Sunday, May 28, 2023
Menu Plan: Pentecost Week
Alleluia! The Spirit of the Lord fills the world! Oh come, let us adore Him. Alleluia!
This is the second highest feast of the Church year, the birthday of the Church, herself. It is the undoing of Babel, the empowering by the Holy Spirit of the Apostles to spread the Church throughout the world to every people, tribe, tongue and nation, and the first glimmer of the Holy City that is to come. On Pentecost, the first law was given, and on the new Pentecost, the lasting law was given. Glory to God!
Our Tongues of Flame barbecue was wonderful, and we had a lot of fun. I didn't have the energy to make a fancy Pentecost cake, so I decorated strawberry shortcake with 12 strawberry halves for the Apostles and one whole one for Jesus. We had the grill going and wine flowing, wonderful conversation and beautiful weather. It was also our town's spring celebration, so we enjoyed some concerts this weekend, too. Rich has been finishing up much of the planting in the garden, and we are hoping again for a good year of growth.
This is a fast free week, and we are planning to enjoy that to the fullest. I had been planning on making some ice cream for Monday, but we have so much cake left over, that we are eating that. Speaking of cake, the pistachio cake was excellent, but just had too much going on in it. I may try it again, but with some simplifications. Rich said that the recipe read like someone was trying to make a "Middle Eastern" style cake and just thought of random ingredients that were eaten in the Middle East, and threw them into the cake. We also picked up our first asparagus order of the year, and are eating loads of asparagus this week. When we get our next load, we will work on making more pickles.
We are heading into the last weeks of school work, the last events of the school year, and it is busy. Graduation parties, dress rehearsals, all of that is going on, plus preparations for the airshow. Please keep us in your prayers.
- Sunday - Pentecost
Breakfast: Fried Eggs and Bacon, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Tongues of Flame Barbecue - Dejaj Meshwi, Bratwursts with Sauerkraut* and Grilled Onions, Hot Dogs with Green Tomato Dill Relish, Texas Twinkies, Grilled Asparagus, Strawberry Shortcake, Apple-Cream Cheese Bars, Wine - Monday
Breakfast: Leftovers, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: DeFrisco's Chicken Sandwiches, Grilled Asparagus, Leftover Cakes and Custard, Cherry Ciapirissima* - Tuesday
Breakfast: Crème Brûlée French Toast, Bacon, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus, Fruit/Side Dishes/Dessert brought by Bible Study members - Wednesday
Breakfast: Soft Boiled Eggs with Asparagus and Bacon, Sliced Oranges, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Ham and Asparagus Strata, Fruit Plate - Thursday - Feast of Saint Justin Martyr
Breakfast: Sausage, Potato and Vegetable Hash, Fruit, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Chicken Dijon, Herbed Rice Pilaf, Salad, Fruit - Friday
Breakfast: Yogurt and Jam, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Lamb Chops, Persian Chopped Salad, Arabic Style Rice Pilaf - Saturday
Breakfast: Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Tea Cake to break the fast after Liturgy
Dinner: Beef and Broccoli, Jasmine Rice, Lemon Pudding Cakes*
Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Pentecost, Tales from the Kitchen
Saturday, May 27, 2023
Recipe Round Up: Key Lime Pie and Sesame Green Beans
The hardest parts about making this pie are getting ahold of Key limes, and zesting and juicing all those little marbles (you will want to zest the Key limes first, then juice them). Everything else is pretty simple. I make a couple kinds of crusts with this pie, either a macadamia crust or a chocolate crust. Either is delicious, and both are simple to make, especially if you have a food processor. The trick to this pie is to bake it for much less time than you think, and then to let it sit in the turned off oven for the remaining time that you would have baked it. This results in a smooth, crack free, and perfectly custardy pie. Oh, there is one more difficult part in making this pie - waiting for it to cool so you can eat it!
1 1/4 cup Nabisco's Best chocolate cookie crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 14 ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Key lime juice
grated Key lime zest for garnish
lightly sweetened whipped cream for garnish
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Combine crumbs, sugar and butter. I do this all in my food processor, first pulsing to grind up the cookies, then adding the sugar and melted butter. Press crumbs into bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
Combine sweetened condensed milk, sour cream and key lime juice. Stir until smooth. Pour into pie pan. Bake for 12 minutes at 350˚F, until tiny bubbles form on the surface. Turn off oven and let pie sit in closed oven for 25 minutes – do not allow to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Chill at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and lime zest.
These green beans are supposed to approximate the kind you can get at a Chinese buffet. They are tasty, I know what goes in them, and they are relatively quick to make.
1 1/2 pounds green beans (fresh or frozen - I often use the 24 ounce package of Trader Joe's haricots verts)
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 cup slivered almonds
10 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
Heat oil over medium high heat in large pan. Saute green beans and nuts and toss briefly. Add garlic and continue to saute. Pour in soy sauce and sugar and stir until soy sauce reduces and sugar dissolves. Sprinkle with pepper and toss to mix.
Remove from heat and toss in sesame seeds. Serve.
Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen
Sunday, May 21, 2023
Menu Plan: May 21 - 27 (Ascension Octave and Novena to the Holy Spirit)
Christ has Ascended! From Earth to Heaven! Alleluia!
We are within the Octave of Ascension for most of this week, and are praying the Novena to the Holy Spirit through this Saturday. We are near the end of the entire Paschal season. There is a sadness that comes with that, but we get to celebrate the second highest feast of the Church year, as well. Pentecost is the commissioning of the Church; it is her birthday, and without that authority and power, we could not live. Glory to God!
The weather is cooling down into the 70s and low 80s this week, which is great. We weren't quite ready for the 90s yet. It's easier when it is a slower build up to those temperatures. I didn't mind it so much, but it's hard on a lot of people. It's still warm enough for salads and lighter meals, but not so hot that cooking seems oppressive. The hottest day so far this year was yesterday, and it was such a busy day for us, with big errands, a memorial and reception for a neighbor, our monthly dance, and that was all after the homeschool formal and a birthday sleepover. We were kind of exhausted today.
We have nearly a month of school and extracurricular activities, plus an airshow right in the middle of it all and a ballet recital at the end. The homeschool formal dance went well, and it is another of our last of the school year events that we have checked off the list. We will be glad to have some more rest this summer.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs and Leftovers, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Greek and Italian Cold Cut Flat Breads with Vegetables and Olives, Fruit Plate - Monday
Breakfast: Toast, Arabic Cheese with Za’atar and Olive Oil, Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Spicy Garlic Ginger Pork, Sesame Green Beans*, Jasmine Rice, Fruit - Tuesday
Breakfast: Scrambled Egg and Cheese Burritos, Salsa and Sour Cream, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Green Chicken Enchilada Soup, Fried Tortilla Strips, Cuban Lime Shortbread - Wednesday
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oatmeal with Chopped Apples, Raisins and Brown Sugar, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Balkan Ratatouille, Rice, Croatian Style Marinated Cucumbers, Fruit - Thursday
Breakfast: Migas, Salsa, Sliced Avocados, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Cheese Zombies, Crudités, Fruit Plate - Friday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Monk's Salad, Olive Tapenade, Tamis, Koulourakia - Saturday - Feast of Saint Bede the Venerable
Breakfast: Prosciutto and Gruyère Scones, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Turkish Lamb Wraps, Grilled Asparagus, Pistachio Cream Cake
Labels: Ascension, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fesah', Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Pascha, Tales from the Kitchen
Sunday, May 14, 2023
Menu Plan: May 14 - 20
Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
Christ has Ascended! From Earth to Heaven! Alleluia!
It is the slow down of the Paschal season this week. We have Rogation Days, Ascension Day is Thursday. The novena to the Holy Spirit begins on Friday, and we will wait and pray with the Apostles and disciples, for His coming on Pentecost. On top of that, there is Mother's Day today and Nejat's birthday this week. It's a full week. Tehnically there is some small abstinence this week, for the Rogation Days, and we begin the return to the normal abstinent schedule Friday.
The folks at church are generously making the meal tonight, which is a huge blessing to me. Since I won't have to cook, I think I will bring the poundcake that I didn't make last night to share with everyone there. It looks like we will have our Ascension Day picnic, though it is a challenge to find a high spot to have it and fly our kites.
We will get our first local asparagus next week, which will be fantastic. I'm looking forward to all sorts of asparagus dishes, and replenishing our asparagus pickles. We are still eating winter citrus and storage apples, but were able to get some good deals on berries and have our home canned fruit, so we can still have a little variety.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Dutch Baby with Limoncello Butter and Berries, Chorizo, Egg and Potato Hash, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Hamburger Stew, Salad, Bread, Cold Oven Pound Cake - Monday - Rogation Day
Breakfast: 'Ijja, Toast, Mixed Berries, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Potage Parmentier, Bread, Fruit Plate - Tuesday - Rogation Day
Breakfast: Overnight Peaches and Cream French Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Macaroni and Cheese, Spice Market Carrot Cake - Wednesday - Rogation Day
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Raisins and Cinnamon, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Instant Pot Mixed Lentil and Vegetable Khichdi, Basmati Rice, Fruit Plate - Thursday - Ascension Day
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Chicken Thighs with Cauliflower and Capers, Pan Fried Potatoes, Rhubarb Curd with Chantilly Cream - Friday - Feast of Saint Dunstan of Canterbury
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Carrot Cupcakes - Saturday - Feast of Saint Alcuin
Breakfast: Lemon Soufflé Pancakes, Bacon, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Instant Pot Chicken Adobo, Burnt Garlic Fried Rice, Cherry Gelato and Blueberry Cheesecake Gelato
Labels: Ascension, Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fesah', Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Pascha, Tales from the Kitchen
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Craft On: Finished!!!
Yathrib is finished, and I love it! I'm finishing the pattern writing to send it to my tech editor, and then I will be able to put it out for beta knitting. Are you interested? I'm starting the second sweater in this collection this week, too. With my friend making two samples for me, I am breathing a little more easily. It means that there is only the other mitt to make of a set of colorwork mitts after the sweater.
I've finished the Togetherness Cowl (found on Ravelry right now, but it may become available on her PayHip store, as well), but still need to get final photography finished on it. Besides that, I am making good progress on Amelia's baptismal gown. If I have a chance, I will make a matching set of booties, but have to give up my desire to make her a baptismal cap, because she hates hats of all kinds. Which is a shame, since I had already made her three of them.
I finished another happy, little murder and I'm almost finished with a book I've been wanting to read for a while - How Does It Feel to Be a Problem. It rings quite true to my own experience and I wish more westerners, especially Americans, understood these kinds of stories. One of the things I especially appreciate about this book is that the editor uses traditional Arabic idiom in the English text. To me, they read familiarly, but I imagine they will cause the average American reader to pause a moment. While the stories in the book focus on Muslim Arab-Americans, the editor does acknowledge that most Arab-Americans are Christian. I do wish he had spent some more time on that. Our friends' experience at their church in the Bay Area is not uncommon, though not often so extreme.
Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.
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Labels: Books, Design, FOs, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along
Sunday, May 07, 2023
Menu Plan: May 7 - 13
Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
Spring is officially here, though we did have a few cooler days in between the spike in temperature last week and the gradual heat that looks to be coming this week. Flowers are blooming, our maple tree leafed out almost overnight, and it is the best time of year for this part of our state. May through July is really the only time I love it here. Everything is alive, and in June and July fruits and vegetables begin to be available. Usually, there isn't much fire activity during this time, either.
Anyway, aside from needing those quick meals, we are still actively trying to excavate our freezers and make room for lambs, turkeys, and other meat from butchering. So, we are trying to eat from the freezer and pantry until there is sufficient room. We will eventually also need room for that produce I mentioned above.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Egg and Cheese Bagel Sandwiches, Strawberries, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Slow Cooker Cuban Mojo Pork, Moros y Cristianos, Ensalada Cubano, Key Lime Pie and Cuban Lime Sugar Cookies - Monday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Cheese, Toast, Sliced Oranges, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Chile Verde Burritos, Salsa Rice, Fruit Plate - Tuesday - Feast of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus
Breakfast: Potato Hash with Bacon, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Tomato Tuna Stew, Bread, Fruit Plate - Wednesday
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Raisins and Cinnamon, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Tomato Dal, Basmati Rice, Salad, Fruit - Thursday - Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius
Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Spanish Chorizo and Lentil Soup, Italian Bread, Salad - Friday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Adriatic Style Grilled Shrimp, Eggplant, Potato and Tomato Bake, Soparnik, Fruit Bowl - Saturday
Breakfast: Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Tea Cake to break the fast after Liturgy
Dinner: Lemon Garlic Scallops with White Wine and Olive Oil, Parsleyed Rice Pilaf, Green Salad, Cold Oven Pound Cake
Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fesah', Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Pascha, Tales from the Kitchen
