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Sunday, June 27, 2021

Menu Plan: June 27 - July 3

Rich didn't get to take tomorrow off, because of necessary meetings, but was able to get Thursday off, though he still had to do work at home, not only Thursday, but Friday and Saturday, though he still had his four day weekend to "rest." He didn't really rest, because he worked on the air conditioners, planted in the garden, and worked on his CFII renewal, however, he got to do so on his own schedule. Because of a lot of the responsibilities we had to the airshow, we ended up pushing our end of schoolyear work to this week, so we are finishing up our school term this past week. We will take a break to just rest and read, and then we will pick up some science and history and a little math for the summer.

It is another scorcher this week, so again we are trying to eat cool things or things that can be grilled, cooked in the pressure or slow cooker, made ahead, or made quickly. Some of the meals from last week have been moved because of this. Our whole week is supposed to be in the 100˚ - 115˚ range. We are also getting one and a quarter beef delivered this week, which means we are rearranging freezers (at least that is cold work) and eating as much as we can from our freezers.

We still have quite a lot of asparagus, so we are eating a bit of that. There was no time for pickling, between the airshow and the ballet recital. The girls' recital (sans audience) went well, and all the dancers worked so hard. We are immensely proud of them. However, we are hoping that these next couple weeks of rest, even in the heat, will help get us moving for summer fun and projects. This weekend, some newer, but dear, friends are coming into town, and we are planning on spending a bit of time with them. Their kids are friends with ours, and haven't seen each other since the middle of April.

We are still making meals that are safe for Jerome, so if you have allergies and need ideas, I hope that helps. If you have ideas for us, please share them! We are also keeping the Wednesday and Friday abstinent fasts, though not perfectly strictly. Also, if you didn't see my announcement, please note that I am working through the comments of the last year and a half, now that I know they are there.

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. Linking to Menu Plan Monday

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Monday, June 21, 2021

Many Apologies for the Inconvenience

I just found out today that Blogger/Google has failed to send me any comment notifications for almost two years. I happened to click on the comments tab to adjust something and found around 25 or 30 comments just waiting, some since last January.

Please accept my apologies. Some of those were questions, and I am working to answer those notes first. I will try to answer all of them, however. Also, I think I have made sure that I will actually get my notifications from now on - Google actually turned it off and removed my e-mail address, even though that is the address I use to log in and I asked for notification (and used to get them for each and every one without ever turning it off myself).

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Sunday, June 20, 2021

Menu Plan: June 20 - 26

We had a successful and fun airshow this weekend. However, it began with a terrible tragedy. The airshow was helping give a local motorcycle racer a platform and place to make an attempt at a Guinness World Record breaking jump. On his first practice jump, he fell short and was thrown off of his motorcycle, with his helmet flying off, and ultimately died. This was all in front of the public, and most of his family. Our youngest two daughters were directly on the frontline with me watching as it happened, four of our children were working at the airshow when it happened and saw from a distance, and Alexander was at his job on the field, so heard the news, but didn't see it. Rich, of course, had to be on the spot to take care of what they could and to keep everything else running in the meantime. Please pray for everyone. Please pray for Rich, who had to keep the whole airshow running all weekend while still processing what happened. Pray for Alex Harvill and his family. I will never forget his mother's screams, his wife and brother's sobbing, and his two little children who no longer have a father here, one of whom was an infant and will never know his father. What a sad Father's Day for their family today. Please also pray for Mariam and Nejat, who saw it happen live, and know that he died, but so far don't seem to connect the two, and haven't yet realized that they watched a man die on Thursday. I pray they don't ever make that connection. As soon as I saw it happen, and saw his helmet fly off, I put the girls back into our hatchback where they couldn't see the family's rush to him and grief, where they couldn't see the ambulance and EMTs at work, nor the life flight helicopter. We simply sat together and prayed. When Elijah and Jerome got off their traffic directing shift, they came to us and I had them sit and pray with their sisters, as well.

The airshow itself went off really well and was a fun time for everyone. It was wonderful to have something resembling normal again, to see people's faces and to see their smiles as they left, as Rich said. The pilots and demonstrators did an amazing job, and all went off pretty much as it was supposed to do. I am so thankful for that. The weather was hot and sunny, but not as hot as the one was two years ago. Although, I still got a little sunburned on my shoulders, which was a bit of a surprise for me. Now, we are on to dress rehearsal and ballet recital. Rich has taken Friday and next Monday off to recouperate, so we are also praying for no work emergencies that require him to head back then. We are holding him a little tighter on this Father's Day.

This week is supposed to be a scorcher again. It is projected to be in the mid to upper 90s most of the week, and then go back toward the 100s on the weekend. My meal plans are going to reflect that, because I just don't want to be eating lots of hot foods, or cooking in a hot kitchen for a lot of the week. My plan is to make salads and quick pastas and such, or to make meals that can be cooked in the morning earlier in the day or the day before, and heated quickly for dinner. We are still making meals that are safe for Jerome, so if you have allergies and need ideas, I hope that helps. If you have ideas for us, please share them! We are also keeping the Wednesday and Friday abstinent fasts.

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. Linking to Menu Plan Monday

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Friday, June 18, 2021

More than a Half-Life

It is Rich's and Dominic's birthday today. Dominic is 21 years old and Rich is 51. Dominic is still growing into the man he will be, but he is off to a great start.

Rich, though, is such a great example to him, and is the best man we know. He is a man of integrity, compassion, and kindness. He is a man of faith, love, and optimism. It's been a while since I have done this for him, but it has been an extraordinarily challenging week, so here are:

Sunday, June 13, 2021

Menu Plan: Of Birthdays and Airshows

It is another busy week here. We have the airshow, which will keep all of us busy. It has been keeping Rich late at work for the last couple weeks, and we are looking forward to having him home more after next week. He even took a couple days off to work and rest here. Several of our kids will be volunteering at the show, like they did last time, and we are going as a family to watch and enjoy it. It is also both Rich and Dominic's birthday this week, and it will be busy with work and airshow activities, but we are hoping to take a break and celebrate with them that night.

Next week is going to be pretty busy, too, with dress rehearsals and a recital. I cannot wait until we can rest a little. I've been tired depressed.

We are trying the chicken fried steak next week. There were a ton of leftovers in the fridge, and we had a lot less energy than needed. Friday was the last asparagus run of the season, and we have something like 60 pounds of asparagus, so we are eating with just about every meal. It's going to be a fairly warm week, so we are doing a lot of meals that can be made early in the day or in the pressure cooker or crock pot and things like salads. We are still making meals that are safe for Jerome, so if you have allergies and need ideas, I hope that helps. If you have ideas for us, please share them! We are also keeping the Wednesday and Friday abstinent fasts.

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. Linking to Menu Plan Monday

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Thursday, June 10, 2021

Craft On: Generation X or Whatever. Never mind.

My socks are finished, though they still need to be blocked, and I am pretty close to finished with my trio of mittens. That picture shows where I was yesterday. Can you see that the shared mitten is kind of heart shaped? Albeit with some aortas coming off of the top, but how else can you wear it as a mitten?

Aside from making some more real progress on Desert Queen (it helps when my husband is working late and asking for my editing skills; it gives me more reading time), I also picked up X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking. It is hilarious, and as wry, ironic, and scathing as my generation is. There are some minor quibbles I have with the author, but overall, I think he makes a good argument, and does so in a funny way. Rich asked me when the whatever generation started worrying about itself as a generation, and I said that I think it was when the next generation got attention. We were fine being ignored if we were no longer doing that kind of thing, but it got to be a sticking point when the kids after us weren't. Also, we kind of like being ignored, so we can complain about it a little. Anyway, if you are Gen X, you probably will enjoy the book, if you aren't, you might still find it funny.


Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

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Sunday, June 06, 2021

Menu Plan: Corpus Christi

This is another western, and relatively modern, feast, but again, one we adore. It is the celebration of the Real Presence of the Body of Christ in the world. There was no procession with the monstrance and canopy today, but that is one of my favorite things we do on this day. You have the people, who are symbolically the Body of Christ on earth, proclaiming and celebrating the Eucharist, which is actually the Body of Christ on earth. We pray and sing hymns and proclaim in word and action that Christ is alive and here with us. He offers Himself in the Eucharist as a gift to us, a medicine for sin and for our salvation.

Last week we had a heat spike that put us in the 100 degree range for a day or two. So, we switched several meal plans and have some repeats this week. I am so excited to find a way to make a gluten-free, dairy and egg free, chicken fried steak and gravy for Jerome, so we are trying that, too. We are still making meals that are safe for Jerome, so if you have allergies and need ideas, I hope that helps. If you have ideas for us, please share them! We are also keeping the Wednesday and Friday abstinent fasts.

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. Linking to Menu Plan Monday

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Saturday, June 05, 2021

Recipe Round Up: Turkish Flatbread

These are really simple to make and quite delicious. I tried them with a gluten-free all purpose flour blend and a coconut and cashew milk yogurt for Jerome, and they worked perfectly. So, if you are dealing with those kinds of allergies or sensitivities, this recipe will still work for you. These don't take as much time as Khoubz Araby, but they are delicious and perfect for wrapping around a gyro (like Slow Cooker Faux Gyros or Eggplant Gyros) or shawerma. Again, I failed to get photographic evidence, but when I have it, I will share it with you.

Turkish Flatbread

2 1/2 cups warm water
4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups whole milk yogurt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + more for cooking
2 tablespoons kosher salt
7 1/2 cups pastry or all purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Combine the yeast, sugar, and water in a large measuring cup and mix well. Set aside for 5 - 10 minutes. The mixture will be foamy and bubbly.

In a large bowl, add flour and parsley. Whisk in the yeast mixture, yogurt, olive oil and salt and stir with a sturdy spoon or spatula until the dough comes together.

Turn dough out onto a well floured counter and knead for a few minutes, until dough is no longer sticky and springs back when lightly pressed. Sprinkle more flour onto the counter as necessary during kneading, being careful not to add so much as to make a dry dough. Divide into 24 equal pieces, sprinkle lightly with flour, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Preheat a griddle or large frying pan over medium heat. Fill a small bowl with a little olive oil. You will likely replenish it as you fry the flatbreads. While the pan is heating, roll the dough portions until they are about 1/4 inch thick. Brush the top surface of one lightly with the olive oil. When the pan is hot, pick up the first circle with your hand and place in pan, oiled side down. Lightly brush the top surface with oil. Repeat with enough rounds to fill the pan or griddle with room to turn them. Allow to the flatbreads to cook for about 1 - 2 minutes, until top surface is covered with bubbles and underside is golden around the edges and in spots. Adjust the heat as necessary. You do not want these to burn.

Flip flatbreads over and cook for another minute to minute and a half, until a few small golden spots appear. Be careful not to overcook. Repeat the oiling and frying process with remaining uncooked flatbreads.

Stack flatbreads on a clean kitchen towel after cooking and wrap up to steam a bit and retain softness. If you are lucky enough to have any left, you can store them in an airtight container or ziplock bag and reheat on a dry pan or in the oven to eat later. We never have any left.

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