We're getting ourselves ready for the summer garden. It's our coping mechanism for the freakishly cold weather here. We can get our onion seeds started and I think celery seeds, so that's what we're doing. We're also getting ready to order replacement and new seeds for this year and trying to get moving toward working on the soil.

This week's meals are fairly simple. Our school week is light, but the rest of our schedule is pretty full. Aside from our normal activities, Rich's brother is in the area for work, so we're trying to see him as much as we can. The true end of the Christmas season is approaching, too. The Feast of the Presentation is Thursday, which marks the end of Christmas.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: : Fake Cassoulet (using a sausage from a friend who makes his own and sherry instead of white wine), Spelt Bread, Apple-Cranberry Pie
• Monday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Creole Beef Daube, Linguine
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Tea & Honey
  Dinner: Sausage, Onion and Pepper Sandwiches with Mozzarella and Parmesan
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Granola, Yogurt and Honey, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Creamy Vegetable Cheese Chowder, Spelt Rolls
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Toast, Apple Sauce, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Mongolian Beef, Brown Rice, Fruit Plate
• Friday
  Breakfast: Whole Wheat Breakfast Cake*, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Eggs in Purgatory, Fettuccine with Melted Onions
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Smoked Turkey, Roasted Squash and Onion Wedges, Simple Rice Pilaf

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, Presentation, Purification, Tales from the Kitchen

I meant to do this at the beginning of the month, but life has gotten away from me. So here are the books and objects I finished in the year 2011. I have already finished a few things in 2012 and will post those soon.

Books Read in 2011
(including read aloud chapter books, but not picture books or story books)

• The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan - Finished January 1


• Hungry Monkey by Matthew Amster-Burton - Finished January 7


• Uncle Sam's Plantation by Star Parker - Finished January 8


• Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan (reread) - Finished January 17


• Matilda by Roald Dahl - Finished January 19


• The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (reread) - Finished February 4


• The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (reread) - Finished February 22


• The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan - Finished February 23


• The Beduin's Gazelle by Frances Temple - Finished March 15


• The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan - Finished March 27
  
• Jane's Fame by Claire Harman - Finished March 29


• Devil's Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke - Finished April 3


• A Is for Apron: 25 Fresh & Flirty Designs (See all Textile Arts Craft Books) by Nathalie Mornu (liked a lot of the patterns, but the narrative infuriated me) - Finished April 4


• Heirloom Beans by Steve Sando & Vanessa Barrington - Finished April 5


• Blessed Are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch - Finished April 8


• Magic or Not? (See all Children's Classic Literature by Age)
  by Edward Eager (read aloud) - Finished April 17


• One More Skein by Leigh Radford - Finished April 18


• The Well-Wishers (See all Children's Humorous Literature)
  by Edward Eager (read aloud) - Finished May 15


• Seven-Day Magic (Books for Young Readers) (See all Children's Classic Literature by Age)
  by Edward Eager (read aloud) - Finished May 30


• The Mother Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick - Finished May 31


• Much Ado About Anne by Heather Vogel Frederick - Finished June 2
  
• Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half with America's Cheapest Family by Annette & Steve Economides - Finished June 5


• Blue Jasmine
  by Kashmira Sheth - Finished June 5


• An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan - Finished June 8


• The Perfect Blend (Tea with Millicent) (See all Literature & Fiction Books)
  by Trish Perry - Finished June 10


• The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship
  by Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel - Finished June 13


• Gideon the Cutpurse/The Time Travelers by Linda Buckley-Archer - Finished June 18


• The Time Thief by Linda Buckley-Archer - Finished June 20


• The Time Quake by Linda Buckley-Archer - Finished June 22


• The Help by Kathryn Stockett - Finished June 29


• The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl - Finished July 11


• Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship, Family, and Finding the Perfect Lipstick
  by Molly Ringwald (aside from a few funny remarks, an utter waste of time) - Finished July 15


• High School Confidential; Secrets of an Undercover Student by Jeremy Iverson - Finished July 20


• $5 Dinner Cookbook by Erin Chase - Finished July 26


• My Jesus Year by Benyamin Cohen - Finished August 14


• Berried to the Hilt by Karen MacInerney - Finished August 24


• Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero - Finished September 12


• The Hour that Matters Most: The Surprising Power of the Family Meal
  by Les and Leslie Parrott, Stephanie Allen and Tina Kuna - Finished September 22


• Unraveled (A Knitting Mystery) by Maggie Sefton - Finished October 1


• A Pizza To Die For (Pizza Lovers Mysteries)
  by Chris Cavender - Finished October 5


• A Being So Gentle: The Frontier Love Story of Rachel and Andrew Jackson
  by Patricia Brady - Finished October 10


• Crunch Time: A Novel of Suspense (Goldy Schulz)
  by Diane Mott Davidson - Finished October 12


• The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan - Finished October 13


• The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan - Finished October 15


• Salsa Stories by Lulu Delacre -Finished November 16


• The Magic city (Nesbit) by E. Nesbit - Finished November 19


• There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell: A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble by Laurie Notaro - Finished November 22


• How Italian Food Conquered the World by John Mariani - Finished December 4


• Flirting With Pride And Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives On The Original Chick Lit Masterpiece (Smart Pop series) by Jennifer Crusie - Finished December 12


• Papa's Angels: A Christmas Story by Collin Wilcox Paxton - Finished December 13


• The Candy Cane Caper: (#6) by Cynthia Blair - Finished December 14


• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) by J.K. Rowling - Finished December 29


• Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement by Kathryn Joyce - Finished December 31

2011 Finished Objects

• Elf Pants for Mariam - knit January 20


• Seaside Hat for Jerome - knit January 25


• Noodles Socks for Amira - knit February 20


• Grapes Scarf for Jill - knit March 9


• Apple Mitts to complete the set for Mariam - knit March 15


• Slip Stitch Bookmark for Year of Handmade gift - knit March 19


• Java Cup Sleeve for Year of Handmade gift - knit August 6


• Vintage Baby Cloche for Audrey - knit August 16


• Soap Sack Sachet for Year of Handmade gift - knit September 18

Labels: Books, Knitting

King Ranch Turkey

I use turkey for the most part, since we have lots of turkey and roast turkeys for our family dinners. Any recipe that uses turkey can use chicken and vice versa. Use what you have.

6 tablespoons butter (or turkey fat)
1/3 cup flour
1 small onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 cups turkey stock
2 cups cream (or milk)
2 cups sour cream
salt (to taste)
24 corn tortillas
3 cups chopped, cooked turkey meat
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
2 cups diced tomatoes (canned is fine)
1/2 cup diced roasted, peeled green chile (jalapeno, ancho, anaheim - whatever suits your fancy - even canned)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onions and garlic and cook over medium low heat until onions are translucent. Sprinkle flour over and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add oregano and ancho chile powder and whisk in to mix. Slowly add stock, whisking to distribute the roux, then slowly add cream and cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened. Whisk in sour cream. Season with salt, to taste.

Ladle one or two scoops of the sauce in the bottom of a 16 by 11 inch baking pan. Layer eight of the tortillas in the bottom of the pan, overlapping slightly. Cover with half the turkey, tomatoes and chiles. Sprinkle with one third of the cheese. Ladle enough of the remaining sauce to cover the layer evenly, but not thickly. Repeat with another layer of the tortillas, turkey, tomatoes, chiles, cheese and sauce. Top with the last eight tortillas, the remaining sauce and cover with cheese.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly.


Pastitsio

This is a layered pasta and meat dish from Greece. We in the Middle East have our own version of this dish as well, Macarona bi Bechamel.

For the pasta:
2 pounds penne pasta (or other tubular pasta)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup rich milk
4 eggs, beaten

Meat sauce:
2 pounds ground beef or lamb
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups diced tomatoes (canned is fine)
1 cup tomato paste

Bechamel:
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until tender but not soft.
Drain and put back in the pot. Add butter and cheese, then toss. Mix the milk and beaten eggs, add to pasta and toss well.

Cook the meat in a skillet with onion, garlic and spices until browned. Add
tomatoes and tomato paste and stir well. Season with salt.

Layer 2/3 of pasta in a 16 by 11 inch baking dish (or two smaller dishes), spread the meat sauce over the top and cover with remaining pasta.

Melt butter, add flour and cook for a minute. Add the milk slowly,
whisking to prevent lumps. Remove from heat, let cool slightly.
Add eggs one at a time, whisking rapidly so you don't get scrambled
eggs. Stir in the cheese and salt.

Pour the bechamel over the pasta. Bake about 35 minutes.
Let stand 15-20 minutes, cut into squares to serve.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

The snow has kept us at home a lot this past week. Most of our activities after Tuesday were cancelled, so it turns out that this week is our first week with all activities back on board.

We had a different dinner on Saturday, because our schedule changed unexpectedly. So, we have a repeated meal this week.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Leftover Pancakes, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: : King Ranch Turkey*, Green Chile Rice, Strawberry Shortcake (with strawberries from the freezer)


• Monday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Sausage and Potato Bake with Cheddar, Cherry Pie, Vanilla Ice Cream


• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Vegetable and Sausage Hash with Fried Eggs, Tea & Honey
  Dinner: Beef and Veggie Soup, Rolls


• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Muffins, Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Tea & Honey
  Dinner: Macaroni & Cheese, Fruit Plate


• Thursday
  Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Tea & Honey
  Dinner: Grilled Chipotle Rubbed Flank Steak Tacos with Sauteed Peppers, Onions and Garlic, Refried Beans


• Friday
  Breakfast: Granola, Yogurt and Honey, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Chick Pea and Potato Curry, Brown Rice


• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pastitsio*, Salad, Apple Pie

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

This is our first week with every single activity back up and running. I am trying to keep things relatively simple this week, while we get back into our schedule.

Our goals of getting projects done little by little and organizing our home and life more are going well. We're not getting everything done nor working at an extreme pace, but progress is being made. School also went relatively well for our first week back and we are excited about our co-op starting. I'm a little frantic trying to get my materials ready for the classes I'm teaching, but I am looking forward to teaching the students again.

Our other big project is getting ready for the garden. The plan is to begin sorting through seeds and ordering and starting things like onion seeds and some herbs and flowers this month. We are determined to have a better garden than we did last year.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Hash from Leftover Bierock Filling, Fried Eggs, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: : Red Beans and Rice
• Monday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken and Prosciutto Tortelloni in Tomato Broth with Parmesan
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Baked French Toast, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pepper Beef Stir Fry with Steamed Rice, Sliced Oranges
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Falafel, Yogurt, Khoubz Araby (Pita Bread), Harissa
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Craisins and Cinnamon Sugar, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Italian Sausage and Potato Bake, Italian Bread
• Friday
  Breakfast: Granola, Yogurt and Honey, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Pumpkin Gratin, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Cranberry Oatmeal Pancakes with Cranberry Syrup, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: King Ranch Turkey, Quick and Dirty Mexican Rice, Pineapple

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, Homeschooling, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

Christ is illumined! Let us shine forth with Him!

It is the octave of Epiphany and we are heading back into our school term. I'm fairly proud of how much we've accomplished in this first week of the year and hope we can keep plugging away. So, we're back into our regular schedule, with school, meals, extra-curricular activities and such. In a couple weeks I will, yet again, be teaching two classes at our homeschool co-op. One of them is fairly straightforward with some set assignments and materials and the other is, essentially, a knitting clinic. It's fun teaching these, but the preparations are sometimes tough.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Cold Cereal with Milk
  Dinner: : Roast Turkey, Gravy, Salad, Steam Sauteed Carrots, Butterhorn Rolls


• Monday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Diced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Gratin of Potatoes, Onion and Sausage, Fried Cauliflower, Roast Acorn Squash and Onion Wedges, Cracked Wheat Pilaf


• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs and Toast, Sliced Oranges, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Turkey Bean Soup, Spelt Rolls


• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese and Spinach, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Zucchini Pasta with Olive Oil, Garlic and Parmesan, Sliced Pears


• Thursday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Mexican Beef and Bean Casserole with Tortilla Chips, Salsa and Sour Cream, Sliced Oranges


• Friday
  Breakfast: Granola, Yogurt and Honey, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Baked Potatoes with Cheese, Sliced Pears and Apples


• Saturday
  Breakfast: Cranberry Oatmeal Pancakes with Cranberry Syrup, Fried Eggs, Cocoa and Coffee
  Dinner: Bierocks, Strawberry Shortcake (Using Strawberries Preserved in Sugar from the Freezer)

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, Epiphany, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

Christ is born! Glorify Him! We are in the eighth through the 12th day of Christmas this week and will be wrapping up with Epiphany. We are still feasting and celebrating.

Since we had so much food leftover from meals, some of our dinners are being repeated this week. Our anniversary was quiet and nice. We visited with our neighbors, delivered gifts and had a gorgeous dinner together. We changed it a little based on what we had at home. We had our crab linguine with the lemon cream sauce as planned, but served sauteed shredded brussels sprouts with them instead of the green beans. We also served cherry ice cream and chocolate wafer cookies, since we still had so much dessert left and didn't want to make more. We had a nice night together, kissed at midnight and went to bed.

So, since this is another week of feasting, we will see if we can get through all the meals as planned or if we end up moving some to next week.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Cold Cereal with Milk
  Dinner: : Grilled Chipotle Rubbed Skirt Steak Tacos with Cuban Black Beans, Sauteed Onions and Peppers, Salsa Rice and Radish Rosettes


• Monday
  Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting, Fried Eggs, Bacon, Milk and Coffee, Cocoa and Coffee
  Dinner: Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, Red Wine Sauce, Simple Rice Pilaf, Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Parmesan Cheese, Orange Rum Cake


• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Coconut Sugar Cake, Hard Boiled Eggs, Cocoa and Coffee
  Dinner: Fancy Hot Dogs, Egg Noodles, Steamed Peas


• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Sweet Potato, Pepper and Onion Hash with Poached Eggs, Chicken and Apple Sausages, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Jalapeno Popper Pizza, Veggie Sticks


• Thursday
  Breakfast: Dutch Baby Pancake, Apple Sauce, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Austrian Kucherlkraut (Beef and Sauerkraut), Green Beans, Sour Cream Noodles, Pear Sauce


• Friday - Epiphany
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Smoked Turkey, Roast Acorn Squash and Onion Wedges, Steam Sauteed Carrots, Butterhorn Rolls, Date Nut Candy and Assorted Christmas Cookies


• Saturday
  Breakfast: Cranberry Oatmeal Pancakes with Cranberry Syrup, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Gratin of Potatoes, Onion and Sausage, Roasted Cauliflower, Cracked Wheat Pilaf, Strawberry Shortcake (Using Strawberries Preserved in Sugar from the Freezer)

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: Christmas, Church Year, Epiphany, Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen