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

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

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