Sticky Chicken, Italian Bread, Pears, All the Candy We Can Eat


• Tuesday - All Saints' Day
  Breakfast: Dirty Eggs with Whole Wheat Toast, Pears, Spice Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Chili and Cornbread


• Wednesday - All Souls' Day
  Breakfast: Potato and Veggie Hash with Poached Eggs, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Tomato and Eggplant Pasta (I'm going to double the recipe and freeze half of the sauce for later), Baked Apples


• Thursday
  Breakfast: Baked French Toast (filled with sliced plums), Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Indian Summer Gratin, Sliced Pears


• Friday
  Breakfast: Baked Oatmeal, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pumpkin Gratin, Braised Red Cabbage with Pears


• Saturday
  Breakfast: Coconut Sugar Cake, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Bolognese Sauce, Pasta, Garlic Bread,

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: All Saints, Church Year, Family, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

Again, I'm having a difficult time coming up with inspiring meals. I have tried to have good meals planned, however, even so. We have been able to get quite a lot of good fall fruit, lately though. So, there are a lot of pears, apples and Asian pears with our meals.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Cold Pizza, Coffee and Milk
  Dinner: Leftovers, Asian Pears


• Monday
  Breakfast: Tunisian Shakshouka (using sweet potatoes), Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Poulet au Vinaigre, Herbed Rice Pilaf, Braised Cabbage with Pears


• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Pears and Cinnamon Sugar, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Biscuits with Gravy, Fried Eggs, Baked Apples


• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Autumn "Latkes", Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pineapple Fried Rice (no meat)


• Thursday
  Breakfast: Baked French Toast (filled with sliced plums), Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Vegetable Beef Soup, Whole Wheat Rolls


• Friday
  Breakfast: Yogurt and Strawberry Jam, Buttered Toast, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter over Pasta with Parmesan, Cheesy Olive and Herb Bread


• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pepper & Sausage Brunch Strata, Coconut Sugar Cake, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Italian Beef Sandwiches with Fried Peppers and Onions, on Pane al'Olio

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

I thought I had scheduled this to publish, but it was still in my drafts file.

Harvest Pancakes

1 large potato, scrubbed well (or 1 medium sweet potato, scrubbed and peeled)
1 large beet, scrubbed well
2 carrots, scrubbed well
1 onion, peeled and halved
1/2 cup corn starch
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
oil to pan fry patties

Grate all vegetables (I use my food processor and just chuck them through the chute to cut down on prep time). Squeeze out as much liquid as you can. The beet juice can stain, so be careful.

Mix vegetable shreds in a large bowl along with the corn starch, egg, salt and pepper.

Heat pan over medium high heat and add enough oil to coat the pan. Drop vegetable mixture by large tablespoonsful and fry until crisp and golden on each side. Serve hot.

This makes enough for our family to eat with eggs and fruit. I think they would also serve nicely as a side dish with a roast or other dinner.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

I'm feeling rather uncreative with the menus this week. We seem to be on the run so much lately and I'm just trying to keep all my plates in the air and spinning.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Cinnamon Sugar, Coffee and Milk
  Dinner: Deviled Chicken, Roasted Acorn Squash, Beet and Onion Wedges, Coleslaw, Tangerines


• Monday
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Hot Dogs, Baked Potatoes, Fruit Plate


• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Autumn "Latkes"*, Scrambled Eggs, Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken and White Bean Stew, Spelt Rolls, Tangerines


• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Feta, Tomatoes and Cucumbers with Za'atar and Olive Oil, Toast, Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Mejeddarah with Fried Onions and Yogurt, Stewed Tomatoes and Eggplant


• Thursday
  Breakfast: Tunisian Shakshouka (using sweet potatoes), Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Shredded Beef Nachos, Tangerines


• Friday
  Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Toast, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Macaroni & Cheese, Fried Eggplant, Tangerines


• Saturday
  Breakfast: Dirty Eggs with Sausage, Home Fries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Creole Beef Daube, Egg Noodles, Braised Cabbage

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

We are still doing a lot of preserving here. Our freezer and pantry are filling up, which is quite satisfying. I will be making one meal over again this week, as it is a favorite amongst us.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Semolina Toast, Coffee and Milk
  Dinner: Ratatouille Pasta with Sliced, Grilled Steak, Watermelon


• Monday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Indian Summer Gratin, Braised Cabbage, Watermelon


• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Autumn Latkes, Fried Eggs, Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Creole Beef Daube, Egg Noodles, Roasted Turnips


• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Feta, Tomatoes and Cucumbers with Za'atar and Olive Oil, Toast, Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Tuna Pasta Salad, Watermelon


• Thursday
  Breakfast: Pumpkin Granola (using pumpkin seeds instead of flax and dried cranberries instead of raisins) with Yogurt and Honey, Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Pork and Green Chile Stew, Corn Bread, Plums


• Friday
  Breakfast: Organic Blueberry Poptarts, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Mejeddarah with Fried Onions and Yogurt, Tomato and Cucumber Salad


• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Deviled Chicken, Roasted Acorn Squash, Beet and Onion Wedges, Coleslaw

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

Thank you for your prayers. We all seem to be recovered.

This past week we were given an opportunity to help a friend clean up her garden and came home with bushels of produce for our time. I have been blanching and freezing and canning - with more to come this week. This will definitely help us to eat well during the fall and winter, when not much locally raised produce is available, and will cut down on our grocery bill as well. Then, a friend from church said he'd picked up 15 gallons of plums from a farmer and asked if we wanted five gallons of them. We love plums, so we said yes. I'm hoping to get plum butter and plum jelly and plum preserves made this week. I'm also trying to use up as much of this good, fresh produce while we have it, too. So, this week's menu will reflect that.

A couple of our meals were shifted or changed last week, so I have a couple repeats this week.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Pears and Dried Cranberries Leftover from Michaelmas Dragon, Coffee and Milk
  Dinner: Grilled Chicken Sandwiches and Ham Sandwiches, Vegetables and Ranch Dressing, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Plums
• Monday
  Breakfast: Autumn Latkes, Fried Eggs, Pears, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pork Stir Fry, Fried Rice (with loads of vegetables), Plum Shortcake
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs with Toast and Cream Gravy, Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Indian Summer Gratin, Braised Cabbage, Watermelon
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Feta, Tomatoes and Cucumbers with Za'atar and Olive Oil, Toast, Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Tuna Bean Salad, Pane al'Olio, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Pumpkin Granola (using pumpkin seeds instead of flax and dried cranberries instead of raisins) with Yogurt and Honey, Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Green Bean Soup, Whole Wheat Rolls, Watermelon
• Friday
  Breakfast: Organic Blueberry Poptarts, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Slow Cooker Ratatouille, Garlic Pasta, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal, Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Macaroni & Cheese, Broccoli-Bacon Slaw, Fruit Salad, Lemon Cake

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Church Year, Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Michaelmas, Tales from the Kitchen