I did pretty well at keeping up the menu last week. I'm going to try it again this week. We have a couple celebrations this week, and I am still trying to keep that up for our family.



We celebrated the feast of St. Barbara today. We were not able to finagle a bonfire, as Rich is feeling poorly and I'm not doing much better. However, I made saffron buns and a boiled wheat dish called qamhiyeh (or sneniyeh - because it is often the first dish served to a child who has cut his first tooth) for tonight. Other traditional dishes include gatayif, which I love, but was not up to making today, maybe next year I can make it for our breakfast, and a kind of syrup soaked doughnut called qawamaat. We thought it would freak our neighbors out too much if we dressed our children up and sent them door to door while we called out "Run Barbara, Run!" last night, and they wouldn't have any sweets for them anyway, so we didn't do that. Traditionally, on the Eve of St. Barbara's feast, Arab Christian children dress up to disguise themselves in rags or scary costumes and go door to door "begging" as they try to escape, like St. Barbara did to try to escape her imprisonment. People give coins and sweets to the children, while their parents egg them on by calling after them "Run, Barbara, Run!" We also have St. Nicholas this week, so we'll be putting out our stockings tomorrow night and awaiting our treats the following morning. The rest of our menus are fairly simple.

• Sunday - Feast of St. Barbara
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Toast, Orange Slices, Spiced Tea with Honey and Milk
  Dinner: Qamhiyeh* (a traditional wheat dish served for the Feast of St. Barbara), Saffron Buns for St. Barbara's Day
• Monday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with the Leftover Qamhiyeh, Coffee and Milk
  Dinner: Lentil Chorizo Soup
• Tuesday - Feast of St. Nicholas
  Breakfast: Hazelnut Filled Initial Cookies for St. Nicholas*, Fried Eggs with Toast, Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Roasted Chicken Legs and Potatoes with Onion and Garlic, Pomegranates
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Vegetable and Potato Hash, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Falafel, Khoubz Araby (Pita Bread), Oat Pilaf with Feta and Kalamata Olives, Yogurt, Harissa
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Italian Sausage Skillet, Brown Rice
• Friday
  Breakfast: Yogurt and Strawberry Jam, Buttered Toast, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Eggs in Purgatory, Garlic Bread, Roasted Squash and Onion Wedges
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Toast, Oranges, Milk and Tea
  Dinner: Tuna Casserole (this didn't get made last week, we had guests and a schedule change and spinach that needed to be used), Veggie Sticks

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, St. Barbara, St. Nicholas, Tales from the Kitchen