We are in ordinary time. This is not the same as boring or plain time, it is the time that follows in order. It is daily time. It is where most of Christianity is lived. Not in the fasts and feasts, though we still have the pattern of them in each week, but in the quotidian. It is here that we are tested, and here that we are proved.

It seems fitting that we are now finished with most of our excitement for the summer and will be living our lives at work and home in the daily tasks of our necessities. Perhaps I am philophizing too much. However, it does seem to signify a little.

Since Rich and I love Croatia so much, I planned a Croatian dinner in honor of her Independence Day today. It was supposed to be a more elaborate meal, but I always underestimate how tired I will be after recital weekend, so I scaled back. Fortunately, a lady from church is making a salad, and we have cookies left over from the recital bake sale to share for dessert. We had a small trip planned early this week, but, thank God, it was cancelled. It has been so busy and exhausting lately, that even though it would have been fun to take the trip, I am a bit relieved. Except for a short trip with some of the kids, and Independence Day, we actually don't have a lot of excitement planned for the summer, and I am glad of it. We can rest, read and enjoy the summer without running around all the time. There is only one thing we are missing that we will actually miss, but it was kind of unavoidable.

It is heating up again, so we are doing as little with the oven and as much with the grill and with cold meals as possible this week. Most things that need the oven will be done earlier in the day, and we are making good use of slow and pressure cookers. Because we have a little time on our hands, I am going to try to turn some of the cherry juice in our freezer into cherry jelly. That way, we clear some room in the freezer, and make something delicious for the fall and winter. If I have enough of the juice, I might make some cherry syrup for waffles and pancakes, too. Our red currants are starting to ripen, so I am thinking about making red currant jelly, also. Our stock bags are really full, but I'm waiting a bit to see if the weather cools down again at all before making more stock. If not, I will use the pressure cooker.

• Sunday - Croatian Independence Day
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Croatian Style Moussaka'a, Green Salad, Cookies, Vanilla and Cherry Ice Cream
• Monday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Fish Tacos, Radish Salsa, Cabbage Salad, Strawberry Mango Salad with Lime Dressing*
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Ful, Duqqus, Halloum, Kalamata Olives, Toast, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Moroccan Eggs and Kofta with Harissa Yogurt, Garlic Turmeric Rice, Vegetables/Salad/Fruit/Dessert brought by Bible Study Members
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Irenaeus of Lyons
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Creamy Artichoke Pasta, Roasted Asparagus, Fresh Pineapple
• Thursday - Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Pickles, Potato Chips, Fruit Plate
• Friday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Raisins, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Black Bean, Corn, Pepper and Avocado Salad, Corn Chips, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Sausage, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Cheeseburgers, Fries, Salad, Cookies

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:01 AM 0 comments

It is definitely airshow weekend here! Then today is both Rich's and Dominic's birthdays, and Father's Day, like the year Dominic was born. Poor Rich is working airshow instead of celebrating.

We did alright keeping most of the meals going, but we did have to move a couple things. Rich was coming home between 9:30 pm and 2:30 am, because of having to get his actual job done in the hours after operating hours, since his mornings and afternoons were taken up with airshow doings. This week, he is taking some days off to rest and to get things done at home.Since it is that time of year, though, we are not entirely resting, as it is recital week this week! So, we will be busy this week, as well, though not quite as constantly.

Our meals still include a lot of asparagus, and the kids are getting a little tired of it. We are pickling a lot more this week, for when everyone is excited about it again. I might try blanching and freezing some, but we haven't really been as happy with the frozen asparagus we've had. I do have a recipe that is designed for frozen asparagus, and we liked it with fresh, so I might try it with frozen to see if it's worth putting any in the freezer. We have some friends with a freeze dryer, and I wonder if that is not a better way to go.

We are blessed and are going to take some time to enjoy meals outdoors and decompress from this past week. Our meals are largely easy this week, too. Thank God for our little church family who is bringing the dinner for after evening services, as well as one of the vendors from the airshow who sent us home with trays of smoked meat for the family. We actually ended up serving much of it to the kids for Saturday's dinner, and still had some left for church and some for tomorrow's dinner. We are so grateful for this when we are all exhausted and out of energy and brain space.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: At Airshow (for most the family), Peanut Butter Pancakes with Raspberry Syrup and Bacon (for the family at home), Orange Juice, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chili and Fixings brought by Church Family, Smoked Pork Tenderloin, Fresh Cherry Pie with Chantilly Cream and Vanilla Ice Cream
• Monday
  Breakfast: Cereal and Milk, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Steak and Eggs, Salad, Roasted Asparagus
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Battatas ou Bayd, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Shawerma, Khoubz Araby, Fried Potatoes, Taratoor, Toum, Harissa, Vegetables/Salad/Fruit/Dessert brought by Bible Study Members
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Asparagus, Toast, Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegan Egyptian Mahshi, Turmeric Rice, Sliced Mangos and Oranges
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Alban
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken and Chorizo Paella with Asparagus, Orange Butter Cookies with Grand Marnier Glaze
• Friday
  Breakfast: Ful, Sah'awiq, Chopped Tomatoes, Radishes and Onions, Kalamata Olives, Toast, Sliced Apples, Mint Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Vegetarian Ranchero Beans and Rice, Radish Salsa, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Forerunner
  Breakfast: Toaster Waffles, Bacon, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Paschal Reruns - Herb Roasted Green Lamb, Waraq 'Ounab, Sambousak, Baba Ghanooj, Hummus, Duqqus (from freezers)

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 5:12 AM 0 comments

"Come together in common, one and all without exception in charity, in one faith and in one Jesus Christ, who is of the race of David according to the flesh, the son of man, and the Son of God, so that with undivided mind you may obey the bishop and the priests, and break one Bread which is the medicine of immortality and the antidote against death, enabling us to live forever in Jesus Christ."

- Saint Ignatius' Letter to the Ephesians, paragraph 20, written c. A.D. 80-110

“Take note of those who hold heterodox [heretical] opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God. . . . They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes”

- Saint Ignatius' Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6:2-7:1, written c. A.D. 110

St. Ignatius became the third bishop of Antioch, succeeding St. Evodius, who was the immediate successor of St. Peter. He was a first hand witness of Christ as a child, heard St. John preach when he was a boy, and later became a disciple to him, he was a close friend of St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, who also was a direct student of Saint John the Evangelist. Seven of his letters written to various Christian communities have been preserved. Eventually, he received the martyr's crown as he was thrown to wild beasts in the arena. He was both a first hand witness of Christ, as well as a direct successor of the Apostles and Apostolic Fathers. His testimony about the Church and the faith are powerful. It is because of the many who took exception to his teachings, who wanted to disprove his existence, or invalidate his writings, that we actually have so much of his work. The more they dug, the more they authenticated his work.

Corpus Christi is another Western, fairly modern, feast, and we unapologetically adore it. It is the celebration of the Real Presence of the Body of Christ in the world. It is a feast of His glorious body, both literal in the Eucharist, and figurative in the Church. Again, we will not be able to be in the procession today, but that is one of my favorite things we do on this day. You have the people, who are symbolically the Body of Christ on earth, displaying, proclaiming and celebrating the Eucharist, which is actually the Body of Christ on earth. We pray and sing hymns and proclaim in word and action that Christ is alive and here with us. He offers Himself in the Eucharist as a gift to us, a medicine for sin and for our salvation. Glory to God!

We have a few reruns this week, just because we had to move some of the meals around. All of us were so full from the meal at a graduation party, that we just ate roasted asparagus, popcorn and cake for dinner, while we watched a cartoon movie. It was a pretty relaxing night. I got some knitting done, and we all were able to just sit and rest a bit.

Meals this week are going to be either light and easy, or quick to make, or something that can be prepped in the crock pot or in the morning and eaten cold at night. We are heading into the summer weather we are familiar with, and the oven is going to be out of commission for afternoons, as much as possible (unless it's super quick). The weather shamans are still saying that most of the temperatures will be in the 80s, rather than in the 80s or higher, and at our house, it will be close to the mid to upper 70s. The cooler temperatures here are a blessing in the summer. We are also doing a lot of garbage management, so we use up what we have without letting anything go to waste.

We've had a wonderful week! Dominic arrived safely on Friday, my Bible study resumed again, and the weather has been lovely. We have the air show coming up, most of the kids and, of course, Rich will be working hard this week. Thank God there is breakfast (and I think lunch) for them there, because they have early mornings and lots to do. It won't exactly be restful at home, but those of us who are still here will have a little more relaxed time.

• Sunday - Corpus Christi (and the Feast of Saint Barnabus)
  Breakfast: Omelets, Toast, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pork Chops in Sour Cream Gravy with Caramelized Onions, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus
• Monday - Observed Feast of Saint Barnabus
  Breakfast: Fried Halloum, Sliced Radishes, Toast, Strawberries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Cheese Zombies, Green Salad, Orange Butter Cookies with Grand Marnier Glaze
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Yogurt and Jam, Toast, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Orange Chicken with Asparagus, Jasmine Rice, Vegetables/Kale Salad/Asian Slaw/Fruit/Dessert brought by Bible Study Members
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Spiced Steel Cut Oats with Raisins and Apples, Tea with Honeyy
  Dinner: Balkan Ratatouille, Rice, Croatian Style Marinated Cucumbers, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken and Chorizo Paella with Asparagus, Hot Chocolate Cookies
• Friday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Asparagus, Toast, Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegan Egyptian Mahshi, Turmeric Rice, Sliced Mangos
• Saturday
  Breakfast: At Airshow (for most the family), Peanut Butter Pancakes with Raspberry Syrup and Bacon (for the family at home), Orange Juice, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Paschal Reruns - Herb Roasted Green Lamb, Waraq 'Ounab, Tamis, Sambousak, Baba Ghanooj, Hummus, Duqqus (from freezers)

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 1:40 PM 0 comments

Do you like to swatch? I must confess that it is not really my favorite thing to do, and I usually try to make a hat or something like that for a swatch, so at least I have something finished at the end. However, I've been doing a lot of swatching lately. Here is a little mini-shawl for my Incense Route collection coming out in November. This, and another swatch, were necessary for pattern writing ahead of time, so I could send the patterns to my technical editor. I would love it if you were interested in beta knitting this shawl, a rectangular stole, or my cable edged jacket I shared here a few weeks ago. If you would like to make any (or all!) of them, please let me know so I can get the information to you.

Also, I told you I would tell you when the Togetherness Cowl was available on PayHip, and it is now. Linette's designs are all so well thought out and constructed, and I really like them.

I finished Conditional Citizens, and I want to be able to recommend it. Most of what she covers in the book is well footnoted information and a perspective that I think many in America need to learn. However, she shoots herself in the foot in the final couple chapters by going on a socio-political rant (well written and genteel, but a rant nonetheless). She takes the entire point she was making and loses the audience that most needs to hear it. The only people who will take her at her word are people who understand it enough to ignore the rant, or those who are on her idealogical team (who probably still miss her point). That was disappointing.

So, I read a happy little murder, Knit One, Die Two, and I'm picking up Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages, for a little more non-fiction. This one doesn't look like it will disappoint. We also finally returned to our weekly Bible study on Saint Paul's letter to the Romans. That was much needed study, fellowship, and prayer.

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, FOs, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 6:09 AM 0 comments

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God; Oh come, let us adore Him.

This is one of a few truly Western feasts that I truly revel in and wish were shared by both lungs of the Church. I know that I "read" more Eastern, but in these I am firmly Western. This is a feast that I think should be enthusiastically embraced by all of the Church. It is a theological feast. It celebrates what we believe. We believe in, rejoice in, and love the Trinity! In the east, it is celebrated along with Pentecost, however, it is a principal feast in the west. Prior to the Great Schism, it was a secondary feast and relatively minor observance. It came about around the time of the Arian heresy, which was repudiated by the Nicene and Constantinople Councils in the Nicene Creed. Around this time, there were prefaces and prayers written and proclaimed in churches on Sundays which emphasized orthodox Christian faith, and those for the Holy Trinity were said the Sunday after Pentecost in some areas, in other areas, it was the Sunday before Advent. It was emphasized to counter the erroneous teachings of the day, and was elevated in the west to primary first class status in 1911, again to counter heretical teaching. In the east, while it is not primary, in the quite the same way, it is the first of the three day observance of Pentecost, and is also called Trinity Sunday. Each of those three days emphasizes different parts of the faith that is born that day, and the first is Trinity. So, this year, we are sort of celebrating it in community, and I pray one day it will be in unbroken community. God is unity (one God) and community (three Persons) and has created all people to be in one in community. God shows us this community in Himself so we can be an image of Him in the world.

We are so grateful for our local community, as well. All good things in this world reflect His goodness. We have been blessed with loads of asparagus, and with potatoes galore, and that will make for some wonderful, and inexpensive meals here. We are grateful for His bounty.

My weekly Bible study has been in recess for too long, and it looks like we are finally able to really start it again this week. I'm super excited about that. It is much needed, both spiritually, and just to get some real fellowship with women who pray. This is another busy week for us. It feels like there will never be weeks that aren't busy, but busy-ness is not a virtue, and I'm trying to find a way to be less busy. Please pray for me. Also, Dominic will be home soon! Maybe by this coming weekend. Pray for him as he travels across the country.

• Sunday - Trinity Sunday
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Red Beans and Rice, Scallions and Pepper Vinegar, Lemon Pudding Cakes
• Monday
  Breakfast: Yogurt and Jam, Toast, Strawberries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas, Spanish Rice, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Asparagus and Cheese, Toast, Strawberries with Cream, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Slow Cooker Arroz Con Pollo with Chorizo, Salad/Side Dishes/Fruit/Dessert brought by Bible Study Members
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Potato and Asparagus Hash, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Asparagus and Pasta Salad, Fruit Salad
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Egg, Cheese, and Bacon Breakfast Burritos, Sliced Oranges, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Cheese Zombies, Roasted Asparagus, Orange Butter Cookies with Grand Marnier Glaze
• Friday - Feast of Saint Columba
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Bananas (Apples for Jerome), Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Balela (without cheese), Tamis, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Almond Bear Claws, Sausage, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pork Chops in Sour Cream Gravy with Caramelized Onions, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus, Limoncello Cake

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:29 PM 0 comments

These little cakes are delicious, can be made ahead and are simple to put together. This recipe is from the wonderful, and out of print (and offline forever now), Fine Cooking Magazine. I'm sharing some of my favorite recipes from the magazine, with my little changes.

softened butter for the ramekins
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/4 cup pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk, at room temperature
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, at room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
lightly sweetened whipped cream for serving

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Butter ten 6-ounce oven-proof ramekins or custard cups and arrange them in a baking dish or roasting pan.

In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with 2/3 cup of the sugar and the egg yolks until smooth and light, about 1 minute. Add the flour and salt and pour in just enough milk to whisk the flour smoothly into the egg yolk mixture. Then whisk in the remaining milk and the lemon juice until smooth. The mixture will be very wet.

Put the egg whites in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until the whites begin to foam, 30 to 60 seconds. Increase the speed to high and beat just until the whites hold soft peaks when the beater is pulled away, another 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium. With the mixer running, very slowly sprinkle in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar; this should take about a minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl. Beat on high speed until the whites hold medium-firm peaks when the beater is pulled away, about another 30 seconds.

Scrape one-third of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, sprinkle the lemon zest on top, and whisk until combined. Gently incorporate the remaining whites into the batter, using the whisk in a folding/stirring motion. The batter will still be thin.

Portion the mixture evenly among the ramekins; the cakes don’t rise much, so you can fill the ramekins pretty full. Pull out the oven rack and put the baking dish full of ramekins on the rack. Pour warm water into the dish to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the tops of the cakes are light golden and slightly puffed, and when touched with a finger, they should feel spongy and spring back a bit but hold a shallow indentation, 25 to 30 minutes. Using tongs, carefully transfer the ramekins to a rack. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours before serving, with whipped cream if you like.

Cherry Ciapirissima

This is a recipe for one cocktail. Have your ingredients ready and you can make several right in a row for your friends. You can make a pitcher of them, by following the instructions after this.

3/4 ounce simple syrup
3 cherries, pitted and halved
half a lime, cut into quarters
2 ounces white rum

In a cocktail shaker, press and mix the simple syrup, cherries and lime quarters with a muddler or wooden spoon. Add the rum and 6 ice cubes. Shake hard and pour everything into a rocks glass.

12 ounces simple syrup
48 cherries, pitted and halved
8 limes, cut into eighths
32 ounces white rum

In the bottom of a large pitcher, press and mix the simple syrup, cherries, and lime pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the rum and a several scoops of ice cubes (to fill the pitcher). Stir vigorously and pour everything into rocks glasses. Makes 16 cocktails.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 7:46 AM 0 comments