Monday, January 02, 2017
Menu Plan: Eighth Day of Christmas through the Second Day of the Octave of Epiphany
Our week is almost bookended with two major feasts of the Nativity: The Feast of the Circumcision of Christ and the Feast of the Theophany, known as the Epiphany in the West. One, in which Jesus receives His name and is submitted by His Blessed mother and Saint Joseph to be under the Law. One, in which He is revealed to the world as God. I love how the readings for the Octave of Epiphany brings out all the ways His light is revealed, to His disciples in the Transfiguration, to the Magi who are shown signs to come seek and worship Him, to both Jews and Gentiles in His baptism, which also showed His deity and manifested the presence of all three Persons of the Trinity, to the steward at the wedding at Cana, when His mother's petition altered the timeline of His revelation to the world, and His first miracle was performed. Even though Christmas isn't the most significant feast of the Church year (it isn't even the second), I love how there are so many important feasts within it. And that is only considering the 12 days of the feast, and not the entirety of the season, which closes on the Feast of the Purification on February 2. I love how these feasts and practices teach the most important things to everyone, regardless of their intellectual capacity or age.
We ended last week with our anniversary, and though we had cancelled our more elaborate plans for our 20th wedding anniversary, I don't feel like we missed out on anything. Our favorite local restaurant, that specializes in mostly local and regional foods, seasonal menus, where every single item we have eaten, even things we don't normally like, has been exquisite, was having a fixed menu with wine pairings. I forgot to take pictures of everything until we were already on the fourth course, and I had eaten part of it. Rich had to keep me from going around to everyone else's table and photographing their food.
The menu for our evening. There was also a glass of champagne to begin the meal. Since they brought two, I drank Rich's.
I had a little bit of the grilled octopus and shrimp ceviche left (with even a tiny bit of the crab) and let the kids each have a taste of it the next day. They immediately wanted to go there to eat. Rich suggested that maybe we do a Mother's Day brunch there.
My grocery shopping this past week garnered some excellent deals. I was able to get French Compte cheese for less than $3.00 a pound, and some of the roasted onion and red pepper sausage we like for $0.99 a pound, as well as an excellent deal on Mandarin oranges. So, we are enjoying those quite a bit this week.
- Sunday - Feast of the Circumcision of Christ
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Bananas, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Snack Tray, Leftover Christmas Cookies - Monday
Breakfast: French Toast with Leftover Eggnog and Christmas Bread, Mandarin Oranges, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Ham, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans with Bacon, Tiramisu, Brownies, Various Ice Creams - Tuesday
Breakfast: Cinnamon Toast, Fried Ham, Oranges, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Leftovers - Wednesday
Breakfast: Chorizo Breakfast Casserole, Pomegranates, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Gratineed French Onion Soup, Rolls - Thursday
Breakfast: Sausage, Cheese and Egg Scramble, Home Fries, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Faux Gyros, Khoubz Araby (Pita Bread), Olives and Veggies, Yogurt and Feta Sauce - Friday - Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord/Theophany of Christ
Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Carnitas, Green Chile Rice, Ranchero Beans, Tortillas, Cabbage Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing, Epiphany Cake - Saturday
Breakfast: Waffles with Raspberry Syrup, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Souvlaki, Grilled Vegetable Skewers, Herbed Cous Cous, Middle Eastern Chopped Salad
Labels: Christmas, Church Year, Epiphany, Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Nativity, Romance and Relationship, Tales from the Kitchen, Theophany
