Happy New Year! It is the first Sunday of Advent, which is the Church's (in the West) New Year. In the West, we have a shorter fast and easier one than the East, so we will still be eating dairy and will have meat on Sundays.

Our Thanksgiving was fabulous thanks to my family pitching in, and several friends helping. One friend brought two pumpkin pies, which meant I only had to make one and the dairy-free one for Jerome, she also brought us a blackberry pie, stuffed mushrooms (including a few that were safe for Jerome), a breakfast casserole and sausages (that we had for breakfast today), a batch of homemade cranberry orange sauce, and a bag of homemade brownies. Another friend made a double batch of my sweet potato roll dough and refrigerated it so we wouldn't have to worry about it, and made us an apple pie and a chocolate silk pie, which also reduced the number of pies I had to make. Our friends' daughter (and our kids' friend), rolled out the pie crusts for me, and filled them, so all I had to do was seal and crimp them. Her mother had helped me make the pie crusts the day before, and both of them had helped prep vegetables for our meal. Amira invited a friend over at the last minute, and we were short a pie, but we had a bag of apple filling and a couple bags of pie crust still, so my friend and her daughter went to work rolling out dough and filling it so we would have the right number of pies. Our kids' godparents brought the cranberry horseradish relish, the friends who helped with the pies brought deviled eggs and a relish tray, another set of friends brought sautéed green beans. Someone misplaced (or broke in and stole only) our bag of wild rice, so we ended up with no dressing. Everyone was forgiving and full, however, so it was fine.

Nutcracker went well, it was a little rough at first, but came together beautifully. The girls are both exhausted and exhilarated. I have to say that I am glad for the three week break between this one and the next, however.

This week, we have the feast of Saint Barbara, which is really all about wheat and bread in the food department, so I am trying to figure out how to do it so Jerome can partake.

• Sunday - First Sunday of Advent
  Breakfast: French Toast Casserole, Sausages (Scrambled Eggs and Sausage for Jerome), Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Thanksgiving Leftover Potluck at Church
• Monday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese (Dairy-free for Jerome), Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Mediterranean Braised Vegetables, Rice, Chopped Salad
• Tuesday - Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle
  Breakfast: Middle Eastern Rice Pudding with Rosewater and Pistachios (Dairy-free for Jerome), Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Vegetarian Pizza (Gluten-free and Dairy-free for Jerome) and Dessert Potluck for Going Away Party for friends
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chick Peas with Onions and Peppers, Toast, Fruit Plate, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Cuban Black Beans, Arepas, Fruit
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Ful, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Chopped Tomatoes and Onions, Kalamata Olives, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Vegan Dan Dan Noodles, Mandarin Oranges
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Bissara, Salatat Zeitoun, Tamis (Gluten-free bread for Jerome), Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Barbara
  Breakfast: Saffron Buns for St. Barbara's Day (Gluten and Dairy-free for Jerome), Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Creamy Avocado Pasta with Cashews (Gluten-free pasta for Jerome), Qamhiyeh for St. Barbara's Day (small batch - we are trying to figure out if there is something we can substitute for Jerome)

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.

Labels: Advent, All Saints, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Special Diet, Tales from the Kitchen