My birthday week was fantastic. Rich and the kids really made it sweet, which I appreciated, and they extended it with events on Thursday and Saturday. Nejat even organized a "surprise" birthday party for me with a few friends. I was able to celebrate with the family, and also go out with some girlfriends for some much needed chat, and I am still finishing birthday cake (we have never had this much cake leftover before).

This week the Dormition fast begins. We take it much more simply, and still eat dairy and egg (except on Wednesdays and Fridays), but there are a few fish days in there, too. The feast of the Transfiguration is this coming Sunday, and there are two other days in which we get to enjoy fish, so we will. Our garden and the gleaning club are providing so much beautiful produce right now, and we are enjoying that. This week will involve a lot of canning and drying and freezing, so we will be able to enjoy this bounty in the fall and winter. We are hardly having to buy groceries right now, except for dairy and replacing supplies, which is fantastic. Between the eggs from the poultry and the produce and our rather full freezers for meat, we are doing pretty well, glory to God. Two of our resident kids were away this weekend, and for the first time in I don't know how long, we had leftover falafel and khoubz. And I even made a smaller amount than normal.

It is supposed to warm up a little this week, but not too hot. The summer has been quite pleasant so far. I'm worried that it might mean for a shorter summer, but I will not borrow trouble. We are still grilling and using the oven as little as necessary, and that puts less stress on our air conditioners and the fans. The highest temperatures we are supposed to see in town (and they are between 6˚ and 12˚ cooler here) are only in the low 90s. That is quite bearable. In fact, because of the desert climate, it is actually too cold in the mornings. We woke up at around 44˚ today. It was around 51˚ in town. I think that is what makes the heat harder to bear here, because the nighttime temperatures can be as much as 40˚ lower than the high of the day. I am built for the heat, though, so I'm bearing it better than many.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Strawberries, Blueberries and Plums, Coffee and Milk
  Dinner: Herb Roasted Turkey, Bourbon Gravy, Cranberry Horseradish Relish, Bread Stuffing, Roasted Broccoli with Onion and Bacon, Black Beans, Apple Pie
• Monday - Feast of Saint Joseph of Arimathea
  Breakfast: Cereal and Milk, Sliced Cantaloupe, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Grilled Sausages, Cucumber Salad, Watermelon
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs with Za’atar, Bread, Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Margherita Baked Polenta, Watermelon, Sides and Dessert brought by Bible Study Members
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Veggies, Toast, Blueberries, Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Croatian Roux Soup with Croutons, Croatian Style Marinated Cucumbers, Sliced Cantaloupe
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Tomato Dal, Rice, Cucumber Salad, Watermelon
• Friday - Feast of Saint Dominic
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Peanut Butter Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Cabbage and Cashews with Rice Noodles and Peanut Sauce, Marinated Cucumbers, Sliced Canteloupe
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Vegetable Foccacia to break the fast after Liturgy
  Dinner: Cheese Tortellini with Butter Tomato Sauce, Radish, Celery and Cucumber Salad, Fruit Plate

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:50 AM 0 comments

Last week began as an easier, more relaxed week, but ended up with a car in at the mechanic's and another with a flat tire that needed repairs, and the franctic organizing and chauffeuring that we all required to get everyone to work, orthodontist, dance, mid-week church services, and so on. On top of that, we had an extra event added to our Saturday evening so we were kind of double booked and literally had to leave from one event to go to another with one or the other vehicle unavailable. So, we'll see how this week goes. There isn't even a mid-week service to work around this week. We do have a couple reasons for me to leave the house this week, but mostly I will be here to get things done and get some rest.

My birthday is this week, but I am keeping it low-key. I was able to get a little preserving done yesterday, and I'm hoping to get some home cured bacon smoked this week. Mostly, my plan is to keep going through our things and downsize and declutter a bit more. The weather is supposed to be a little cooler, but still pleasantly hot. Our 100˚ weather did not materialize last week, but it got pretty close. 99˚ on one day. In either case, because the shaman predicted two days in a row of over 100˚, we got our air conditioning units in, and the house is much cooler.

Even still, we will be making more hot weather dishes that don't require as much use of the oven or a lot of use of the stove. I'm so grateful for our pressure cooker and grill. Two of the kids will be gone this next weekend, one for a girlfriends weekend and another for a dear friend's wedding. So, I will have to try to make less food again, at least for a few days. We are preparing for the Dormition fast coming up in a little over a week, too, so trying to plan out meals that will make room in our freezers and to enjoy some of the things we won't be eating for a couple weeks. We have a fish day on Wednesday, so we are going to enjoy some fish tacos and free up some more freezer space. We will not be fasting quite as strictly for the Dormition, so you will likely see some menus with olive oil, dairy and egg in them. We will keep Wednesdays and Fridays more strictly, and weekends will have wine and fish return (I think there is another fish day for a feast, besides the Transfiguration).

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Leftovers and Blueberry Muffins, Sliced Orange Honeydew Melon, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Lamb Haneeth, Rice, Salad/Vegetable Side brought by Parishioners, Strawberries and Blueberries
• Monday
  Breakfast: Prosciutto and Gruyère Scones, Mandarin Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Dejaj Meshwi, Battatas Harra, Mediterranean Chopped Salad, Chocolate Velvet Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
• Tuesday - Feast of Saint James the Apostle
  Breakfast: German Apple Pancakes, Fried Ham, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Koubbeh, Salad/Side Dishes/Fruit/Dessert brought by Bible Study Members
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Veggies, Toast, Blueberries, Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Fish Tacos, Salsa Rice, Marinated Cucumbers and Onions, Mandarin Oranges
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Ricotta Fritters with Maple Syrup, Bacon, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Instant Pot Creamy Ziti, Broiled Italian Sausages, Cucumber Salad, Fruit Plate
• Friday
  Breakfast: Potato Breakfast Burritos with Avocado and Salsa, Fruit Plate, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Falafel, Khoubz Araby, Toum, Taratoor, Sah'awiq, Olives, Sliced Cucumbers and Tomatoes
• Saturday - Feast of Saints Mary, Martha and Lazarus
  Breakfast: Almond Bear Claws, Sausage, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Muffaletta Bread and Olive Salad for Muffaletta Sandwiches, Pasta Primavera Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette, Fried Olive Bites, Watermelon, Roasted Marshmallows

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:41 AM 0 comments

Labels: Homemaking, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:44 AM 0 comments

Can you see the mistake in that bit of knitting? Of course not, because you don't know what I am doing next. It is quite apparent to me, though, so I will be undoing about nine rows. It is sad, but it will make the whole design better in the long run.

I keep forgetting to snap a progress picture of Amelia's baptismal gown. This weekend, I should do that so you can see how lovely it is. I'm so excited that her baptism is getting closer. It will be such a blessing to witness her birth in the Church.

I have two overlapping sales going on right now. One is just starting, the Around the World Stitch Along sale on my bundle of five patterns (on PayHip and Ravelry) in preparation for the cast on and kick off of the full event on Tuesday, July 25. I love this event. It is not too large, and we really get to know the designers and participants. I hope you can join us either in our Ravelry group or on Instagram.

However, it is also the wrap up of my countdown to my birthday sale, and you can check my Instagram account every day for a new pattern that is on sale through Monday.

I still haven't started Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages but I think I will finish The Language of Baklava tonight. It is such a fun and funny story, and communicates something much deeper than that fun.

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: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:51 PM 0 comments

Remember how I said thing were going to slow down? Well, they are, but I had forgotten about this weekend. Friday was shopping, cleaning, and cooking for Friday and Saturday, because we had liturgy on Saturday, and a birthday party right after that, and Rich and my anniversary of our first meeting 29 years ago. Then, on Sunday, we had a neighborhood potluck picnic and barbecue, and church right after that. Phew!

This week is not too busy. We have things going on, but not right on top of each other like this weekend was. I'll take it. It's supposed to cool down a little most of this week, but the weather shaman has been predicting 100˚ weather for weeks now, but it hasn't materialized. They've pushed that prediction to Thursday, but I don't think we'll see it. Even still, we are eatomg a lot of cold meals and things that can be made in the pressure cooker or grilled.

We are deep in the produce season here, and we are enjoying it so much. We are eating so much good, fresh food that is locally raised, and I am busy with preserving. It will be so good to have these foods in our freezers, on our pantry shelves, and in our cold room. Blueberries and cherries are ripe right now, and the are fantastic. Cucumbers and summer squash are also coming in and they are just perfect. What's in season where you are?

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Pancakes and Maple Syrup, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Cold Cut Sandwiches, Coleslaw, Pasta Salad, Blueberries and Strawberries
• Monday
  Breakfast: Fried Halloum, Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Hot Dogs, Green Tomato Dill Relish, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Lamb Shawerma, Khoubz Araby, Fried Potatoes, Taratoor, Toum, and Harissa, Veggies and Fruit brought by Bible Study Members
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Raisins, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Pasta Salad with Bay Shrimp and Vegetables, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs Sandwiches, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pressure Cooker Swiss Steak, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Steam Sautéed Carrots, Fruit Plate
• Friday
  Breakfast: Sweet Spiced Vermicelli and Almond Milk Cereal, Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Fattoush, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene
  Breakfast: Savory Parmesan French Toast with Hollandaise Sauce, Sausages, Fruit, Orange Juice and Coffee
  Dinner: Meatloaf, Scalloped Potatoes, Canned Peaches

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 6:12 AM 0 comments

This is a really tasty meal for summer, and we usually make about double this amount. I'm kind of guessing on the amounts of the seasoning, because I just sprinkle and adjust by sight.

12 boneless (skinless or not) chicken thighs, or 6 chicken breasts, cut in half (but chicken thighs are better)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon roasted chile powder (or ancho chile powder)
1 teaspoon paprika

3/4 cup vinegar based hot sauce (but not Tabasco)
1 1/2 sticks of butter

12 buns
bleu cheese dressing
lettuce/mixed greens
carrot and celery sticks, to serve (optional)

Mix the salt, pepper, chile powder and paprika and season the chicken with it. I just lay them on a platter, sprinkle everything on, turn and repeat.

Grill over medium coals or on medium heat on a gas grill until they are cooked.

Put hot sauce and butter in a saucepan and melt over medium-low heat.

When the chicken is cooked, dip each piece into the sauce to coat, slap it on a toasted bun with a dollop of bleu cheese dressing and some lettuce. Serve with carrot and celery sticks on the side. Eat. Repeat.

Strawberry Mango Salad with Lime Dressing

It has been pretty hot around here, though we had a little reprieve last week. This salad is really more like a dessert, but it is cool, refreshing, and delicious. Strawberries are already almost out of season here, but they are still available. We are blessed to have a WinCo where mangoes are only about $0.50 each, so this salad is fairly economical for us, too. If you have any Mexican or Hispanic or Indian or Middle Eastern markets, you can often find mangoes for a great deal, too. We double the recipe, because the kids love it so much.

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 cups trimmed, sliced strawberries (about 2 pounds)
3 cups peeled, diced mangoes (2 - 3 large mangoes)

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sugar has dissolved - about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Stir in lime zest and juice and allow to cool to room temperature.

Mix strawberries and mangoes in a large bowl. Add syrup and gently stir until well mixed. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

This lasts about a week (maybe longer, but we eat it all before that) sealed in the refrigerator.

Ricotta Fritters

This is another recipe from my beloved Fine Cooking. It is simple and tasty to make. I think it was intended as a dessert, but honestly, it makes a pretty good breakfast. It's not any worse for you than pancakes, and maybe better because of the higher protein from the ricotta. I've tripled it here, because a dessert serving isn't enough for breakfast. This would make a great dish for a brunch buffet, too. This recipe makes about 36 fritters, which is just about right for eight or nine people.

light oil like safflower for frying
3 large eggs
9 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Line two baking sheets with cooling racks.

Whisk the egg, sugar, ricotta, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Whisk in the flour and salt.

Carefully drop 6 individual tablespoonfuls of batter into the hot oil (test the oil by dropping a little bit of batter into it; it should bubble up—if it doesn’t, let the oil heat some more). Fry, turning once, until the fritters are golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes total. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fritters to the baking sheet to drain. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Drizzle 3 tablespoons maple syrup on each of 8 plates. Arrange the fritters on top of the maple syrup, and serve immediately.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 6:32 AM 0 comments

There is a funny story to illustrate this. Hormel meats made canned hams using pork shoulder, because it was such a low cost cut of meat. Because of its cost, they basically cut the boneless "ham" out of it and did whatever you have to do to make it into a canned, seasoned ham. Then, the price went up on pork shoulder. It was no longer cost effective to cut out what they needed and dispose of what remained. So, they went to a (French!) chef and said, "We need you to come up with something we can make and sell that uses the rest of the pork shoulder, or we will have to stop making canned hams." He minced and spiced and pressed and created a special ham, AKA SPAM. We have a French man to thank for SPAM, everyone. The point, though, is that they had to manage their product so it did not create too much waste.

So, how do we apply this to our own homes and kitchens? We've talked about making stock, having a use for all our ingredients, eating soup once or more a week, planning meals around what we already have, but when we plan those meals, do take into account the leftovers you have.

Let's say you made something using ground beef and have some left, you might have a sauce from another meal, maybe some sort of relish. You can heat and combine them and serve over pasta or rice. Now, it is a different meal, tastes good, and uses what you have so it doesn't go to waste. We've done this with leftovers. We often have lots of leftovers from our Paschal meal, and I have taken to using them in this way. When I plan the week after Bright Week, I take some ground beef, brown it and added the sauce from the lamb, the leftover green hot sauce, and a little bit of water. I cook the rice in the tiny bit of tomato and meat sauce from our stuffed grape leaves, and then I mixed in the red pepper dip with everything after it is cooked. The kids love it, it doesn't look like the exact same meal, we use what we have, and it saves our budget a little. The recipe I shared for chicken and eggplant in a green curry was largely born because of a single eggplant hanging around the back of our fridge and some jalapeños that were drying out, we also had some cucumbers that needed to be used that were marinated to become a salad to go with the meal. When I do my weekly menu planning, I also scan the fridge for meal portions and leftover vegetables that need to be used in something. Stir fries are perfect for this, if you want something easy to do.

Often, I find myself with one or two chipotle chiles in adobo in the fridge, a little cilantro that needs to be used, and some salad greens that are ready right now. These can become a quiche and a salad quite easily, and that does not feel like eating scrapings at all. Again, soup is perfect for this, too. We've had some potatoes that weren't really enough for our family, a few carrots, an onion, a couple sprigs of herbs, and garlic that we cook and add seasoning to, simmer in broth or water, and purée to a lovely, thick soup. Serve with bread, a salad, some fruit, and it is a hearty and tasty meal.

Breakfast is a great place to do this. We add everything to scrambles - leftover rice? In it goes. Beans, veggies, meat, whatever it is, can go in scrambled eggs. Or a breakfast burrito, or an omelet. Even our pancake breakfasts are part of garbage management. We only have a little bit left of the berries or one apple or whatever, and in the batter it goes. A few months ago, we had leftover orange rum syrup from a cake, we had butter sauce from another cake, and a partial bag of frozen blueberries in the freezer that was left open. We added all of that to pancake batter, we could eliminate the butter and the sugar from the battern entirely, and we didn't need to use much syrup at all. It was delicious, cleared out space in our fridge, kept things from going to waste, and saved us money. What more can you ask?

Once you start thinking about what is left in your pantry or fridge as a possibility rather than a liability, it is freeing. Some of the best meals we have had came from this kind of thinking. So, take a quick look in your refrigerator when you are planning the weekly menu, or if you are planning a big roast of something and you know you will have leftovers, think of ways you can remake them into something new for yourself and your family. If you still have a lot left, throw it into eggs or pancakes!

Previous Posts:
Make it at Home
Grocery Shopping
Waste Not, Want Not
Soup
The Celery Stalks at Midnight
Use What You Have
Combining Trips
Storing Bulk Purchases
Turn It Off
Grow Your Own
Buying in Bulk
Gleaning
Entertainment on the Down Low
Finding Fun Locally
Holiday Shopping
Reconsidering Convenience
More Bang for Your Grocery Buck
Preserving the Harvest
Revisiting Kitchen Strategies
Extreme Frugality
Bargain Getaways
Cultivating or Curating Abundance
Making Your Own Snacks and Treats
How Weird Is Too Weird? Things We Don't Think of Eating
Fuel Costs
Quick Hint on Eggs
What's in Your Refrigerator (Revisited)
Taking Stock

Labels: Family, Frugality, Homemaking, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:35 AM 0 comments

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Ha'il is back in my active projects again. It seems like I will actually get this collection of patterns made in time! This has been such a big project for me, with (for me) a tight deadline, and it has been an exercise in fear and worry and joy and excitement all at once. Two samples are completely finished, one is nearly there, one is half made, and this is beginning. When I complete this collection, I have a few designs that have been waiting in the background that I will get to, but it will feel so good to have all five of these ready to go and out in the world.

There are some non-work projects I'd like to make, but except for Amelia's baptismal gown, it just hasn't been feasible even to start them. It has been a big discipline not to even cast on anything new right now. I did break that to make my lovely cowl, but I only have three and a half months to finish this collection, so I am being as single minded as I am able.

It looks like I can finally pick up Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages and get some reading done in it now. I'm nearly finished with The Language of Baklava and I am enjoying it so much more than her other memoir. This tells a story. And even the parts that I don't like, or disagree with, are still part of that story, and I feel like I am a part of it when I read it. I would strongly recommend this book. It has been so good to be reading much more again. I have missed it. Even with the books I haven't loved, it has felt good to be thinking in this way more.

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, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 12:59 PM 0 comments

For the past three months, or more, we've been saying something about when it slows down. Well, we're finally there, at least for a little while. We still have work and things to do around our home and overdue projects waiting for us, but we don't have airshows or dance recitals or birthdays or major holidays or visits from out of town friends or trips away or dance conventions or anything like that for at least a month. Whew! We will be working in the garden, preserving foods, making stock, reading and resting, and staying out of the heat. I'm going to try a salt preserving method for herbs I learned about at the homesteading conference and make some pesto for the freezer.

Today was supposed to be our hottest day of the year yet, and the weather shaman predicted that it would be 100˚, but has since backed down to 98˚ as our high in town (it is about six to 12 degrees cooler at our house, thank God!). Now, they are saying our first day over 100 will be next Sunday, and we are supposed to be in the 80s tomorrow and through Thursday. It might even be in the upper 70s at our house tomorrow, which will feel cold after the weather we have had.

Most of our meals went as planned last week, but we got an incredible deal on canned crab, so I made crab cakes for Friday's dinner, and the rest will turn into a crab pasta for this coming Wednesday. The mystery stew last week turned out to be Croatian brudet, so it was fish and shrimp, and it was lovely. I just warmed it up on the stove a little and we ate it with some toasted bread and a salad. Our muscovies are laying well now and we have a lot of fabulous and huge eggs. They have been delightful in our baking. We are also starting to see little tiny eggs from some of the newer chickens. The heat slows down their laying, so I am glad for the slight reprieve this week. We should have plenty of eggs again.

There is so much to do around our home and garden, and I know Rich has talked about taking a day off here or there to get some of it done, but I don't know if his work schedule will allow it. At least it will be cooler to work outside this week. We plan on making mostly cooler, easier or faster to cook meals, but I am going to make lasagna for tomorrow's dinner, so most of that cooking will be done in the morning, so as not to heat up the house too much at the hottest parts of the day. Fortunately, lasagna is good either hot or cold. We have several feast days this week, including the patronal feast of our Orthodox mission here. We will have a fantastic barbecue and potluck in his honor.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Passionfruit Pancakes and Pineapple Coconut Pancakes with Buttermilk Syrup, Sausage Patties, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken Salad with Bacon and Gorgonzola on Croissants, Fruit/Veggie Plate, Brownies and Ice Cream
• Monday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Lasagna with Best Meat Sauce Ever, Chopped Salad, Garlic Bread, Strawberry Shortcake
• Tuesday - Feast of Saint Benedict of Nursia
  Breakfast: Ricotta Fritters* with Maple Syrup, Bacon, Strawberries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Red Potato Salad for Potluck
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Paisios of Mount Athos
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Raisins, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Garlic Crab Pasta, Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Veronica
  Breakfast: Potato and Ham Hash with Cheese, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ricotta Dumplings in a Brown Butter Sauce, Broiled Sausages, Green Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
• Friday
  Breakfast: Sweet Spiced Vermicelli and Almond Milk Cereal, Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Black Bean, Corn and Avocado Salad, Corn Chips, Home Canned Peaches
• Saturday - Feast of Saints Bonaventure and Swithun
  Breakfast: Almond Bear Claws to break the fast after Liturgy
  Dinner: Muffaletta Sandwiches, Pasta Primavera Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette, Fruit and Leftover 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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:05 AM 0 comments

There has been a lot of knitting going on here, but not a lot of finishing. I'm racing on the baptismal gown, because it looks like the date is soon to come. I swatched and re-swatched (and re-swatched) for one of the designs coming out in November, and working on a sample for that same collection. It seems like I'm not making a lot of progress at the moment, however. I did get two patterns written, graphed, and sent to my tech editor and a sample knitter (who did finish one and is working on the other), and have started three other patterns in the template. All five patterns need to be written and edited by the end of the summer, two and a half have been written, one and a half have notes and graphs, and two have been edited so far. So, that is also going on in my life.

I still haven't made much progress in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages, mostly because the library keeps reminding me of books that are due soon. However, I still have it in my stack, and I did finish quite a few fluffy, brain candy books, and one memoir.

I've been reading two memoir type books from the same author, actually. I like the idea of autobiographical writing, because it is directly from the person who is the subject of the writing, but I often find them insipid and infuriating. Meanwhile, biographers often take liberties with the character of the person they are describing, for political or social reasons, or perhaps out of misunderstanding. I'm finding that I like reading the letters and diaries of the person better than reading about that person - either from that person or another. However, I also find that memoirs and autobiographies tend to reveal things about the authors that I'm not sure they intend.

This particular book, Life without a Recipe was interesting to me, because I share the Arab American experience, but also because her book seems to imply a longing for two things that she doesn't explicitly name (though one is referenced tangentially - not the aspect of it I picked up on from the writing): A connection to the spiritual, and a sense of respect for traditional motherhood and children. There is a statement from her third husband's grandmother about being a mother that can be read cynically, but it is also an aspect of the truth of having children, but the statement from the Jordanian cab driver is just as much the truth, without the cynicism, and is often missing as a perspective in the west. Likewise, their teaching their daughter to say grace, but not really having a framework within which to explain it showed a longing to connect to the divine, but an empty toolbox to do so. Although she and I have different religious, political, and social views, I did enjoy the writing and story, with one exception. There is a reference to "evangelicals" who are anti-@bortion (this is to reduce the number of spammy comments), who hold a view that is also anti-adoption. This is presented as though it were prevalent and common. It is not. Frequently, I tell people that we can disagree with people without lying about them. I have some real disagreements with the modern Evangelical Protestant movement and theology, but this is simply a lie. While I'm sure someone out there holds this view, it is not common, promoted, or identifiably Evangelical. I don't know if the lie was told to her by the social worker, and she accepted it because she has no real experience with Evangelicals, or if she did not have any other way to identify Christians who hold this view. It made reading parts of the last part of the book rather annoying, though. I would still recommend the book.

It feels like I am only giving negative reviews lately. That's not the whole truth. I have enjoyed the books I've given hesitant reviews to, but they have all felt like they were lacking a little or put in something that marred the otherwise good read. Unfortunately, I actually have another one, too! I read The Art of Cake, thinking it would be a little history of the major cake types, and I have now come to the conclusion that people in Australia do not know what cake is. While I expected to see Boston Cream Pie, I was not expecting Key lime pie, banoffee pie, two kinds of fruit tarts, éclairs, cookies, and a sandwich. Each blurb was minimal, and looked like the teaser text on an online search. In fact, that Boston Cream pie included information that it was a common variation on a popular cake type of its time, and the name of the chef who popularized this version, but not the year (mid 1800s), and then said that it was named after it's location (the restaurant and chef's) in the post-war fashion. But didn't mention which war (WWII). A five minute search gave me this information, but she didn't bother to include it. Rich has told me I need to write the book I was expecting, on the history and particularities of the types of cake and the specific popular versions we know. A friend suggested I start a kickstarter to fund my travels and tasting research. I might do this one day. However, while the little blurbs were interesting, they were written like a school kid who waited until the night before an assignment was due, and in at least a few cases, she got the information wrong (the original type of base for shortcake in the US, that it is common for Americans to put oatmeal (!) in gingerbread, and a couple others I can't remember right now). The book had juvenile illustrations. Both Rich and Nejat, separately, asked if it were a child's picture book, and it was just not quite enough. If it were to be such a light overview, it needed grand photographs, but if it were to have simple drawings, it needed much more information and history.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 3:41 PM 0 comments

July is here, and it is getting hotter, which I love. Our meals will, again, reflect that. We have a funny meal Monday, because of a labeling mishap. It is either a tuna and tomato stew that we froze, or a turkey and tomato stew. We are not sure, but we will find out when it is thawed. We were blessed with 40 pounds of local cherries from our gleaning group, so we are eating loads of cherries this week. We've already gone through almost 20 pounds, just eating them and giving away some to friends from church.

Aside from celebrating the birth of our country, we are also celebrating Yasmina's birthday this week. She's requested tacos de papa, so that we shall have. Our Independence Day this year is going to be a little more low key. We will eat good food at home and watch our neighbors' fireworks shows, drink some wine and mead, and relax. We need that after the last couple months we have had of such busy-ness.

This past weekend was also busy, but for fun. We went to a homesteading conference in Idaho. We learned so much! Now, we are looking at ways to apply what we learned and enjoy our little property.

My hope for this week is that we can work on our home and property, read a bit, and rest most of the time. Thank God that Rich was able to take not only the holiday off, but last Thursday, Friday, and this Monday, so we could enjoy our trip and rest from it when we got home. We are grateful for his job which allows things like this.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Waffles with Maple Syrup, Scrambled Eggs with Leftover Pulled Pork, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Bratwursts, Lentils with Cabbage, Roasted Cauliflower, Salad, Cherries
• Monday - Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Tomato and Tuna Stew, Bread, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Potato and Ham Hash with Cheese, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Grilled Steaks, Cool and Creamy Potato and Pea Salad, Grilled Vegetables, Cherry and Blueberry Shortcake with Chantilly Cream
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Peanut Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegan Egyptian Mahshi, Turmeric Rice, Harissa, Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
• Thursday
  Breakfast: German Apple Pancakes, Fried Ham, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ground Beef in Muhamarrah with Green Beans and Rice, Sah'awiq, Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
• Friday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Raisins, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Croatian Roux Soup with Croutons, Salad, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Tea Cake to break the fast after Liturgy
  Dinner: Tacos de Papa, Avocado Relish, Chocolate Cherry Upside Down Cake

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 @ 6:29 PM 0 comments