Sunday, March 30, 2025
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 Gospel reading is often that of the feeding of the 5000, the only miracle of Jesus that is presented in each of the Gospels. This year, it is the Prodigal Son. It is the fourth full week of Lent in the West, and just past the half way point. The austerity of the altar is relieved a little with the adornment of roses, the flower of the Theotokos, and 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 by permitting dairy.
It is looking like rather than preparing the large meal I normally do for the Paschal feast, we might be participating in a potluck instead, which is a little weird after so many years of making everything. The kids are trying to convince me to make everything, anyway, and just serve it during Bright Week. I don't know about making everything, but will try to figure out how to include as much as possible. We would bring the waraq 'ounab (in fact, I will be preparing and freezing them for us to cook on the day of the potluck, probably this weekend) and some laban bi khiyar for sure to the potluck, and perhaps baq'lawa - I'd need to assemble and freeze it ahead of time, and bring a jar of the sheera for the day of baking - and a gluten-free Persian love cake. For breaking the fast after the vigil, I might make sirnica and Italian bacon and romano Pasqua bread to bring with some ham and strawberries and red eggs.
Please pray for us, and we will pray for you. May your Lent strengthen you.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Sliced Tomatoes, Toast, Coffee, Tea, and Milk
Dinner: Vegetarian Pastitsio, Sides/Salads/Fruit brought by Parish, Ice Cream - Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Cinnamon, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Asian Style Chickpea Salad, Mandarin Oranges - Tuesday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Instant Pot Aloo Gobi, Basmati Rice, Green Salad, Sliced Oranges - Wednesday
Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Veggies, Toast, Grapefruit, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Potato and Poblano Stew (without the cheese) with Crisp Tortilla Strips (no cheese), Cabbage and Carrot Salad with Cumin Lime Dressing, Sliced Apples - Thursday
Breakfast: Avocado Toast (GF for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Aya Yorgi Fasulye Piyaz (Turkish White Bean Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs), Sliced Oranges - Friday
Breakfast: Potato Pancakes, Applesauce, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Ethiopian Cabbage, Garlic Turmeric Rice, Fruit Plate - Saturday
Breakfast: Ful, Harissa, Bread, Chopped Chopped Tomatoes, Onions, Radishes, and Olives, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Pasta with Clam Sauce*, Green Salad, Strawberry Sorbet
Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Laetare, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Craft On: Malabrigo March, at Last!
So, I finally have a Malabrigo March project, though it is nearly impossible that it will be finished in time. I also have another pair of baby socks going, this time for Dominic and Shawn's baby. My hopes that I will be finished with Amelia's sweater are in vain, but I am still making good progress, and as it is a cotton and wool blend, the sweater will still be useful for the spring and even on summer evenings.
That Malabrigo project is a bucket hat, and I am at the point that the knitting goes much more quickly, so I hope to have the finished project complete soon. The baby socks are super quick, so even with working on a few projects concurrently, have a chance to be finished by the end of this month.
I took a break in non-fiction reading and instead finished Coconut Layer Cake Murder, another happy, little mystery. Both The Dress Doctor and The Joy of Yarn were set aside for a bit, though I think I read a couple paragraphs. I haven't forgotten about the review of You Are Peter, either.
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, MalMarch, WIP, Yarn Along
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Menu Plan: Third Sunday in Lent and the Annunciation
This week holds the last major feast before the end of Lent, the Annunciation. I love that the Annunciation closes the week begun by the feast of Saint Joseph, that the heads of the Holy Family are celebrated so closely together. It is Elijah's birthday, and we were always so glad to have everyone celebrating with him on his day. We have always thought about Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin taking special care of him.
I had such a whirlwind at the end of last week that I didn't get a chance to post the recipes, so I will be doing that this coming weekend.
Next week begins with Laetare, and that will be a precious break for us before the final push in Lent and Holy Week. It has been a challenging time all around us, both in our family and in the world of those we love. We are, again, trying to focus on simpler meals this week, but especially to focus on the internal life that we need to nurture.
Please pray for us, and we will pray for you. May your Lent strengthen you.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Leftovers, Strawberries, Coffee and Tea
Dinner: Cauliflower Shawerma with Herbed Tahina Sauce, Basmati Rice, French Fries, Toum, Shatta with Olive Oil, Olives and Sliced Vegetables, Sides/Salads/Fruit brought by Parish - Monday
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Raisins, Pistachios and Sheera, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Shredded Potato Stir Fry, Jasmine Rice, Mandarin Oranges - Tuesday - Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos by the Archangel Gabriel
Breakfast: Tomato Toast (no toast for Jerome) with Toum, Strawberries, Tea with Honey and Coffee
Dinner: Stuffed Rockfish, Herbed Rice Pilaf, Green Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette, Chocolate Cloud Cake - Wednesday
Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Veggies, Toast, Grapefruit, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Za'atar Roasted Cauliflower, Vegetarian Rouz Bukhari, Cubed Mangos and Sliced Strawberries - Thursday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Baked Potatoes with Faux Cheese Sauce and Roasted Vegetables, Sliced Oranges - Friday
Breakfast: Apricot and Coconut Cream Overnight Oats (in jars for Jerome and Yasmina), Tea with Honey
Dinner: Seafood and Scallion Pajeon with Dipping Sauce, Kimchi, Rice, Date and Orange Salad - Saturday
Breakfast: Ful, Harissa, Bread, Chopped Chopped Tomatoes, Onions, Radishes, and Olives, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Crisp Onion Pakoda Sandwiches (GF bread for Jerome), Toum, Balela (no cheese), Fruit Plate
Labels: Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen
Sunday, March 16, 2025
Menu Plan: Second Sunday in Lent
I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.
The feast of Saint Joseph is also this week, who is a particular patron of our family. We love the Holy Family, and Rich especially loves Saint Joseph. I love that the feast of Saint Joseph is the first day of the "week" which ends with the feast of the Annunciation. It is fitting that the bethrothed share this week.
We are eating simpler meals and cooking as much as we can from our pantry and freezers, and filling in with fresh produce. The oranges this year have been fantastic. We certainly appreciate these simple foods so much more during fasting seasons. We are breaking the fast a little this week with some dairy for the feast of Saint Patrick, and we will do the same for the Annunciation. Then, we will have Laetare Sunday two weeks from now. Those breaks are a blessing. They allow us to fast within our strength. We had a little eggplant this past week, but the kids were asking where all the eggplant was, as we were in Lent, and they were looking forward to all the eggplant. So, tonight's dinner is eggplant again, and I'll find another way to fit it into our menu this week or next week.
We are praying quite a bit during this Lent. Between what is going on in the Middle East, and what is going on in this country, as well as many friends with cancer and other health issues, it is a praying time and Lent is the perfect time for that. Please pray for us, and we will pray for you. May your Lent strengthen you.
- Sunday
Breakfast: Lenten Tropical Muffins with Peanut Butter, Fruit Plate, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Zaalouk*, Rice, Sides/Salads/Fruit brought by Parish - Monday - Feast of Saint Patrick
Breakfast: Cinnamon Nut Raisin Bread (GF for Jerome) with Peanut Butter, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Colcannon Fish Pie, Steam Sautéed Peas with Garlic and Tarragon, Sliced Oranges - Tuesday - Feast of Saint Cyril, Patriarch of Jerusalem
Breakfast: Apricot and Coconut Cream Overnight Oats (in jars for Jerome and Yasmina), Tea with Honey
Dinner: Florida Style Black Beans, Rice, Cubed Mangos - Wednesday - Feast of Saint Joseph
Breakfast: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Breakfast Burritos with Salsa, Bananas (Apples for Jerome), Tea with Honey
Dinner: Spanish Fish Stew*, Bread, Chopped Salad, Blackberry Sorbet Bars - Thursday - Feast of Saint Cuthbert
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Thai Coconut Rice Salad, Sliced Oranges - Friday
Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Veggies, Toast, Grapefruit, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Creamy Avocado Pasta with Cashews, Date and Orange Salad - Saturday
Breakfast: Fluffy, Vegan Peanut Butter Pancakes (GF for Jerome) with Apricot Preseves, Tea and Coffee
Dinner: Pasta Trapanese (GF for Jerome), Garlic Bread (with Olive Oil - GF for Jerome), Salad, Sliced Oranges
Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Recipe Round Up: Vegetarian Bissilla
Bissilla literally means peas, technically, you would call this bissilla ou rouz, peas with rice. The Italians have risi e bisi, which is similar and also completely different, but I digress. This is such a simple recipe and produces something truly delightful. It really isn't much to look at, honestly, but it really is delicious and satisfying. It is one of the times that using frozen vegetables is really just as good as using fresh. Most of the time it is made with meat, either stewing beef or lamb, or ground beef or lamb (as more of a short cut), but this vegetarian version is truly good on its own, not just as a substitute. Besides all of that, it is super quick to prepare, making for a fantastic weekday meal. This is stewy, not soupy, and is always served with rice. I start cooking the rice at about the same time I start heating the skillet for this dish.
olive oil, or fasting friendly oil for sautéeing (use half butter - clarified butter, or sammen/samneh, is really best - and half olive oil when it isn't a fasting season)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper flakes (optional, but really not)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 ounces tomato paste
2 pounds peas, fresh or frozen
1 cup tomato juice
1 cup water
2 bunches fresh dill, finely minced
juice of one large lemon, strained
Heat a skillet with sides over medium-high heat. Add a generous swirl of oil, or oil and butter, and add onions. Sauté for a few minutes, then add garlic, salt, cumin, coriander, Aleppo pepper, and black pepper. Cook for a minute or two.
Add tomato paste and cook well with aromatics for another minute or two. Stir in the peas, tomato juice, and water, and stir thoroughly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, simmering uncovered for about 10 minutes, until reduced and thickened.
Just before serving, sprinkle with dill and the juice of the lemon. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary. Serve with hot rice.
Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Craft On: Progress and Regress
It is more that I know I am making progress than that I seem to be able to see it. You can see that I've started the sleeve on Amelia's sweater, and I finished one of Madelyn's socks. Actually, I have started the second one, as well, but made a mistake at the beginning of the cuff, so I have gone back on that. Likewise, I cast on for a new design, but then didn't follow my own directions and forgot to use a provisional cast on when I started it. So, out that came, as well. Since we were away from home at that point, I didn't have any spare yarn to use, then we came home and it was the weekend, so I worked on finishing the first sock and getting the first sleeve started.
Today, it is nearly half way through Malabrigo March, and I haven't even started a single thing. I have two projects planned, one which I didn't plan to finish this month, anyway, but the other I really want to complete.
In the background, I have five patterns I'm writing, in various stages of completion, two for publication in magazines, three for independent publication - plus a scarf pattern that will be a freebie for my subscribers next year.
I have done very little reading this week in either The Dress Doctor or The Joy of Yarn. We had a busy end of week, plus the time change, plus a birthday, plus a neighborhood dinner, and I'm still trying to catch up on my rest.
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, MalMarch, Patterns, WIP, Yarn Along
Sunday, March 09, 2025
Menu Plan: First Sunday in Lent
There are many beautiful icons of the Temptation of Jesus, but this painting by Duccio captures the essense of our Lenten journey with Christ in the desert. After being driven to the desert to fast for 40 days and be tested (not as a trick or pop quiz, but to model for us and to teach the way we make our spiritual battle), He commands Satan away, with the angels waiting to attend Him.
Spring is starting to catch up here, too, and Rich is working hard to finish pruning the fruit trees before he loses his chance. I've rearranged some things on the menu, and will post the recipe for the bisilla on the blog this week. Also, this week, we have the first birthday of the year in our household. The kids keep growing up, and it is bittersweet. We love to see the adults they are becoming, but miss their little faces and voices.
Please pray for us, and we will pray for you. May you have a holy and blessed Lent.
- Sunday - Feast of Saint Gregory of Nyssa
Breakfast: Ful, Sah'awiq, Bread, Chopped Vegetables and Olives, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Mediterranean Braised Vegetables, Rice, Fruit/Sides/Salads brought by Parish - Monday
Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Chopped Apples, Raisins, Brown Sugar and Cinnamon, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Fried Cauliflower, Arabic Style Rice Pilaf, Taratoor, Depression Era Wacky Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting - Tuesday
Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Peanut Drizzle, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Black Bean Chili, Chopped Onions, Cilantro, Avocado and Jalapeno, Fried Corn Tortilla Strips, Fruit Plate - Wednesday - Feast of Pope Saint Gregory the Great
Breakfast: Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk, Dried Raisins, Blueberries, Cranberries and Cherries, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Kung Pao Broccoli and Cauliflower, Garlic Fried Rice, Sliced Oranges - Thursday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Vegetarian Bissilla* and Rice, Shatta, Salad, Sliced Cara Caras - Friday
Breakfast: Potato and Vegetable Hash, Salsa, Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Thai Mussels with Jasmine Rice, Stir Fried Peppers and Onions, Orange and Date Salad - Saturday
Breakfast: Lenten Pancakes, GF Lenten Chocolate Chip Pancakes for Jerome, Fruit Plate, Coffee and Tea
Dinner: Pasta (GF for Jerome) with Tomato and Eggplant Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread (with olive oil), Fruit Plate
Labels: Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Lent, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen
Saturday, March 08, 2025
Recipe Round Up: Scrambled Chickpeas
This is a recipe I took the basic method from my friend Melissa's book Fasting as a Family (if you don't have this book, get it!), and what I am sharing here is really more of a general outline than a recipe. It is a great recipe, and a remarkably good substitute for scrambled eggs (though it is not the same thing). We make them as is, or sometimes with added vegetables, as shown in the photo.
fasting friendly oil
1 small to medium onion, finely diced
2 cups cooked chickpeas (canned or home cooked) with liquid reserved
1 teaspoon turmeric
salt and pepper, to taste
seasonings of choice
optional additions:
minced garlic
roasted red peppers
asparagus
chard, or other greens
whatever vegetables you like in things like this
Heat a skillet over medium high heat, add oil and sauté onion to soften, add garlic, if you are using it. Add chickpeas and turmeric. Heat, smashing with a wooden spoon or spatula. If you are using vegetables like asparagus or greens, add them first. If using soft vegetables like roasted red peppers, add them after the chickpeas. Season as you like, and add a little of the liquid from the chickpeas to create a good texture that isn't dry. If you are using jarred roasted red peppers, you can use the liquid from that.
Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen
Wednesday, March 05, 2025
Craft On: The Vortex
I am in a knitting vortex. I've been working on the body of this sweater for an eternity, and it still isn't long enough. However, I did have a chance to hold it up to Amelia, and I am going to make it a little shorter than the pattern says, anyway. I should be able to start the scalloped border today. There was a ton of ease in the sweater, and it is probably intended to be a bit oversized, but if I knit even just a little longer, it will be a tunic on her, and if I use the pattern measurements, it will be a dress. She's pretty tall, too.
Malabrigo March has started, and I thought I'd have some progress to share, but we had a super tangled skein, and I am just getting started on my first project for the event/month.
We have a short trip coming up and I will have some knitting time in the car, so I am looking forward to making progress on both of those, as well as the baby socks for Madelyn, and for Dominic and Shawn's little one.
The full review of You Are Peter is still forthcoming, but I want to put my thoughts together a little better. It was an interesting book, which gives both the Christian East and West many things to consider.
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, MalMarch, Patterns, WIP, Yarn Along
Sunday, March 02, 2025
Menu Plan: Quinquagesima (Forgiveness Sunday), Mardi Gras, and Ash Wednesday
These are the last moments of meat for us in the West. Today is Forgiveness Sunday in the East, also known as Cheesefare Sunday (farewell to dairy). The Eastern Church will begin Lent tomorrow. We have a couple more days, because we begin on Ash Wednesday, midweek. Quinquagesima is the 50th day before the Paschal feast for us in the West. We celebrate together this year, glory to God, and we continue to pray, that both East and West will unite to celebrate together every year. The practices of Ash Wednesday are so profound, as are those of Forgiveness Sunday, and I hope that eventually the Church will get her act together and find a way to bring them together in all ways.
I've explained before that xerophagy is the accurate term for Lenten fasting. It means dry eating. We restrict meat, fish, dairy, eggs, oil and wine, which means our food is not as lubricated as normal. There are two strict fast days (no food or nutritive drink) in the West, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. There is an optional strict fast from the evening after the Maundy Thursday service through the end of the Paschal Vigil. In the East, the first week of Lent, from Clean Monday through their vespers service on Wednesday is supposed to be as strict a fast as possible, with the guidance of a spiritual father or mother, and they share the same Triduum fasting, I believe. Aside from that, the earliest rule of the Church is to eat no meat, no fish (with the exception of shellfish - and because of the expense, we eat them sparingly), no dairy or eggs, no olive oil (all oil in a few jurisdictions), no wine (or alcohol). On Saturdays and Sundays, the rule is relaxed to include olive oil and wine, and on a few significant feast days we are able to eat fish, and one day caviar is permitted (Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday, with fish eggs acting as a shadow of the eggs associated with the Resurrection). In the West, we celebrate Laetare Sunday about midway through the fast, and on that day we also eat dairy and egg. None of this is to imply that eating or that any of these foods are bad. They are good things from which we abstain as a discipline to train ourselves, following the example and teaching of our Lord.
This is worship. Worship throughout the Bible, Old Testament and New, always means sacrifice. It is not prayer, though that usually accompanies it. It is not singing hymns and songs, though they may also accompany it. It is not homilies or sermons, though they are edifying. It is sacrifice. The sacrifice that Christ offered for us once for all that we join into in the Eucharist. The sacrifice of something good for our own good in fasting. In the West, penance is emphasized, and while this is absolutely a part of our Lenten journey, fasting, praying, and almsgiving are seen more as a discipline Christ gives us through the Church to grow us spiritually. Young children, the elderly, those who have serious medical conditions, those who are hospitalized, pregnant and nursing women, are all exempt. There is no make-up required for these people. Their fast is considered complete. In all cases, fasting or not, we are to keep our eyes on our own plate. We are not to concern ourselves with how someone else is keeping the fast, unless that person is asking us for assistance or support.
Because we serve an Anglican parish on Sundays, we will be relaxing the fasting on Sundays to permit fish, as the parishioners are not required to keep the stricter fasting rules, so you will sometimes see fish on those days. My posts here about how we fast are not meant to show off, they are meants to show the reality of how we live our faith, and (I hope) to give encouragement and meal ideas to those seeking them. Now that all of our children are old enough to keep most or all of the fast, we are trying to live out the Lenten Rule more closely. Nejat is young enough not to be required to keep the fast, so we make sure we plan for her to eat on strict fast days, should she choose that, and she knows that she can eat foods that we cannot if we want to avoid wasting food or if she needs it. However, even she attempts to fast with the Church with us.
As we prepare for Lent, we must prepare for self-examination. So, in that frame of mind, if I have offended you or wronged you in any way, please forgive me and pray for me, a sinner. As for you readers, I pray that this will be a profitable and Holy Lent for you, however you observe it. Please pray for us, as well. Have a blessed fast.
- Sunday - Quinquagesima and Forgiveness Sunday
Breakfast: Trapeza after Liturgy
Dinner: Lengua Tacos, Salsa and Mexican Crema, Cabbage and Carrot Slaw, Sides/Salads/Desserts brought by Parish - Monday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Sausages, Biscuits (GF for Jerome), Grapefruit, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Koubbeh, Iraqi Koubbat Battatas (safe for Jerome), Taratoor, Harissa, Green Salad with Feta and Lemon Vinaigrette, Fruit Plate - Tuesday - Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)
Breakfast: Cheese Toast with Crudités, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Leftovers followed by Treats brought by our Friends, Louqaimat, Fastnacht Kreppel Filled with Pomegranate Jelly, Gluten Free Apple Fritters, Fritule - Wednesday - Ash Wednesday
Dinner: Tahina and Date Syrup Sandwich with Sliced Oranges for Nejat - Thursday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples (Peanut Butter on Apple Slices for Jerome), Tea with Honey
Dinner: Vegetarian Bissilla* and Rice, Shatta, Salad, Sliced Blood Oranges - Friday - Feast of Saints Perpetua and Felicity
Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas, Sliced Cucumbers, Olives, Toast, Sliced Oranges, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Black Bean Chili, Chopped Onions, Cilantro, Avocado and Jalapeno, Fried Corn Tortilla Strips, Fruit Plate - Saturday
Breakfast: Potato Hash Burritos with Salsa, Sliced Apples, Coffee and Tea
Dinner: Mejeddarah with Crisp Onions, Toum, Fruit Plate
Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Lent, Mardi Gras, Menu Plans, Quinquagesima, Tales from the Kitchen
Saturday, March 01, 2025
Recipe Round Up: Mthouamat Banadora
This picture doesn't do it justice, and the garlic wasn't quite brown enough because we added the oil left from cooking the tomatoes and it make it a little too wet - don't do that, just add that oil to your dish.
This is so delicious and simple to make! It is a traditional Palestinian dish adn literally means garlicked tomatoes and it is exactly that. Traditionally, you take the skin off the tomatoes, but I don't, because I don't mind them. However, if you want to make it absolutely authentically, you should skin the tomatoes after roasting them. You can eat this for breakfast, lunch or a light dinner, with bread, some olives, salad if you want to make a lunch or dinner and fruit if you are serving at breakfast, and a lovely cup of mint tea. We double this for our family, but a good rule of thumb is one tomato per person. You can scale up or down based on that.
4 ripe tomatoes
1 head of garlic, peeled, plus 2 more cloves, peeled and minced
1/3 cup good quality, whole milk yogurt
1 tablespoon tahina
salt, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling the tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons samen (ghee, or clarified butter)
Slice the tomatoes in half, and lay on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Broil for 20 - 25 minutes or roast at 450˚F for about the same amount of time.
While the tomatoes are roasting, thinly slice all the garlic, except the two for the sauce. Place the garlic, the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of samen in a saucepan and cook over low to medium low heat until the garlic is browned and crisp, but not burned. Set aside.
Mix the yogurt with the tahina, and 2 cloves of minced garlic, plus a little salt. Set aside.
Place the roasted tomatoes in a shallow, rimmed dish (peeled, if you want to make them as the original), and roughly chop them. You want chunks of tomato to be discernible. Pour the yogurt sauce over the top and mix together. Just before serving, pour the browned garlic with all the oil and samen over the top and serve with bread.
Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen
