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

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