It is now Sexagesima Sunday, which just means sixty and refers to the fact that we are within about 60 days of the end of the feast. It is with excitement that we greet Lent, however, even if it is a challenge. This year, especially, as we fast and celebrate East and West together, gives another dimension to the joy of the struggle.

I wrote this last year, but neither Rich nor I grew up with this pattern of fasting and feasting (though with my Muslim upbringing, it was more familiar to me - just with one month of fasting, rather than three seasons of it and a biweekly observance), but now we cannot imagine our lives without it. What is foreign to us now is the idea that our every day, week, month, year, would not be marked by a remembrance of the events in Christ's life. Even though all of us are aware that doing so is not the norm for most Americans, or people in the West, it is always a surprise to the kids when they find that people are eating meat on a Wednesday or Friday, or when they wish someone a Merry Christmas or Happy Easter the day after the feast and have someone answer that it is over. It is a poverty that they don't mark the time this way, and for all the challenges the fasting and feasting can bring, it is such a gift to us, that we can make even what we put in our mouths part of our devotion and worship of God. It imbues meal times, weekly scheduling, all of it, with the spiritual. It is hard and good - perhaps more good because it is sometimes hard.

It is like the Old Testament admonitions in Exodus and Joshua to do something specifically so your children will ask why and what it means. Talking about Wednesdays, Fridays, Advent and Lent, and why we eat differently then, brings the conversations up about Jesus, His betrayal, His Crucifixion, His Incarnation, His Resurrection. It makes every moment of our lives tied to the life of the Church and the life of Christ. In truth, I am sad for Christians who don't do this out of a mistaken aversion to following rules.

Again, the Lenten "rule" is for each of us and not something to advertise or hammer over someone else's head. It isn't a sin to neglect the fast, so much as it is a pity. It means we won't be so prepared. My hope is that our menu plans and the recipes I share help others get ideas and perhaps be encouraged in their struggle. Above all, I pray that you take advantage of these exercises God grants us through His Church.

This past week, things were moved around a bit, so I shifted the lengua tacos to this week. We are still eating much from our freezers, and trying to use up more meat and dairy so we won't have that much left out of our freezers by next week. We are running out of time to eat our dairy and egg and other treats.

We are finally warming up again here, by which I mean that it is now in the 40s during the day. I'll take it. As we will be home this year, we can have our doughnut night again next week, after skipping it last year, which brings everyone great joy.

• Sunday - Sexagesima, and the Feast of Saint Polycarp
  Breakfast: Mthouamat Banadora*, Tamis, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Lemon Za'atar Chicken and Potatoes, Rice, Brownies brought by Parishioners
• Monday - Feast of Saint Matthias
  Breakfast: Potato, Chorizo and Vegetable Hash, Toast, Strawberries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Leftovers
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Toast, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Kofta bil Bayd, Rice, Loubiyeh bi Zeit, Harissa, Chopped Salad with Feta and Lemon Vinaigrette, Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Alexander of Alexandria
  Breakfast: Tomato Toast, Grapefruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegetarian Ranchero Beans and Rice, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Lengua Tacos, Salsa, Cabbage and Carrot Slaw, Chocolate Cherry Pudding
• Friday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins, Brown Sugar and Coconut Milk, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Falafel, Veggies and Olives, Taratoor, Naan, Harissa, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Saint David of Wales
  Breakfast: Ricotta Fritters with Maple Syrup (gluten-free for Jerome), Bacon, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Tacos de Papa, Avocado Relish, Salsa Rice, Raspberry Almond Shortbread

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, Menu Plans, Sexagesima, Tales from the Kitchen