We had another busy, but good, week, and between the heat, and the extra work, Rich took Friday off, only to spend nearly the entire day doing work via phone/text/laptop instead of in the garden. At least he has tomorrow off for Independence Day. Now, we just hope and pray that everyone else does, too. Our Independence Day celebrations will include music and fireworks on the lake.

It's another birthday week here. Yasmina turns 13 this week! It is exciting having another young adult in our house. This week is a little cooler than last week, so we aren't sweltering, and we can have more normal meals. It's only supposed to be in the 90s most of the week, with a few days that the over-eager weather shamans are predicting to be just over 100˚. Since they were off by at least four to six degrees all of last week, I think it is safe to assume we won't get to 100˚.

Our beef was delivered, and we have beef for quite a while. Since we didn't order this butchering, specifically, we couldn't ask for specific cuts or roasts, so it is missing some of the things we would have asked for, like the beef cheeks, oxtails, shanks, shin bones, and rib roasts. However, we have a few tenderloin roasts, which will become our Christmas dinner this year, instead of the rib roast, and loads of other roasts and steaks, plus all the ground beef. Since we had to rearrange the freezer to fit it, we found some things that were on my inventory lists, but that nobody seemed to be able to find, though we are missing a package of rack of lamb that we only got two months ago. That was supposed to be for a date night for Rich and me, so I'm hoping it turns up soon.

We are in the third of six months of Jerome's allergy diet. Even when it is over, it will be another year of slowly adding the ingredients back, so it will be a year and a half before he is completely through it. He is going to have Thanksgiving without a lot of his favorite foods, which is why I made a Thanksgiving dinner for him on his week of reprieve. He should have egg back, by then, and I can modify some of the dishes to use dairy free and gluten-free substitutes. It has been rough, and I didn't realize just how much I depended on egg and dairy, lentils, peas, sesame, cilantro/coriander, and even soy (sauce), for our meals - especially the vegetarian ones. I knew the gluten, wheat and oats would be hard, and I knew that dairy would be a challenge, but this has been more than I expected. He can't eat ketchup, for instance, unless we make it at home. He can't have a lot of things like sausages and bacon, simply because their ingredient list simply says "spices" and doesn't articulate which ones, and the company customer service doesn't get back to us (I'm looking at you Kroger!). I have become best friends and a penpal to several companies (even some in other countries, who reply better than Kroger, by the way) to ask about their cured meats/sausages/sauerkraut/etc. and talk to them on a weekly basis. Every can or package we buy, which is a small quantity, means scrutiny. Mustard might be safe, or not, depending on how well they list their ingredients. We hardly buy pre-made foods, so I cannot imagine what this would have been like for people who do. We are doing the best we can, and trying hard for Jerome's sake, but I really, really pray that we get through this well and that he doesn't have to give up anything permanently. His doctor only really thought that bananas might be a permanent loss, but he doesn't love them, so that is no big deal.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Dirty Eggs (Vegetable and Chicken Hash for Jerome), Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken Caccciatore, Polenta, Green Salad, Watermelon
• Monday
  Breakfast: Vegetable Hash with Ham, Strawberries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Cold Cut Sandwiches, Green Salad, Red Potato Salad, Pickles, Fruit
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Cereal and Milk (Grain-free Granola with Coconut Milk for Jerome), Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Eggplant Kofta Bake with Tomatoes, Peppers and Onions, Zucchini Mahshi (without cilantro or coriander), Rice, Citrus Beet Salad
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Raclette (modified for Jerome) with Potatoes, Pickled Vegetables and Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Chopped Salad, Fruit
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Yogurt and Jam (Coconut Yogurt for Jerome), Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Loaded Nachos, Guacamole, Lemon Almond Cake
• Friday
  Breakfast: Labneh (Faux Cream Cheese for Jerome) with Tomatoes, Dill and Olive Oil, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Fruit, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Caribbean Seafood Stew, Rice, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs (Scrambled Chickpeas for Jerome), Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Graduation Party

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

Labels: Birthday, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Special Diet, Tales from the Kitchen