So, to our immense surprise, we found out that too much chocolate in a lemon pie isn't that great. I made two Meyer lemon pies, in the style of a key lime pie, with a Meyer lemon shortbread crust and a layer of dark chocolate between the crust and the filling. It was nice, but a little too sweet and not lemony enough for me. Not that this stopped anyone from eating it. So, next time, more lemon juice and zest, and less chocolate. It seemed to swallow up the lemon flavor, and made it harder to cut the pie.

We are almost finished with our remodel of the utility room, there are a couple spots that need regrouting, there are shelves to go up, and we are waiting on a silicone grout for some parts. This leaves putting everything back where it should be, instead of all over our house and porch. We also have books and other things to be organized on the bookshelves that Rich put up in our living room. He replaced some flimsy, smaller bookcases with wonderful, sturdy, wood ones. Most of our things are reorganized, but there are still piles behind the couch and so on. It's a bit stressful for me to look at, so often I end up hiding in my room when it gets to be too much.

Our self imposed belt tightening will come a little looser at the end of this week. Next week is a produce co-op week, and we will have an Azure Standard delivery, too, so there will be some good restocking then. I was so pleased that everything we had to pay for on the remodel and the pig was covered by what I had set aside, but we were within $8 of our budget. We'll be looking at new tires for my van soon, and we're trying to decide if we can swing a weekend trip away for me and Rich, but airfare is ridiculous, because it is also a holiday weekend. We may have to pass and use that money toward some other travel, later. Thanks to our pig, we have a little more interest in our meals this week. We're in the countdown to Lent, as it begins in a little over two weeks for us in the West. I feel like we should be feasting a bit more on meat this week, so this menu is subject to change a little. Since we will be keeping a Lent that is closer to the original observance (and the current Eastern observance), perhaps we will keep a pre-Lent that is also more similar. In any case, our doughnut night is coming up soon, and we already have people making sure we're still doing it.

We are almost to the end of our Bible in a year readings. Next week will have the last reading of the year. If you wish to do them again this year, the dates remain the same for the readings (that means you either have a free day or a catch up day on February 29). We read through all of the Old Testament and New Testament, reading the Psalms and Proverbs twice. Remember that the Psalms are according to eastern numbering in our daily Bible reading, also I Kings is the original designation, it is I Samuel in western Bibles (II Kings is II Samuel in the west, III Kings is I Kings, and IV Kings is II Kings, I Ezra is also called I Esdras in other translations, II Ezra is often translated as Ezra or II Esdras, though this is complicated by it sometimes being I Esdras being Ezra in modern language and II Esdras being Nehemiah, and in that case, there is a III Esdras, it really depends on which translation you read).

• Sunday Susanna 1 - Daniel 1:21, Psalms 144:1–9, Proverbs 30:26–30, Revelation 15:1-16:7
  Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Sausage Patties, Toast, Coffee
  Dinner: Pizza at Friends', Meyer Lemon Pie, Ice Cream
• Monday -Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul Daniel 2:1-3:24, Psalms 144:10–21, Proverbs 30:31–35, Revelation 16:8–21
  Breakfast: Sausage, Egg and Cheese Scramble, Toast, Coffee
  Dinner: Grilled Corned Beef Sandwiches with Sauerkraut and Cheese, Corn on the Cob, Meyer Lemon Pie
• Tuesday Daniel 3:25–66, Psalms 145, Proverbs 31:1–5, Revelation 17
  Breakfast: Toast with Almond Butter and Raspberry Jam, Coffee
  Dinner: Spicy Meatloaf with Sriracha Glaze, Mashed Squash with Butter, Horseradish-Dill Potato Pancakes
• Wednesday -Feast of Saint John Chrysostom Daniel 3:67-4:18, Psalms 146, Proverbs 31:6–9, Revelation 18
  Breakfast: Banana Nut Bread, Hard Boiled Eggs, Spiced Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Nutball Soup with Fried Tortilla Strips
• Thursday Daniel 4:19-6:29, Psalms 147, Proverbs 31:10–15, Revelation 19
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Quick Berry and Lemon Compote, Coffee
  Dinner: Red Beans and Rice, Hot Sauce
• Friday Daniel 7-8, Psalms 148, Proverbs 31:16–20, Revelation 20
  Breakfast: Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins, Hard Boiled Eggs, Coffee
  Dinner: Black Beans and Salsa Rice
• Saturday Daniel 9:1-11:28, Psalms 149, Proverbs 31:21–25, Revelation 21
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Bacon, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Carnitas, Sauteed Corn, Peppers, and Onions, Quick and Dirty Mexican Rice, Refried Beans, Tortillas

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.

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