I love being a designer, but I also want to make sure I have a good balance of knitting for pleasure and knitting for work. Aside from taking weekends off from my designs, I also try to take a "sabbatical" every fourth month, as well as taking the last six weeks of the year off for the Indie Designer Gift-a-Long. Sometimes this is easier to do than others. Right now, I am hustling to get my designs off my needles so I can have my April free for knitting that doesn't require pattern writing or editing or promotion.

The sample for Vespers isn't due to the photographer until June, so I am getting what I can finish done now, and then putting it away for a little while I work on Saint Nicholas stockings for Mariam and Nejat, convertible gloves for Alexander, and some mittens for Yasmina. I'm ahead of schedule on the pattern writing for this, so it is ready for editing, and I even have two and a half other patterns ready, too! You are welcome future Ranée! The problem is that I mixed up which pattern was due when, so I am now actually in a rush to get another one written that is the one actually due soon. Which means my sabbatical is going to have some fast swatching and writing that has to be done. My swatches just weren't working, so I need to find another plan.

I want to keep working on my Sock Madness socks, but I am worried I will run out of the brown yarn, so I am debating pressing on with the first one and deciding then versus ripping them out now and trying two other yarns. What do you think?

I have made almost no progress on Kristin Lavransdatter, but we should finish On the Banks of Plum Creek before the end of the week. Babel is still a fascinating read, and I am hoping I can have it finished by next week. Anyone who loves language, or even people who want to learn other languages, will find something valuable in this book.



Linking to Yarn Along and Keep Calm and Craft On.

Labels: Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, Quarantine, Sock Madness, WIP, Yarn Along

We are working on our garden and trying to set up nests for our ducks and turkeys, to protect them and their ducklings and poults from predators. Two gravenstein apple trees have gone in, a beautiful, hardy, magnolia shrub, and two new varieties of daffodil. We are brightening up our yard, and we have peas planted in the ground. The plan is to put root vegetables in the ground this week and potatoes in around Good Friday. I'm hoping for a good year in our garden. In about a month or so our local nursery should be getting in some more Russian sage and Siskiyou pinks for us to plant, as well as picking up a flowering pink dogwood to replace the miserable Chinese elm that drops seeds all over the yard and driveway. Our library has a drought resistant garden, and there is a type of gingko they have there, that I would like to plant at our driveway entrance, which gets hardly any water in our already desert climate.

I've been making fun cocktails all week, because I don't have to drive anywhere. Also, I have been reading up on them, and found that whiskey or bourbon used to be the favored liquor for them until prohibition when quicker to produce gin took over in popularity, and also was not as good tasting, so it was covered up with juices and other flavorings. Anyway, that meant that the boulevardier predated the negroni, and this is great for me, because I prefer bourbon to gin any day. We stocked up on liquor before we had to stay home.

If you aren't already following me on Instagram, you are missing some of the videos I am making on both cooking and knitting techniques. I hope you find something useful in them, and they help you learn more and have a profitable time during your confinement. I even posted a video of how I shape and bake khoubz Araby this weekend.

We are blessed that Rich's job is considered essential, and that if it comes to it, he can work from home, or take sick leave if we need to, so while we are at home, we are doing fine. Even though we homeschool, this quarantine has been harder on us than I thought, though. With no ballet, no co-op, no college classes, no visits with friends, no church, it is a little challenging. The Paschal feast is so close and feels so odd this year. We are preparing and hoping for the best. Whether we can have our normal feast, or keep vigil at church, Christ will still rise, and we will rejoice.

• Sunday - Passion Sunday
  Breakfast: Banana Pear Bread*, Yogurt and Jam, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Spicy Venison and Beef Cheese Burgers with Lettuce and Tomatoes, French Fries, Sliced Cantaloupe
• Monday - Feast of Saint John Climacus
  Breakfast: Avocado Toast with Olive Oil and Salt, Grape Tomatoes, Sliced Pears, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Tomato Rice Soup, Italian Bread, Blood Oranges
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Toasted Crumpets with Peanut Butter and Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Stir Fried Ginger Shrimp and Broccoli, Rice, Sliced Oranges
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Mary of Egypt
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oatmeal with Chopped Apples and Cinnamon Sugar, Coffee
  Dinner: Sesame Noodles with Cabbage, Romaine and Beet Green Salad with Soy Citrus Ginger Dressing, Minneolas
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Vegan Cornmeal Waffles, Maple Syrup, Sliced Apples, Coffee
  Dinner: Mana'eesh, Middle Eastern Chopped Salad, Arabic Style Rice Pilaf, Sliced Oranges
• Friday
  Breakfast: Overnight Oats with Coconut Milk and Home Canned Peaches, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Thai Vegetable Red Curry with Cashews, Rice, Frozen Fruit Salad
• Saturday - Memorial of Saint Ambrose
  Breakfast: Ful, Harissa, Chopped Tomatoes and Onions, Bread, Coffee
  Dinner: Mexican "Cobb" Salad with Shrimp, Fried Bananas with Honey

What is on your menu this week? I hope these breakfast and dinner ideas help you make plans, too. 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.



Linking to Menu Plan Monday
Here are some resources for good, orthodox, liturgical worship services to participate in from home Saint Michael's, Our Lady Star of the Sea, Diocese of Cascadia Anglican Church, Orthodox Church of the Redeemer. If you don't have a church broadcast, perhaps this will help you worship and focus on the Lord and how you can serve His people during this time.

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

This is a soup which is traditionally made with lamb. It can also be made meatless, and I found a way to do so in our counter top electric pressure cooker. In fact, for one of the Lenten soup supper Fridays at the Stations of the Cross last year, we served this with Khoubz Araby, Middle Eastern Chopped Salad, and Harissa. In order to make enough for the folks attending, we quadrupled everything in this except for the liquid, and brought extra soup pots and vegetable broth to add to the soup "concentrate" we made, heating it on the stoves there, which worked beautifully. This recipe makes quite a lot, and people love it. Even with our family size, we usually have enough left for lunch the next day. It can be frozen for times when you need an easy meal, if you have a lot extra.

This week, since the shelves at the store have been bare, we didn't have lentils, so I subbed some yellow split peas, and it was just fine, even if it wasn't traditional. I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we do.

Lenten/Vegan Harira

few tablespoons oil
6 stalks celery, finely chopped
5 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 large onions, peeled and diced
1 large head of garlic, peeled and minced
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only, finely chopped, reserving about 1/4
1 bunch parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed
1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans, soaked and drained
2 quarts or two large cans (28 oz or slightly more) chopped tomatoes with their juice
4 quarts vegetable broth or water

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup tomato paste
reserved cilantro leaves

Using saute function of pressure cooker, heat the oil and cook the celery, carrots, and onions until they are soft. Add the garlic, parsley, cilantro, salt and spices. Stir over the heat for about a minute or two. Add the lentils and garbanzo beans and cover with the tomatoes, and vegetable broth or water. Stir to blend. Cover and seal lid. Pressure cook at high power for 10 minutes. Allow to release pressure naturally.

Whisk together flour, lemon juice, tomato paste and reserved cilantro leaves. Whisk well into soup when pressure has released. Use sauté function again to simmer the soup for about 3 - 5 minutes. Serve with bread, salad, and fruit.

Labels: Advent, Fasting as a Family, Freezable Meals, Homemaking, Lent, Pressure Cooker, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

This isn't the best photo of these boot cuffs, but it was such a lovely picture of my daughter that I kept it. These were made as part of the same collection of accessories named after the winds of the Middle East and North Africa. In the first collection, I focused on texture, and this design matched Harmattan, Levantera and another design I'll be sharing in a couple weeks, with three others that coordinated. I love almost matching sets, and that is what I was going for with these. Elements that are isolated and used in a different way intrigue me, so I did a little of that with these patterns, and I hope you enjoy that like I do.

Nashi is available for sale on Ravelry, PatternVine (sadly, the folks at Patternvine have been forced to shutter their doors, both literally and figuratively), and LoveCrafts. If you don't want to sign up for any of these, please do contact me and we can work out how you can purchase the pattern.

Labels: Design, Family, Flashback, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns

We are officially ordered to stay home except for necessary trips. Vespers is on its fifth color out of ten. It is not my favorite of the colors, but it fits with them. I'm looking forward to the second half of this mini-skein set. It is quite a meditative knit, which is perfect for what we are going through right now. This pattern won't be out until December, so you will have to wait a while for it. However, I think it will be a perfect respite from the possibility of frantic crafting for Christmas. I have another design going on in the background, but I can't share anything here until October. I'm really trying to get most of my design work for this quarter finished, because I try to take a sabbatical month in April to knit only non-work related designs, either my own or others'. It has been going so slowly with this one, though, that I am concerned I will still be working on it in April. If I can get the writing and editing completed before then, though, it will be better. By the end of this week, I should have two older patterns translated into German and one into French for folks who read and speak those languages. I am looking for someone who is fluent in both Arabic and English, as well as knitting terminology to translate my patterns into Arabic, as well.

I started Kristin Lavransdatter this week, which I have been meaning to do for ages. We have nearly finished On the Banks of Plum Creek and I am making progress in Babel - I'm moving into the chapter on Tamil. Like everything else, my reading is going slowly, but it is going.



Keep Calm and Craft On.

Labels: Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, Quarantine, WIP, Yarn Along

We are not quite on lockdown here, not even shelter in place, but it's pretty quiet. All church has been cancelled. We were able to have our Evening Prayer last week, but not so this week. This means that the rather large quantity of corned beef I bought to feed our fellow parishioners is going to be quite an abundance for our family. We can freeze any leftovers, though.

So, we are watching liturgy from Saint Michael's. We are so blessed because Rich is a lay Eucharistic minister, and because of our particular situation living away from a parish of our own, we have been provided with reserved Sacrament for our family and are able to have Jesus in the Eucharist in our home at all times.

Our friends' church, Our Lady Star of the Sea is also broadcasting their masses. The Diocese of Cascadia Anglican Church is broadcasting, as are many Orthodox churches including our friends' church. If you don't have a church broadcast, perhaps this will help you worship and focus on the Lord and how you can serve His people during this time.

Since parties have all been cancelled at this time, we are going to be celebrating Elijah's birthday this week, as we celebrated Amira's a couple weeks ago, mostly here at home. Amira and Jerome had cakes in the freezer from their cake decorating class and so one will be eaten at lunch for Laetare Sunday (the Church's Mother's Day) and the other will be served with dinner for Elijah's birthday.

• Sunday - Laetare Sunday
  Breakfast: Crumpets with Fried Eggs and Cheese, Bananas, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Corned Beef, Roasted Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts, Marinated Cucumbers and Onions, Carrot Cake
• Monday
  Breakfast: Ful, Green Hot Sauce, Bread, Bananas, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Tomato and Olive Pasta, with Eggplant and Fresh Oregano, Garlic Bread, Cucumber and Onion Salad
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Avocado Toast with Olive Oil and Salt, Oranges, Coffee
  Dinner: Vegetable Soup with Split Peas and Noodles, Cabbage, Carrot and Cucumber Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette, Frozen Fruit Pops
• Wednesday - Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  Breakfast: Dutch Baby Pancake, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Fish Cakes, Thyme Roasted Carrots and Broccoli, Fruit Salad
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oatmeal with Chopped Apples and Cinnamon Sugar, Coffee
  Dinner: Blackened Shrimp, Black Bean, and Avocado Rice Bowls, Oranges
• Friday
  Breakfast: Banana Nut Bread (not strictly Lenten, but for the kids), Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegetable Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce, Oranges
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Potato and Onion Hash with Fried Eggs for the Littles, Oranges, Coffee
  Dinner: Falafel, Khoubz Araby, Sliced Cucumbers and Olives, Fruit

What is on your menu this week? I hope these breakfast and dinner ideas help you make plans, too. 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.



Linking to Menu Plan Monday

Labels: Annunciation, Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Laetare, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

Cranberry Orange Almond Bread

This bread is so simple to put together, so simple to modify, and doesn't require anything hard to find. I've been sharing some (not professional) videos on Instagram of mixing the dough and shaping it for the oven, if you are interested in seeing that process. Since this has no added sugar, the bread can be served with a dinner, as well as being used as a sweet bread with butter or peanut butter. We served this bread with a spicy pasta with sausage and tomatoes.

The only essentials about this bread are the flour, yeast, salt, and water. Everything else is customizeable. Switch out the nuts or dried fruit or zest for ones you prefer. Use something else entirely. For instance, today, I made a couple loaves with chopped basil, dried tomatoes from our garden last summer that we packed in oil, and roasted garlic (plus a little extra salt to make up for the sweetness/tartness of the tomatoes) in place of the almonds, orange zest and dried cranberries. Bread in general is rather forgiving, but especially in this case. This dough sits out on the counter for a minimum of 12 - 18 hours, but can be left to rise up to 24 hours with no ill effects. If it is going to be held longer than that, you may place the dough into the refrigerator, covered, and pull dough from it as needed.

Here are some other suggestions to use instead of the fruit and nuts listed here: Pine nuts, golden raisins, chopped, fresh rosemary; Cheese cubes (no, they won't go bad in the time on the counter), garlic, and red pepper flakes; Oil cured or dried olives, lemon zest, and oregano (I'd use about 2 cups of the olives, the zest from a couple lemons, and about 2 tablespoons of dried oregano or half a cup of chopped fresh oregano); or use the basil, dried tomatoes and roasted garlic I mentioned above.

6 cups all-purpose or pastry flour
1 teaspoon yeast
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup dried cranberries (sweetened or not)
1 cup sliced or slivered almonds
zest from two oranges
3 cups water (the water does not have to be warm)

In a large bowl, place all the dry ingredients. Toss the cranberries, almonds, and orange zest gently with the flour mixture. Add the water, and stir vigorously for three to five minutes, until a soft, sticky dough is formed. Cover the bowl with either aluminum foil or plastic wrap and allow to rest and rise on the counter for 12 - 18 hours.

When it is time to bake, prepare a peel (or large plate or flat platter) with a good layer of cornmeal or semolina. Place a stone pan in the oven or grease a baking sheet and set aside. Set up the oven with two racks, with room for a pan underneath the top rack. Pre-heat oven to 400° F. Grasp half the dough with slightly dampened hands and shape into a rough round or oblong loaf. Place on the prepared peel. Do the same with the other half of the dough. Slash both loaves with a lamé or sharp knife at about a 45 degree angle to allow the bread to expand. Shake the peel sharply and, with a small jerk of the wrist, place the loaves on the stone in the oven or the prepared pan. Place a pan with about an inch of hot water in it on the lower rack. Bake the bread for around 40 - 45 minutes, until the dough is browned and crisp and fully cooked, and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Remove bread from pan to cool completely on a rack. Slice and serve.

Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

Brume is actually one of the few designs published after my photo disaster in 2017 that you did get to see pictures of here. I never shared the finished photos, though, or announced its publication. It finishes out the trio of sand, sea and sky themed hats I released in 2017. Cables are some of my favorite things to knit, so I found a way to use cables to interpret this theme. In this design, I used those cables to show the morning fog in winter that rises over the beach that I was so familiar with, having lived on Puget Sound for so many years. This hat is knit with a DK yarn, which makes it a lightweight, but still quick to knit project.

Brume is available for sale on Ravelry, PatternVine, and LoveCrafts. If you don't want to sign up for any of these, please do contact me and we can work out how you can purchase the pattern.

Labels: Design, Family, Flashback, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns

Friends, I did not finish the sock in time. They are neat socks, and I want to finish them, not least because I want another pair of handknit socks, but I am not loving the stitch pattern on the foot. I will press on, but I do not see myself using that technique ever again. It takes me more than 15 minutes to finish one of the pattern rounds with the tuck stitch in it. Instead of these socks, though, right now I am working more on Vespers.



Keep Calm and Craft On.

Labels: Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, Sock Madness, WIP, Yarn Along

So, you know how I was saying last week that it had been quite a crazy week and that the upcoming week was going to be awfully busy, too. Boy, what did I know? It's been a challenging time for everyone all over the world. We are trying to keep things as normal as possible, and we are fortunate that we homeschool, though Dominic is finishing his term at the college from home, online, and our homeschool co-op ended early, cancelling the end of session potluck. The girls' ballet has been cancelled, the library is closed down, there is no Sunday morning church, and we're looking out for each other here. After two weeks of scary and busy times, we are trying to create some normalcy. Our school work is taking a hit this week, but we need the time together to love on each other and make some good food and do some crafting together.

We are looking forward to the feast of Saint Joseph, and we are asking the Holy Family to pray for us. There's a lot of the Saint Michael prayer happening here, too. A friend shared that her priest recommended Prudence, Penance, and Prayer. It is a good time for those three.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Strawberry Yogurt, Toast, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ham and Potato Soup, Herbed Rolls, Mandarin Oranges, Macadamia Nut Bars
• Monday
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Balela, Bread, Fruit
• Tuesday - Feast of Saint Patrick
  Breakfast: Toast with Chopped Tomatoes, Feta and Olives, Green Hot Sauce, Fruit, Coffee
  Dinner: Colcannon Fish Pie, Peas, Fruit
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Cyril
  Breakfast: Cranberry Orange Almond Bread* with Peanut Butter, Bananas, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Creamy Vegan Corn Chowder, Soda Bread (the recipe is formatted a little oddly, the raisins are optional)
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Joseph
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oatmeal with Chopped Apples, Raisins and Brown Sugar, Coffee
  Dinner: Sataraš (a Croatian/Dalmatian pepper and tomato stew), Pasta, Garlic Greens with Balsamic Vinegar
• Friday - Feast of Saint Cuthbert
  Breakfast: Coconut Milk Blueberry Scones, Bananas, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegetable Pot Sticker Stir Fry, Jasmine Rice, Sliced Oranges
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Cornmeal Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Sliced Oranges, Coffee
  Dinner: Vegetarian Paella, Cabbage Salad, Fruit Plate

What is on your menu this week? I hope these breakfast and dinner ideas help you make plans, too. 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.



Linking to Menu Plan Monday

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

Mediterranean Braised Vegetables

This is such an easy prep meal and so delicious! It is also rather accommodating to whatever vegetables you happen to have at home. Simply put the longer cooking, tougher, vegetables in with the sauce for the first hour, and any remaining, softer vegetables in when you take the cover off for the last 25 minutes. This recipe is more like a guideline, and you should feel free to experiment with the produce you have or prefer - cauliflower, Brussels sprouts or cabbage would work in here, as would winter squash. As you can see from the photo, we make a lot of it at a time. I usually triple this amount.

4 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and chunked
1 large eggplant, cubed
1 pound rutabagas, peeled and chunked
1 pound turnips, peeled and chunked
1 pound carrots, peeled and chunked
2 shallots or 1 onion, peeled and chunked
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 5-ounce jar of kalamata olives, brine reserved
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound mini peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut in half, or an equivalent amount of sweet peppers
1 small bunch of Italian parsley, trimmed and finely chopped

Pre-heat oven to 400° F.

Put the potatoes, eggplant, rutabagas, turnips, carrots and shallots or onions in a large baking pan (or multiple) with a rim.

Simmer the garlic in the olive oil for 3 - 5 minutes, then add the lemon juice, oregano, smoked paprika, water, tomato paste, brine from the jar of olives, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk to combine thoroughly over low heat and simmer about 10 minutes while preparing the peppers and parsley.

Pour the broth over the vegetables in the pan, to about a third to half their height in the pan, and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for an hour.

Uncover the pans, add the olives and peppers, give them all a good stir and bake, uncovered, for another 25 - 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the parsley and serve with rice. I make the rice in the same pot as I use to make the broth, so it flavors it a little, as well, and cook it as the casserole bakes.

Labels: Advent, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Lent, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

If you weren't following me on Instagram during my absence, you might have missed this. I was really proud of this design, which was first published in Knit Now! in the UK. It looks deceptively simple, but I worked the decreases to incorporate the cables up to the top of the hat. This design was inspired by waves coming over the beach and I used twisted rib, reverse stockinette stitch, and cables to mimic the action of the water on the sand. When I was looking for a place to take my photography, Rich suggested the only place in our land locked town that there is both sand and water. It was perfect!

Shoeline is available for sale on Ravelry, PatternVine, and LoveCrafts. If you don't want to sign up for any of these, please do contact me and we can work out how you can purchase the pattern.

Labels: Design, Family, Flashback, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns

Our excitement last week has delayed much of my knitting and reading. Now, I am really hustling to get one sock completed to specifications so I can make it as a cheerleader this year. My goal is to have it finished in time that if I have to make any corrections or submit any other photos, I will have the time. First, I ended up cutting my main color for no reason whatsoever, so now I have to weave in two more ends. Then, yesterday, I broke one of my already too few needles in two places, when I leaned over my purse. I found another project with an extra size 1 needle I could grab, but at this point, I do not know if I will qualify. Wish me speed and luck!

I was really hoping to be finished with Babel, but with the upheaval of this week, it, too, has been on the backburner.



Keep Calm and Craft On.

Labels: Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, Sock Madness, WIP, Yarn Along

Birthday season opens this week. Amira turns 16 this week! She was born a few months before I began this blog. We also have a neighborhood chili night going on this week, so we will be bringing a potato and poblano stew to share, and so we have something vegetarian to eat. We are celebrating with cake at church tonight, and will have a party for her later this month. The really exciting part of her birthday is that she will have her driver's license. She has already passed the tests, so she just needs to wait for it to arrive.

This past week was a lot of ups and downs for us. Friday, the 29th, Alexander passed his final FAA exams so that he is officially an aviation mechanic now! He is looking for a job and we are bursting with pride for him. The weekend after that was quite a rush as Rich and I prepared for flying to Colorado Springs on Monday for most of the week. We spent Monday traveling, then had our first full day in Colorado on Tuesday. After going to bed, we received a phone call from the kids after midnight telling us that they had called 911 and an ambulance for Elijah, who had a second seizure after his first over two years ago. Alexander and Dominic are both first aid trained (and adults and licensed drivers, thank God), and they made sure Elijah was safe while Amira called 911. They handled it so well, and we were so proud of them. I couldn't really stand the thought of shopping and sight seeing while the kids were bearing this, so we made sure we could switch my flight so I could go home that day, and Rich decided that he really would not be able to focus on his workshop and that he needed to be home to take care of me while I was taking care of them, so we switched his flight as well. United, as much as they can be criticized, made sure we could get there, and waived any change of flight fees, and Marriott made sure we could check out early without any extra fees, and refunded the remainder of the cost for the hotel. We traveled on less than two, interrupted, hours of sleep, and got home to the kids where Elijah was doing well and was cheerful and desperate for some normalcy. We could take over from there, and we all took a rest. We are so thankful for Rich's work and sick leave, as he took the rest of the week off, too. The week ended with Jerome getting violently ill at co-op, and having to be brought home. Again, though, we are grateful, as all of us were available, and we have licensed, adult drivers at home, so I was able to take care of him while the rest did what they needed to and Rich could be at co-op with the other kids. We are praying for a much less eventful week this week.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Blueberry Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Drunken Italian Pasta, Beet Gratin with Walnuts, Garlic Greens, Lemon Cake
• Monday - Feast of Saint Gregory of Nyssa
  Breakfast: 'Ijja, Bread, Sliced Oranges, Coffee
  Dinner: Potato and Poblano Stew with Fried Tortilla Strips and Lime
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oatmeal with Chopped Apples, Raisins and Brown Sugar, Coffee
  Dinner: Mediterranean Vegetable Casserole*, Arabic Style Rice Pilaf, Fruit
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Bananas, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Besan Chila, Green Hot Sauce, Middle Eastern Style Cole Slaw, Fruit
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Gregory the Great
  Breakfast: Strawberry Yogurt, Toast, Coffee
  Dinner: Turkish Split Pea Soup, Bread, Fruit
• Friday
  Breakfast: Whole Grain Toaster Waffles, Bananas, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Sataraš (a Croatian/Dalmatian pepper and tomato stew), Rice, Garlic Greens with Balsamic Vinegar
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Mashed Potato Pancakes, Sliced Oranges, Coffee
  Dinner: Mejeddarah, Laban bi Chiyar, Roasted Harissa Cauliflower and Chick Pea Salad

What is on your menu this week? I hope these breakfast and dinner ideas help you make plans, too. 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.



Linking to Menu Plan Monday

Labels: Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

'Ijja

This is the Arab version of an herbed omelet. It isn't the most beautiful dish, but it is delicious. My mother taught me to make these, and I am teaching my kids to make them now. Eggs for our family means lots of eggs, so you may wish to scale back for your family size. They are good cold and leftover on toast, though, so you may wish to save a few in the fridge.

20 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons half and half or milk
10 scallions, trimmed and finely minced
1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, trimmed and finely minced
1 large bunch cilantro, trimmed and finely minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
5 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 loaves of Khoubz Araby, warmed or 10 slices of toast, to serve

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a baking sheet and have a piece of aluminum foil ready.

Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl or fork and whisk well until they are completely blended. Add half and half or milk and continue to whisk until smooth.

Add scallions, all the herbs, and salt. Fold into the custard mixture. Sprinkle flour over the mixture while whisking vigorously until it is completely blended. The mixture should be substantially covered with small bubbles on the surface.

Heat a skillet over high heat until hot, and add 1 tablespoon of butter. As soon as it begins to foam, pour about 1 cup of the custard mixture into the pan and lower heat to low. Allow to set for about 10 - 20 seconds. Slide a rubber spatula around the sides of the pan, to lift the edges of the egg so it does not stick.

When the omelet turns light golden brown, after about 2 minutes, flip over and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and cover with foil, placing in the heated oven to keep warm.

Repeat this process for the rest of the egg mixture.

Slice the warm Arabic bread on the side to make a large pocket and slide the 'ijja inside, or place on top of toast and serve with any fruit you like.

Labels: Fasting as a Family, Frugality, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

Here is another pattern named after one of our children. I shared a few progress pictures of this before photobucket made its unethical move and my pictures disappeared here on the blog (don't worry, they were backed up and I have them. One day I will replace the 14 years of photos). This is one of my favorite of my shawl patterns, if I am permitted a preference. The edging is modeled on a vintage doily pattern, and this design is so versatile. It can be made in one color or two, the edging can be knit as is, or with beads. It is a good sized shawl, as well. If you like a larger shawl, that isn't too big, this is a perfect choice. It is large enough to wrap around yourself, but not so big it is cumbersome. She was inspired by my purple and pink loving, girly girl, daughter and she definitely approved.

Mariam is available for sale on Ravelry, PatternVine, and LoveCrafts. If you don't want to sign up for any of these, please do contact me and we can work out how you can purchase the pattern.

Labels: Design, Family, Flashback, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns

Last year was my first time participating in Sock Madness, and I am trying again this year. I'm hoping to at least get a place as a cheerleader, even if I don't get on a team. These socks are really fun and it will give me another pair of handknit for my sock drawer. They are great weekend knitting for me, when I don't work on my designs. I am still making progress on Vespers, too, and hope to have it finished before the end of April.

My reading for the month is still Babel, for myself, and Tending the Garden of Our Hearts, with the family, but I have returned to Sirach Bible Study and Journal, which I abandoned too long.



I'm so excited to see that yarn along is back, too!

Keep Calm and Craft On.

Labels: Books, Design, Faith and Morality, Homemaking, Knitting, Sock Madness, WIP, Yarn Along

Here we are in the first full week of Lent. As this week Rich and I are much occupied away from the home, we are planning many more dairy and egg meals for the kids. In the East, they begin this week with Forgiveness Sunday. They begin with asking forgiveness from all those in their lives and also sometimes have a special emphasis on this prayer of Saint Ephraim of Syria:

O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust of power, and idle talk; but grant rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions, and not to judge my brother, for blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages.

• Sunday - Feast of Saint David of Wales
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs and Cheese Sandwiches, Bananas, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Drunken Italian Pasta, Beet Gratin with Walnuts, Garlic Greens
• Monday
  Breakfast: Pressure Cooker Rice Pudding with Coconut and Chopped Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Layered Bean and Pepper Casserole with Salsa, Cheese and Sour Cream, Cara Cara Oranges
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Mashed Potato Pancakes, Sliced Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pasta with White Bean and Walnut Sauce, Thyme Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots
• Wednesday - Ember Day
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Bananas, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Roasted Brussels Sprout and Squash Salad, Slow Cooker Wild Rice Dressing
• Thursday
  Breakfast: 'Ijja*, Bread, Sliced Apples, Coffee
  Dinner: Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Oranges
• Friday - Ember Day
  Breakfast: Lemon Blueberry Granola Bars, Bananas, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Cauliflower Shawerma Wraps with Green Tahina Sauce, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Ember Day - Feast of Saints Perpetua and Felicity
  Breakfast: Cranberry Orange Almond Bread with Peanut Butter, Coffee
  Dinner: Lenten Sauerkraut Flapjacks, Potato Salad with Peas and Sauerkraut, Fruit Salad

What is on your menu this week? I hope these breakfast and dinner ideas help you make plans, too. 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.



Linking to Menu Plan Monday

Labels: Church Year, Ember, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen