Sunday, March 31, 2024
Menu Plan: Bright Week
Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
Traditionally, the eight days of the Paschal Octave have absolutely no fasting in them. Even with our somewhat truncated fast this year with the wedding, we are all ready for meat and dairy and fish and all those lovely things. We broke the fast last night after the Vigil with ma'amoul, a platter of dates, smoked salmon, crackers, cheese and meats, and various other lovely treats. Then, it was home for bacon and scrambled eggs with toast and some of the last of our Paschal preparations.
Today we will finish our preparations for the meal, feast and pray and feast some more! I've included some of the offerings we know people are bringing over today, but the rest will be a surprise. Rich has a meeting this week with a lot of people we have known throughout his career, and I will be coming along and bringing a few trays of the food from our feast to share with them. There are actually containers in our fridge labeled "FAA Hummus" and "FAA Baba Ghanooj" and so on, which is a little funny to me, but there you have it.
Blessed Feast for those of us in the West and a continued Holy Lent to our Eastern brethren!
- Sunday - Pascha/Fesh'a
Breakfast: Paschal Braided Bread, Pascha Cheese, Scotchicanese Eggs, Raspberries, Strawberries and Sliced Oranges, Hot Chocolate and Coffee with Chantilly Cream
Dinner: Olive Tray (with Kalamata Olives, Green Baladi Olives, and Orange Stuffed Green Olives), Tourshi, Tourshi Makhloot, Deviled Eggs, Herb Roasted Green Lamb, Hummus, Baba Ghanooj, Muhamarrah, Tabbouleh, Waraq 'Ounab, Harissa, Sah'awiq, Duqqus, Arabic Style Rice Pilaf, Fatayir bi Sabanich, Fatayir bil Joubneh, Sambousak, Laban bi Chiyar, Khoubz Araby, Red Eggs, Baq'lawa, Gatayif, Gluten Free Persian Love Cake, Lemon Cheesecake Cake (a layer of cheesecake in the cake), Red Wine, Mead, and Martinelli's Sparkling Cider - Monday
Breakfast: Leftover Gatayif and Baq'lawa, Scotchicanese Eggs, Sahlab and Hot Chocolate
Dinner: Leftovers - Tuesday - Feast of Saint Mary of Egypt
Breakfast: Stuffed French Toast made with Pascha Bread and Cheese, Raspberries and Strawberries, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Lamb Dip Sandwiches, Tabbouleh, Laban bi Chiyar, Leftover Desserts - Wednesday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Sausage and Cheese, Toast, Mandarin Oranges, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Saucy Hungarian Red Potato Goulash, Tabbouleh, Leftover Desserts - Thursday
Breakfast: Hashbrown Crusted Egg and Cheese Skillet with Salsa, Scallions, Avocado, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Cypriot Halloum, Onion and Tomato Sandwiches, Rocky Road Ice Cream - Friday
Breakfast: Mexican Eggs Benedict with Chorizo and Avocado Cream, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Souvlaki, Grilled Vegetables, Herbed Cous Cous, Harissa, Leftover Desserts - Saturday
Breakfast: Ful with Olive Oil and Sah'awiq to break the fast after the Liturgy
Dinner: Peruvian Kebabs with Beef Heart, Hot Dogs, Super Crisp Peruvian Roasted Potatoes, Peep S'mores
Labels: Bright Week, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fesh'a, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Menu Plans, Pascha, Tales from the Kitchen
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Recipe Round Up: Mount Athos Tomato Rice and a Depression Era Chocolate Wacky Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Coconut Frosting
This rather simple rice recipe is remarkably satisfying. It is good with vegetables, or shellfish, or anything you like with it. As written, it is good for olive oil and wine days, but you may substitute a fasting friendly oil for the fasting seasons, Wednesdays or Fridays.
2 cups white rice (any type you like, though it will affect the texture - we tend to use a shorter grained Egyptian rice)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
4 medium, fresh ripe tomatoes
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and cut into large chunks
4 tablespoons tomato paste
6 tablespoons olive oil or fasting friendly oil
4 cups vegetable broth OR 4 cups hot water and 2 vegetable stock cubes
freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
If you do not have vegetable broth, dissolve the stock cube in hot water.
Place the tomatoes and red pepper in a food processor or blender. Process until a relatively smooth purée is made. Set aside.
Put the oil in a wide pot over high heat. When oil warms up, sauté the chopped onion and garlic for a couple minutes. Then add the tomato paste and sauté for 2 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula, so that the tomato paste releases its wonderful aromas and doesn't burn.
Add the puréed tomatoes and peppers to the pot. Add the paprika and the oregano, then the water (or broth) into the mixture. Stir and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
When the water starts to boil, lower the heat to very low and add the rice. Stir to combine it with the sauce. Place the lid on top of the pot.
Simmer the rice in the sauce until all the water is absorbed. You will need about 15 minutes. The heat must be very low so that the rice and the sauce won’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes with the lid still on the pot. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary, fluffing the rice to serve.
Depression Era Wacky Chocolate Cake
This is such an oddly made cake, but it really does taste good. The frosting makes it, though. Without the frosting, it is a little flat. We have often served this cake (as well as two or three other cakes) as a birthday cake during Lent.
Dry Ingredients:
3 cups pastry flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup safflower (or other light) oil
2 cups water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 X 13 inch baking pan with nonstick coconut or avocado spray. Mix first 5 dry ingredients in the prepared pan (flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and salt).
Make three depressions in the dry ingredients – two small, one larger. Pour vinegar in one of the smaller depressions. Pour the vanilla extract in the other smaller depression and the vegetable oil in third larger depression. Pour water over all. Mix well until smooth.
Bake on middle rack of oven for 40 - 50 minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Be sure to check your cake to make sure you do not over bake.
Cool completely before frosting (if using). You can also just sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Chocolate Coconut Frosting
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix 2 cups sugar, cocoa, milk, oil and vanilla in a large bowl with stick blender, or in a stand mixer. Scrape sides to fully incorporate the sugar. Add the remaining sugar, gradually, mixing over medium speed until sugar is fully blended.
Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Menu Plan: Holy Week
The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
Our school break begins this week, but this first week is for all the services of the week and a lot of preparations in our home for the feast. There is a lot of cooking and cleaning to do besides the spiritual preparations. Next week will be our rest and rejoicing. Since everyone is old enough to participate at some level in the stricter fasts this week, Good Friday will not have meals planned, though Nejat may eat a light meal after the liturgy that day. On Holy Saturday, the two youngest may break their fast a little earlier than the rest of us. Rich has given me a mandate to break the feast a little earlier, so I can taste food as I prepare it. It always feels a little terrible to do that, because everyone else is fasting while I am not, but I try to be discreet, and it is literally tastes, not a whole meal. It is a small sacrifice I can make to ensure our church and family and friends can enjoy an excellent meal for the Paschal feast. What I'm trying to say is not to feel too badly if you cannot keep up with the strictest rules this week. Struggle within your strength.
May you have a blessed Holy Week! Please pray for our strength and health this week. If you are Orthodox, I pray for a continued Holy Lent.
- Sunday - Palm Sunday
Breakfast: Vegetable Hash, Toast, Strawberries, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Thai Chile and Coconut Milk Salmon, Jasmine Rice, Stir Fried Vegetables, Chocolate Crazy Cake with Chocolate Coconut Frosting - Monday - Holy Monday
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Raisins, Cinnamon Sugar, and Oat Milk, Tea with Honey or Coffee
Dinner: Minestrone, Chopped Salad, Fruit Plate - Tuesday - Holy Tuesday
Breakfast: Polenta with Maple Syrup and Almond Milk, Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey or Coffee
Dinner: Persian Shrimp Rice with Herbs, Middle Eastern Chard with Garlic, Onions and Sumac, Fruit/Salad brought by Bible study members - Wednesday - Spy Wednesday
Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Peppers and Onions, Sourdough Toast, Mandarin Oranges, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Steam Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic (using sunflower oil), Mount Athos Tomato Rice, Salad, Fruit Plate - Thursday - Maundy Thursday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Canned Peaches, Tea with Honey or Coffee
Dinner: Crudités, Fruit Plate for those not fasting - Friday - Good Friday
- Saturday - Holy/Vigil Saturday
Breaking the Fast after Vigil: Ma'amoul, Bacon, Eggs, Other Treats
Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Holy Week, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Palm Sunday, Tales from the Kitchen, Triduum
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Menu Plan: Passion Sunday
I am a little sad that we are entering the final week of Lent at the time that the East is entering the first week. Properly, this Sunday is called Passion Sunday, was the beginning of the final week of Lent, with Holy Week being its own separate and distinct observance. Passion Sunday gave the general overview of the last days of Christ's life on earth, while with Palm Sunday, we enter into each day of that final week with Him quite specifically. Unfortunately, in the West, this has largely been relegated to a footnote to Palm Sunday, rather than its own observance. So, right on the heels of celebrating the Hosannas of Christ's triumphal entry, we slide into the Good Friday narrative. This is a shame; it is jarring, and robs parishioners of the real walk of that final week of His life with Him during Holy week, from Palm Sunday, the first, instructive events of Holy Monday and Tuesday, with the fig tree and the annointing with perfume and oil, through His betrayal on Spy Wednesday, His Last Supper and the institution of the priesthood and the Eucharist, His arrest and trial, His crucifixion, and His rest in the tomb, as He harrowed Hell to free those captive to death. We live through the events of that week each year. It seems to me that the modern church seems to think it is too much to ask of her people to take that walk with Him for one week each year. Meanwhile, our calendars and prayer books still show that this is the historic practice and we preserve it in this way only. We will keep His final days in mind this week, meditating on His words and actions, as we prepare for the hard Via Dolorosa we will embark on next Monday.
Passion Sunday marks the last week of Lent, as a summary of what Christ did to rescue us from sin and death, as we ready ourselves to walk each day of the way of sorrow with Him and, in the East, ends with Lazarus Saturday, the first resurrection which points to the greater one. We have begun observing it ourselves, as one of the commemorations that is significant to the life of the Church. Jesus raised Lazarus in anticipation of His own resurrection - and ours. One tradition for Lazarus Saturday is to make sweet, little breads shaped like a man wrapped in linens (Lazarakia). Another is to permit the eating of caviar (fish eggs) as little eggs, before we get to have eggs again on the Paschal feast. We will be doing both of those, but it will have to wait until after liturgy, because of that difference in the timing of Lent for East and West.
So, because of the feasts of Saint Patrick and Saint Joseph this week, we get fish twice! Even though our Lent has been interrupted and truncated, in some ways, the relief we are given from the discipline is a blessing. We embrace it and enjoy it. We have a special devotion to Saint Joseph here, Rich even more so, and love him so much. He is Elijah's patron saint, as well, and we love to remember and celebrate him. Our grocery stores had some great deals on fish, too, so we are enjoying a fish pie for Saint Patrick's day after church and a Spanish fish and shellfish stew for Saint Joseph's feast. Rich is planting some peas today, in honor of Saint Patrick.
Now that we are at the end of our fast, I invite you to walk with the Church in these last days of Christ's suffering. Look for a Catholic (especially Traditional Latin or Eastern Rite) or Anglican type church in your area which has actual Holy Week services, and go to them next week. If your church does not observe Passion Sunday, read through the gospel accounts of the Passion and prepare yourself for the daily Via Dolorosa that is to come. Next week, read through the events of each day of Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday, and allow them to penetrate your heart and mind. Saturate yourself in them. Pray an hour with Christ in the garden on Maundy Thursday. Fast with Him on Good Friday. Pray at the tomb on Holy Saturday. Prepare yourself for a full rejoicing when He bursts from the tomb. Don't limit it to one day's notice and leave Him. Remember that the Paschaltide begins on the Paschal feast and goes 40 days to the Ascension and another 10 days to Pentecost. Do not let it end with one Sunday. You will find life in His life.
Keep praying for us, and we continue to pray for you. Blessed Lent (and Forgiveness Sunday for our Eastern brethren). Forgive me, a sinner.
- Sunday - Passion Sunday
Breakfast: Leftovers, Sourdough Toast, Strawberries, Coffee and Tea
Dinner: Colcannon Fish Pie, Roasted Broccoli with Vinaigrette, Fruit Plate - Monday - Feast of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem
Breakfast: Polenta with Almond Milk and Maple Syrup, Sliced Pears, Coffee and Tea
Dinner: Seafood and Scallion Pajeon with Dipping Sauce, Kimchi, Jasmine Rice - Tuesday - Feast of Saint Joseph
Breakfast: Home Fries, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Spanish Seafood Stew, Country Bread, Salad/Fruit brought by Bible study members - Wednesday - Feast of Saint Cuthbert
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Chopped Apples, Raisins, Cinnamon and Brown Sugar, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Mahjouba, Persian Chopped Salad (using sunflower oil), Date and Orange Salad - Thursday
Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Peppers and Onions, Sourdough Toast, Mandarin Oranges, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Pasta with Mussels and Garlic, Steam Sautéed Carrots and Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Dill (using sunflower oil), Sliced Oranges - Friday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Olive and Rosemary Focaccia, Middle Eastern Chard with Garlic, Onions and Sumac, Lenten Bougatsa me Crema - Saturday - Lazarus Saturday
Breakfast: Marinated Chickpea Salad with Herbs and Spices to break the fast after Liturgy (Lazarakia and Caviar in the afternoon)
Dinner: Imam Bayildi, Arabic Style Rice Pilaf, Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, Fruit Plate
Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Lent, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Craft On: Sunrays and Socks
You know when you knit something and it doesn't look right? But you keep knitting, anyway? It will not be better three inches later. I know this. This didn't stop me from continuing after I saw something I thought wasn't great. So, I will be undoing the heel on my Dahha, and going back to make something on the leg the way it ought to be. In other news, however, my sunray washcloth is delightful. It is doing exactly what I planned. It is bright and joyous and makes me so happy. I hope you will love this set. It will be released as part of a spa set that will be published in time to knit the whole set for Mother's Day.
Still reading Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages and almost finished with Mansfield Park. Next week, I will be finished with our Romans study, which means two more books to mark on my reading list this year.
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
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Menu Plan: Laetare Sunday
Be joyful, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow: that you may exult, and be filled from the breasts of your consolation.
Laetare is milk-joy Sunday. It is the Mother's Day of the Church, remembering the Church as our Mother and the Blessed Mother herself, who is both the mother of God and of all believers. The traditional Gospel reading is that of the feeding of he 5000, the only miracle of Jesus that is presented in each of the Gospels. It is the fourth full week of Lent in the West. The austerity of the altar is relieved a little with the adornment of roses, the flower of the Theotokos, nd the rose vestments. This is one of the Western Traditions that I would love to see in a unified Church. Much like Forgiveness Vespers from the East and the Imposition of Ashes in the West are both such powerful practices, I think this set of readings and prayers and the reinforcement of the earliest Church teachings on the Church as Mother and devotion to our Blessed Mother are powerfully presented in this little lightening of the fast.
We enjoyed our dairy today and got to celebrate Amira's birthday, though I think I overdid it, which is definitely not in the spirit of Lent. I'm trying to keep in mind Saint Gregory Palamas' words about the fast, and think of sharing our excess and leftovers with those who fast out of necessity, rather than choice. Even our prayers at church tonight echoed that, with prayers for those who fast because of war, famine, homelessness, or illness. Our fast is voluntary, theirs is not, and we must remember them in action, not simply in our thoughts. Next week is Passion Sunday, and then Palm Sunday follows that, which is a little startling. This year Lent has gone by so quickly - in all probability, it feels that way because of the break we took with the wedding and so forth. We are more than half way through Lent.
Evil DST is upon us again, and I really wish we could just ignore it. Workplaces can shift their hours, so can schools and activities, and we can just all go on in rational, real time. On the plus side, we had the winds of spring come through this weekend, and that gives me hope that we will find ourselves outside of winter misery sooner than later.
We found an incredible number of deals on excellent produce this past week, and we are enjoying that bounty. Again, this is just one of the ways that God shows His care for us. My favorite kind of pear is the Comice, and our Grocery Outlet had them for $0.79 a pound, which is a price I rarely see on other kinds of pears, let alone more "specialty" ones. We should be able to enjoy all the apples, oranges, pears, tangelos, and other produce I found for at least two weeks. We had to adjust our menu once last week, so we have a repeat this week, but I am looking forward to it, as well.
We are now in the last part of Lent, as I said, and preparing our hearts and homes for the Resurrection. I am looking forward to it so much. It is the highest feast of the Church year and my favorite holiday of all time. I wish we were celebrating together with the East. That is the only sorrow in it. My Bible study only has two more sections in it, so we will finish up with it the week before Holy Week, and be able to take our break, then begin again with another study.
Keep praying for us, and we continue to pray for you. Blessed Lent (and beginnings of Lent for our Eastern brethren).
- Sunday - Laetare Sunday
Breakfast: Lemon Cream Cheese Butterhorn Bars, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Macaroni and Cheese, Dressed, Sliced Tomatoes, Cheese and Crackers, Mandarin Oranges, Cherry Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake - Monday
Breakfast: Tomato Toast with Toum, Strawberries, Tea with Honey and Coffee
Dinner: Thai Red Curry Vegetable Soup, Marinated Cucumbers and Onions, Fruit Plate - Tuesday - Feast of Saint Gregory the Great
Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Peppers and Onions, Sourdough Toast, Tangelos, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Dopiazeh Aloo, Persian Herbed Rice, Salad/Fruit brought by Bible study members - Wednesday
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Chopped Apples, Raisins, Cinnamon and Brown Sugar, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Mahjouba, Persian Chopped Salad, Date and Orange Salad - Thursday - Feast of Saint Benedict of Nursia
Breakfast: Black Bean and Hashbrown Breakfast Burritos with Salsa, Tangelos, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Paella Primavera, Green Salad, Sliced Pears - Friday
Breakfast: Almond Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Pasta with Mussels and Garlic, Steam Sautéed Carrots and Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Dill, Sliced Oranges - Saturday
Breakfast: Mana'eesh, Sliced Cucumbers and Tomatoes, Sliced Pears, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Quick Sesame Noodles with Panfried Shellfish Mix, Fruit Plate
Labels: Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Laetare, Lent, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen
Wednesday, March 06, 2024
Craft On: Of Socks and Spa Sets
Progress is being made on Dahha. I think the first sock and the pattern will be finished in a week or two. There is a collection of patterns I have had in mind for some time, and I started those this week. They are super fun to make, and I eliminated almost all the sewing (there is a tiny seam on one of five pieces). They use some of the yarn I bought while we were in Split, and it makes me even more happy to knit with it because of that.
We have more wedding pictures from the photographer and I can share the big one of all the family now. There are some missing uncles, aunts, cousins, and a grandfather, because they could not be there, but this is both of our families together.
Also, I don't know if I shared Malabrigo's Blog post about the Incense Route. I am still so pleased that they asked me to work with them and helped me bring this collection to fruition.
While I have read a little in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages and am still really enjoying it, it is still going slowly, because it usually happens at night and it requires more engagement of my mind than my exhaustion is permitting. The kids and I have been doing a lot of reading in Mansfield Park, however, and are close to finishing it. My Bible study of Romans is nearly at an end, which will have me finished with two more books!
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
Sunday, March 03, 2024
Menu Plan: Third Sunday of Lent
Saints Perpetua and Felicity are two of my favorite saints. They were a married noblewoman and her servant who were brought to be executed for their faith. Felicity was pregnant and delivered while in prison. The image of her bleeding, recently delivered body being set against wild beasts in the arena was too much even for the Romans, who were so used to this kind of violence as entertainment, and seeing them martyred in this way was the beginning of the end for this kind of execution in Rome.
We have feasts of some of our favorite saints this week, plus one whose intercession we need badly for our gardening this year. We are really between fruit seasons, it is the last of the winter fruit stores (citrus, mostly) and well before the summer fruit start coming, and last year we just didn't really have a chance to put up as much as I would have liked. We need to make sure we do more of that this year. It will need to be a priority for us. Between food prices, weird things going on in the supply chain, stores ordering only enough stock for the week, and frankly, the poor quality of the produce we have seen in stores over the past few years, we want to make sure we have enough of our own preserved so we know it is good and we have it for the family. We do have some canned fruit and a bit of dried fruit, but mostly it's frozen fruit now.
Rich has been planting things in our makeshift greenhouse and we are almost to the point that we can direct seed plants like peas and potatoes. We are really praying that we have the time and weather to produce quite a lot of our own vegetables this year. Our fruit trees look like they have survived winter fairly well, but where we live, we have had hard frosts as late as Memorial Day. We are praying for this to be a year without anything like that in it. If our garden and trees produce for us, I will be able to preserve a lot for us for the next year. My goal is not to have to buy any summer produce in the fall, winter and early spring, expect for perhaps eggplant, just because I haven't found a way to preserve it well. Perhaps if I preserve it as the foods that we eat and enjoy, that might be the better way. Anyway, Rich spends our miserable winter time planning the garden, and I plan the summer preserving. He is better at the garden part, and I just tell him the varieties we want to eat.
A few of the kids got to go to a teen retreat at a church a few cities away from us, and it was wonderful. We are so glad they got to go, and we are planning for them to go to the summer camp, too. They have made friends, and are really learning to know God in a better way. We are thankful. Please pray for them that the good words would embed themselves in them and that the darkness of our world would not overpower it.
Thank you for your prayers! We have had so many good answers to prayer this past week and are grateful. Glory to God in His Saints! Keep praying for us, and we continue to pray for you.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Potatoes Hash Burritos with Salsa, Fruit Plate, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Black Bean and Potato Enchiladas, Salsa Rice, Cabbage Slaw - Monday
Breakfast: Potato Pancakes with Salsa, Sliced Avocados, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Shorbat 'Addas, Tamis (all made with sunflower oil) - Tuesday - Feast of Saint Conon the Gardener
Breakfast: Lenten Plum Butter Muffins with Almond Butter, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Thai Cashew Coconut Rice with Peanut Sauce, Frozen Fruit Salad - Wednesday
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Raisins, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon and Coconut Milk, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Mahjouba, Date and Orange Salad - Thursday - Feast of Saints Perpetua and Felicity
Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Peppers and Onions, Sourdough Toast, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Stir Fried Vegetables, Szechuan Fried Rice, Mandarin Oranges - Friday - Feast of Saint Gregory of Nyssa
Breakfast: Almond Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Honduran Red Beans and Rice, Fruit Plate - Saturday
Breakfast: Ful with Olive Oil to break the fast after Liturgy
Dinner: Ladenia, Red Potato Salad, Lenten Bougatsa me Crema
Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Lent, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen
Saturday, March 02, 2024
Recipe Round Up: Dan Dan Noodles (plus a Vegan Version), Marinated Chickpea Salad with Herbs and Spices
One thing I like about this recipe is that it permits me to feed at least eight people with a pound of pork. That is so unusual for most meals, and especially now that the price of meat is so high, this is a godsend for families. If you do not eat pork, ground beef or lamb could easily be used, though ground veal would probably taste closer. I don't really recommend commercial ground chicken or turkey, but if you can grind your own, that would work well.
2/3 cup sunflower oil
12 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
3 - 4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
16 ounces Chinese egg noodles (or medium width rice noodles)
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 - 4 tablespoons sambal oelek or sri racha
2/3 cup water
1 pound ground pork
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, chopped (reserving dark green portions for garnish)
1 large head green cabbage, shredded
Make chile oil: Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the oil, garlic, ginger and chile flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant, but not burned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sesame seeds and cook another 30 - 60 secondsm making sure they do not burn. Remove from the heat and pour into a heat proof jar or bowl and set aside.
Cook the noodles according to package directions.
Combine soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sambal oelek, and water in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Place the skillet back on the burner over medium high heat. Add ground pork. Season with black pepper and brown all over, breaking it up as it cooks, around 5 minutes. Add the red onion and the whites and pale parts of the scallions and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook another 2 minutes or so, until it softens. Slowly pour in the soy sauce mixture. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the meat is coated well with the sauce, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the cooked noodles and 1/4 cup of the chile oil. Remove from the heat. Toss the reserved scallions with the noodles. Serve warm, topped with additional chile oil.
This is such a quick and easy and delicious and vegan meal to make that is filling, too. Even if you don't observe Lent, it is a good meal and one that is handy to have in your back pocket when you don't have a lot of time to make dinner. It is also highly versatile. This picture shows it made with a bag of coleslaw mix, because we had it and didn't have the whole heads of cabbage or other greens. This recipe takes me about 20 minutes to make from start to finish, and will serve eight generously.
1 pound rice noodles (we use medium width)
1/4 cup sunflower or safflower oil
8 stalks celery
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
1/2 pound shredded cabbage, Swiss chard, kale, or spinach
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped, dark green parts saved for garnish
Sauce:
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced (or replace both with 1/4 cup of ginger garlic paste)
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
6 tablespoons natural peanut butter
1/4 cup chile oil (or 1/4 cup sesame oil and 1/4 cup Sri Racha)
2 tablespoons coconut, palm, or brown sugar
1/2 pound chopped cashews, for garnish (optional)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rice noodles and cook for 7 -8 minutes, until al dente. Drain, leaving a little water on the noodles.
While the pot is coming to a boil, and while the noodles cook, prepare the other ingredients. In a skillet or wok over medium heat, add oil, celery, onions, cabbage, and the white and pale green parts of the scallions to the pan. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes, until the onions are just starting to brown at the edges. Set aside.
Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
Add the noodles to the vegetables in the pan, along with the sauce, and toss well to combine. Sprinkle with remaining scallion greens and cashews, if using. Serve with mandarin oranges or another acidic fruit.
Marinated Chickpea Salad with Herbs and Spices
So Trader Joe’s sells about a 9 ounce can of a chickpea salad with parsley and cumin and lemon. They use soy bean oil in it, garlic, salt and pepper. I recreated it and made it better, using dried chickpeas that I cooked, fresh parsley, fresh garlic, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, cumin, salt and Aleppo Pepper. For $2.50 I make three times the amount of that can, which they charge $1.79 for in the store. If I used regular black pepper, and a lower grade olive oil, it would be cheaper still, maybe closer to the $1.79 - $2.00, for more than three times as much. It is very rare that making something from scratch is not a better price.
3 cups cooked chickpeas, drained (save the liquid for soup or cooking grains)
1 large bunch fresh parsley, finely minced (save those stems for stock!)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
juice of 2 large lemons, strained
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes
salt, to taste
Combine all ingredients, and taste to adjust seasoning.
Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen
