We are still in the Nativity season, but out of the great feasts for a time. This week was going to be a week on the road for a while, but the weather caused several cancellations. It also means that the Christmas presents I was going to deliver to Dominic and Shawn and the kids' godparents in Eugene are not delivered. Fortunately for us, Dominic and Shawn's church is on the Old Calendar, so it will still be the Nativity season when we see them before the wedding.

Speaking of weather, it has been bitterly and miserably cold here. We thought our pipes made it unscathed, but the cats pulled down the insulation from the pump house pipes and the heater in there went out, all in the same day. Since we have been in the negatives for three mornings in a row, and in single digits for the highs, this is not good. Rich worked on it late last night, when the water stopped in the house, but that was not something we really needed. I had been awake since a little after 4:00 am, and then didn't go to bed until almost 2:30 in the morning.

This week is a lot of using what we have again, and just keeping on with making room in the freezers. We have a ton of stock bags with various bones and leftover vegetables that really should be made up, so if I can get a little done each day, I can pressure can those and make more room in the freezer. Nejat found a recipe in a cookbooks for kids that was given to me as a child that has a recipe for polka dot pizza using sliced hot dogs, so she is making that for us this weekend. In the meantime, we are eating a lot of good foods and using what we have, which means fewer trips into town on these cold days, too. Lent is coming pretty quickly for us in the West, so we are also trying to eat up a lot more of the meat in our freezers and make the non-Lenten treats now that we will not be eating then. Because the wedding is in the middle of that and on the Old Calendar, we are going to get to have a little break in the fast right at the beginning to celebrate with them.

• Sunday - Feast of Saint Hilary
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Home Fries, Fruit Plate, Coffee and Tea
  Dinner: Ham and Broccoli Quiche, Poblano, Corn and Queso Fresco Quiche, Green Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette, Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies
• Monday
  Breakfast: Syrian Rice Pudding with Dried Cherries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Moroccan Eggs and Kofta with Harissa Yogurt, Garlic Turmeric Rice, Green Salad, Pomegranate Christmas Cake
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Baked French Toast, Pears, Milk and Tea
  Dinner: Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread, Tiramisu*
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Anthony the Great of Egypt
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Afghan Potato and Scallion Bolani, Chopped Veggies and Olives, Fruit
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Labneh, Za'atar and Olive Oil on Toast, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Instant Pot Chicken Shawerma, Tamis, French Fries, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions and Olives, Toum, Harissa, Taratoor, Christmas Cherry Nut Cake
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegetable Hash Burritos with Salsa, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Saints Fabian and Sebastian
  Breakfast: Christmas Scones, Sausages, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Polka Dot Hot Dog Pizza, Salad, Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies, Brown Butter Ginger Chews

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: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Menu Plans, Nativity, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen