Blessed Fast! Happy New Year! Though Advent is shorter this year, and even came later than normal, it feels a little rushed. Part of that is that so many of us in the family have been dealing with deadlines and pressures and things that just have to be done. Please pray for a holy Advent for us.

Because of our evening church situation, we are a bit more lax on the fast on Sundays than we otherwise might be. You may see dairy on those days. Also, the Advent fast is a little lighter, in general, as there are many fish days, and more wine and oil days. We try to fast within our strength and do the best we can, knowing that the point is the spiritual training and not the fast itself. The fast was given to us as an exercise and blessing. The only reason I share how we fast is so you know what to expect from meals and recipes during this time, if you are looking for ideas, or if you need to avoid some of the things we will be eating.

The West's fast is more lenient and shorter than the East's, anyway. Our family walks the line between those. Maybe because of that extra week, we were able to eat up the meat before it went to waste, and could start with the light fast today. Our general rule is close to the Orthodox, but we will relax more for Saints Barbara and Nicholas, including egg and dairy those days, and on Sundays, except for the final two weeks of Advent. We will be avoiding meat, fish (most days), eggs and dairy (with the exceptions I mentioned already), wine and olive oil on most weekdays. Shellfish is always permitted, so when we find that at a good price, we definitely eat it. I share this with you as an encouragement. We strive within our strength, and our family situation. We have discussed how to handle this with our priests and our local priests, and are considering also the parish we are part of that doesn't generally follow the fast as much. Fasting and abstinence are such good tools that God gives us through the Church, and I encourage you to try to fast with the Church. It is not as useful to pick and choose, but rather to strive for your church's rule with such accomodations as necessary for health, age, and situation. Talk to your priest. If you don't have a priest, find one and talk to him.

The Hawaiian "tacos" last week were kind of a bust. They were edible, and we ate them, and the slaw recipe that came with it was actually excellent, but there was just too much going on in those white people tacos. We won't make it again. However, the pork chops pizzaiola were fantastic, and quick to make, even for the kids (who made the entire dinner that night, because I was working on something that had to be done ASAP), and we will definitely make that again. With pork chops being relatively inexpensive, we have a ton in our freezers, so come January, we will be using them more again. Also, we found out that we can use our sourdough starter discard to make crumpets, so that will appear more often. It is perfectly fast friendly, and gives us something to make with the starter besides crackers (which are also Lenten and taste a little like cheese). The website where I first saw the sourdough cracker recipe has warned us that it is going away, so I will share our interpretation of them soon. We are still trying to eat from what is in our freezers and pantry and get fresh produce and replenish staples for our groceries. This helps us make room for the deals to come later this month, and the final butchering we have planned. The good news is that nobody wants to eat meat right after butchering, so it won't tempt us.

Every winter, I wish we could live more according to the season and light, and sleep more and do less, but it seems that this time is even busier. So, we will do our best on that score, also. This is such a hard time of year for many of us in the family, though. December and January, especially, are so cold here. We've had our first snow, our first consistent snow, and our first snow that stuck. This week is supposed to warm up a bit, by which I mean in the 30s and 40s, but we don't have snow in the forecast. The roads are slick, though, and we have kids on the road, so pray for them, also.

I pray that your fast will be fruitful, and that you welcome the Christ Child in your heart and home, and prepare for His coming in glory!

• Sunday - First Sunday of Advent
  Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Mandarin Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pasta with Roasted Pepper Sauce and Goat Cheese, Salad, Fruit
• Monday - Feast of Saints Barbara and Clement of Alexandria
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Raisins, Cinnamon Sugar and Coconut Milk, Fruit, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Tomato Dal, Qamhiyeh for St. Barbara's Day, Saffron Buns for St. Barbara's Day
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Sourdough Crumpets, Peanut Butter and Honey, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Pan Fried Walleye, Mount Athos Rice, Salad/Fruit brought by Bible study members
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Nicholas of Myra
  Breakfast: Initial Cookies for St. Nicholas' Day, Fruit, Nuts, Chocolate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pasta Trapanese*, Cabbage Salad, Fruit
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Ambrose of Milan
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas, Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Sardine Curry, Rice, Fruit Plate
• Friday
  Breakfast: Potato and Vegetable Hash Burritos with Salsa, Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Sweet and Sour Shrimp, Jasmine Rice, Fruit
• Saturday - Feast of the Conception of the Theotokos, Blessed Virgin Mary
  Breakfast: Lenten Tropical Muffins with Almond Butter, Fruit Plate, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Lemon Garlic Scallops with White Wine and Olive Oil, Parsleyed Rice Pilaf, Green Salad, Fruit Plate

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: Advent, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Preserving the Harvest, Tales from the Kitchen