The hard freeze has arrived. We had temperatures in the teens the last two mornings, in the 20s the few days before that, and there was even a little snow in town last week. Rich and the kids harvested all the rest of the garden and we are eating loads of fresh food, and preserving some, so this week is a lot of garbage management in our meals.

We remember all the saints who have gone before us this week, as well as praying for the souls of all who have passed. As we get older, that list gets longer, and I ask you, in your mercy, to pray for my grandparents, uncles and aunts.

As we are still cooking our of our freezers, we are discovering some things that somehow were missed in inventorying, but that makes our busy week a little simpler. There was meat sauce in the freezer, and some chicken and rice from a meal some time back, and both are being used in meals to free up our time a bit. Our next butchering is in about three weeks, and Advent begins three weeks after that, so the meat is getting used to make room for more meat. We may have an opportunity to get two piglets to raise over winter, and then butcher in the late spring. We really hope that comes through, because home raised pork is so much better than what is at the store. We are waiting for some information about them to determine if we will butcher in the spring or use them as a breeding pair and butcher in the late fall.

There is so much preparation for the cold that is still not finished, so this week is also about putting plastic insulation over some of our windows, chopping more fire wood, and taking care of hoses, spigots, and so on outside.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Dirty Eggs with Veggies and French Fries, Toast, Stewed Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Instant Pot Spaghetti with Best Meat Sauce Ever, Green Salad with Red Wine and Herb Vinaigrette, Garlic Bread
• Monday>
  Breakfast: Vegetable Hash, Soda Bread, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Meatloaf Train, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Carrots, Corn on the Cob
• Tuesday - Eve of the Feast of All Saints
  Breakfast: Irish Potato Farls, Fried Eggs, Bacon, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Moroccan Lamb Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, Cous Cous, Fried Peppers and Onions
• Wednesday - Feast of All Saints
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Apples and Pecans, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Layered Tortilla Casserole with Pinto Beans and Corn, Mexican Rice, Poblano Cashew Cream, Avocado Salsa
• Thursday - Comemoration of All Souls
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken and Rice from freezer, Roasted Corn on the Cob, Green Salad
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Slow Cooker Minestrone, Rolls, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Biscuit Breakfast Bake with Ham, to break the fast after Liturgy
  Dinner: Root Vegetable Gratin, Walnut, Bleu Cheese and Thyme Puff Pastry Twist, Arabic Pumpkin Pudding

Labels: All Saints, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Shelftember, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:16 AM 0 comments

I have a body! For a sweater, of course. The sleeves are started, and I am in a rush! However, the pattern is written, another pattern is written, and I am working with my tech editor, who is remarkably patient and kind with me. These are turning out as I envisioned them, however, and that is all a designer or knitter could ask.

I'm still reading in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages and Hot Thai Kitchen (both of which I am loving). What I have been learning about food in both of these books is really astounding, and I love Pailin's approach to authenticity, which I think I mentioned last time.

I read another quick, happy little murder, and it was a Janeite book, too. However, it was sorely disappointing in some key ways. The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray is actually quite well written, and the mystery is truly a mystery until nearly the end of the book. The author is a good writer who is clearly quite familiar with Jane Austen's books. Her new characters are delightful and, really, besides the satisfying death of Mr. Wickham, the best part of the book. She does take the effort to present each Austen couple in an age to match the timelines of either the books (as in Persuasion) or the years they were published and the given ages of the characters in the books. Therefore, the Darcys are the eldest (excepting Colonel Brandon), and Marianne is the youngest, with Emma and the Bertrams in between (Mr. Knightly is a contemporary of Darcy). The Tilneys are represented in absentia. So much for the good.

First of all, I really resent authors who exploit other authors' writing and abuse it to promote their own work. Gray's book (series, actually) features almost all the major characters from Jane Austen’s books and the author steam rolls them so she can impose her own modernist views and lectures on and through them, while thoroughly mischaracterizing them. If she seemed not to understand the stories, this might be more forgivable. However, she is clearly familiar with all the books and stories, and yet presents characters who could not be recognizable, in many ways, as being faithful representations.

She makes Captain Wentworth an angry man, Fanny Bertram someone who thinks her husband is pining after Miss Crawford, and is supposed to be somehow unfamiliar with variant sexual activity, when it is from her household that the whole joke about rears and vices originates, Marianne and Colonel Brandon uncertain of each other’s love for the other, Elizabeth and Darcy unable to speak openly to each other and holding grudges, and Mr. Knightley keeping secrets from Emma. Among other disparities with their well developed characters.

They each express views that are totally out of character for the period. In fact, even dissenters of the day did not dissent in the way that she shows these people doing so, and so uniformly and completely, as though everyone hated the way things were way back when. We have the writings and descriptions of the actions of the contemporary dissenters, libertines, and so-called progressives. They don't speak or express their thoughts the way she has her characters do. The author uses words and phrases and sentence structure both in the narration and in dialogue that are 200 years past the regency era; she is clearly using Jane Austen as a vehicle for her lecture, and does not even try to disguise that; she shows a great deal of disrespect for the readers, who themselves are more likely to be familiar with these characters and stories. Either she is banking on her readers being socially progressive in the same ways she is and ignoring her impositions and discrepancies, or she is truly oblivious to the abuse she has done to the characters and stories. This is what I hate about these "message" books, shows, movies, songs, etc. They simply do not trust that their audience is intelligent or quick enough to catch their messages, so they dictate them and hammer them in, it shows a weakness in storytelling ability.

Besides that, she has zero understanding of the Christian faith, or how Christians understand that faith, and thinks she is being some sort of revolutionary by showing its “inconsistencies.” In reality, she uses facile arguments and cheap gotchas that are so easily refuted that it is risible. (I have peeked at the second book in the series, in the hopes that there might be some improvement, and her "knowledge" of Christianity - let alone the Christianity of the Regency England era - is abysmally displayed).

The only characters who are really likable are the made up characters, Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney, the children of their famous parents, and even they are made to be mouthpieces for her political and social commentary. However, as I said, the story is engaging and interesting, and I did not know whodunnit until it was revealed, though I did have a little bit of a suspicion as it approached the dénouement. Had this been written with entirely different characters, and without the heavy-handed grandstanding, it would have been an excellent book. The writing is actually quite good, which is part of what makes this so disappointing. She cannot seem to help herself from imposing 21st century progressive values on the early 19th century. Perhaps she is not willing or able to understand how people might think otherwise. It made me literally, physically, roll my eyes numerous times as I read.

Again, the author is a good writer, so her behavior in this book is even more offensive. She had multiple options on how to handle her obvious disapproval of the moral teaching and norms of the day. She could have written a modern story, which could have presented the morally questionable issues in a modern view. She could have avoided those moral questions entirely in her historical fiction (none of them were necessary to the plot). Instead, she chose to exploit Jane Austen's stories, characters, and her readers. Badly done, Claudia.

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, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 12:49 PM 0 comments

We had a remarkably busy weekend. Rich and I were part of a diocesan synod this weekend, after he had a couple important meetings at and for work, Nejat went to a cabin in the mountains with a some family friends, and the oldest kids went to a teen retreat down in Yakima. We were all in different directions and quite exhausted by the end of the weekend and church on Sunday. It was loads of fun, but we need a rest from it still.

So, we are back to our normal schedule this week, and we are hoping to accomplish a lot this week and next week. Thanksgiving is creeping up on us, faster and faster. Our neighborhood has a harvest dinner each year, too, and that is coming up, as well.

To keep things moving as they ought, we are still cooking from our freezers, and making as much as we can that is either slow cooking that can be started in the morning and left to cook all day or quicker cooking so we can make it just before serving, after all the rest of our school and other work is complete. There are still some birds to be butchered next month, turkeys and geese, and we want to have room in the freezer for them, as well as cutting down on our grocery trips. There is also a little preserving left to do, so that needs to be fitted in to our schedules.

We have two feast days this week, but no birthdays and only a few events that are out of the ordinary, none of which push our other events out of the way. The weather is colder, it is darker, and fall is fading now. I'm trying to rally my spirits and gird myself for winter. It was sweet to get some time on Puget Sound with Rich, walking near the salt water, smelling the salt air through the cedars and fir trees, seeing the leaves changing colors, and the flowers that were still in bloom. We savored that, and I hope it will sustain me as we freeze here through April.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Hamburger Soup, Salad, Turkey and Ham Sandwiches, Pickles, Enfrijoladas, Gingerbread with Pears
• Monday - Feast of Saint James of Jerusalem
  Breakfast: Migas, Salsa, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Mustard Glazed Corned Beef, Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, Steam Sautéed Carrots with Garlic and Dill, Soda Bread
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Slow Cooked Lamb Curry, Rice, Salad/Fruit Plate/Dessert Brought by Bible study members
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Almond Butter Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Sauerkraut Bean Soup, Rolls, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Sliced Oranges, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Slow Cooked Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce, Jasmine Rice, Mandarin Oranges
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Ladenia, Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
  Breakfast: Vanilla Yogurt, Granola Bars, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Souvlaki, Herbed Cous Cous, Greek Salad, Greek Pastries

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Shelftember, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:53 AM 0 comments

Our yummy birds are in the freezer! Hooray! We still have more birds to butcher, but it turned out we had more than 15 excess roosters. So, the geese and turkeys get a reprieve until next month. There is just not time enough to do it this month. We will continue to eat from our freezers, and that will make more room, as well. I have to say that I am relieved at this, because the price of meat at the grocery store is ridiculous, and it isn't nearly as good a quality of what we produce here or get from our neighbors.

We have a busy weekend, so I have meals planned that can be made by just about anyone in the household, and don't take too much time to prepare. Either they cook a long time on their own, or they are both quick to make and cook.

Also, this week is Amelia's first birthday!!! We are so thrilled, and can't wait to give her presents and watch her eat cake! Actually, this is a week of birthdays. Our godson has his birthday on the Feast of Saint Luke, and a neighbor has a birthday this weekend.

Our kids have an opportunity to have a teen/young adult retreat with the Orthodox churches in our area coming up, and Nejat is the only one too young to go! That is a new phase of our lives. We will basically be on our own while the oldest five attend.

It is rather interesting to be at this stage of life, with half adult children, and more teens and young adults than littles. Some of the people I am friends with are younger than my oldest kids. Some people we do business with are. We don't have anyone under 10, we don't have anyone who is completely dependent (if anything, they are pushing for more independence than either they are ready for or we are). So much of what parenting meant to us is no longer applicable anymore, and we are having to learn a new way of being parents.

Last night, Rich and I went out for the anniversary of our first date. We could leave the kids with a couple recipes and basic instructions and then go with no trouble. Both of us were super exhausted, because he had spent the day butchering, and I had spent the day pattern writing and doing some food preparations. We went, ate delicious food (though Rich said the down side was that the kids were eating better food at home) and we talked and did some word games, and it was super low key, but it was good.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Crème Brûlée French Toast, Sausages, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Baked Potato Bar with Chili, Cheese, Sour Cream, Salsa, Red Onions, Avocado, Scallions, Cilantro, Fruit Plate
• Monday
  Breakfast: Mesfouf, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Indian Tomato and Coriander Chicken, Rice, Plums
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Feta, Tomatoes, Za’atar and Olive Oil, Toast, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Not Texas Chili, Cornbread, Chopped Red Onion, Cilantro, Avocado, Cheese, Sour Cream
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins, Brown Sugar and Coconut Milk, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegan Egyptian Mahshi, Turmeric Rice, Duqqus, Beet and Herb Salad
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Vegetable Potato Hash with Fried Eggs, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Thai Red Curry Chicken and Rice Casserole, Chopped Salad with Sesame Citrus Dressing, Fruit
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Slow Cooker Minestrone, Rolls, Fruit
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Baked French Toast, Peaches, Milk and Tea
  Dinner: Carnitas, Beans, Mexican Rice, Tortillas, Salsas

Labels: Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Shelftember, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:26 AM 0 comments

This is a recipe I found online a few years ago or more. It is super simple to make, really tasty, and great to eat with some rice and sesame green beans. The recipe originally had white sugar in it, and somewhat different proportions. We thought it needed less sugar, brown sugar instead of white, more soy sauce, more garlic, and more chile peppers. So, this is how we make it. It is perfect for a weeknight. You can cook the rice and green beans while these boil and simmer, and all of it comes together very easily. I haven't made it with thighs or leg quarters, but I'm sure it would work just fine in comparable amounts.

16 chicken drumsticks, skin on
2 cups water
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
8 garlic cloves, peeled and bruised
2 - 4 small hot chile peppers, slit open
chopped scallions to garnish, optional

Place all the ingredients in a deep, heavy pot over medium high heat.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Remove any scum that rises to the surface.

Increase the heat, turning the drumsticks frequently in the liquid, and cook until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze. This is a glaze, rather than a sauce, so it will not be a lot of liquid, and it will be thick.

Arrange the chicken on a serving platter and spoon the glaze over. Garnish with scallions, if desired.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 3:04 PM 0 comments

I did finish the back and start the front, but it's not finished. It was a lot to ask, but was stymied further by my fighting a cold when we got back from our trip and having to catch up at home for both the trip and the cold. This is starting to make me nervous. It needs to be finished in about a week. I am getting close on the front, and hope to have it ready by the end of this week, then I can work on the sleeves. Trying to do both at the same time, with three colors of yarn seems like it would be an excessive jumble, so they will likely be completed one by one. A smart person would have already blocked the back and been ready to block the front as soon as it comes off the needles. It doesn't appear that I am that smart, though.

Besides making more progress on Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages, I also read Knitty Gritty Murder. I've also been reading a cookbook about Thai cuisine, Hot Thai Kitchen, which is full of interesting information and a wonderful approach to authenticity. She defines it as using the ingredients and techniques Thai people would. This is accurate, but sometimes hard to convey, about any culture's cuisine. Technically, I'm also working through Saint Paul's letter to the Romans and an N.T. Wright study that is corollary to it, but that is weekly, so also a good slow pace for me.

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, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 3:05 PM 0 comments

We got a little bit more on track this past week, and are looking to be more so this week. We begin with Alexander's birthday and end with the anniversary of Rich and my first date. It's a good week.

The geese, turkeys, and roosters are on death row this week. We have cleared out the freezer a bit, made room, and are getting ready to fill it with delicious birds. We even moved things around so the meats I will need for the next month will be closer to the top of our chest freezer. Poor Rich will spend part of our anniversary day on the butchering, but we will get to have a lovely evening that night. We were able to go to a wedding last night, and there was dancing, so that was lovely.

I know that times are tight for folks. My hope is that these menu plans, and how I choose meals and cook from our freezers and pantries will give you ideas on how to provide well for your families with what you have and little expense. This is the first time I have tried to plan meals over a month, and I think it probably wouldn't work that well in the late spring and summer, just because of how we get so much fresh produce and so on, but in the fall and winter, it's really not too bad. I'm leaving room for side dishes and other elements to change, but mostly I am looking at what is in our freezers and pantries and planning from there. Now, I'm looking to November, and getting a start on my planning for next month, as well.

So, I am making a meal on Saturday that almost makes me hang my head in shame. It is not Mexican in any way. My kids call them white people enchiladas. That is not untrue. The recipe I first started with included cream of something soup. They do have chile in the sauce, and they are filled tortillas, but that is all that ties them to enchiladas. Likewise, the rice I am making is just similar to some of the flavors in Mexican food, it's not actually Mexican, but there you have it. They are tasty dishes, even if they aren't Mexican. I just don't know what to call them. Usually, I try to make things at least close to how they should be made, and I made these closer to real Mexican and real food than the recipe I was given.

Anyway, we are trucking right along on the property and in life, and enjoying the fall weather while we have it (I'm ignoring the fact that the mornings and nights are closer to winter). Next week, Amelia turns one, and we are so excited! May your week be as joyous.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Savory Parmesan French Toast with Hollandaise Sauce, Bananas (Apples for Jerome), Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Roast Pork Loin, Roasted Potatoes, Salad, Apple Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Drizzle
• Monday
  Breakfast: Yogurt and Preserves, Toast, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ham and Beans, Baked Potatoes, Grapes
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Fried Halloum, Sliced Tomatoes, Rolls, Grapes, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Creamy Chicken Poblano, Quick and Dirty Mexican Rice, Salad/Fruit/Dessert brought by Bible study members
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Chopped Apples, Cinnamon, Brown Sugar and Coconut Milk, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Thai Red Curry Noodles with Shrimp and Vegetables, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Greek Grilled Cheese Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Indian Tomato and Coriander Chicken, Jasmine Rice, Plums
• Friday - Feast of Saint Edward the Confessor
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Green Split Pea Curry, Jasmine Rice, Salad, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Crème Brûlée French Toast, Sausages, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: White Enchiladas, "Mexican" Rice Pilaf, Fruit Plate

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:48 AM 0 comments

Challah Bread

In my continuing effort to catalog the exquisite recipes from the late Fine Cooking, here is the delightful challah recipe from the magazine. This is one of two recipes I am sharing today, and on both I made errors that I have actually preserved in the recipes, because I found them to be just fine, if not better than the original. In this one, it was that I added the yeast in half portions, first to the sponge, then to the rest of the dough mixture. I also use part bread flour and part pastry flour rather than all purpose flour, simply because that is what we keep around the house (as I prefer to use bread flour for bread and most yeast risen doughs and pastry flour for cookies, quick breads, muffins, cakes, pies and pastries) and I used olive oil in place of generic vegetable oil, again, because that is what I prefer. You could use safflower or sunflower oil, too, I'm sure. This dough can be kind of a pain to work with, I will admit, but it is lovely and rises well and tastes divine.

Dough:
2 teaspoons yeast
2 cups pastry flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour, more as needed
1/4 cup warm water
3 large eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

Glaze and Topping:
1 egg, lightly beaten
sesame or poppy seeds (optional)

In a large bowl, mix the 1 teaspoon yeast with 1/2 cup of the flour. Add the warm water, stir, and let this mixture, the sponge, sit until it starts to puff up, 15-to 20-minutes.

Add the eggs, oil, honey, and salt; stir until well combined. The sponge will remain lumpy, this is normal. Add the remaining flour and yeast and mix the dough in the bowl until all the ingredients are combined. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead until fairly smooth, about 2 - 5 minutes. The dough should feel very firm and will be hard to knead. If it’s soft and sticky, add small amounts of flour until it’s very firm.

Transfer the dough to a large, clean bowl and cover it well. Let it rise until doubled in bulk and very soft to the touch, 2 hours or more, depending on the room temperature. Line a baking sheet with parchment or oiled foil. Stack this sheet over a second sheet (to keep the bottom of the bread from overbrowning during baking).

Shape the dough:

Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface and sprinkle a tiny bit more flour over it. Spread and flatten the dough a bit. Cut it into six equal pieces. Set aside the dough pieces, cover them lightly with plastic, and brush all the flour off the work surface. Have a small bowl of water handy. Using no flour, roll a piece of dough with a rolling pin into a very thin sheet, between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick (don’t worry about making a rectangle; an amoeba shape is fine). The dough may stick to the work surface; this is alright, just nudge it gently with a dough scraper. Tightly roll up the sheet like a carpet to form a strand. Roll the strand back and forth between your hands until it’s thin, very even, and 12 to 15 inches long. At the ends of the strand, angle the outer edge of your hands into the work surface as you’re rolling to make the ends pointy and the strand thicker in the middle (this will help you get a mounded loaf). The strand needs to grip the work surface slightly during this rolling; the grab will help as you roll. If the strand is too slick, very lightly dampen it with water to help it grip the work surface better. Repeat the rolling out, rolling up, and elongating steps with the remaining five pieces of dough, rolling them out to the same length.

Arrange the strands parallel to one another. At one end, gather and pinch the strands very tightly together. Braid closely, following the insructions below (I will add photos later). Lightly tap each end of the loaf with your palms to tuck it under the loaf.

1. Move the second-to-the-right strand to the far-left position.

This doesn't look like it was the second to the right, because I just lightly pinched the ends, so it just kind of moved entirely.

3. Move the new second-to-the-left strand over to the far right position.

4. Move the far-left strand (the same strand you moved in step 1) over two strands to the center position. Now repeat the steps.

Transfer the braid to the lined baking sheet and cover it loosely but thoroughly with plastic wrap. Let proof until doubled in bulk and the loaf remains indented when lightly pressed, 2 hours or more, depending on room temperature. It is better to let the dough proof more rather than less.

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 325° F. Just before baking, brush the dough with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds, if using. With a thin wooden skewer, poke the bread deeply all over (the holes will prevent air pockets and help the bread keep its shape during baking). Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the challah 180 degrees and bake until the bread is a dark, burnished brown, about another 15 minutes. If the challah is browning too rapidly cover it loosely with foil and let it finish baking. Don’t remove the loaf too soon, as you’ll risk underbaking. Let cool thoroughly on a rack.

You probably won't have any left, but if there is any left over, save it for breakfast: day-old challah makes fantastic French toast.

Crème Brûlée French Toast

I found a similar recipe to this on the internet, but one, I misread an ingredient and made it a little differently, and it turned out super well so I make it that way on purpose now, and two, it was written in a bizarrely vulgar and gross way, especially for a recipe. It was super juvenile, and a little ridiculous. So much so, I am not even referencing the original. Anyway, here is how I make it, and it is delicious. It can be made the night before, and brought out to bake while you shower, which means that even though it's kind of a special breakfast, it is also easy for a week day.

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed tightly
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
1 loaf of challah bread
5 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon Grand Marnier (or Kahlua or other liqueur)
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small saucepan, melt the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup over low heat, and stir until it is quite smooth. Pour the caramel into a 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish, rocking the pan back and forth gently so that the sauce covers the entire bottom.

Using a big bread knife, cut 6 one-inch slices from the middle of the challah. Trim the crusts off, if you wish, and save for nibbling. Arrange the slices in a single layer in the baking dish, squeezing them in next to each other. They don't need space.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, half and half, vanilla, Grand Marnier, and salt. Pour the custard concoction over the bread evenly. Wrap it with plastic, and put it in the fridge for at least 8 hours, max one day.

Set the oven to 350 degrees, and pull out the pan, bringing the bread mixture to room temperature. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes until puffy and golden around the edges. Eat it while it's still hot!

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 1:05 PM 0 comments

What's that proverb that man plans and God laughs? Well, so much for getting back to normal last week. We had a sick week instead.

We continue apace with the freezer and shelf cooking, however. This week, a huge ham, a fairly large turkey, some pre-made dishes, and some beef for soup are all coming out for our meals. Next week, the plan is to pull a pork loin out, too, which helps free up more room for turkeys, chickens, and geese, who are on the last couple weeks of death row, here. We have a lot more fruit drying going on and we should do some fruit and tomato canning, but we will see how we can fit it in this week.

Normally, I plan week by week. Actually, it's more like one week with a tentative plan for the second week, which then gets a little modified depending on what didn't get made or what schedules were shifted, what fresh produce was in need of use or was available in our garden or from our gleaning group, and so on and so forth. This month, I have tried to plan for the whole month, with some room for vegetables and fruit that we get through sales, our garden and fruit trees, and our gleaning club. I even planned all the breakfasts. There is room to move things around, and to add the produce that is fresh and available. We're trying to keep cooking from what is home to bulk up our Thanksgiving and Christmas budget, as well as rotate stock at home.

All of us are on the tail end of illness, but are feeling much better now. We are praying for a more normal week this week. Please keep us in your prayers. God is so good to us.

This past week, I ended up only buying half the eggplant we needed for the next two weeks, because the price was ridiculous for small, sad eggplant. I figured I could watch for sales or better ones and make an extra trip to the store in time for the following week, and instead our gleaning group leaders remembered how we are always on board for eggplant, and saved aside some especially for us that were given to the club. So, for the old price of two large eggplant, I received the two small ones we bought and three more. The Lord takes care of us.

We have finally had two or three mornings below freezing here. Just, but still below freezing. It is cold. The fires have been going this week. We are hoping that we have watered our maple enough that it will turn lovely colors before the leaves all freeze off of it. Our mornings are forecast to be below freezing just about all of this week. The heat is on in our bedroom, and sweet Rich put the heated mattress pad on our bed so I won't die. Winter is coming. I'm trying to be grateful that our fall lasted longer than it normally does.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ham, Summer Squash Casserole, Salad, Green Tomato Dill Relish, Green Tomato Chutney, Peaches and Nectarines
• Monday - Feast of Saint James of Jerusalem
  Breakfast: Ful, Duqqus, Sliced Cucumbers, Toast, Sliced Peaches, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Herb Roasted Turkey, Bourbon Gravy, Potatoes Au Gratin from Freezer, Cranberry Horseradish Relish from Freezer, Cornbread, Roasted Mixed Vegetables
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Labneh with Diced Tomatoes, Za'atar and Olive Oil, Toast, Nectarines, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Leftover Casserole, Cranberry Horseradish Relish, Salad/Fruit/Dessert brought by Bible study members
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Wheatena with Raisins, Brown Sugar and Coconut Milk, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Lentil and Eggplant Curry, Arabic Style Rice Pilaf (made with oil and water), Beet and Herb Salad with Grapefruit and Lemon Dressing, Nectarines
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Ham, Potato and Vegetable Hash, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: After Thanksgiving Soup, Challah Bread*, Peaches
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Creamy Avocado Pasta with Cashews, Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
  Breakfast: Savory Parmesan French Toast with Hollandaise Sauce, Sausages, Fried Ham Slices, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Arabic Beef and Vegetable Soup, Tamis, Peaches

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:40 AM 0 comments