I know the picture says peace. We don't know why. Peace is the last Sunday.

We are in the second week of Advent and this week has fewer major feasts. It is still during the lighter part of the fast, however. It has been a good Advent thusfar. It seems more preparatory, and everyone is doing well, I think. We haven't even started our Jesse Tree meditations, though we are doing our Advent wreath and readings each night.

The weather, on the other hand, is atrocious. The cold has finally set in and we had freezing rain, plus a few light snow days. I am counting the days until spring, already, though I should be grateful for the milder winter we've had. It is regularly about 20 to 30 degrees warmer during the day than it normally is at this time of year. It's just that that is still frigid.

Rich is helping me re-inventory our home and also make room in freezers, so we can finally get those muscovies butchered. That will help in multiple ways. Also, a former commissioner here mailed some Meyer lemons from his new home to us, and I am going to use every bit of them, if I can. Aside from what you see here, all of them will be zested and the zest added to sugar and salt, separately, for fun seasonings later. Blessed fast!

• Sunday - Second Sunday of Advent
  Breakfast: Spiced Prune Cake (GF for Jerome), Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Split Pea Soup, Sides/Salads/Fruit/Desserts brought by Church Family
• Monday - Feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin, Theotokos
  Breakfast: Tunisian Shakshouka (using sweet potatoes), Home Canned Pears, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Mediterranean Mackerel Pasta, Green Salad, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas, Toast, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Portuguese Spicy Rice, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette, Fruit Plate
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Cashew Butter Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Pasta Trapanese, Green Salad, Fruit Plate
• Thursday - Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Chopped Apples, Dried Cranberries and Brown Sugar, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegetarian Rouz Bukhari, Tourshi Makhloot, Fruit Plate
• Friday - Feast of Saint Lucy
  Breakfast: Ful, Sah'awiq, Kalamata Olives, Toast, Mandarin Oranges, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Spicy Peanut Noodles with Vegetables, Frozen Fruit Salad
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Vegetable Breakfast Burritos, Fruit, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Leftovers, Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cake

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, Tales from the Kitchen