Before this year, this week would have been the last week of birthday season in our family, but not now! Amelia may make her appearance in the last week of October, or first week of November, and we are so excited! Alexander's birthday is this week and, while this isn't his first birthday since moving out of our house, it is his first married birthday, so his wife is putting on a party for him that we get to attend.

Our shared family calendar went wacky this past week, which made mealtime more exciting for our boys who were doing the lion's share of cooking while Rich and I were away at a work conference in Jackson, WY. So there are a couple repeats this week, I think. The kids did the fun cooking with the dragon bread for Michaelmas without us, but it sounds like it went well. We were planning on bringing dinner for church tonight, but one of the families very kindly asked if they could bring food so I didn't have to cook on my first full day back from our trip. Our church family is so good to us.

Bananas look like a no go for Jerome. In fact, I'm thinking that we may have to put off the final tests on foods for another week or two to give his skin a break. We have wheat/gluten/gliadin to go, then a few quick tests of foods he just doesn't eat that much, anyway, so we are going to give each a week or two just to see if he reacts or not for the oysters, macadamia nuts, chestnuts, and GMO corn. We're almost there, but it is still at least two more months. If he can get gluten and such back, though, that will be huge. If we have to avoid oysters, that would be a pain, but the rest are really not used in our cooking much of the time and will be easy to avoid.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Cottage Cheese and Pear Blackberry Parfaits, Coffee and Tea
  Dinner: Bratwurst and Beans, Rice, Salad, Oranges
• Monday
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Peaches and Cream, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Papas con Chorizo with Sliced Avocados, Salsa and Sour Cream, Sliced Melons
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Ful, Bread (Gluten-free for Jerome), Sah’awiq, Grapes, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Corn Chowder with Chard, Bacon and Dill, Tortilla Chips, Sliced Melons
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Onions, Roasted Peppers and Garlic, Plums, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Instant Pot Turkish Split Pea Soup, Tamis (Gluten-free Crackers for Jerome), Peaches
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Sweet Potato, Pepper, Onion and Egg Burritos (Gluten-free for Jerome), Sliced Pears, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Eggplant and Tomato Gratin, Broiled Italian Sausages, Sliced Peaches
• Friday
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Rice Noodle Stir Fry with Shrimp and Vegetables, Salad with Sesame Citrus Dressing, Pears
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Creamed Eggs with Chorizo Patties, Peaches, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Waraq 'Ounab (using this filling with grape leaves), Shatta, Rice, Pears

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