My health is finally starting to feel closer to normal. I have been able to get more work and fun in, as well as more focus for knitting. That is the back neck shaping on Imbat. I am pleased with how the short rows worked out on neck edge. This sweater is rather simple looking, but I am hoping that people will appreciate the details that I have used in it.

This year feels a little like a wash on the knitwear design score, but I have been able to do some work at home with the kids that was really necessary, and taking the time to really heal was so important. So, I'm trying not to feel bad about the only one publication and instead look forward to next year and find a way to balance my work at home with this other work.

We are still reading Rainbow Valley and I am getting eager to get through it to finish the series with the kids. I started reading Bearing God: The Life and Works of St. Ignatius of Antioch the God-Bearer last week, on his feast day, and am really enjoying it. It is not a difficult read, and is wonderful because he is both the successor to the first Apostles, but also a first person witness of Jesus, as he was a child who heard Jesus in person. Desert Queen is slowly being read at night, before I fall asleep.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program, so the book links you see here have the potential to net me a few pennies a month.

Labels: Books, Design, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Knitting, Tales from the Kitchen, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:17 AM 0 comments

This week we are celebrating and holing up a little. The temperatures are finally at and below zero in the mornings, and except for Rich and Dominic who have to work in it, the rest of us are staying home and resting and eating delicious things. Rich and I celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary on Friday, and he gave me a gorgeous silver and diamond wide band ring a little early (he is getting a silver framed monacle). We will have a special dinner at home and celebrate with our kids, but will take a night at a nearby resort after the New Year to ourselves. We had planned to have a bigger celebration for this 25th year, but between all the idiotic Covid restrictions and my month of illness, we decided to go a little smaller.

There is no fasting this week! We are enjoying that immensely. Even Jerome gets many treats, because of being able to eat egg and chocolate again. He was never a great milk drinker, but after eight months of no dairy at all, his small portion each day tastes delicious to him. May you have a blessed Nativity and New Year!

• Sunday - Feast of Saint Stephen, Deacon and First Martyr
  Breakfast: Egg and Croissant Sandwiches with Cheese (Gluten and Dairy-free for Jerome), Cara Cara Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ham and Navy Beans, Herbed Bread (Gluten-free Bread for Jerome), Salad, Cashew Brutal (Dairy-free and made with Honey), Peppermint Fudge
• Monday - Feast of Saint John the Evangelist
  Breakfast: Southwestern Pile Up, Bacon, Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Chicken Fried Hamburgers and Gravy, Biscuits, Brown Sugar Shortbread (some made Gluten and Dairy-free for Jerome), Orange Cranberry Cookies
• Tuesday - Feast of the Holy Innocents
  Breakfast: Shakshouka (Feta on the Side), Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Blood Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Grilled Steaks, Baked Potatoes, Steam Sautéed Carrots and Italian Beans, Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies, Brown Butter Ginger Cookies
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls (Gluten-free with Coffee-Maple Glaze for Jerome), Sausages, Cara Cara Oranges, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Lengua Tacos, Quick and Dirty Mexican Rice, Carrot Slaw with Cumin Lime Dressing, Vanilla and Chocolate Marshmallows*, Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Egg Fried in Sausage Patties, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ćevapi, Marinated Cucumbers, Đuveč Rice, Šape, Bobići
• Friday - New Year's Eve and Our Anniversary
  Breakfast: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy (Gluten and Dairy-free for Jerome), Blood Oranges, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Herbed Rack of Lamb, Pan Seared Scallops, Three Hearts Salad, Orange Rum Cake
• Saturday - Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord (or Holy Name, for those more squeamish)
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Raspberry Syrup, Fluffy Gluten and Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Pancakes, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ham, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Cardamom Orange and Dark Chocolate Cookies, Kroštule/Hrštule

Labels: Christmas, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Nativity, New Year's, Romance and Relationship, Special Diet, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 6:18 AM 0 comments

Labels: Christmas, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Nativity

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 12:18 PM 0 comments

This recipe is modified from Fine Cooking April/May 2003. I have received several marriage proposals based on tasting this cheesecake. After I was already married.

This is fairly simple and quick to put together. Since you make it ahead of time, it is ready on whatever day you want to serve it and you can focus on main dishes. Also, if you have a 14 or 15 inch springform pan, you can double everything in the recipe and make a larger cheesecake with the same baking time. In my house, this is a rather frugal dessert, because except for the wafer cookies, and sometimes the cream cheese, we usually have all the ingredients on hand.

Conventional cheesecake baking wisdom says to bake in a water bath, to avoid cracks in the top, but I have never had a problem with that with this recipe and bake directly on the oven rack. The oven temperatures are low enough to counter any over puffing and overcooking.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups very finely crushed chocolate cookie crumbs (one sleeve of Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers) - you can pulse in a food processor to crush
3 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (I use Vietnamese cassia "cinnamon")
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (use good chocolate!), finely chopped
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons natural, unsweetened cocoa powder (I use dutch process, because it is darker and more chocolatey to my taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature

Make Crust: Pre-heat oven to 400˚F. Set aside a 9-inch springform pan.

Process In a medium bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs, sugar and cinnamon until blended. I do this by pulsing the sugar and cinnamon into the food processor bowl. Drizzle with melted butter and mix (or pulse) until well blended and crumbs are evenly moist. Turn out the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes and set on a wire rack to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300˚F.

Make Filling and Bake: Mix the sour cream, vanilla and espresso powder in a small bowl. Set aside and stir occasionally until the coffee dissolves.

Melt chocolate in the microwave (you can use a double boiler, but the microwave is quicker) for about a minute, if it needs more do so at 15 second intervals. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, cocoa powder and salt until very smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl and paddle frequently (and with each subsequent addition). Add the sugar and continue beating until well blended and smooth. Add cocoa and beat well to mix. Scrape the cooled chocolate into the bowl; beat until blended. Beat in the sour cream mixture until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just blended. (Don't overbeat the filling once the eggs have been added or the cheesecake will puff too much). Pour the filling over the cooled crust, spread evenly, and smooth the top.

Bake at 300˚F until the center barely jiggles when nudged, about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. The cake will be slightly puffed, perhaps with a few little cracks around the edge. Let cool to room temperature on a rack, then refrigerate until well chilled, at least a few hours, or overnight for the best texture and flavor.

To Serve: Unclasp the pan's ring, remove it, and run a long thin metal spatula under the bottom crust. Carefully slide the cake onto a flat serving plate. Run a thin knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and cut the cake into slices, heating and wiping the knife as needed. We usually serve it with lightly sweetened, vanilla whipped cream, strawberries in the summer. At this time of year, it is also quite lovely with peppermint ice cream. Especially if you have eleventy billion candy canes to use up.

Candy Cane Ice Cream

This turns pink from the candy, no dye necessary.

1 3/4 cups crushed candy canes
2 cups half and half
3 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a double boiler, combine 1 1/4 cups candy with the half and half and heat over barely simmering water, until scalded. Set aside and let steep for 15 minutes, or until candy melts. Whisk some of the hot half and half mixture into the egg yolks, return mixture to pan and cook over barely simmering water, stirring constantly, until custard coats a spoon. Immediately place the pan in a pan of cold water and stir to cool to room temperature.

Stir the cream and vanilla into the mixture. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (overnight is fine). Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. When almost completely frozen, stir in remaining candy.

This can be served soft, straight out of the ice cream machine, or put into a container and sealed to harden off in the freezer for several hours.

Labels: Christmas, Homemaking, Nativity, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 3:57 AM 0 comments

It is so cold here! Winter has come on with a vengeance. It has been a relatively mild winter for us these past couple months, with only a few days that were consistently below freezing and none that were below zero, but that has changed. We have not been above freezing for almost a week, and we are going to get below zero in a few days. Send help!

We've had a few Christmas miracles, because we are so behind between my being out of service for a month and a half, and then Nutcracker and the normal busy-ness of our lives. Most presents have already arrived here, or we were able to find in town, and there are only a few we are still seeking. I normally have a hard time shipping gifts in time, anyway, but this year I am planning to send the gifts that go elsewhere in January already.

Holidays have become a little more fraught than usual, with Jerome's dietary restrictions. I feel terrible making things he cannot eat, but at the same time, I don't want to make everyone else go without. Finally, I have decided that I will make all the lovely things we like, and either make some other things in addition for him, or modify them so we can eat them all. I did buy him some special treats that he can eat now that he has both egg and chocolate back, and he will have those while we do not. That seems like it balances it out a bit, at least. So far, the re-introduction of both egg and chocolate went really well, and we are introducing milk now. I'm a little more nervous about the dairy, but if he can get it back, it will make life so much better for him. Being able to eat egg has improved his baked goods and just makes him so much happier.

As a reminder, we are a little more relaxed about the fast during Advent, so if you are looking for the strictest meal plans, I will not be as helpful to you. However, we are keeping the strict fast on Wednesdays and Fridays and are doing as much without dairy and egg and fish as we can, with some leeway for our kids (and, this year, for me, too, as I recover), even as we have meat on Sundays (mostly for economia, as we usually provide a shared meal at church with folks who do not necessarily all keep the fast). We will be attending an earlier Christmas Eve service this year, and that makes me feel like we ought to go to liturgy on Christmas Day, even though I know it is because we are all still recovering. Rich said that we could put on a vigil service to watch when we get home, which may be the compromise we have to live with this year. There is no way I could stand as long as necessary for the vigil, but I hate to miss church on Christmas Day. The vigil means we go for both Christmas Eve and Day. Please pray for us, and I appreciate your prayers, as my recovery is coming along well, though slowly. Also, please add to your prayers Alexander and his fiancée. They had some scary travel conditions, and we want them back safely.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: King Ranch Turkey (Gluten and Dairy-free version for Jerome), Rice, Oranges
• Monday - Feast of Saint Ignatius of Antioch
  Breakfast: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos, Salsa, Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream and Cheese, Chef Salad with Cheese and Hard Boiled Eggs, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday - Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle
  Breakfast: Potato, Pepper and Onion Hash with Chopped Tomatoes, Warm Tortillas, Salsa, Pears, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Mexican Style Walnut "Ground Meat" over Salsa Rice, Oranges
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Toast and Cream Cheese, Apples, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Vegetarian Ranchero Beans and Rice, Oranges
• Thursday - Christmas Adam
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Chopped Apples and Raisins (Hot Grain-free Granola with Coconut Milk, Apples and Raisins for Jerome), Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Eggs Poached over Potato and Pepper Hash with Tomatoes and Onions, Fruit Plate
• Friday - Christmas Eve
  Breakfast: Ful, Salatat Zeitoun, Khoubz Kesra (Gluten-free for Jerome), Sliced Oranges, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Lemon Garlic Scallops over Fettucini (Gluten-free pasta for Jerome), Green Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord
  Breakfast: Poached Eggs, Sausage Patties, Christmas Bread and Butter (Gluten and Dairy-free for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Garlic and Peppercorn Crusted Rib Roast, Wine Sauce, Boursin Stuffed Potatoes (no cheese for Jerome), Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Carrots, Cranberry Pecan Relish, Cranberry Horseradish Relish, Braided Egg Bread (Gluten-free Artisan Olive and Herb Bread for Jerome), Triple Chocolate Cheesecake* with Candy Cane Ice Cream, Brown Sugar Shortbread (made Gluten and Dairy-free for Jerome), Dairy-free Chocolate Ice Cream for Jerome

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:12 AM 0 comments

This is a typical Arab way of making fried cauliflower. It is a simple dish and simple to eat, but it is truly delicious. Our kids are always excited when they see that we are eating it for dinner. We always make enough to make dinner of it, too. Rice flour is a more traditional ingredient in Arabic and Middle Eastern cooking, and you can even use a clean coffee grinder to make it. However, corn starch is a fine substitute. This recipe makes just enough for all of us to eat it for dinner, it would be more than enough as a side dish for our crowd, and would leave leftovers for a smaller family. You can cut it in half easily.

2 large heads of cauliflower, broken into medium florets
1/2 cup rice flour or corn starch
oil, to fry
salt, to taste
parsley, finely chopped, to garnish
toasted pine nuts, to garnish
Taratoor, to serve
Toum, to serve

In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the rice flour or corn starch.

Heat oil to deep fry in a large pot to fit about a third of the cauliflower. Fry the cauliflower, in batches, until golden, and set on a rack over a sheet pan to drain. Season with salt immediately. Most people tell you not to crowd a pan when deep frying. Most people are wrong. Filling it as much as you can, in a single layer, means that the temperature of the oil drops enough that the food cooks internally without burning on the outside. Repeat this process until all the cauliflower is fried.

Place on a platter and sprinkle with parsley and pine nuts. You may drizzle with the taratoor and toum, or pass them at the table.

Toum

Toum just means garlic, but it is also a shorthand for this creamy, salty, garlicky sauce. Just about every recipe uses almost the same proportions of ingredients, but the technique is what you work at to get the texture right. It tastes good, no matter what your sauce's consistency, but the goal is to have a thin mayonnaise texture: thick, but something that can be drizzled. This keeps forever in the refrigerator, so go ahead and make this quantity. If you are using a food processor, it probably won't work that well with a smaller amount, anyway. This should be made ahead of time, so you aren't fiddling with it at the last minute, and to give the ingredients a chance to chill. The chilling is something I learned from the book Bayrut, it does help the sauce come together.

4 heads garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup safflower or other light oil
juice of one lemon, strained

Place garlic cloves in a bag in your refrigerator overnight. Put the oil in a jar in the freezer overnight.

The next day, put the garlic cloves with the salt into the bowl of a food processor or a large mortar and pestle. Pulse or crush until the garlic becomes like a thick paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat.

Either very slowly press in the oil, in a thin, slow drizzle to the mortar and pestle, or use the feeder tube to put about a half cup of oil in at a time to drip out of the tube through the tiny hole in the pusher as you run the food processor until all the oil is incorporated. Remove to a jar and stir in the lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 4:18 PM 2 comments

Rejoice! And again, I say, rejoice! This is our little break in the darkness as we prepare for the Light to enter the world. This is a reminder that our fasting and preparation are in joyful expectation of the Lord who has come, and who is coming. He will redeem the earth and resurrect the faithful to life. This is not a fast of strict penitence, but of self examination and preparation to meet our Savior with joy. We are still in the Advent anticipation, and still busy with fasting, praying and almsgiving, but are also taking time to remember the happiness that awaits us in His Incarnation and return in glory. We are planning on putting up our tree with the lights today, as we used to do at our former home, in honor of Gaudete Sunday. We will still decorate it on Christmas Eve, though.

Thank you to those who prayed for the return of Amira's wallet and who have been praying for my health. Her wallet was returned Monday, and it seems like it was more of a mischievous prank than outright theft. That is frustrating, but at least it wasn't malicious. Also, I am improving, little by little, day by day. I have found that when I have added sugar (with the exception of honey), that I am set back pretty immediately. Even a small amount brings on the coughing and exhaustion, so I am limiting it severely. The Advent fast helps with that, but the Saint Nicholas feast did not.

As a reminder, we are a little more relaxed about the fast during Advent, so if you are looking for the strictest meal plans, I will not be as helpful to you. However, we are keeping the strict fast on Wednesdays and Fridays and are doing as much without dairy and egg and fish as we can, with some leeway for our kids (and, this year, for me, too, as I recover), even as we have meat on Sundays (mostly for economia, as we usually provide a shared meal at church with folks who do not necessarily all keep the fast). There are the winter Ember days this week, so we will have a stricter fast on those days, and those who can will fast entirely.

• Sunday - Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday)
  Breakfast: Almond Oatmeal with Sultanas (Grain-free Granola and Yogurt for Jerome), Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Slow Cooked Chuck Roast, Herbed Rice Pilaf (using oil instead of butter), Roasted Carrots and Rutabagas, Fruit Plate
• Monday - Feast of Saint Lucy
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Salsa, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Sliced Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Finish Baked Fish and Vegetables, Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream (Cashew Cream for Jerome), Fruit Plate
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Labneh on Toast with Peppers and Olive Oil (Gluten and Dairy-free for Jerome), Chopped Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Potato and Poblano Stew (modified for Jerome - no cilantro/coriander, and queso on the side), Fried Tortilla Strips, Mandarin Oranges
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chick Peas with Onions and Peppers, Toast, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Fried Cauliflower with Parsley and Pine Nuts*, Taratoor and Toum* Sauce (only the Toum for Jerome), Vegetarian Rouz Bukhari, Oranges
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Yogurt and Jam with Toast (Dairy-free Yogurt and Grain Free Granola for Jerome), Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Vegetable Fried Rice, Oranges
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Mexican Style Walnut "Ground Meat" over Salsa Rice, Oranges
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos with Salsa, Fruit Plate, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Puerto Rican Beans and Rice, Oranges

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 6:46 AM 0 comments

This recipe is somewhat out of season, but we still have green tomatoes ripening in our cold room and tons of peppers in our fridge and freezers. The tomatoes you want for this very simple side dish need to be firm ripe. They will still taste wonderful if they are softer, but they will kind of collapse or get more mushy.

olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
2 hot peppers, either whole or sliced (depending on how spicy you want the oil to be)
6 medium tomatoes, cut in half across the equator
salt, to taste
sumac, to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet with high sides, place the garlic in the oil to infuse it, then the hot peppers, then the tomatoes, cut side down. Increase heat to medium-high.

Cook about five minutes, turn tomatoes over and cook another five minutes, turn them over again to caramelize the edges. Season with salt and a little sumac. That is it! This is so simple, and it is really delicious. You can serve it as a side dish with meats, fish, vegetarian dishes, or just eat it as a lunch on its own.

Labels: Frugality, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 5:17 AM 0 comments

This illness has really set me back and I am behind on just about everything. Technically, I am recovered, but the exhaustion and the cough are hanging around a bit too long. I am able to knit most days, now, but not everyday, and not that long when I do. So, I am making progress on Imbat, but there is no way the pattern will be ready for beta this month. Not without a miracle. Or maybe on the last day of the month. IN have about six inches to go on the back, the sleeves, and the neckline to finish. My inability to work as hard or produce like I was able before is a huge frustration for me now, and I am trying to reconcile myself to iit. My Gift A Long project is also delayed, and I am working on a surprise Christmas gift, that I am hoping will be finished in time.

However, we were able to begin knit night again, and that made me really happy. I am hoping we can figure out a day to have our Christmas party, too. It really means a lot to have a night that I can sit and knit and talk with friends and all of us work on our projects together. These ladies are such a boost to my spirits and I really appreciate that we can share challenges and successes, not just in our crafting, and pray and care for each other.

We are slowly reading our way through Rainbow Valley, still. If I talk too much, I start to cough again. My copy of Desert Queen gets picked up here and there, but I've been tired enough that it is only a page at a time.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program, so the book links you see here have the potential to net me a few pennies a month.

Labels: Books, Design, Giftalong, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Knitting, Tales from the Kitchen, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:28 PM 0 comments

How is your Advent going? Ours is speeding past! With my illness and the exhaustion, I am very far behind my normal schedule for Christmas preparations, but Jesus will be Incarnate whether I have presents out in time or all the food is made or not. Also, as an aside, usually the second week of Advent is designated for love, and the last for peace, so I don't know what is going on in this picture.

Amira and Yasmina were in our town's Agricultural Christmas Parade on Friday, and had a blast. Unfortunately, during or before the parade, Amira's wallet, with her license, a little money, and her ATM card in it, among her personal items, was lost/taken. We are hoping someone found it and will return it. Just the value of not having to have to replace her driver's license will be huge (it's about $100 to replace a stolen or missing one here) at this time of year, and now Rich or I have to drive the girls back and forth to ballet and Amira to and from work until we can get her license returned or replaced. Please pray that it shows up soon, or is returned.

Meal planning has become so much easier now that Jerome can have egg! He is working on re-introducing chocolate, so he can have it at Christmas. So far, no bad reactions. Please continue to pray for him, that his skin has some relief and that he has no bad reactions with the foods coming back into his diet. Next week, we have another Nutcracker run, so pray for our endurance, as well, please.

Again, we are a little more relaxed about the fast during Advent, so if you are looking for the strictest meal plans, I will not be as helpful to you. However, we are keeping the strict fast on Wednesdays and Fridays and are doing as much without dairy and egg and fish as we can, with some leeway for our kids (and, this year, for me, too, as I recover), even as we have meat on Sundays (mostly for economia, as we usually provide a shared meal at church with folks who do not necessarily all keep the fast).

• Sunday - Second Sunday of Advent
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Sausages, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pasta (Gluten-free for Jerome) and the Best Meat Sauce Ever with Eggplant, Garlic Bread, Fruit Plate
• Monday - Feast of Saint Nicholas
  Breakfast: Initial Cookies for St. Nicholas' Day (Gluten and Dairy-free for Jerome), Chocolate, Nuts, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Samak fil Furn (Baked White Fish), Simple Rice Pilaf, Shredded Cabbage and Carrot Slaw with Cumin Lime Dressing, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday - Feast of Saint Ambrose
  Breakfast: Battatas ou Bayd, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Garlic Lemon Shrimp with Parsley, Pasta (Gluten-free for Jerome), Fruit Plate
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos (Gluten-free tortillas for Jerome) with Salsa, Fruit Plate, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Zaalouk, Rice, Marinated Peppers and Onions, Mandarin Oranges
• Thursday - Feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  Breakfast: Labneh on Toast with Peppers and Olive Oil, Wild Za'atar Stuffed Green Olives, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Vegetable Fried Rice, Oranges
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers, Rice, Salatat Zeitoun, Mandarin Oranges
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pancakes (Fluffy Gluten-Free and Vegan Peanut Butter Pancakess for Jerome) with Raspberry Syrup, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Black Bean Quesadillas, Salsa Rice, Fruit Plate

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 7:18 AM 0 comments