How was your week? We are so busy running everyone right now, but it is for good things. I'm just hoping we settle into the schedule better soon.

It is definitely deep fall here. I'm hoping we can get at least a couple weeks more before winter shows up again. This is our last week of not full school work, so I am really trying to get some more canning and preserving finished. Besides that, it is just normal life, a little school work, and trying to rest a bit.

Starting this week, though, we have three days of the week that require quick and easy meals both morning and evening. This is putting a crimp in my style for cooking, but we are figuring it out as we go. This means that we have repeats this week, though.

We are putting one of our free turkeys from Thanksgiving to work for us this week. It also means that we are freeing up some room in the freezer, which means that we are closer to butchering our numerous Muscovys. Our poor neighbors keep having them in their field, and they haven't said anything about it, but I am sure it is annoying. We already planned on putting many in the freezer, and it is finally cool enough to take a day to do it, and we don't want to trouble our neighbors any more. Also, I think we are going to sell some more of them. They are prolific layers, and fantastic for fly control, as well as being wonderful meat birds. (If you live near us, and want them, let me know so we can hook you up)!

This is our last truly busy week, too, before we settle down for the fall and winter. You know that is not really true, but it is what I am telling myself to comfort myself before life finds a way to make us super busy again.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Sausage Patties, Sliced Peaches, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Carne Guisado (with green sauce) and Rice for Church Potluck
• Monday
  Breakfast: Shakshouka, Toast, Fruit, Milky Tea
  Dinner: Herb Roasted Turkey, Bourbon Gravy, Boiled Potatoes, Cranberry Horseradish Relish, Buttered Corn on the Cob, Chocolate Pudding
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Potato and Veggie Hash with Chorizo, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Hot and Numbing Sichuan Style Turkey Salad, Garlic Eggplant, Sliced Watermelon
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Peanut Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Tbikhat Ful, Tamis, Sah'awiq, Cucumber Salad, Sliced Apples
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Theodore
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Thai Style Ginger Chicken with Eggplant, Jasmine Rice, Frozen Fruit Salad
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Baba Ghanooj and Hummus, Tamis, Sliced Veggies, Olives, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Sausages, Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Souvlaki, Gyros, Tzatziki, Honey Cake

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:58 AM 0 comments

Since Arabic has a completely different alphabet than English, there isn't really a correct spelling of words in English, but rather a more commonly used one. I've seen this spelled as it is above, mehallebiyeh, and a few other ways. It is pronounced somewhere between these two. Even though people say that the hard, gutteral, and back of the throat sounds are so difficult in Arabic, I actually find that it is the vowels which really stymie them. They are often pronounced in a similar way, but with the mouth held in a completely different way, which makes them sound different.

Anyway, I made this muhallabiyeh for church this week (I made it for church in a large bowl, rather than the traditional small cups or bowls to make serving it more simple), and told the kids how my mother loved it and made it often, and I HATED it. She would make big pots of it and store it in the fridge in many little bowls, and I wouldn't touch a one.

When we were in London, there was a Lebanese restaurant where we picked up dinner one night and it was on the menu, so I ordered it and I think Rich did, too. It was lovely, and reminded me of my childhood. The one in which I didn't eat it. At all.

Of course, I ate it. It is the most inoffensive, simple and easy to digest dessert. It is a great introduction to Arabic desserts to someone who is a little skeptical. And I wouldn't eat it for nearly 48 years.

Traditionally, the rose syrup is made with a commercial rose concentrate that has dyes in it, so it is a prettier color, a bright rose pink, than the one I made, but mine doesn't have red #40 in it, so there is that. I will share the recipe for the homemade rose concentrate and the pudding on the blog. Also, traditionally, it is made with either a rice flour or another starch that is not quite as easy to source here in the US. You can make your own rice flour (I do that all the time by grinding in a clean coffee grinder or grain mill) or just use cornstarch.

Muhallabiyeh

3 1/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup rice flour or cornstarch
2 teaspoons orange blossom water
1 teaspoon rose water

2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon concentrated rose syrup (divided)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons rice flour or cornstarch

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup pistachios, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon orange blossom water

food grade rose petals, for garnish (optional)

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, whisk together milk, cream, sugar and rice flour or cornstarch until blended with no visible lumps of starch. Turn heat on the medium-high, and whisk constantly for a few minutes, until the mixture is thickened with large bubbles forming all over the surface. Remove from heat, and stir in the orange blossom water and rose water.

Pour into pretty cups and bowls and chill in the refrigerator, uncovered, until the surface begins to set, about 20 - 30 minutes.

While it is chilling, prepare the rose topping and pistachio topping.

In a small saucepan, whisk together 2 tablespoons concentrated rose syrup. water and cornstarch until well combined. Turn heat on to medium-high and bring to a full, rolling boil, whisking constantly. When the mixture is thickened and there are large bubbles forming on the surface, remove from the heat and whisk in the reserved teaspoon of concentrated rose syrup.

Spoon a thin layer of this over the cups of muhallabiyeh, tilting them to cover the surface thinly and evenly. Refrigerate until set completely and cold, about two hours or overnight.

In a medium skillet, over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the pistachios. Sauté the pistachios just until they start to smell like they are browning. Add the sugar and stir until it is melted and starting to caramelize around the edges of the pistachios. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the orange blossom water.

Spoon the pistachio topping evenly over the cooled muhallabiyeh cups. Serve immediately. If you are not ready to serve, the pistachio topping can be kept in a sealed container for a day or so, and then put on the pudding when ready to serve. This is best served cold or room temperature. If you want to be fancy, you can sprinkle a few rose petals over the top of the pistachios when serving.

Concentrated Rose Syrup

This can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. It lasts for quite a while in the refrigerator. Honestly, you could probably make a larger batch and can it to store on the shelf.

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup food grade rose petals

In a medium saucepan, stir the sugar and water together to dissolve. Add rose petals and bring to a full, rolling boil, over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 - 3 minutes, until the liquid reduces slightly, and the color is rose pink. Remove from heat, strain liquid into a container and set aside in the refrigerator.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 7:53 AM 0 comments

The family at BrickCon!

So, this is a tip that I have been using for a little over two years now. When we go on trips, either vacations, short weekend getaways, or work trips, I save a ton of money and try really good food by using an app that allows me to buy food from delis, restaurants, and some grocery stores, for a fraction of the original price. We've used it in the US, Canada, and the UK.

Too Good to Go is an app which partners with these places so that their overstock does not go to waste. Some companies use it as a way to generate income to make sure they don't have overstock, too. There is a rating system, and as all of these are grab bags, with no way of ordering something specific, I am a little careful. I make sure that I check the reviews (if it is a place I haven't tried before), and only order from places with high enough ratings. For me, that is no lower than 4 out of 5 stars. So far, there has only been one that was just okay, and none which have been bad.

One of the ways that we check out these places is also to check reviews outside of the app. So far, it has worked well for us. In London, for instance, there was an Ethiopian restaurant we tried that was fantastic! It cost us all of about $6.50 each for our full dinners (mine was too much for me to eat, and Rich ended up eating his and about a quarter of mine, too). We picked up three orders of smoked fish from a place in Bellevue to add to the fruit and crackers and cookies we brought with us to make lunch for the family after BrickCon, which consisted of smoked salmon, smoked black cod, smoked halibut, and smoked sturgeon, and was all of about $34 for all eight of us, and left enough for two more meals. I've gotten quite generous bags of muffins and breakfast pastries for about $4.00 in Portland, OR, and a dinner and dessert that I grabbed from a Lebanese place for about $11.75 in London.

The way it works is that you put your location in the app, search for what is available in that area, make a reservation for the grab bag, which also will give you a window of time in which you can pick up the food. When you get to the place, you show them the app, slide a little bar to show that you have picked up, and they bring you the food.

This is not as useful in small areas, and there is only a gas station "deli" participating here in my little town. However, whenever we travel or are heading to a different area than where we live for an evening, I always fire up this app and see what is available. We have found all sorts of interesting restaurants and places to eat, and kept the costs down to what they would have been nearly 20 - 30 years ago.

This isn't a huge, amazing thing, but it is one of the ways that you can save some money, stretch your budget, and perhaps allow for some special meals out, or permit your family to go on trips without worrying as much about the cost of the meals. I hope it helps you.

We used this app, plus some of the hints in my Bargain Getaways post (like finding a Homewood Suites - though it looks like the dinners there now are only standard once a week instead of the Monday through Thursday that they used to be - some locations still host more days). Also, we found that Element by Westin hotels have evening socials/meals three times a week, as do Staybridge Hotels (and also offer free laundry machine services). Drury Hotels have daily dinners available. These are all places to look into while traveling to cut your meal costs down, as well.

Previous Posts:
Make it at Home
Grocery Shopping
Waste Not, Want Not
Soup
The Celery Stalks at Midnight
Use What You Have
Combining Trips
Storing Bulk Purchases
Turn It Off
Grow Your Own
Buying in Bulk
Gleaning
Entertainment on the Down Low
Finding Fun Locally
Holiday Shopping
Reconsidering Convenience
More Bang for Your Grocery Buck
Preserving the Harvest
Revisiting Kitchen Strategies
Extreme Frugality
Bargain Getaways
Cultivating or Curating Abundance
Making Your Own Snacks and Treats
How Weird Is Too Weird? Things We Don't Think of Eating
Fuel Costs
Quick Hint on Eggs
What's in Your Refrigerator (Revisited)
Taking Stock
Garbage Management
End of the Paycheck Meals?

Labels: Family, Frugality, Homemaking, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 12:34 PM 0 comments

I’m finally nearing the end of the baptismal gown project. Unfortunately, I reversed the shaping on the back sections and didn’t realize it until working the front. Fortunately, it is only about 10 rather short rows on each side to correct. The bodice is fairly simple, though I have basically rewritten all the shaping and decreases. When I fix the back sections, I will knit the sleeves, then it will be finishing and collar.

We are still reading through Emma and I picked up a happy, little murder in the interim. I've made a little progress in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages.

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: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:58 PM 0 comments

It is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Theotokos today and we rejoice in that. Without her, we could not have Him. Glory to God in His saints!

We had such a fun weekend! There was a BrickCon in Bellevue and Rich either found discounted tickets, or just heard about it and found that the tickets were not that expensive, and we bought them a few months ago. We also reserved a hotel, which was our largest expense for the trip, but it was big enough for all eight of us, and there was a full breakfast in the morning, and as it was a two bedroom suite with a pullout bed in the living area, we didn't need two rooms, and there was a kitchen, so we could bring our dinner for Friday night with us. Anyway, we had a blast looking at all the cool builds and art and robotics done with Lego (and other bricks) and the market had some discontinued sets that our kids had been looking for for ages. Amira found her dream Lego set for around $250, which has been discontinued for years, and which she has only seen for $600 plus online. She held it to her the entire time after buying it and so many people asked her where she got it.

Anyway, we took advantage of one of the apps I use to save money on eating out while we are on trips (I'll post a new frugality blog with that information soon), so we bought some pretty awesome smoked fish, plus crackers - gluten free ones for Jerome, and the fruit we had brought with us, which was a pretty fabulous lunch. The fellow at the fish market was out of one of the smoked salmon packages we had ordered, so he substituted a third package of the more expensive smoked fish from the other two orders we had made. We had smoked salmon (initially it was two orders of that), smoked halibut, smoked sturgeon, and smoked black cod. This made lunch for all of us on Saturday about $43 for eight people, and that is a pretty good deal for buying lunch. A normal restaurant meal for us, even lunch, is always over $140. In fact, we still have one and a half packages of the smoked fish left (and the smoked salmon came in a canning jar we can re-use), for breakfast today, so that price for the smoked fish (that part was about $33) made two meals for us, two and a half packages for yesterday and one and a half packages for today.

Last week, we tried a new recipe for sheikh al-mahshi, and it was so good! We will definitely be making it again. I did modify the method, so I was only using one pan, and in future, I would mirror the spices of the meat in the sauce, as well as salt and pepper the eggplant before frying it to soften. However, it was still delightful and we had a little leftover, plus a ton of the sauce and some of the meat filling left over, which will go into meals this week. This week isn't too busy until the end of it, then we are all running everywhere. I am so grateful for older, competent kids during busy times like this.

As this is one of the two weeks before we really start serious school work (we are only doing about two days a week of more rigorous work, and light work the rest of the week), I am going to try to take this opportunity to put up some peach preserves (maybe some peach melba jam with some of our fall bearing raspberries) and can up some poultry and corn and vegetable stocks, to clear out some room in the freezers. I also have loads of plums that will make wonderful plum jelly and butter. If we have enough time, I will also have the kids help me make some apple pie filling to freeze. They have been just slamming the trimming and slicing of our gleaned sweet peppers for the freezers, and I think we have put away about 30 pounds of sliced peppers - after seeding and stemming them.

• Sunday - Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Theotokos
  Breakfast: Smoked Fish, French Cheese, Baguettes (Parmesan Crisps for Jerome), Fried Eggs, Leftover Plum Tart and Custard, Poached Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pesto and Ricotta Baked Pasta (Leftover Sheikh al-Mahshi for Jerome) and Muhallabiyeh* for Church Potluck
• Monday - Feast of Saints Joachim and Anna, parents of the Theotokos
  Breakfast: Sausage and Vegetable Hash, Toast, Figs, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Orange Marmalade and Apricot Nectar Glazed Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Steam Sautéed Carrots with Garlic and Dill, Sliced Watermelon
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Fried Ham and Eggs, Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Spicy Spanish Tomato Skillet with Eggs and Cheese, Bread, Fried Peppers and Onions, Torta Dominguera
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Apples and Raisins, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Tbikhat Ful, Tamis, Sah'awiq, Beet and Cucumber Salad, Sliced Canteloupe
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Overnight Slow Cooker French Toast (Gluten-free Oatmeal Muffins with Almond Butter for Jerome), Plums, Milky Tea
  Dinner: Papas con Chorizo, Salsa, Sour Cream, Chopped Avocados, Cucumber and Tomato Salad, Sliced Watermelon
• Friday - Feast of Saint Cyprian of Carthage
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas and Veggies, Toast, Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegetable and Coconut Rice Salad with Peanut Sauce, Sliced Mangoes
• Saturday - Feasts of Saint John Chrysostom and the Elevation of the Holy Cross
  Breakfast: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with Cream Cheese Drizzle, Chorizo Patties, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ham and Pinto Beans, Cornbread, Garlic Beet Greens, Corn Relish with Sweet and Hot Peppers, Fig and Mascarpone Almond Tart

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: Blessed Virgin, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen, Theotokos

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:29 AM 0 comments

The knitting on the first tree garland is complete, but I still need to block and string them for a garland. I probably won't put it all together until I am finished with the second set of trees, because I am not sure if I want two separate color schemes or to alternate the trees on each garland.

I've also finished a scrappy crocheted basket that will be a gift, as well. Even though I should be working on one of three or four designs right now, I have taken a break and I'm working a bit more on the baptismal gown, which is so close to being finished. I kind of want to get enough progress made that it can be my weekend project again, and still finish it within the month or so.

The gown pattern is beautiful, but aside from my needing to adjust it for the gauge of the yarn I wanted to use (which is on me), it is a pattern that I wish were more elegantly designed. There is a lot about it that I would have designed differently. I should write up my notes on that. I would have made the cable patterns to be divisible into each other, for one. As it is, the smaller cable is a six round repeat. The main cable motif is 16 rounds. So, it takes three full repetitions of the center cable before you are back to the beginning of the smaller one. This could have been avoided by making the smaller cable either a four or eight round repeat. The pattern has you divide for the back in a manner which means that your cable patterns aren't aligned, so I did that entirely in a different manner. At least I caught that soon enough to change it. Also, it has you make the divide much sooner than I think is necessary, which I didn't catch soon enough to alter. However, now I am nearly to the all stockinette portion, which ought to go more quickly, then the cabled sleeves, which aren't too long.

We are moseying through Emma and I have actually finished two books in the interim: Everthing Sad Is Untrue (A True Story) and Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Life, Love, and Food. Rich is still reading the former, so we can have a chance to discuss it a little with each other. I really enjoyed the latter, though not all the recipes were things which would delight me. I do adore food writing, though, and she tells her story well. Some of her discussions of her ex-husband and current husband in comparison are a bit too precious, and annoyed me on a few levels. And I really like Michael Ruhlman. Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages is back on my nightstand and I am reading a bit more now. Also, I finally bought a copy of You Are Peter, which I got a few pages into before Rich started reading it. Since I have plenty of other books in my stack, I am going to get back to it when he is finished.

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: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:01 AM 0 comments

We had the opportunity to worship with the Sudanese church to the south of us today. Their faith is so inspiring. They have literally been holding memorials all summer for their family members who have been killed for their faith in their home country, and are still full of joy and hope. I wish one day to have their faith.

We ease into school work in September, to take advantage of museums and events that are not as busy once "regular" school starts. So, we are doing some literature and grammar work, and a little bit of math. However, a couple of the kids are taking a biology class and a geometry class with a neat local professor and it is great. I'm really excited for them to have this opportunity, especially for the lab science.

Besides that, we are just reading, doing crafts, getting some organizing done, and enjoying the outdoors before it is too cold to do so. This week also holds an anniversary of ours. Rich and I became engaged on September 4, 28 years ago. It was literally our coming to agreement after about a month of consideration. Our how we met story sounds more romantic than it was, and our engagement story sounds much less romantic than it was.

We are still eating the fresh foods of the season and trying to hold on to as much of the beautiful weather as we can until the freezes hit. Pray for us.

• Sunday - Feast of Saint Anna the Prophetess
  Breakfast: Spiced Oatmeal with Raisins and Dried Cranberries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Smoked Chicken, Rice, Corn on the Cob, Plums
• Monday
  Breakfast: Fried Egg and Cheese Bagel Sandwiches (no bagels for Jerome, and more egg), Sliced Canteloupe, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Meatball Grinders, Sliced Cucumbers, Canteloupe
• Tuesday - Feast of Pope Saint Gregory the Great
  Breakfast: Oatmeal Muffins with Peanut Butter, Sliced Canteloupe, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Beef, Green Chile and Potato Stew, Arepas, Marinated Cucumbers, Sliced Canteloupe
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Peaches, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Pasta Trapanese (gluten-free pasta for Jerome), Cucumber and Tomato Salad, Fruit Plate
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Zecharias, Father of the Forerunner
  Breakfast: Migas with Chorizo, Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Sheikh al-Mahshi, Rice Pilaf, Beet and Cucumber Salad, Muhallabiyeh
• Friday - Feast of Saint Onesiphorus
  Breakfast: Potato and Vegetable Hash Burritos with Salsa, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Black Bean Salad with Tomatoes, Corn and Avocado, Corn Chips, Plums
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pancakes and Maple Syrup, Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Sausages, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Spicy Spanish Tomato Skillet with Eggs and Cheese, Bread, Fruit Plate, Torta Dominguera

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Name Day, Prayer Requests, Romance and Relationship, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:02 PM 0 comments