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*

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