Blessed fast! This is the first week of Advent, the New Year of the Western Church. The West's fast is more lenient and shorter than the East's. Our family is currently walking the line between those. We also eased into it more than normal this year, because we had some sick kids, and so kept foods around that we wouldn't normally have out, for their benefit. Usually, as a matter of not wasting food, we do eat meat on the first Sunday of Advent, and then put it all away, also. Our general rule is close to the Orthodox, but we will relax more for Saints Barbara and Nicholas, including egg and dairy those days, and on weekends, except for the final week of Advent. We will be avoiding meat, fish (except on weekends and Saint Nicholas), eggs and dairy (with the exceptions I mentioned already), wine and olive oil on most weekdays. Shellfish is always permitted, and we have some in our freezer, but Yasmina really doesn't care for shrimp, so it will be minimal on our menus. I share this with you as an encouragement. We strive within our strength, and our family situation. We have discussed how to handle this with our priests and our local priests, and are considering also the parish we are part of that doesn't generally follow the fast as much. Fasting and abstinence are such good tools that God gives us through the Church, and I encourage you to try to fast with the Church. It is not as useful to pick and choose, but rather to strive for your church's rule with such accomodations as necessary for health, age, and situation. Talk to your priest. If you don't have a priest, find one and talk to him.

As for the feast we just celebrated, our Thanksgiving meal went well, and we ended up with 23 pies! Since our Saturday liturgies are with the Orthodox, we brought a mackerel paté to church for the breaking of the fast at coffee hour, and it was really well received. Quick and easy to make, too.

The only real disaster last week was that my over 40 page inventory of all our food and drink somehow has been lost. We are still keeping an eye out for it, but are taking this opportunity to thank God in all circumstances and trust that He will make something better from this ill. So, we are re-inventorying over Advent, too. Our sheets weren't perfectly accurate after three years, so this gives us a better chance to true them up, and it also will allow me to do most of our menu planning, barring fresh produce and dairy, from our freezers and pantry over the New Year, probably for a good several months, until local produce is available again. In fact, we found that we still had a couple boxes of Jerome's non-dairy butter from before, in the freezer, and we can use it during Advent, so that is a blessing for us.

The weather has been so cold and miserable. We finally had our first real snow, after several instances of light flurries. Unfortunately, the cold and dryness has caused Jerome's skin to really erupt, so we are going to postpone his gluten and wheat re-introduction until he stabilizes a bit. Please pray for his health, and for all of us.

• Sunday - First Sunday of Advent
  Breakfast: Bacon and Fried Eggs, Leftover Pies, Milk, Coffee and Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Leftover Casserole, Pies
• Monday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Potato and Vegetable Hash Burritos, Salad, Pears
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Fried Tomatoes and Olives on Toast (no toast for Jerome), Smoked Oysters, Mandarin Oranges, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Black Bean Enfrijoladas, Cuban Rice, Oranges
• Wednesday - Saint Andrew the First Called
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Onions and Roasted Peppers, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Mejeddarah with Crisp Onions (made with safflower oil), Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Ful, Harissa, Olives and Roasted Veggies, Mandarin Oranges, Coffee, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Cajun Sweet Potato and Shellfish Chowder, Crackers (Gluten-free for Jerome), Fruit Plate
• Friday
  Breakfast: Toasted Crumpets with Peanut Butter and Honey (Gluten-free for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Falafel Plate with Yellow Rice, Harissa, Taratoor, Veggie and Olive Plate, Dates
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Baked Oatmeal with Chopped Apples and Walnuts, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Croatian Dill Soup, Crackers (Gluten-free for Jerome), Fruit Plate

Labels: Advent, Church Year, Family, Fasting as a Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 1:59 PM 0 comments

This year, I am part of the Independent Designer Gift A Long on Ravelry again, and it is he 10th anniversary to boot! It is a lot of fun and I have a project on needles from another designer that is really working out well and is cleverly designed. If you aren't able to participate on Ravelry, there are challenges and contests and ways to share your projects on Instagram as well. I have a sale bundle of 20 patterns available on both Ravelry and PayHip. Through the end of the day, EST, November 28, 2022, you can use the coupon code giftalong2022 to get any or all of those patterns for 25% off.

Between Thanksgiving and the GAL, I have done hardly any reading this past week, unfortunately.

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.

Labels: Books, Design, Giftalong, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Grandbaby, Homemaking, Knitting, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:45 PM 0 comments

Blessed feast! Today we remember that Christ is King as the Church year ends. It is another Western, relatively new, feast that we love. Even the older liturgical calendars emphasize His kingship on this day, so it is really a celebration of what was already remembered. It turns out this is the day to make your Christmas cake or pudding, too. Because the collect begins with "Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord," and continues with "that they plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded," it serves both as a spiritual reminder and a fun one for Christmas preparations. They are plenteously rewarded when Christmas Day comes and their cake or pudding is ready. So, I have three pounds of dried fruit and candied orange peel soaking in brandy to make our cake Tuesday.

This past week we realized that we needed to do more garbage management, to clear our fridge and use what we had to make room for all the Thanksgiving dishes. So, some meals planned last week were moved to after Advent, and we made other things to eat. We did make the pasta Trapanese, and it was so delicious! It will definitely be making its way into our Advent menus; probably more than once.

Jerome is almost to trying gluten and wheat, and we are excited that by the first week of January, it looks like he will have almost all the foods back that he has been without for nearly two years. Our list of no-nos is short: Lima beans and bananas. We are praying that gluten/wheat goes well, because he misses real bread and pastries.

Our Thanksgiving includes Amelia, Alexander and Autumn's neighbor, a couple from our church, and a family we love who are traveling to visit us. This means 22 pies this year, but I think I will make some of them on the mini-scale in ramekins. The hors-d'ouevres and bread stuffing are coming with guests, as well as Martinelli's. I'm not sure what else will be coming. The recipes from last week and this week will probably be shared next week. We are a bit more lax about the Advent fast over Thanksgiving, both as a special dispensation here in the US, and as an accommodation to our friends and family who are not keeping the fast with us. So next week will start with a non-fasting day, then move into the fast. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

• Sunday - Feast of Christ the King
  Breakfast: Sausage, Egg and Cheese Croissants (Gluten-free Wraps for Jerome) with Avocado and Tomato, Coffee and Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Chili, Baked Potatoes, Sour Cream, Salsa, Chopped Jalapeños and Onions, Corn Chips, Fruit Plate
• Monday - Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple
  Breakfast: Labneh on Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Sliced Tomatoes, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes and Cream Sauce, Rice, Salad, Grapes
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Cereal and Milk, Pineapple Chunks, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Hobbit Dinner (Smoked Sausage, Potato, Carrot, Sauerkraut and Onion Skillet), Roasted Squash, Sliced Pears
• Wednesday - Saint Clement of Rome
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Peach Butter, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Super Quick Tomato Basil Creamy Pasta (Gluten-free for Jerome), Marinated Cucumbers and Spring Onions, Pineapple Chunks
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Farmer Casserole, Blintz Casserole with Raspberry Preserves and Sour Cream, Mandarin Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Deviled Eggs, Relish Tray, Herb Roasted Turkey, Bourbon Gravy (Some Gluten-free), Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Horseradish Relish, Sweet Potato Rolls (1 batch Gluten-free), Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans, Wild Rice Dressing, Bread Stuffing with Chestnuts, Fried Peppers and Corn, Pumpkin Pies (1 Gluten-Free), Cranberry Cherry Pies (1 Gluten-free), Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pies, Apple Pies, Pear Pie, Maple Custard Pies (1 Gluten-free), Nantucket Cranberry Pies, Prosecco, Red Wine, Martinelli's Sparkling Cider, Mexican Coca-Colas
• Friday - Saint Catherine the Great (of Alexandria)
  Breakfast: Pies, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Turkey Sandwiches with Chipotle Mayonnaise and Celery Seed Dressing, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Potluck after Liturgy
  Dinner: King Ranch Turkey (Gluten-free for Jerome), Salad, Leftover Desserts

Labels: Christ the King, Church Year, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Homesteading, Keeping the Feast, Menu Plans, Name Day, Tales from the Kitchen, Thanksgiving

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 1:45 PM 0 comments

I cannot believe we are almost at the end of the Church year! Next Sunday is the feast of Christ the King, and then we commence with Advent and the Church's New Year.

We're in the run up to Thanksgiving, and I have been making turkey stock to have extra gravy. This also means that the Advent fast is coming soon. We try to follow the Antiochian guidelines for the fast, but as we are western, we still don't begin until after Thanksgiving, though not perfectly. We serve people who aren't necessarily keeping the fast on Sundays, so we make some allowances for that.

I think we are almost finished with all of our boxes of tomatoes, actually. We have put up salsa, green tomato relish*, green tomato chutney*, and I was basically having the kids eat tomatoes with each meal. We are down to less than half a box of tomatoes now, some ripe and some green. We should be finished with those tomatoes by the end of this week, I think. Our breakfast today probably sounds weird, but it was kind of a catch up brunchy meal. We had some lamb tongue and heart that needed to be cooked, so we slow cooked it overnight, and we had leftover pastries, and the kids wanted to eat the meat, so we just did that and ate it all.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Leftover Pastries and Lamb, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Macarona bi Béchamel, Cabbage Salad with Cumin Dressing, Cake and Gluten-free Cookies
• Monday
  Breakfast: Bacon Vegetable Hash Burritos, Sliced Pears, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Instant Pot Moroccan Chicken, Rice, Mascarpone Berry Cake (along with a Gluten-free version for Jerome)
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Pineapple Cubes, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Arabic Beef and Vegetable Soup, Tamis (Gluten-free Bread for Jerome), Harissa, Mixed Berries
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Onions and Peppers, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Pasta Trapanese, Carrot and Chickpea Salad, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Chopped Apples, Raisins and Cinnamon, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Hot Dogs, Home Fries, Pineapple Chunks
• Friday
  Breakfast: Tomato Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Chopped Olives and Za'atar, Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Pasta (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Tomato and Eggplant Sauce, Salad, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pancakes and Fluffy Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Pancakes with Raspberry Syrup, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Kofta bil Bayd, Rice, Loubiyeh bi Zeit, Roasted Winter Squash, Harissa, Fruit Plate

Labels: Church Year, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:43 PM 0 comments

So Mozarab is not only finished with the rights returned to me, but I finally had a chance to get my own photography done so I could release the pattern. I'm still hoping to get a photo of me in mine and Amelia in hers, but that will have to wait at least until the new year, because her little head is just too small. You can find this pattern on PayHip, LoveCrafts, and Ravelry. It is still on KnitPicks, through their Independent Designer Program, as well. If you use the coupon code, MozarabHatReturn to receive 50% off the headband pattern on Ravelry. This code is valid through the end of the day PST November 16, 2022. My PayHip store also has this offer, but will automatically prompt you to purchase the headband at 50% off when you put the hat pattern in your cart.

Since this is off my plate, I have had a little more time to work on Amelia's baptismal gown and get closer to finishing Yathrib. More photos from both of those next week.

We are working our way through Further Chronicles of Avonlea at a leisurely pace, but it is fun and the kids are enjoying it with me. I'm hoping to have The Diary of a Country Priest by the end of this month, but I almost think it will take me getting sick and having to stay in bed for a while before that really happens.

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.

Labels: Books, Design, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Grandbaby, Homemaking, Knitting, Prayer Requests, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:51 PM 0 comments

Our neighborhood harvest dinner was fantastic, as was the co-op potluck. There were things we missed, and I'm hoping we get everything more streamlined next time, but overall we had successful events both times. I'm hoping it isn't too cold to do our Martinmas lantern walk this Friday.

Winter has descended with a vengeance. However, I am glad we got our stolen hour back, and I keep praying that we end the practice of Daylight Savings, and never leave Standard time again. Maybe this next year? If I could sleep through all of November, I would. I'd wake up for the week of Thanksgiving, then go back into hibernation through the third week of Advent, then go back to sleep after the Theophany, and wake for Valentine's Day and sleep until Spring. It is so cold and we have months and months of this to come. I want to move to Croatia.

Thanksgiving is coming, though, and I do love it. It is what makes November tolerable. We have a ton of apples and pears, so we are eating those a lot. We are blessed to have our freezers pretty full, so I am actually only shopping for fresh produce and dairy, and looking for hams, our Christmas roast beef, and ground lamb. Everything else, we are pretty well stocked with and though I will still browse the used meat and seafood bins for bargains, it will have to be pretty good to tempt me now. Glory to God Who takes care of big families!

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Baked Oatmeal with Chopped Apples and Walnuts, Grapes, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Lamb Haneeth, Rice, Salad, Cake and Cookies
• Monday
  Breakfast: Bacon Vegetable Hash Burritos, Cottage Cheese, Sliced Pears, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chopped Sirloin "Steaks" over Sourdough Croutons (Gluten-free Toast for Jerome) with Fried Eggs and Green Peppercorn Sauce, Cabbage Salad, Sliced Melon
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes and Cream Sauce, Rice, Cabbage Salad, Election Cake
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Cuban Black Bean Breakfast Burritos, Diced Pineapple, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Zaalouk, Tamis (Gluten-free Bread for Jerome), Cabbage Salad with Cumin Dressing, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Chopped Apples, Raisins and Cinnamon, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Corned Beef, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Steam Sautéed Carrots with Garlic and Dill, Fruit
• Friday - Feast of Saint Martin
  Breakfast: St. Martin's Day Almond Crescents (somehow gluten-free for Jerome), Sliced Pears, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Falafel Plate with Yellow Rice, Duqqus, Taratoor, Veggie and Olive Plate, Dates
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Potluck After Liturgy
  Dinner: H'ashweh, Harissa, Taratoor, Cabbage, Carrot and Onion Slaw with Cumin, Fruit Plate

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 6:57 AM 0 comments

This is basically the method I use for canning peaches and other fruit, but with a couple extra steps. Peeling pears is more laborious and takes longer, so I also put them in a bowl of cold water with the juice of a lemon in it to keep the pears from discoloring too much as we prepare them. Most of us like these pears spiced, but Rich doesn't like it as well as plain, so we do one canner load without the spices and one with them. To make it without the spices, just don't add them to the syrup. Or if some of the spices aren't to your liking, leave those out or use others. You are really just infusing the syrup with the spice. I have sometimes made vanilla pears by putting leftover bits of vanilla pod in the syrup. I don't really know how many jars this makes, because I tend to make more syrup if we run out or store syrup in the fridge if we have too much. I think this makes about 7 - 8 quart jars.

Spiced Syrup:
2 cups sugar
8 cups water
4 cardamom pods
4 1/4-inch slices of fresh ginger or 4 small pieces of candied ginger
2 whole cloves
1 large stick cinnamon
1 small piece of nutmeg (this is a good use for the little nub you have leftover after grating for other recipes)
1 teaspoon dried orange peel

15 - 20 pounds of pears, peeled, halved, and cored, and set in a large bowl of cold water with the juice of a lemon

Make syrup in a large stock pot by bringing the sugar, water and spices to a boil and boiling for 2 minutes, then removing from the heat.

Pack hot, sterilized quart jars tightly with the pear halves. Then add a few more than you thought would fit. They always seem to float a little, no matter how tightly we pack them. Ladle in the hot syrup, leaving 1/2" headspace in the jars. Using a thin knife, or skewer, poke down through the jars to release air bubbles. Wipe rims and cover with new lids. Screw on rings to finger tightness, not too tightly, just enough to keep the lids on before they are sealed.

Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Cool upright, remove rings and check seals, and store without the rings.

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 1:03 PM 0 comments

We have had such a busy time lately! So, you are getting our menu plan when we have eaten more than half of it.

Our neighborhood harvest dinner is this week, as is our co-op potluck, so we have a lot of outings and busy-ness. We also had three major commemorations this week, and just a lot happening with the family.

Two of our kids are out of town visiting friends, which has simultaneously made life more simple and more complicated (and also more quiet). I cooked a dinner using only a single recipe, with no doubling or anything, and had leftovers! We actually ate leftovers a lot this week, because I was still making enough for nine, and we only had seven, and the smaller of those seven, to boot. Please pray for our whole family, we've had some colds and other things come up this week. The hard freezes have arrived, also, later than normal, but hard as ever.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Toast (Gluten-free Biscuits for Jerome), Apple Cider Doughnuts and Gluten-free Apple Fritters with Apple Cider Glaze, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken Casserole à la Normande, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Raspberry Custard Pie with Hazelnut Crust (and made with tapioca starch)
• Monday - Vigil of All Hallows' Eve
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Leftovers, Fruit
• Tuesday - Feast of All Saints
  Breakfast: Tomato Toast with Za’atar and Olive Oil (Grain-free Granola and Coconut Milk for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Brudet (Croatian Seafood Stew), Ciabatta Rolls (Rosemary Almond Crackers for Jerome), Grapes
• Wednesday - Memorial of All Souls
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpea Wraps, Grapes, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Squash Soup with Lenten Pesto, Pepitas, Sliced Apples
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Excess Diced Apple Filling and Cider Glaze, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Korean Beef, Jasmine Rice, Stir Fried Garlic Chile Eggplant, Sliced Apples
• Friday
  Breakfast: Granola Bars, Pears, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Leftovers, Banadora Maghlieh, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Chorizo Nacho Breakfast, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Hatch Chile Sausage and Bean Cassoulet, Indian Summer Gratin, Pear Almond Custard Pie

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 12:20 PM 0 comments