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

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, 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