Arabian Knits

Menu Plan: February 12 - February 18

2012-02-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

Lent is almost upon us, so we are planning our meals accordingly. Our lessons will be reflecting the season as well. So, we are busy preparing for preparation right now.

Sunday
Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Corn and Chard Stacked Enchiladas, Salsa Rice

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Indian Fry Bread Tacos with Slow Cooker Beef Machacas, Black Beans, Sliced Oranges

Tuesday
Breakfast: Heart Pancakes, Cranberry Syrup, Bacon Hearts, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Chicken Fried Steak, Gravy, Biscuits, Roasted Broccoli, Baked Apples

Wednesday
Breakfast: Tunisian Shakshouka (using sweet potatoes), Grapefruit Halves, Tea & Honey
Dinner: Eggs in Purgatory, Linguine with Melted Onions, Roasted Asparagus

Thursday
Breakfast: Veggie & Sausage Hash, Sliced Apples, Tea & Honey
Dinner: Chicken and Prosciutto Tortelloni in Tomato Broth, Garlic Bread, Sliced Oranges

Friday
Breakfast: Cherry Almond Granola, Yogurt & Honey, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Vegetables Jalfrezi (using the veggies in the fridge and garbanzo beans), Cous Cous

Saturday
Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Tea & Honey
Dinner: Turkey Tamal, Broccoli Salad

Menu Plan: February 5 - February 11

2012-02-06T08:44:00.000-08:00

We tried a new to us pot roast last night. It was quite good and I think we'll repeat it. I used red wine instead of beef stock, used the wine to deglaze the pan instead of the water, and let it reduce at that point, and added a little extra salt because of the sweetness of the red wine. It was delicious and the meat was tender and juicy. I only have one repeat this week, because we weren't able to get it done this weekend.

Sunday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs and Toast, Tea & Honey
Dinner: : Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Saucy Sour Cream Meatballs with Green Beans, Egg Noodles

Tuesday
Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Tea & Honey
Dinner: Smoked Turkey, Roasted Squash and Onion Wedges, Simple Rice Pilaf

Wednesday
Breakfast: Cinnamon Muffins, Hard Boiled Eggs, Tea & Honey
Dinner: Cream of Asparagus Soup, Spelt Rolls

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Cinnamon Sugar, Hard Boiled Eggs, Tea & Honey
Dinner: Biscuits & Sausage Gravy, Sliced Oranges

Friday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Granola Bars, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Dinner with Friends - We're bringing Pots de Creme and Brownies

Saturday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Turkey and Andouille Sausage Gumbo, White Rice, Pepper Vinegar

Weekly Recipe: February 4

2012-02-04T00:16:00.000-08:00

Whole Wheat and Oat Breakfast Cake

One of the nice things about this recipe is that it can be put together the night before and baked in the morning. It is quick enough to put together, though, that it is no trouble in the morning. I mix it up and get it in the oven before we start morning prayer and it is ready by the time we are finished. Or you could put it in the oven and then head to the shower.

2/3 cup applesauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 cup oat flour
1 whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup milk (or buttermilk)

Topping

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Butter a 9 X 13 inch baking pan and preheat the oven to 375 F (if baking the next day, ignore the oven).

In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. In a large bowl, whisk together the applesauce, brown sugar and honey. Beat in the eggs until well blended. Stir the flour mixture into the liquid mixture alternately with milk. Spread evenly into the prepared baking pan.

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle over the batter. (If you are preparing this ahead, this is when you would cover and refrigerate it overnight.)

Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Menu Plan: January 29 - February 4

2012-01-30T08:43:00.000-08:00

We're getting ourselves ready for the summer garden. It's our coping mechanism for the freakishly cold weather here. We can get our onion seeds started and I think celery seeds, so that's what we're doing. We're also getting ready to order replacement and new seeds for this year and trying to get moving toward working on the soil.

This week's meals are fairly simple. Our school week is light, but the rest of our schedule is pretty full. Aside from our normal activities, Rich's brother is in the area for work, so we're trying to see him as much as we can. The true end of the Christmas season is approaching, too. The Feast of the Presentation is Thursday, which marks the end of Christmas.

Sunday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: : Fake Cassoulet (using a sausage from a friend who makes his own and sherry instead of white wine), Spelt Bread, Apple-Cranberry Pie

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Creole Beef Daube, Linguine

Tuesday
Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Tea & Honey
Dinner: Sausage, Onion and Pepper Sandwiches with Mozzarella and Parmesan

Wednesday
Breakfast: Granola, Yogurt and Honey, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Creamy Vegetable Cheese Chowder, Spelt Rolls

Thursday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Toast, Apple Sauce, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Mongolian Beef, Brown Rice, Fruit Plate

Friday
Breakfast: Whole Wheat Breakfast Cake*, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Eggs in Purgatory, Fettuccine with Melted Onions

Saturday
Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Smoked Turkey, Roasted Squash and Onion Wedges, Simple Rice Pilaf

2011 Wrap Up

2012-01-28T20:01:00.000-08:00

I meant to do this at the beginning of the month, but life has gotten away from me. So here are the books and objects I finished in the year 2011. I have already finished a few things in 2012 and will post those soon.

Books Read in 2011
(including read aloud chapter books, but not picture books or story books)

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan - Finished January 1

Hungry Monkey by Matthew Amster-Burton - Finished January 7

Uncle Sam's Plantation by Star Parker - Finished January 8

Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan (reread) - Finished January 17

Matilda by Roald Dahl - Finished January 19

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (reread) - Finished February 4

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (reread) - Finished February 22

The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan - Finished February 23

The Beduin's Gazelle by Frances Temple - Finished March 15

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan - Finished March 27
Jane's Fame by Claire Harman - Finished March 29

Devil's Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke - Finished April 3

A Is for Apron: 25 Fresh & Flirty Designs (See all Textile Arts Craft Books) by Nathalie Mornu (liked a lot of the patterns, but the narrative infuriated me) - Finished April 4

Heirloom Beans by Steve Sando & Vanessa Barrington - Finished April 5

Blessed Are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch - Finished April 8

Magic or Not? (See all Children's Classic Literature by Age)
by Edward Eager (read aloud) - Finished April 17

One More Skein by Leigh Radford - Finished April 18

The Well-Wishers (See all Children's Humorous Literature)
by Edward Eager (read aloud) - Finished May 15

Seven-Day Magic (Books for Young Readers) (See all Children's Classic Literature by Age)
by Edward Eager (read aloud) - Finished May 30

The Mother Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick - Finished May 31

Much Ado About Anne by Heather Vogel Frederick - Finished June 2
Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half with America's Cheapest Family by Annette & Steve Economides - Finished June 5

Blue Jasmine
by Kashmira Sheth - Finished June 5

An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan - Finished June 8

The Perfect Blend (Tea with Millicent) (See all Literature & Fiction Books)
by Trish Perry - Finished June 10

The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship
by Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel - Finished June 13

Gideon the Cutpurse/The Time Travelers by Linda Buckley-Archer - Finished June 18

The Time Thief by Linda Buckley-Archer - Finished June 20

The Time Quake by Linda Buckley-Archer - Finished June 22

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - Finished June 29

The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl - Finished July 11

Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship, Family, and Finding the Perfect Lipstick
by Molly Ringwald (aside from a few funny remarks, an utter waste of time) - Finished July 15

High School Confidential; Secrets of an Undercover Student by Jeremy Iverson - Finished July 20

$5 Dinner Cookbook by Erin Chase - Finished July 26

My Jesus Year by Benyamin Cohen - Finished August 14

Berried to the Hilt by Karen MacInerney - Finished August 24

Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero - Finished September 12

The Hour that Matters Most: The Surprising Power of the Family Meal
by Les and Leslie Parrott, Stephanie Allen and Tina Kuna - Finished September 22

Unraveled (A Knitting Mystery) by Maggie Sefton - Finished October 1

A Pizza To Die For (Pizza Lovers Mysteries)
by Chris Cavender - Finished October 5

A Being So Gentle: The Frontier Love Story of Rachel and Andrew Jackson
by Patricia Brady - Finished October 10

Crunch Time: A Novel of Suspense (Goldy Schulz)
by Diane Mott Davidson - Finished October 12

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan - Finished October 13

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan - Finished October 15

Salsa Stories by Lulu Delacre -Finished November 16

The Magic city (Nesbit) by E. Nesbit - Finished November 19

There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell: A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble by Laurie Notaro - Finished November 22

How Italian Food Conquered the World by John Mariani - Finished December 4

Flirting With Pride And Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives On The Original Chick Lit Masterpiece (Smart Pop series) by Jennifer Crusie - Finished December 12

Papa's Angels: A Christmas Story by Collin Wilcox Paxton - Finished December 13

The Candy Cane Caper: (#6) by Cynthia Blair - Finished December 14

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) by J.K. Rowling - Finished December 29

Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement by Kathryn Joyce - Finished December 31

2011 Finished Objects

Elf Pants for Mariam - knit January 20

Seaside Hat for Jerome - knit January 25

Noodles Socks for Amira - knit February 20

Grapes Scarf for Jill - knit March 9

Apple Mitts to complete the set for Mariam - knit March 15

Slip Stitch Bookmark for Year of Handmade gift - knit March 19

Java Cup Sleeve for Year of Handmade gift - knit August 6

Vintage Baby Cloche for Audrey - knit August 16

Soap Sack Sachet for Year of Handmade gift - knit September 18

Weekly Recipes: January 28

2012-01-28T10:48:00.000-08:00

King Ranch Turkey

I use turkey for the most part, since we have lots of turkey and roast turkeys for our family dinners. Any recipe that uses turkey can use chicken and vice versa. Use what you have.

6 tablespoons butter (or turkey fat)
1/3 cup flour
1 small onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 cups turkey stock
2 cups cream (or milk)
2 cups sour cream
salt (to taste)
24 corn tortillas
3 cups chopped, cooked turkey meat
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
2 cups diced tomatoes (canned is fine)
1/2 cup diced roasted, peeled green chile (jalapeno, ancho, anaheim - whatever suits your fancy - even canned)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onions and garlic and cook over medium low heat until onions are translucent. Sprinkle flour over and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add oregano and ancho chile powder and whisk in to mix. Slowly add stock, whisking to distribute the roux, then slowly add cream and cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened. Whisk in sour cream. Season with salt, to taste.

Ladle one or two scoops of the sauce in the bottom of a 16 by 11 inch baking pan. Layer eight of the tortillas in the bottom of the pan, overlapping slightly. Cover with half the turkey, tomatoes and chiles. Sprinkle with one third of the cheese. Ladle enough of the remaining sauce to cover the layer evenly, but not thickly. Repeat with another layer of the tortillas, turkey, tomatoes, chiles, cheese and sauce. Top with the last eight tortillas, the remaining sauce and cover with cheese.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly.

Pastitsio

This is a layered pasta and meat dish from Greece. We in the Middle East have our own version of this dish as well, Macarona bi Bechamel.

For the pasta:
1 pound penne pasta (or other tubular pasta)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup rich milk
4 eggs, beaten

Meat sauce:
2 pounds ground beef or lamb
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups diced tomatoes (canned is fine)
1 cup tomato paste

Bechamel:
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until tender but not soft.
Drain and put back in the pot. Add butter and cheese, then toss. Mix the milk and beaten eggs, add to pasta and toss well.

Cook the meat in a skillet with onion, garlic and spices until browned. Add
tomatoes and tomato paste and stir well. Season with salt.

Layer 1/2 of pasta in a 16 by 11 inch baking dish (or two smaller dishes), spread the meat sauce over the top and cover with remaining pasta.

Melt butter, add flour and cook for a minute. Add the milk slowly,
whisking to prevent lumps. Remove from heat, let cool slightly.
Add eggs one at a time, whisking rapidly so you don't get scrambled
eggs. Stir in the cheese and salt.

Pour the bechamel over the pasta. Bake about 35 minutes.
Let stand 15-20 minutes, cut into squares to serve.

Menu Plan: January 22 - January 28

2012-01-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

The snow has kept us at home a lot this past week. Most of our activities after Tuesday were cancelled, so it turns out that this week is our first week with all activities back on board.

We had a different dinner on Saturday, because our schedule changed unexpectedly. So, we have a repeated meal this week.

Sunday
Breakfast: Leftover Pancakes, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: : King Ranch Turkey*, Green Chile Rice, Strawberry Shortcake (with strawberries from the freezer)

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Sausage and Potato Bake with Cheddar, Cherry Pie, Vanilla Ice Cream

Tuesday
Breakfast: Vegetable and Sausage Hash with Fried Eggs, Tea & Honey
Dinner: Beef and Veggie Soup, Rolls

Wednesday
Breakfast: Brown Sugar Cinnamon Muffins, Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Tea & Honey
Dinner: Macaroni & Cheese, Fruit Plate

Thursday
Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Tea & Honey
Dinner: Grilled Chipotle Rubbed Flank Steak Tacos with Sauteed Peppers, Onions and Garlic, Refried Beans

Friday
Breakfast: Granola, Yogurt and Honey, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Chick Pea and Potato Curry, Brown Rice

Saturday
Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pastitsio*, Salad, Apple Pie

Menu Plan: January 15 - January 21

2012-01-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

This is our first week with every single activity back up and running. I am trying to keep things relatively simple this week, while we get back into our schedule.

Our goals of getting projects done little by little and organizing our home and life more are going well. We're not getting everything done nor working at an extreme pace, but progress is being made. School also went relatively well for our first week back and we are excited about our co-op starting. I'm a little frantic trying to get my materials ready for the classes I'm teaching, but I am looking forward to teaching the students again.

Our other big project is getting ready for the garden. The plan is to begin sorting through seeds and ordering and starting things like onion seeds and some herbs and flowers this month. We are determined to have a better garden than we did last year.

Sunday
Breakfast: Hash from Leftover Bierock Filling, Fried Eggs, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: : Red Beans and Rice

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Chicken and Prosciutto Tortelloni in Tomato Broth with Parmesan

Tuesday
Breakfast: Baked French Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pepper Beef Stir Fry with Steamed Rice, Sliced Oranges

Wednesday
Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Falafel, Yogurt, Pita Bread, Harissa

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Craisins and Cinnamon Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Italian Sausage and Potato Bake, Italian Bread

Friday
Breakfast: Granola, Yogurt and Honey, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Pumpkin Gratin, Fruit Plate

Saturday
Breakfast: Cranberry Oatmeal Pancakes with Cranberry Syrup, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: King Ranch Turkey, Quick and Dirty Mexican Rice, Pineapple

Menu Plan: January 8 - January 14

2012-01-08T16:34:00.000-08:00

Christ is illumined! Let us shine forth with Him!

It is the octave of Epiphany and we are heading back into our school term. I'm fairly proud of how much we've accomplished in this first week of the year and hope we can keep plugging away. So, we're back into our regular schedule, with school, meals, extra-curricular activities and such. In a couple weeks I will, yet again, be teaching two classes at our homeschool co-op. One of them is fairly straightforward with some set assignments and materials and the other is, essentially, a knitting clinic. It's fun teaching these, but the preparations are sometimes tough.

Sunday
Breakfast: Cold Cereal with Milk
Dinner: : Roast Turkey, Gravy, Salad, Steam Sauteed Carrots, Butterhorn Rolls

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Diced Apples, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Gratin of Potatoes, Onion and Sausage, Fried Cauliflower, Roast Acorn Squash and Onion Wedges, Cracked Wheat Pilaf

Tuesday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs and Toast, Sliced Oranges, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Turkey Bean Soup, Spelt Rolls

Wednesday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese and Spinach, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Zucchini Pasta with Olive Oil, Garlic and Parmesan, Sliced Pears

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Mexican Beef and Bean Casserole with Tortilla Chips, Salsa and Sour Cream, Sliced Oranges

Friday
Breakfast: Granola, Yogurt and Honey, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Baked Potatoes with Cheese, Sliced Pears and Apples

Saturday
Breakfast: Cranberry Oatmeal Pancakes with Cranberry Syrup, Fried Eggs, Cocoa and Coffee
Dinner: Bierocks, Strawberry Shortcake (Using Strawberries Preserved in Sugar from the Freezer)

Menu Plan: January 1 - January 7

2012-01-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

Christ is born! Glorify Him! We are in the eighth through the 12th day of Christmas this week and will be wrapping up with Epiphany. We are still feasting and celebrating.

Since we had so much food leftover from meals, some of our dinners are being repeated this week. Our anniversary was quiet and nice. We visited with our neighbors, delivered gifts and had a gorgeous dinner together. We changed it a little based on what we had at home. We had our crab linguine with the lemon cream sauce as planned, but served sauteed shredded brussels sprouts with them instead of the green beans. We also served cherry ice cream and chocolate wafer cookies, since we still had so much dessert left and didn't want to make more. We had a nice night together, kissed at midnight and went to bed.

So, since this is another week of feasting, we will see if we can get through all the meals as planned or if we end up moving some to next week.

Sunday
Breakfast: Cold Cereal with Milk
Dinner: : Grilled Chipotle Rubbed Skirt Steak Tacos with Cuban Black Beans, Sauteed Onions and Peppers, Salsa Rice and Radish Rosettes

Monday
Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting, Fried Eggs, Bacon, Milk and Coffee, Cocoa and Coffee
Dinner: Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, Red Wine Sauce, Simple Rice Pilaf, Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Parmesan Cheese, Orange Rum Cake

Tuesday
Breakfast: Coconut Sugar Cake, Hard Boiled Eggs, Cocoa and Coffee
Dinner: Fancy Hot Dogs, Egg Noodles, Steamed Peas

Wednesday
Breakfast: Sweet Potato, Pepper and Onion Hash with Poached Eggs, Chicken and Apple Sausages, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Jalapeno Popper Pizza, Veggie Sticks

Thursday
Breakfast: Dutch Baby Pancake, Apple Sauce, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Austrian Kucherlkraut (Beef and Sauerkraut), Green Beans, Sour Cream Noodles, Pear Sauce

Friday - Epiphany
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Smoked Turkey, Roast Acorn Squash and Onion Wedges, Steam Sauteed Carrots, Butterhorn Rolls, Date Nut Candy and Assorted Christmas Cookies

Saturday
Breakfast: Cranberry Oatmeal Pancakes with Cranberry Syrup, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Gratin of Potatoes, Onion and Sausage, Roasted Cauliflower, Cracked Wheat Pilaf, Strawberry Shortcake (Using Strawberries Preserved in Sugar from the Freezer)

Menu Plan: Christmas Week

2011-12-25T20:58:00.000-08:00

Christ is born! Glorify Him!

We went to midnight mass for Christmas, and the prayers for the departed were both hard to hear and a comfort. Our priest reminded us that those who have passed before us are up with God rejoicing and that their celebration is more than we can imagine. They are also perfectly able to pray for us there. It was both good and difficult to have a finite end to our intense mourning. Rich stopped wearing mourning and I wore colors for the first time. We prepared our hearts to be joyful. The good thing about joy is that it doesn't preclude other emotions. So, we could be sad and joyful at the same time.

We are looking forward to our 12 days of feasting. Our Christmas dinner is not as elaborate as it usually is, but is still festive. We spent this past week making eleven kinds of candy and Chex mix. I'm planning on making one more kind of candy this week and some cookies. Rich and I have our 15th anniversary this week, too. So, this is a week of great celebration for us. Merry Christmas to you all!

Sunday - Christmas
Breakfast: Sausage Patties, Christmas Bread with Cream Cheese, Satsumas, Hot Cocoa with Homemade Marshmallows
Dinner: : Roast Beef, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Eggnog, Triple Chocolate Cheesecake, Peppermint Ice Cream

Monday
Breakfast: English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches with Fried Eggs, Sausage and Cheese, Cocoa and Coffee
Dinner: Beef Pot Pie, Leftover Dessert

Tuesday
Breakfast: French Toast Made with Leftover Christmas Bread and Eggnog, Bacon, Satsumas, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb, Red Wine Sauce, Simple Rice Pilaf, Slow Sauteed Green Beans, Roast Acorn Squash and Onion Wedges

Wednesday
Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Chicken Fried Steak, Biscuits and Gravy, Roasted Cauliflower, Satsumas

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Leftovers

Friday
Breakfast: Brown Butter Banana Muffins, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Roast Turkey, Bourbon Gravy, Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Parmesan Cheese, Steam Sauteed Carrots, Butterhorn Rolls

Saturday
Breakfast: ~~Cranberry Oatmeal Pancakes with Cranberry Syrup~~ Cinnamon Rolls with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting, Fried Eggs, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Crab Linguine with Lemon Cream Sauce, Steamed Green Beans, Cherry Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream

Menu Plan: Fourth Week of Advent

2011-12-19T14:40:00.004-08:00

We are in our last week of Advent. Our waiting will be coming to an end soon. We wait with hope both for the Nativity of the Lord and for His return and the resurrection of the body. I have never waited with such expectation and eagerness for the resurrection. I know that my Redeemer lives and that not only will I see Him in the last day, but that like the Maccabbean mother, I will receive my dead. Rich plans to remove his mourning for the Christmas Eve mass. I am trying to work myself up to wearing colors again myself. I'm fortunate in that white is an appropriate color for feasts of the Incarnation.

One of the things I am finding more difficult to do lately is plan interesting meals or find the motivation to cook or eat. We're still hanging in there, and I'm still doing it, but it's hard. It has been kind of fortunate for me that we're in a fasting time. It allows me to grieve even in my eating and not to feel that I must be celebrating all the time.

Sunday
Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Satsumas, Milk
Dinner: : Italian Beef with Cabbage, Potato and Onion Hash

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Cinnamon Sugar, Satsumas, Milk
Dinner: Caesar Salad Topped with Leftover Beef, Rolls and Roasted Potatoes

Tuesday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Toast, Satsumas, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Baked Potatoes and Chili

Wednesday
Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Greek Salad with Dolmades, Feta Cheese and Kalamata Olives, Pomegranates

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Dried Cranberries and Cranberry Syrup, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Lamb and Tomato Stew, Herbed Cous Cous

Friday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Toast, Oranges, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Vegetarian Ranchero Beans, Rice

Saturday - Christmas Eve
Breakfast: English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches with Fried Eggs and Cheese, Hash Browns
Dinner: Creamy Potato Soup, Rolls

Menu Plan: Third Week of Advent

2011-12-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

We are at the third Sunday in Advent, Gaudete Sunday, Joy Sunday. We lit the rose colored candle tonight. Usually, this is the night we put the lights on our Christmas tree, but this year we don't have ours yet. We usually try to get ours on this weekend. This is a little high note of joy, a break, in the fast. Often churches have a lessons and carols service on this night.

As I have been promising Rich an apple pie for months, I put one together for him tonight. It's been a pretty good, restful day for us, for which we are very thankful.

Sunday - Gaudete Sunday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Sausage and Potato Hash, Toast, Grapefruit, Milk
Dinner: Creole Beef Daube, Linguine, Apple Pie

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal and Cinnamon Sugar, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Leftovers, Pomegranates

Tuesday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Asian Style Meatballs, Peanut Noodles, Sliced Oranges

Wednesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Apples and Almonds, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Alphabet Soup, Kamut Rolls

Thursday
Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Tamale Pie, Quick and Dirty Mexican Rice

Friday
Breakfast: Yogurt and Strawberry Jam, Buttered Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Black Beans, Scrambled Eggs, Avocado, Cheese and Corn Tortillas

Saturday
Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Oranges, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Vegetable Fried Rice, Sri Racha and Satsumas

Weekly Recipes: December 10

2011-12-10T00:29:00.000-08:00

Qamhiyeh (Sweet Wheat Dish for the Feast of St. Barbara)

This is a traditional dish in Syria and Lebanon served in honor of St. Barbara. We double this for the family.

2 cups wheat berries (I use Kamut, as its origins are in Egypt)
3/4 teaspoon salt
12 cups water
1 cup honey
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds + 2 tablespoons to garnish
1/4 cup pine nuts + 2 tablespoons to garnish
1/4 cup unsalted, raw pistachios + 2 tablespoons to garnish
3/4 cup sultanas (golden raisins)
12 dried apricots, finely chopped
2 teaspoons rose water
2 teaspoons orange flower water
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I use Ceylon cinnamon)
pomegranate pips to garnish
silver, gold and colored dragees to garnish (optional)

Boil wheat, salt and water in a large pot, partially covered and at a low boil for an hour. You may need to add more water or stir occasionally. Add honey, nuts, dried fruit, rose water, orange flower water and cinnamon and stir to combine. Allow to simmer a few minutes more.

Serve in small glass dishes and garnish with pomegranate pips, the extra nuts and the dragees.

My pictures are from a couple years ago, as I didn't take any pictures before the cookies were eaten last year and this year, I did not find my recipe until the next morning and had tried to recreate it, ending up with tripling the sugar and a sticky, messy dough that puffed and cracked terribly in the oven. They ate just fine, and none of the children complained of their cookies being too sweet. These are fun, and relatively quick to make for shaped cookies.

Initial Cookies for the Feast of St. Nicholas

1 2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 cup of unsalted butter, two sticks, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water

1/2 cup almond or hazelnut meal
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 teaspoons milk

Mix the flour and powdered sugar in a medium bowl, cut the butter into the mixture as you would to make pie crusts or biscuits, and quickly stir in the ice water to form a ball of dough. If the dough is too dry, add more ice water one teaspoon at a time. Flatten into a disc and wrap well. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

While the dough is chilling, mix the almond meal, powdered sugar, almond extract and milk with a fork.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough out on a very lightly floured board to 1/4" inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2" X 4" rectangles. Make little rolls out of the almond paste to lay along the long side of the rectangle, leaving a little edge of the dough uncovered on both ends. Roll up the rectangle around the filling and seal the dough well. Shape into your letters of choice. You may need to roll (and fill) some of the smaller scraps to form additional parts of the letters. Join the dough where necessary in the same manner as attaching clay to clay.

Place each letter, seam down, on an ungreased and unlined baking sheet. Bake them for about 15-25 minutes.

Here is Yasmina, eating her Y two years ago:

This year, I wanted to make an additional R for our little, lost Rayan. I just couldn't think of what to do with it after that. It has been bittersweet, celebrating such events that we help create for our children and feeling the lack of one of our children. Even though this year there would have been no little stocking put out for Rayan and that child would not have been at our table, it was still a loss I felt.

Menu Plan: Second Week of Advent

2011-12-04T17:42:00.000-08:00

I did pretty well at keeping up the menu last week. I'm going to try it again this week. We have a couple celebrations this week, and I am still trying to keep that up for our family.

We celebrated the feast of St. Barbara today. We were not able to finagle a bonfire, as Rich is feeling poorly and I'm not doing much better. However, I made saffron buns and a boiled wheat dish called qamhiyeh (or sneniyeh - because it is often the first dish served to a child who has cut his first tooth) for tonight. Other traditional dishes include gatayif, which I love, but was not up to making today, maybe next year I can make it for our breakfast, and a kind of syrup soaked doughnut called qawamaat. We thought it would freak our neighbors out too much if we dressed our children up and sent them door to door while we called out "Run Barbara, Run!" last night, and they wouldn't have any sweets for them anyway, so we didn't do that. Traditionally, on the Eve of St. Barbara's feast, Arab Christian children dress up to disguise themselves in rags or scary costumes and go door to door "begging" as they try to escape, like St. Barbara did to try to escape her imprisonment. People give coins and sweets to the children, while their parents egg them on by calling after them "Run, Barbara, Run!" We also have St. Nicholas this week, so we'll be putting out our stockings tomorrow night and awaiting our treats the following morning. The rest of our menus are fairly simple.

Sunday - Feast of St. Barbara
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Toast, Orange Slices, Spiced Tea with Honey and Milk
Dinner: Qamhiyeh* (a traditional wheat dish served for the Feast of St. Barbara), Saffron Buns for St. Barbara's Day

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with the Leftover Qamhiyeh, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Lentil Chorizo Soup

Tuesday - Feast of St. Nicholas
Breakfast: Hazelnut Filled Initial Cookies for St. Nicholas*, Fried Eggs with Toast, Oranges, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Roasted Chicken Legs and Potatoes with Onion and Garlic, Pomegranates

Wednesday
Breakfast: Vegetable and Potato Hash, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Falafel, Pita Bread, Oat Pilaf with Feta and Kalamata Olives, Yogurt, Harissa

Thursday
Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Toast Fingers, Oranges, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Italian Sausage Skillet, Brown Rice

Friday
Breakfast: Yogurt and Strawberry Jam, Buttered Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Eggs in Purgatory, Garlic Bread, Roasted Squash and Onion Wedges

Saturday
Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Toast, Oranges, Milk and Tea
Dinner: Tuna Casserole (this didn't get made last week, we had guests and a schedule change and spinach that needed to be used), Veggie Sticks

Weekly Recipe: December 3 + 1

2011-12-04T11:41:00.000-08:00

Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 pound penne or other shorter pasta that can hold a creamy sauce

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

3 cans solid white tuna, drained

1 pound peas, frozen is fine

1 stick unsalted butter + 1/4 cup for topping

6 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 pint sour cream

juice and zest of 2 lemons

2 cups panko or dry bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until just before being al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, flake or chunk the tuna and set aside. Melt the stick of butter over low heat in a medium skillet. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for about a minute. Stir in the sour cream until it starts to melt a little, then add the strained lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta, and put in a large baking pan, stir in the tuna and the peas. Cover with the butter and sour cream mixture and stir to thoroughly combine.

Melt the additional 1/4 cup of butter and combine with panko or bread crumbs and cover the pasta with this mixture.

Bake the casserole, uncovered, in the center of the oven until bubbling hot and topping is beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Menu Plan: First Week of Advent

2011-11-27T18:16:00.000-08:00

Last week was an interesting one. Rich and the older children were still handling most of the meals. I tried to to a more scaled back Thanksgiving, just so we could still have a holiday for the children, but everything is taking me about five times as long as it normally does and I am very much off my game. Since the turkey was taking longer than I anticipated and we were all full from hors-d'oeuvres anyway, we went straight to pie and dessert and had the turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and other fixings the next day. Aside from crying to Rich that I'd ruined Thanksgiving and him making me repeat after him that I did not ruin Thanksgiving, it was fine. The children, it turns out, were thrilled to eat hors-d'oeuvres and pie, and didn't really care all that much about turkey. I'm going to try to keep this menu plan this week, while the children are still helping with breakfasts and lunches, and Rich can help me with dinners as he can.

Since it is the first week of Advent, we will be beginning the Advent fast and our menus will reflect that. It is a little Lent, so it is not as strict a fast for us.

Sunday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Leftover Enchiladas and Cotija, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Turkey Tetrazzini, Mixed Green Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette, Leftover Pies

Monday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Bananas, Toast, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Mexican Chorizo & Bean Casserole with Salsa Rice, Avocado and Cotija

Tuesday
Breakfast: Yogurt with Strawberry Jam, Buttered Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Corn Bread with Sausage Gravy, Pomegranates

Wednesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Cinnamon Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Torteggas, Sliced Apples

Thursday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Grapefruit, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: French Onion Soup with Croutons

Friday
Breakfast: Honey & Oat Flapjacks with Maple Syrup, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Baked Potatoes with Broccoli Cheese Sauce, Pineapple

Saturday
Breakfast: Chilaquiles and Eggs, Milk and Tea
Dinner: Tuna Casserole*, Veggie Sticks

Family in Photo

2011-11-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I made a record of our doings. Unfortunately, not all of these will be happy updates. We have had a great loss this week. Those of you who know me well or in person already know about our loss. I'm sorry that this will come as such a startling surprise to the rest of you.

Amira and Yasmina helped their dad get the hay in from our tiny crop around the border of our property this summer.

Here is Mariam the morning of her baptism. We stayed at a friend's house on our way to our long trip. We stopped at one of our communion's churches where the priest very generously performed a private mass for our family and did the baptism with the godparents in absentia because of some difficult circumstances in our location.

Alexander served at the mass and lit the Paschal candle. There are two times in a believer's life in which the Paschal candle is lit specifically for him: At baptism and at his funeral.

Mariam, newly baptized into the body of Christ.

Our whole family with Fr. Mark after the baptism and mass.

This is Mariam in our modified camp swing at Yellowstone.

Here we all are at the Continental Divide.

Here is our baby who will never need to be baptized. Rayan was delivered Tuesday, November 15. I miscarried naturally at home, so we were able to keep the body for burial. I do have pictures of the baby for those who truly wish to see, but here is our child in a treasure box that Alexander made for me when he was six. We asked if he would offer it as a casket for Rayan. It was much too big, but seemed more fitting and respectful than a jar or box from something else. This is the first time we have ever been glad for a unisex name, as it was too difficult to determine the sex. Rayan means gentle and heavenly and is an Arabic name given to both boys and girls.

From the words of the burial service:

O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered; Accept our prayers on behalf of the soul of thy servant departed, and grant him an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of thy saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die.

I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though this body be destroyed, yet shall I see God; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger.

We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

"But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death." I Corinthians 15:20-26

"Jesus said unto them, 'All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.'" St. John 6:37-40

Menu Recap: November 13 - November 19

2011-11-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

I know I promised to have some recipes for this week, but we had a rather hard week, so that did not happen. I'm not sure when it will, either. I will post some more about our week in a separate post.

Sunday
Breakfast: Baked French Toast (filled with sliced plums), Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Leftovers

Monday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Sesame Semolina Toast, Apples, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Zucchini, Onion and Feta Frittata, Garlic Bread, Apple Sauce

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal and Brown Sugar, Milk
Dinner: Scrambled Eggs with Potatoes, Chorizo and Cheese

Wednesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Tuna Sandwiches, Bread and Butter Pickles, Apple Sauce

Thursday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Sausage, Potato and Pepper Bake, Bread, Dried Fruit

Friday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pizza and Chips

Saturday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Toast, Grapefruit, Milk and Tea
Dinner: Italian Sausage Skillet with Brown Rice

Menu Plan: November 6 - November 12

2011-11-06T17:33:00.000-08:00

We have an exciting week ahead of us, and I tried to plan meals that either cooked quickly, or in a crock pot, or were simple to put together. We will be visiting with a lot of friends this week, so we also wanted to make sure we had meals that could serve a lot of people. There are a few repeats this week, as well, since we shifted our schedule around a bit last week.

And, just so you know, we found Annie's organic cereal at the Grocery Outlet and bought a bunch, mostly for Mariam to have as snacks, but were reduced to serving cold cereal on Sunday morning. Since we also had a rather heavy lunch after church, we had a simpler dinner. I don't have any recipes planned for posting this week, but have a few set for next week. Maybe even with pictures!

Sunday
Breakfast: Hunny Bunny-Os and Milk, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Carrot Sticks, Sliced Pears, Rice Krispy Treats

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Pears and Cinnamon Sugar, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Ranchero Beans, Rice, Coconut Bars

Tuesday
Breakfast: Toad in the Hole, Sliced Pears, Spice Tea with Honey
Dinner: Pastitsio, Fried Apples with Honey

Wednesday
Breakfast: Slow Cooker Rice Pudding, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pumpkin Gratin, Braised Red Cabbage and Pears

Thursday
Breakfast: Potato, Scallion, Cheese and Egg Breakfast Casserole, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Saucy Sour Cream Meatballs with Green Beans, Apple Apricot Sauce

Friday
Breakfast: Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Creamy Potato Soup with Whole Wheat Rolls

Saturday
Breakfast: Baked French Toast (filled with sliced plums), Bacon, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Beef Rogan Josh, Garlic Rice Pilaf with Coriander, Baked Apples

Menu Plan: October 30 - November 4

2011-10-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a little bit more on track with our menus. I was able to pick up some organic ground beef for a good deal this week, since we have been out for a while and I didn't want to buy grocery store ground beef and was waiting until we got our next steer, so I'll be able to add some ground beef meals to the menu over the next few weeks. Also, we got a literal taste of home this week, courtesy of Rich's boss. He still has his house on the other side of the mountains and his apple tree there is bearing, so he sent Rich home with a nice bag of apples. The apples smelled and tasted just like fresh pressed cider. We have so many memories of apples like that from over there, so it was a nice sense memory for all of us.

We are also celebrating All Saints and All Souls this week, so we have a busy time ahead of us. We are thankful for all those who have gone before us, who lived as examples of the life of Christ, and whose work continues as they pray for us in the presence of God. We also pray for all those who have passed that they might find eternal rest and joy in the resurrection.

O Almighty God, who has knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord; Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys which thou has prepared for those who unfeignedly love thee; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sunday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Shredded Beef, Baked Potatoes, Sliced Tomatoes

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Cinnamon Sugar, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Crock Pot Sticky Chicken, Italian Bread, Pears, All the Candy We Can Eat

Tuesday - All Saints' Day
Breakfast: Dirty Eggs with Whole Wheat Toast, Pears, Spice Tea with Honey
Dinner: Chili and Cornbread

Wednesday - All Souls' Day
Breakfast: Potato and Veggie Hash with Poached Eggs, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Tomato and Eggplant Pasta (I'm going to double the recipe and freeze half of the sauce for later), Baked Apples

Thursday
Breakfast: Baked French Toast (filled with sliced plums), Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Indian Summer Gratin, Sliced Pears

Friday
Breakfast: Baked Oatmeal, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pumpkin Gratin, Braised Red Cabbage with Pears

Saturday
Breakfast: Coconut Sugar Cake, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Bolognese Sauce, Pasta, Garlic Bread,

Menu Plan: October 23 - October 29

2011-10-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

Again, I'm having a difficult time coming up with inspiring meals. I have tried to have good meals planned, however, even so. We have been able to get quite a lot of good fall fruit, lately though. So, there are a lot of pears, apples and Asian pears with our meals.

Sunday
Breakfast: Cold Pizza, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Leftovers, Asian Pears

Monday
Breakfast: Tunisian Shakshouka (using sweet potatoes), Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Poulet au Vinaigre, Herbed Rice Pilaf, Braised Cabbage with Pears

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Pears and Cinnamon Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Biscuits with Gravy, Fried Eggs, Baked Apples

Wednesday
Breakfast: Autumn "Latkes", Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pineapple Fried Rice (no meat)

Thursday
Breakfast: Baked French Toast (filled with sliced plums), Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Vegetable Beef Soup, Whole Wheat Rolls

Friday
Breakfast: Yogurt and Strawberry Jam, Buttered Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter over Pasta with Parmesan, Cheesy Olive and Herb Bread

Saturday
Breakfast: Pepper & Sausage Brunch Strata, Coconut Sugar Cake, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Italian Beef Sandwiches with Fried Peppers and Onions, on Pane al'Olio

Weekly Recipe: October 22

2011-10-22T00:40:00.000-07:00

I thought I had scheduled this to publish, but it was still in my drafts file.

Autumn "Latkes"

1 large potato, scrubbed well (or 1 medium sweet potato, scrubbed and peeled)
1 large beet, scrubbed well
2 carrots, scrubbed well
1 onion, peeled and halved
1/2 cup corn starch
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
oil to pan fry patties

Grate all vegetables (I use my food processor and just chuck them through the chute to cut down on prep time). Squeeze out as much liquid as you can. The beet juice can stain, so be careful.

Mix vegetable shreds in a large bowl along with the corn starch, egg, salt and pepper.

Heat pan over medium high heat and add enough oil to coat the pan. Drop vegetable mixture by large tablespoonsful and fry until crisp and golden on each side. Serve hot.

This makes enough for our family to eat with eggs and fruit. I think they would also serve nicely as a side dish with a roast or other dinner.

Menu Plan: October 16 - October 22

2011-10-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling rather uncreative with the menus this week. We seem to be on the run so much lately and I'm just trying to keep all my plates in the air and spinning.

Sunday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Cinnamon Sugar, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Deviled Chicken, Roasted Acorn Squash, Beet and Onion Wedges, Coleslaw, Tangerines

Monday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Plums, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Hot Dogs, Baked Potatoes, Fruit Plate

Tuesday
Breakfast: Autumn "Latkes"*, Scrambled Eggs, Plums, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Chicken and White Bean Stew, Spelt Rolls, Tangerines

Wednesday
Breakfast: Feta, Tomatoes and Cucumbers with Za'atar and Olive Oil, Toast, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Mejeddarah with Fried Onions and Yogurt, Stewed Tomatoes and Eggplant

Thursday
Breakfast: Tunisian Shakshouka (using sweet potatoes), Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Shredded Beef Nachos, Tangerines

Friday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Macaroni & Cheese, Fried Eggplant, Tangerines

Saturday
Breakfast: Dirty Eggs with Sausage, Home Fries, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Creole Beef Daube, Egg Noodles, Braised Cabbage

Menu Plan: October 9 - October 15

2011-10-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

We are still doing a lot of preserving here. Our freezer and pantry are filling up, which is quite satisfying. I will be making one meal over again this week, as it is a favorite amongst us.

Sunday
Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Semolina Toast, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Ratatouille Pasta with Sliced, Grilled Steak, Watermelon

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Indian Summer Gratin, Braised Cabbage, Watermelon

Tuesday
Breakfast: Autumn Latkes, Fried Eggs, Plums, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Creole Beef Daube, Egg Noodles, Roasted Turnips

Wednesday
Breakfast: Feta, Tomatoes and Cucumbers with Za'atar and Olive Oil, Toast, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Tuna Pasta Salad, Watermelon

Thursday
Breakfast: Pumpkin Granola (using pumpkin seeds instead of flax and dried cranberries instead of raisins) with Yogurt and Honey, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Pork and Green Chile Stew, Corn Bread, Plums

Friday
Breakfast: Organic Blueberry Poptarts, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Mejeddarah with Fried Onions and Yogurt, Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Saturday
Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Deviled Chicken, Roasted Acorn Squash, Beet and Onion Wedges, Coleslaw

Menu Plan: October 2 - October 8

2011-10-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your prayers. We all seem to be recovered.

This past week we were given an opportunity to help a friend clean up her garden and came home with bushels of produce for our time. I have been blanching and freezing and canning - with more to come this week. This will definitely help us to eat well during the fall and winter, when not much locally raised produce is available, and will cut down on our grocery bill as well. Then, a friend from church said he'd picked up 15 gallons of plums from a farmer and asked if we wanted five gallons of them. We love plums, so we said yes. I'm hoping to get plum butter and plum jelly and plum preserves made this week. I'm also trying to use up as much of this good, fresh produce while we have it, too. So, this week's menu will reflect that.

A couple of our meals were shifted or changed last week, so I have a couple repeats this week.

Sunday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Pears and Dried Cranberries Leftover from Michaelmas Dragon, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Grilled Chicken Sandwiches and Ham Sandwiches, Vegetables and Ranch Dressing, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Plums

Monday
Breakfast: Autumn Latkes, Fried Eggs, Pears, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pork Stir Fry, Fried Rice (with loads of vegetables), Plum Shortcake

Tuesday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs with Toast and Cream Gravy, Plums, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Indian Summer Gratin, Braised Cabbage, Watermelon

Wednesday
Breakfast: Feta, Tomatoes and Cucumbers with Za'atar and Olive Oil, Toast, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Tuna Bean Salad, Pane al'Olio, Fruit Plate

Thursday
Breakfast: Pumpkin Granola (using pumpkin seeds instead of flax and dried cranberries instead of raisins) with Yogurt and Honey, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Green Bean Soup, Whole Wheat Rolls, Watermelon

Friday
Breakfast: Organic Blueberry Poptarts, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Slow Cooker Ratatouille, Garlic Pasta, Fruit Plate

Saturday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal, Plums, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Macaroni & Cheese, Broccoli-Bacon Slaw, Fruit Salad, Lemon Cake

Another Finished Object

2011-09-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

This is really not the final thing. I needed to do a mock up of a pattern both to see how it would work and to see how much yarn it would need, for a class I am teaching at the co-op. So, this is it. It will also be a gift to a friend of mine.

Alexander is taking my knitting class, and he chose this as his project, so I may be posting one of his finished objects in a couple months.

Review: The Hour That Matters The Most

2011-09-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

I was sent a copy of The Hour that Matters Most: The Surprising Power of the Family Meal by Les & Leslie Parrot, Stephanie Allen and Tina Kuna to review. I'll be honest and say that after I panned the last book I was sent, I didn't think I'd ever get another review opportunity. In any case, this book covered a topic that was near to my heart.

It was definitely aimed at those who don't already have dinner together as a family, as we do. So, in that sense, it was a little irrelevant. However, what it had to say was good. There were some strategies for dealing with conflict and chaos that I appreciated. The recipes included were rather basic, which makes sense for the audience to which it was aimed.

I had three complaints with the book. One, that statistics were held up not as back up for truth, but as somehow defining truth. You might think this is true, but there has been a study showing this, so it is true. Things can be true even without a study and some studies are false. Two, there was a comment about how "working" mothers don't have time to spend at the grocery store. As though, one, mothers at home aren't working, or two, they have scads of time in between eating those bon bons and watching television. I remember shuttling children back and forth to school and scouts and other activities, and moms at home with school children don't have time to go to the store either. Moms with little children have to manage around naps, or try to work out a time to go when the children aren't with them. We homeschooling mothers are teaching our children and can't just hop to the store at any point. Not only that, but nearly every child now has some sport or drama or music or some activity that requires the mom taxi, and mothers with children at multiple ages have to juggle all of these different issues. So, yeah, that rubbed me the wrong way. While I am able to start dinner earlier in the day, or do prep work earlier (like while the children are having lunch), it's not quite the same as having hours of free time with which I don't know what to do. The third complaint I had was with a kind of heavy handed presentation of a freezer meal company at the beginning of the book. Although the rest of the book wasn't a hard sell, I was always a little on guard, waiting for it.

This book was a light read, each chapter covered a different topic from why and how to have a family dinner to the various emotional challenges, skill and schedule challenges that come up in a family. I liked the things the authors had to say about conversation and keeping the joy in mind when preparing for and having dinner with the family. It is very easy to get caught up in the work and forget that. Because the book was aimed at people who don't spend most of their meals with their family as I do, there was a lot in there that wasn't as useful to me, but I think it would be useful to families trying to establish this habit. The most valuable hints, I think, were the steps and preparations that could be made ahead of time or to freeze a particular meal. Those are great things to know and very helpful to anyone, whether just starting out or well on her way.

This is probably a book I wouldn't have picked up on my own. I did find enough that was useful or helpful in it that I found it worthwhile. I would recommend it to someone who was struggling with establishing a routine of family meal times.

Menu Plan: September 25 - October 1

2011-09-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

Well, fall is here at last. Temperatures are supposed to be below freezing at night in a little over a week. We are now entering the time when I miss our old home the most. It turns out I don't like all four seasons. I liked our milder falls and milder winters which weren't even winter, but had about two weeks of snow and that was all. We're still using the last of the summer produce, but are now getting into winter squash and fall meals, too. This is the time of year I wish I could hibernate. Instead, I decided to teach two classes in our homeschool co-op, thus making sure I could not miss any of them without serious illness.

Speaking of illness, but not serious, we have been fighting off a small cold for the past few days and have finally succumbed. We're not terribly sick, and we're handling it fairly well, but we would appreciate your prayers for a quick recovery.

Sunday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs and Cornbread, Pears, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Peruvian Chicken (second recipe), Simple Rice Pilaf with Toasted Almonds, Tomato Cucumber Salad, Watermelon

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Pears and Cinnamon Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Lamb Stew with Eggplant and Garbanzo Beans, Herbed Cous Cous, Poached Pears with Vanilla Sauce

Tuesday
Breakfast: Autumn Latkes, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Barbecue Beans, Cornbread, Watermelon

Wednesday
Breakfast: Pumpkin Granola (no flax seeds and dried cranberries instead of raisins) with Yogurt and Honey, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Summer Vegetable Strata, Cabbage Salad

Thursday - Michaelmas
Breakfast: Blackberry Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Indian Summer Gratin, Michaelmas Dragon with Pear and Dried Cranberry Filling

Friday
Breakfast: Organic Blueberry Poptarts, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Mixed Tomato Cobbler with Parmesan Crust, Cabbage Salad, Lion Cupcakes for St. Jerome's Day

Saturday
Breakfast: Slow Cooker Rice Pudding with Pears and Dried Cranberries Leftover from Michaelmas Dragon, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pork and Green Bean Stir Fry, Fried Rice, Watermelon

Menu Plan: September 18 - September 24

2011-09-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

We had several winners last week. Rebecca's slow cooker chicken Tikka Masala was a hit with everyone, as was the Creole beef daube and the poblano "lasagna." Having so much delicious, fresh produce has been a huge blessing to us. We are reaping the benefits of the last of the summer produce, but the seasons have definitely turned already. Fall has arrived.

Sunday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Toast and Bananas, Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Grilled Ham, Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches, Pears

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Pears and Cinnamon Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Corn and Chard Stacked Enchiladas, Tomato Rice, Watermelon

Tuesday
Breakfast: Slow Cooker Rice Pudding, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pepperoni Pizza Pot Pie, Tomato Cucumber Salad

Wednesday
Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Falafel, Laban bi Chiyar, Pita Bread, Harissa, Baba Ghanooj, Scallions, Tomatoes, Cucumbers

Thursday
Breakfast: Giant Breakfast Cookies (we use nuts or raisins), Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Turkey Tetrazzini, Fruit Plate

Friday
Breakfast: Autumn Latkes, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Summer Vegetable Strata, Cabbage Salad

Saturday
Breakfast: Dutch Baby Pancake with Butter, Lemon Juice and Powdered Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Corn Dogs, Roasted Seasoned Potato Wedges, Tomato Cucumber Salad, Apple Pie

Weekly Recipes: September 17

2011-09-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

Tuna Bean Salad

2 cans of the best tuna you can find, preferably only tuna with its own juices or high quality tuna packed in oil
1 cup cannellini beans, cooked in water, olive oil, salt, a few sage leaves and several cloves of garlic and drained (about 3 cups cooked or about two cans of beans, drained)
1 raw onion, halved and sliced paper thin
2 tomatoes, diced very finely
4 carrots, scraped and shredded
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Flake the tuna into small chunks and mix with all the other ingredients and toss to mix. Serve immediately or chilled. You can serve it on a bed of lettuce as well, or inside a hollowed out tomato or avocado.

Herbed Summer Squash Fritters

2 cups shredded summer squash (crookneck or zucchini or kousa or some other summer squash)
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon dried oregano (or about 1/4 cup fresh, finely chopped)
1 tablespoon dried thyme (or about 1/4 cup fresh, finely chopped)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 - 1/2 cup whole milk
oil for frying

Whip egg whites to stiff peaks and set aside. Mix all of the other ingredients together, including 1/4 cup of milk. Fold in the egg whites, gently. If the batter is too stiff, slowly add up to 1/4 cup more milk.

Heat oil until a bread cube will sizzle immediately in the pan. Fry the fritters by the tablespoonful and allow to drain on a rack over a pan. Serve hot.

Menu Plan: September 11 - September 17

2011-09-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well, we are on the recovery side of last week's sickness. Rich did get it. So far, Yasmina has not. Food is sounding good to people again, though. Thank you to all who have remembered us in prayer.

We were able to go pick a whole bunch of great produce for our use. I'll be attempting to make sauerkraut this week and using some of our Gravenstein apples to make applesauce for the winter. I may even make an apple cake soon. One of our neighbors had u-pick corn a dozen for $2.00, so we are going to see if they are still selling, since our corn may not produce at all. If so, we'll get a whole lot in the freezer for the winter and spring.

I cannot let this day pass without a remembrance, however. I know where I was and I know I will never forget. Our lives have all been irrevocably changed and unless something changes drastically in our country and in the world, our children will never know how fearless we Americans were. How safe we felt. How strong we were. I grieve that they will not know that.

However, let us all be living memorials to those who lost their lives in the terrorist attack on 9-11 and to all who fought the hijackers and laid down their lives to save the lives of others. There is only one positive thing I can think of to come from this, and that is this: No person will ever think of negotiating with their captors again. No flight crew or ship crew will ever try to satisfy a terrorist's demands again. These events showed how foolish that is. These people are willing to kill hundreds and thousands of people, themselves included, so you might as well go down fighting them.

Our Patriarch said this today:

The knowledge that the dreams of freedom and liberty will not be silenced and speak louder than the hate ranting of evil tyrants gives us strength. We will remember the sight, sound, and smell of death. But more importantly we remember the courage of thousands and the light that so many brought with them into the ashes of Ground Zero. May the souls of the departed rest in peace.

Sunday
Breakfast: Leftover Pancakes, Pluots, Milk
Dinner: Layered Tortilla Casserole with Chorizo and Mayacoba Beans, Simple Rice Pilaf, Corn on the Cob, Cabbage, Tomato and Pepper Salad, Watermelon

Monday
Breakfast: Sweet Potato Hash with Fried Eggs, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Creole Beef Daube over Pasta with Sauteed Yellow Summer Squash and Garlic Bread

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Pears and Cinnamon Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Poblano Lasagna, Tomato and Cucumber Salad, Chocolate Pudding

Wednesday
Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Swiss Chard, Summer Squash, Potato and Onion Frittata with Feta, Sliced Peaches

Thursday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Cheese, Toast, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Summer Soup, Whole Wheat Rolls, Watermelon

Friday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Raisins, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Tuna and White Bean Salad*, Herbed Summer Squash Fritters*, Fruit Plate

Saturday
Breakfast: Blackberry Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala (from my good friend Rebecca), Rice, Cucumber Tomato Salad, Baked Apples

Finished Objects!

2011-09-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

I finished two projects while we were on our travels in August. I'm just now getting to posting photos of them.

The first was a reusable coffee (or tea or cocoa) cup sleeve. The cup I photographed with it is insulated, so does not need a sleeve, and clashes with the yarn. It fit, though. I didn't have any paper cups lying around the house.

The second project I finished on our trip was a vintage inspired baby cloche for a friend's daughter. I was getting ready to mail it to her when the plague hit our house, so I am going to wash it this coming week and mail it after all the bugs have left our home.

I based it loosely on this pattern from Looking Glass Knits and used up all the rest of the molasses color, most of the red color and more of the avocado color from my $30 yarn purchase to make the $15 apple hat. I have now made four finished objects from that yarn, making the cost for each approximately $7.50, so Mariam's apple hat is now half the price of that snooty baby shop's. And made of alpaca instead of cotton. And I have more of the red and avocado to make some felted fruit or another baby hat. And just think of the hours of pleasure I had knitting.

Weekly Recipe: September 10

2011-09-10T15:25:00.000-07:00

This is just one of the things that was not actually made this week. Tuesday at 3:00 a.m. Alexander came down with a violent illness. Thursday afternoon, three more people had it. Friday and Saturday saw two more people down. We would appreciate your prayers.

Ranch Dressing

This is so simple and very inexpensive to make. Like most other bottled salad dressings, once you have made your own, you will wonder why you spend the money on the marked up, poor ingredients version. If you make your own buttermilk and/or mayonnaise, you will find it even less expensive.

2 cloves of garlic, mashed or crushed
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup finely chopped herbs (I usually use parsley and chives)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients well. Serve or refrigerate immediately. That's it. Really.

Menu Plan: September 4 - September 10

2011-09-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

I woke up yesterday with a really bad crick in my neck from sleeping funny, so I just wasn't up to making the things I wanted to make. All our meals yesterday were switched around, Rich made dirty eggs for breakfast and I made quesadillas for dinner, so I'm just repeating them for Sunday's meals. I was going to have some re-purposed turkey leftovers today, but I will just freeze the meat and use it another day. I'm trying the pear banana bread recipe with less sugar to see how it tastes. If it works out well, I'll post the recipe here.

Our first two days of school went pretty smoothly. This week is our first full week and has tons of activities. It looks like that is how the rest of our year is going to be, too. Or maybe the rest of our lives. Because I am not that bright, I volunteered to teach two classes at our homeschool co-op. With a baby who won't go to anyone without screaming. Whee! Our menus this year are going to reflect our crazy schedule. When we limited the children to one extracurricular activity, we thought that would reduce our running all over the place. However, it turns out that having seven children, five of whom are in extracurricular activities, still makes for a crazy week. Especially when there are two days that are double booked. And when you add in church activities. So, we're entering that stage of our lives and are not sure how well we will handle it.

Rich is just happy because twice this week we get to eat sandwiches. I always look at sandwiches as lesser meals and not to be eaten at dinner unless they are hot. So, I'm making some quicker and simpler to make, but still heated, sandwiches for us to work with our schedule weirdness.

Sunday
Breakfast: Apple Walnut Bread, Hard Boiled Eggs, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Herb Roasted Turkey, Bourbon Gravy, Scalloped Cauliflower, Braised Cabbage, Sweet Potato Rolls, Nectarine and Raspberry Hand Pies

Monday
Breakfast: Rich is Making Pancakes or Waffles, Maple Syrup, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Layered Casserole with Chorizo and Mayacoba Beans, Watermelon

Tuesday
Breakfast: Yogurt with Peaches and Honey, Mochas
Dinner: Tender and Crisp Chicken with Sweet Tomatoes, Pane al'Olio

Wednesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Baked Macaroni with Tomatoes, Onions, Garlic and Olives and Bechamel Sauce, Fried Cauliflower, Fruit Salad

Thursday
Breakfast: Egg and Cheese Biscuits, Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Ham, Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches, Carrot and Celery Sticks with Ranch Dressing*

Friday
Breakfast: Yogurt with Cherry Almond Granola and Honey, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Tuna Sandwiches, Veggie Sticks, Fruit Salad

Saturday
Breakfast: Baked French Toast Stuffed with Peaches, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Homemade Corn Dogs, Roasted Seasoned Potato Wedges, Tomato Cucumber Salad, Apple Pie

Weekly Recipe: September 3

2011-09-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

Eggplant and Chick Pea Curry

This is pretty quick to put together and is delicious. It's vegan, which is unusual for us, though perfect for abstinent days. It's also a great way to use up a lot of summer produce. We usually serve a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Sometimes feta, but then it's not vegan, if you care about that.

extra virgin olive or coconut oil to saute
2 large onions, diced
6 small potatoes, scrubbed and diced
6 small or 4 medium eggplants, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons curry powder (I use a vindaloo seasoning)
water
10 plum tomatoes, diced
2 - 3 cups cooked garbanzo beans
2 cups coconut milk
salt, to taste

Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat, add oil, onions and potatoes. Cook until onions wilt and potatoes start to brown. Add the eggplant and cook until they soften, adding more oil if necessary.

Make a paste with the curry powder and water, about equal quantities, maybe a little less water, and add to the pan along with the garlic. Cook until the water evaporates. Add in the tomatoes and garbanzo beans, cook down for about five minutes, to reduce the tomato liquid a little. Pour in the coconut milk and simmer until the potatoes and eggplant are fully cooked. Season with salt to taste.

Serve with brown rice or cous cous.

Menu Plan: August 28 - September 3

2011-08-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

We start school this Thursday after a little break. We also have house guests, so this is another busy week here. Alexander and Dominic had a nice week away with their godparents to play and work and get to know each other some more now that they are older. It was bizarre having only five children here, and I still found myself making too much food.

We made several scores on fruit at the farmers' market, so we have loads of peaches, nectarines and a huge watermelon. We also still have some pears and bananas, so we'll be eating a lot of fruit this week. I made a pear banana quick bread that was more like a cake last week. I'm going to try it again, reducing the sugar, and see how we like it. It was actually dripping caramel from the cooling rack onto the counter. It had no caramel in the pan. That was just from the amount of sugar in the "bread." It did taste very good.

Sunday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Peaches and Bananas, Milk
Dinner: Potato Pepperoni Pizza Pie, Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Monday
Breakfast: Grain Free Berry Scones, made with Hazelnut Flour, Sliced Peaches, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Lamb and Rice with Veggies, Fruit

Tuesday
Breakfast: Veggie Hash with Fried Eggs, Nectarines, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Taco Tuesday with some Friends

Wednesday
Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Eggplant and Garbanzo Bean Curry* with Brown Rice, Fruit

Thursday
Breakfast: Toad in the Hole, Sliced Peaches, Coffee
Dinner: French Onion Soup, Fruit Plate

Friday
Breakfast: Slow Cooker Rice Pudding with Diced Peaches, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Falafel, Laban bi Chiyar, Pita Bread, Harissa, Kalamata Olives, Scallions, Tomatoes, Cucumbers

Saturday
Breakfast: Pear-Banana Bread, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Herb Roasted Turkey, Bourbon Gravy, Scalloped Cauliflower, Braised Cabbage, Sweet Potato Rolls, Apple Pie

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.

Bought:
Swiss Cheese
Mozzarella
Parmesan
Cilantro
Coconut Milk
Peaches
Nectarines
Watermelon

From the Garden:
Garlic
Scallions
Chives
Dill
Thyme
Parsley

Menu Plan: August 21 - August 27

2011-08-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

We are back from a whirlwind couple of weeks. Two weeks ago, we had just come home from the funeral of a dear friend of ours. We got home with just enough time to finish packing for two other trips, back to back. We went to Salt Lake City with Rich on a business trip, via another couple stops, including one to get Mariam baptized, spent some time sight seeing and visiting with a college friend of mine and her family (who could use your prayers for their youngest daughter, who is improving after two surgeries and a four month NICU stay - she might be able to go home with them in a month or so). After four days there, we got ready for the rougher portion of our trip, which was a four day camping trip in Yellowstone. It was the first time for all of us. What a wonder!

We were in six different states over 10 days. We took our time coming home and visited with some friends along the way there and back. I have some photos to share, as well as a couple other posts to make. I finished one book, finished two knitting projects and started another. I'll have some things to say and show about that, too.

Our menu this week is fairly simple. We are just getting back into the groove at home. I'm thrilled to have electricity and a real oven again. While I was proud of my ability to make good meals on an open fire and a camp stove, it's nice to have modern conveniences again. Jerome had his birthday on our last day of travel, so we got home and had a birthday dinner for him and gave him his present. He is the first five year old in our family, anyway, to receive a car for his birthday. He has already run the battery down twice. We're doing the cake and party tonight. It's hard to believe, but Mariam will be a year this week. She will get to celebrate her birthday and her name day on the same day.

Our great deals of the week were on tomatoes and peaches, so you will see them on the menu a lot. I was able to pick up about 30 pounds of tomatoes for $15 and 45 pounds of peaches for $20. I love knowing our farmers. The peach deal was whispered to me, and happened before the other people could catch on to it.

Sunday
Breakfast: Yogurt with Peaches and Honey, Cinnamon Toast, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Blackbird Pie, Confetti Cake

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Diced Peaches, Coffee
Dinner: Slow Cooked Chuck Roast, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Tomato Salad

Tuesday
Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Toast, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Lamb, Tomato and White Bean Stew over Herbed Cous Cous, Fried Cauliflower, Sliced Peaches

Wednesday
Breakfast: Peach Stuffed French Toast, Coffee
Dinner: Eggs in Purgatory, Garlic Scape Pasta, Cabbage Salad, Apricots

Thursday
Breakfast: Toad in the Hole, Sliced Peaches, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Braised Short Ribs and Cabbage with Mashed Potatoes, Apricots

Friday
Breakfast: Slow Cooker Rice Pudding with Diced Peaches, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Cream of Asparagus Soup, Whole Wheat Rolls, Fruit Plate

Saturday
Breakfast: Dutch Baby Pancake, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Ham and Cheese Quiche, Steamed Cauliflower, Peach Melba Hand Pies

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.

Bought:
Tomatoes
Cabbage
Peaches
Cauliflower
Sweet Potatoes
Carrots
Celery

From the Garden:
Apricots
Garlic
Scallions
Chives
Dill
Thyme
Parsley
Garlic Scapes
Turnips

Menu Plan

2011-08-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

I was going to try to post a menu plan for this page, even though it is a crazy week. However, I just don't even have the time to type it up. Rest assured. We will still eat. God bless you all and I'll be back when I can take the time to type something.

Weekly Recipe: I Don't Even Remember

2011-08-05T22:57:00.001-07:00

Sorry this is such a long time coming. Our life has been so hectic lately, and it looks to be so for at least the next couple weeks.

Tomato Eggplant Sauce

This is really delicious over ravioli or tortellini. It is also nice over polenta. If you bring your pot of salted water to boil while you prep the sauce and put your pasta in the water about when you add the tomatoes, you can make this meal in roughly 15 minutes.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions, diced
4 eggplant, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
8 large tomatoes, diced
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they just begin to turn translucent. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring to coat with the oil and soften. Toss in the garlic to saute for a minute, then the olives. Add the tomatoes with all their juices, oregano, thyme, salt and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook down slightly.

Menu Plan: July 31 - August 6

2011-07-31T22:09:00.000-07:00

My birthday week was wonderful! Our night out at Havana Nights was so much fun. If I can get pictures, I'll post them for you.

I'm running late on posting the weekly recipes because of how busy our weekend was with our friends visiting and our date night. I will try to get that posted tomorrow.

This week, we get to try out almost all of the rest of the foods that were restricted for the boys. It's still looking like a deficiency rather than an allergy, but we have to test out the rest of the food.

We also have a busy schedule this coming weekend, but this time it is for a sadder reason. A friend of ours died and we are going to the funeral. Please pray for the repose of her soul and for the comfort of her husband who is now a widower. They had no children.

Sunday
Breakfast: Blueberry Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Milk
Dinner: Church Picnic - We brought Cabbage Salad, Blackberry Crumble

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Leftover Blackberry Crumble, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Ranchero Beans, Cornbread, Sliced Peaches and Apricots (from our tree!)

Tuesday
Breakfast: Sweet Potato Hash, Fried Eggs, Sliced Peaches, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Mexican Tortas with Grilled Chipotle Beef, Cabbage, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato, Onion, Lime and Cilantro, Fried Potatoes, Apricots

Wednesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Raisins, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Fried Rice, Fruit Plate

Thursday
Breakfast: Slow Cooker Rice Pudding, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Korean Beef, Fried Noodles with Cabbage, Peppers and Scallions

Friday
Breakfast: Dutch Baby Pancake, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Black Beans, Scrambled Eggs, Corn Tortillas with Cheese

Saturday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Funeral Dinner

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.

Bought:
Tomatoes
Avocados
Cheddar
Cilantro

From the Garden:
Apricots
Garlic
Scallions
Chives
Dill
Thyme
Parsley
Garlic Scapes
Various Greens

Menu Plan: July 24 - July 30

2011-07-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

This is a whole birthday week for me. We went on a picnic to the park on my actual birthday. However, it got to 97, so the children spent most of the time on the blanket under the trees with us instead of playing. Since the children couldn't eat the cake, I didn't make cake this year. We had blueberry shakes made with vanilla ice cream and yogurt and a dish of ice cream on the side. My birthday week began with the return of dairy. Hallelujah! We've never been so excited to have yogurt and cheese and ice cream before. So far, I see no bad responses to it, but we'll see what today brings.

There is a Havana Nights/Cubano cocktail, dinner and dance that Rich is taking me to for my birthday later this week. We haven't gone dancing in a while, so there will be some dance practice at our house in the evenings.

This week will see the return of dairy, strawberries, citrus and gluten. Some of these will be eaten at lunch time, so the menus may not reflect as much of them as you'd think. I'm still praying that this is simply a deficiency in B-12 and DHA. In other news, we have harvested about a third of our garlic. We're so thrilled!

Sunday
Breakfast: Baked Sweet Potatoes with Butter (Yaaay!!!), Blueberries
Linner: Snack Tray of Ham, Cheese, Pickles, Celery, Carrots and Salsa Corn Chips, Blueberry Smoothies, Vanilla Ice Cream

Monday
Breakfast: Yogurt, Honey and Blueberries, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Slow Baked Turkey and Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Steam Sauteed Carrots, Salad

Tuesday
Breakfast: Slow Cooker Rice Pudding, Strawberry Smoothies
Dinner: King Ranch Turkey, Quick and Dirty Mexican Rice

Wednesday
Breakfast: Chilaquiles, Strawberries, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Falafel (no lemon), Cucumber, Onion and Kalamata Olive Salad, Yogurt with Aleppo Pepper, Peppers

Thursday
Breakfast: Tunisian Shakshouka (using sweet potatoes), Sliced Peaches, Mint Tea
Dinner: Lamb with Okra, Tomatoes and Onions, Brown Rice, Lemonade

Friday
Breakfast: ~~Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Raisins~~ mixed up the days on our challenge foods Slow Cooker Rice Pudding , Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Polenta with Eggplant and Tomato Sauce*, Marinated Veggies

Saturday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Raisins, Fried Eggs, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: ~~French Onion Soup, Fruit Plate~~ The godparents are bringing pizza for the children.

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.

Bought:
Blueberries
Peaches
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Cabbage
Parsley
Cilantro

From the Garden:
Garlic
Scallions
Chives
Dill
Thyme
Parsley
Garlic Scapes
Various Greens

Weekly Recipes: July 23

2011-07-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

Spicy Turkey with Rice

I made this with a small, whole turkey that I cut up, but if you halved the ingredients you could easily make it with a cut up whole chicken. I used my biggest Le Creuset pot with a lid and used only the pot, a knife and a wooden spoon to make the whole meal.

20 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
9 - 10 pounds turkey pieces, bone in and skin on
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 large onions, thinly sliced
2 pounds bell peppers, sliced (a mix of colors is nice - this is about 6)
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (I used Aleppo pepper)
1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
16 ounces tomato sauce
32 ounces canned diced tomatoes with their juices
2 quarts of turkey stock (or chicken)
8 cups uncooked rice
3 cups Spanish olives, sliced
1/4 cup capers

In your largest pot with a lid, combine the garlic, vinegar, 1 tablespoon of the salt, oregano and black pepper. Add the turkey pieces and stir to combine well. Cover and let marinate while you prep the vegetables.

Remove the meat and most of the marinade to the lid of the pot. In the pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, peppers and red pepper flakes and cook until vegetables are softened.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the turkey pieces in one layer. Brown slightly, turning once. Add the cilantro and stir to combine and release its fragrance. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and turkey stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes.

Stir in the rice, olives and capers. Cover and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. If the rice looks dry, add water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the rice is tender and the turkey is cooked through.

Serve from the pot, or transfer to a platter. You may wish to sprinkle with some more chopped cilantro.

The pan before I added the sausage

Italian Sausage and Potato Bake

This tastes really good, is very easy and quick to make and is very inexpensive. The whole meal, with a simple salad or fruit and crusty bread, costs us about $1.20 a serving. When Rich found that out, he wanted me to make it for every dinner. We've made this with real Italian sausage and good chicken sausage. We've used hot or sweet. They all taste delicious. It is best with the bread to sop up the juices.

6 sweet peppers (about 2 pounds), seeded and sliced, a mix of colors is prettiest
3 large onions, sliced
3 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite sized pieces
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 pounds Italian sausage links

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In your largest baking pan, combine the peppers, onions, potatoes, garlic, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.

Using kitchen shears, cut the sausage links into quarters and arrange them on top of the vegetables. Bake for 30 minutes. Stir the sausages so the other sides brown as well and bake another 5 minutes.

Serve with bread, salad and/or fruit.

Menu Plan: July 17 - July 23

2011-07-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

So, we got through our first week of the elimination diet. Although our breakfasts were a little repetitive, I found them less of a challenge than lunch turned out to be. So, if you have any ideas for lunches that don't include dairy, gluten, wheat, soy, citrus, pineapple, strawberries, bananas, almonds or chocolate, I am all ears!

Since I was trying to mix things up a little with the starches I served, I had sweet potatoes several times. We discovered that Jerome loves them even more than we expected. He was even asking other family members if he could eat the skins off of theirs, when they had eaten the insides out. So, we'll definitely be eating more of those. In the garden, we've harvested the absolute last of the garden peas. One variety we will never grow again: Champion of England. There must not have been many other competitors when they named that variety. They turn to starch almost instantly, there are many small pods and misshapen ones. However, we did not want to waste them, so we treated them as starches and roasted them with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. They were crunchy and delicious. Next year, though, we are planting about six times the peas of the variety we liked (Green Arrow) to eat and blanch and freeze for the winter.

Our Saturday night was rather busy, so the turkey dinner was moved to tonight. We grilled lamb chops rubbed with salt, pepper, garlic and oregano (delicious), served with roasted peas done as I described above and baked sweet potatoes. I used coconut flour in the salmon croquettes last week, which was really tasty, I may do that in the future, even if we get gluten/wheat back.

Sunday
Breakfast: Polenta with Maple Syrup
Linner: Spicy Turkey with Rice*

Monday
Breakfast: Hash with Fried Eggs, Coffee
Dinner: Leftovers from Sunday (I deliberately made a huge amount)

Tuesday
Breakfast: Potato and Garlic Scape Frittata, Mint Tea
Dinner: Italian Sausage, Potato and Pepper Bake*, Salad

Wednesday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Home Fries
Dinner: Gnocchi alla Romana (I'm going to try to make it with corn meal and water and fry them in olive oil - we'll see) with Melted Onions, Sauteed Green Beans

Thursday
Breakfast: Polenta Cake with Raspberries
Dinner: Braised Short Ribs, Steam Sauteed Carrots (using olive oil) and Roasted Potatoes

Friday
Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Mint Tea
Dinner: Falafel, Kalamata Olives, Salad

Saturday
Breakfast: Tunisian Shakshouka (without the lemon juice, using sweet potatoes), Mint Tea
Dinner: Lamb with Okra, Tomatoes and Onions, Brown Rice

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.

Bought:
Peppers
Sweet Potatoes

From the Garden:
Scallions
Chives
Dill
Thyme
Parsley
Garlic Scapes
Various Greens

Dear Book Publishers,

2011-07-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

I know that computers have spell check now. I even understand that times are tight, financially. However, spell check does not catch missing words or the wrong word. Or words that are misspelled, but are still words in their own right. Please hire copy editors again. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Ranee @ Arabian Knits

More from the Randomizer Files

2011-07-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

Yasmina has taken offense to our use of the word baby. I'll call Rich baby, or call her my baby girl and she will say: He's not a baby! or I'm not a baby!

Elijah is reading more and more on his own. I knew he would have the most trouble and we've been working so hard on his reading skills. His interest in ancient Egypt is paying off, though, because he is motivated to read the books we have on that subject. He read the words burial chamber, antechamber and treasury, all on his own.

Jerome is still one of our funniest children. He has terrible skin problems like his brothers, and we've been sending him out in the sun without his shirt to help it. He jumps up and announces "I don't have a shirt on!" and holds up his arms like a muscle man.

I heard this exchange this weekend:

Jerome: I'm going out to play Tarzan again because he only wears a diaper.

Rich: That's called a loin cloth, son.

Jerome: Oh.

Alexander and Dominic have turned stakes and milk carton handles into practice foils for their fencing class. I'll have to get a picture of them and post it. They did a pretty good job, I think.

Mariam is this close to taking her first steps. She stands on her own and she can cruise around the furniture. She also thinks all birds are owls. She looks out the windw to see the turkeys and "Whooos" at them.

Amira is our little lady, ballerina. However, she also can do a very good impersonation of a zombie. That is the new picture on Rich's phone. With a warning about zombies ahead.

Yasmina spent most of the time we were at the strawberry patch telling me about the flaws of the strawberries she picked. I finally realized it was because she was looking for reasons not to put them in the box and eat them instead.

Menu Plan: July 10 - July 16

2011-07-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

All of our children seem to have inherited my dry skin. Some of you may know that two of our boys have eczema. Our doctor has put them on a two week elimination diet that we are then going to challenge in the two weeks after to determine if there is a food allergy behind it. Since I didn't want to serve food they couldn't eat, nor did I really want to cook six meals a day, we are all going on an elimination diet. We are excluding dairy, wheat, gluten, citrus, strawberries, pineapple, bananas, chocolate and soy. Most of these are unlikely culprits, because of how rarely we eat them, but we're doing the whole routine anyway. It is a challenge to me. If you have any ideas or recipes, please post them in the comments. I am especially trying to find breakfast meals that don't involve dairy or gluten/wheat.

Sunday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Scallions, Raspberries
Linner: Ham and Bean Soup, Blueberries

Monday
Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Lamb with Okra, Tomatoes and Onions, Brown Rice

Tuesday
Breakfast: Sweet Potato Hash with Fried Eggs
Dinner: Shredded Beef Tacos

Wednesday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Home Fries
Dinner: Salmon Croquettes, Lentil Salad

Thursday
Breakfast: Polenta with Maple Syrup
Dinner: Ham and Split Pea Soup, Salad

Friday
Breakfast: Potato and Garlic Scape Frittata
Dinner: Smoked Salmon on Salad

Saturday
Breakfast: Blueberry Polenta Breakfast Cake, Fried Eggs, Mint Tea
Dinner: Spicy Turkey and Rice

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.

Bought:
Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes
Celery
Carrots

From the Garden:
Snap Peas
Snow Peas
English Peas
Scallions
Chives
Dill
Thyme
Parsley
Garlic Scapes
Various Greens
Turnips

Menu Plan: July 3 - July 9

2011-07-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

We're on our last week of school before taking a break for summer. We were able to go pick strawberries last week and brought home 24 pounds of strawberries for $24! We're jamming here. I'm also planning some of my famous blackberry lime jam this week. Yasmina's birthday is this week, and she wants to have cupcakes with strawberry frosting for her birthday, so we are going back to the farm to get more.

Sunday
Breakfast: Cherry Almond Granola, Yogurt and Honey, Milk
Dinner: Turkey Sandwiches, Snap Peas, Dill Pickles

Monday
Breakfast: French Breakfast Puffs with Strawberry Jam, Fried Eggs, Iced Coffee and Milk
Dinner: Hot Dogs, Chips,
Cool and Creamy Potato and Pea Salad, Barbecue Beans, Ice Cream Sandwiches, Raspberry Custard Pie decorated with Blueberries, Strawberries and Whipped Cream to Resemble a Flag

Tuesday
Breakfast: Slow Cooker Rice Pudding, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy and Biscuits, Steamed Peas

Wednesday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Fried Rice, Pineapple

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Lamb and Guiness Stew, Whole Wheat Rolls

Friday
Breakfast: Dutch Baby Pancake, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Snap Peas, Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting, Vanilla Ice Cream

Saturday
Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Biscuits, Mint Tea
Dinner: Beans, Greens and Cornbread

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.

Bought:
Strawberries
Blueberries

From the Garden:
Snap Peas
Snow Peas
English Peas
Scallions
Chives
Dill
Thyme
Parsley
Garlic Scapes
Various Greens

Menu Plan: June 26 - July 2

2011-06-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

Our week should be mostly back to normal this week and we are almost through our school year. We will finish next week and have a couple months without regular schooling, then start up again in September.

We are kicking off this week with our neighborhood picnic and potluck. Everyone brings their own meat to grill and a dish to share. Our neighborhood club (kind of like a grange, but based on our irrigation district) provides the drinks, condiments, grills, place. Our week is going to end with some strawberry picking as our favorite place just opened up for business. It is a homeschooling family that is using the profits from their sales to put away in their daughters' college funds. They raise my absolute favorite variety of strawberry (Shuksan - ours are a couple years from being even close to how prolific theirs are, and we don't have nearly the plants planted that they do) and they have jam berries that they sell for only $1.00 a pound.

Sunday
Breakfast: Shabboura with Cream Cheese, Dates, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Lamb Ribs for Us and Assorted Baq'lawa and Knaffeh to Share

Monday
Breakfast: 'Ijja, Toast, Mint Tea
Dinner: Leftover Lamb, Roasted Asparagus, Salad

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Pepperoni Pasta with Spring Vegetables, Brown Butter Banana Muffins

Wednesday
Breakfast: Dutch Baby Pancake, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Eggs in Purgatory, Pasta with Garlic Scapes, Salad

Thursday
Breakfast: Creamed Eggs, Biscuits, Mint Tea
Dinner: Mustard and Onion Chuck Roast, Homemade Rice-a-Roni, Roasted Asaragus

Friday
Breakfast: Cherry Almond Granola, Yogurt and Honey, Coffee
Dinner: Beans, Greens and Cornbread

Saturday
Breakfast: Potato and Veggie Hash with Eggs Poached on Top, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Roast Turkey, Stuffing, Gravy, Scalloped Turnips

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.

Bought:
Asparagus

From the Garden:
Snap Peas
Snow Peas
Turnips
Radishes
Scallions
Chives
Dill
Garlic Scapes
Various Greens

Weekly Recipe: June 25

2011-06-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Coconut Bars

I first got this recipe from the back of a C & H brown sugar package. I have no idea if or how I changed it, though I know myself too well to think this is the original recipe. It is excellent, definitely a sometimes treat. It can be doubled or halved easily and is definitely a crowd pleaser with adolescents, children and adults alike. Perfect for coffee hours at church or a potluck. If you don't eat the whole pan yourself first. Here's a hint for serving a large crowd that I learned from feeding our Laudate children each week: Make or cut everything smaller. People tend to eat the same number of anything regardless of size. So, you can cut this into 32 bars and feed fewer people or into 64 and feed more (or have some left for your children the next day).

1 1/2 cups pastry or all purpose flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (one stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons pastry or all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sweetened, flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups pastry flour, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut cold butter into flour mixture until it resembled coarse crumbs.

Press this mixture into a 9" X 13" pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle top evenly with chocolate chips.

Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, 1 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons pastry flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt and whisk together until smoothly blended. Stir in coconut. Pour mixture over the top of the base and return pan to oven. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until center is set. Cool completely and cut into bars to serve.

Menu Plan: June 19 - June 25

2011-06-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

We have a busy week this week. Lots of visiting with friends and family, some of our summer activities starting up and some more work in the garden. There are a few repeats this week, because we either didn't get to them or had to move something else last week.

Sunday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Freshly Toasted Croutons, Spinach and Cheese, Milk
Dinner: Lasagna, Salad, Strawberry Shortcake

Monday
Breakfast: Leftover Strawberry Shortcake, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Dinner with Family

Tuesday
Breakfast: Breakfast with Family
Dinner: Dinner with Family

Wednesday
Breakfast: Breakfast with Family
Dinner: Dinner with Friends

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Cinnamon Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Sausage and Brown Rice Casserole, Steam Sauteed Carrots, Chocolate Coconut Bars*

Friday
Breakfast: Cherry Almond Granola, Yogurt and Honey, Coffee
Dinner: Eggs in Purgatory, Pasta with Garlic Scapes, Salad

Saturday
Breakfast: Chocolate Chip Muffins, Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Fruit, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Italian Beef Sandwiches on Olive Oil Bread, Salad, Fruit Plate

Menu Plan: June 12 - June 18

2011-06-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

A glorious and blessed Pentecost to you! Even without our big Tongues of Flame party, we are still going to have our own Tongues of Flame barbecue. We're wearing red and eating strawberries and having a nice red dessert. Pentecost is the second highest holy day of the Christian year (the first being Pascha, or Easter and the third being Christmas). It is the birth of the Church, the undoing of what happened at the Tower of Babel. The Jews celebrate this day as the giving of the Law. We celebrate it as the giving of the Holy Spirit who enables us to keep the Law.

So, today's meals include red and grilled food to help us celebrate and give our children some tangible lessons in the holiday and Church year. Our menu this week involves some of our own garden produce, even though we were late with much of our planting. We have loads of garlic greens and scapes growing, so those will be in our meals. We're eating our radishes and some of our early greens. I was able to get two freezer meals put away last week. This week's menu seems to only have one meal that looks like it will both freeze well.

I'm really proud of Elijah. He is learning out to help in the kitchen and has become much more diligent and interested in learning to cook more. Since this is a week full of celebrations for us (both Rich and Dominic's birthdays are on Saturday), he wanted to learn to make chocolate muffins for his father, since Rich's birthday is mostly subsumed by Dominic's.

Sunday Pentecost
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Freshly Toasted Croutons, Strawberries and Sliced Oranges, Milk
Dinner: Grilled Rack of Lamb, Grilled Asparagus, Creamy Herbed White Beans, Rhubarb Custard Cake

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Cinnamon Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pastitsio (Freeze Half), Sauteed Swiss Chard with Garlic Scapes

Tuesday
Breakfast: Honey & Oat Flapjacks, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Slow Cooked Chuck Steak, Steam Sauteed Carrots and Asparagus, Cracked Wheat Pilaf, Rhubarb Fool

Wednesday
Breakfast: Slow Cooker Rice Pudding with Coconut and Dried Cherries, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Cream of Asparagus Soup, Biscuits, Fruit Plate

Thursday
Breakfast: Dutch Baby Pancake, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Austrian Kucherlkraut (Beef and Sauerkraut), Sour Cream Noodles, Roasted Asparagus

Friday
Breakfast: Cherry Almond Granola and Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Eggs in Purgatory, Pasta with Garlic Scapes, Salad

Saturday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Fruit Plate, Chocolate Chip Muffins, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Pepperoni Pizza Puffs, Marinara Dipping Sauce, Spinach Salad, Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Menu Plan: June 5 - June 11

2011-06-05T16:39:00.000-07:00

We have a few repeats this week, as we switched some meals around based on special requests from Rich and the children. We are in the final week of the Paschal season. Pentecost is this coming Sunday, so we will grill something in honor of those Tongues of Flame.

This week I'm trying to get back in the practice of doubling at least one meal each week and freezing the extra. The plan is to mark those dishes that I am going to double, to give you a clue as to some of the things I make that freeze well. The plan for us is to have a good stock of meals to either give to families that need it after having a baby or going to the hospital or feed us on those nights that we are all tired, busy or otherwise can't face making a meal.

Sunday
Breakfast: Cappuccino Muffins, Hard Boiled Eggs, Sliced Apples, Milk
Dinner: Linner after Church - Salami and Cheese Sandwiches, Sliced Apples and Oranges

Monday
Breakfast: Caramel Apple Baked French Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Ham and Bean Soup, Whole Wheat Rolls (Make Double and Freeze Half)

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Chicken Fried Rice, Sliced Oranges

Wednesday
Breakfast: Ful, Harissa, Toast, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Black Bean Soup (Freeze Half), Kamut Rolls, Fruit Plate

Thursday
Breakfast: Toad in a Hole, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Braised Lamb Breast and Vegetables over Herbed Cous Cous

Friday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Tuna Noodle Casserole with Peas, Sliced Apples

Saturday
Breakfast: French Breakfast Puffs, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Gratin of Potatoes, Onion and Sausage from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Menu Plan: May 29 - June 4

2011-05-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

This is a fun week because Rich gets Memorial Day off, so we had more time together as a family. However, it is also a sad week, because we are again missing our former town's celebration. We decided last year that we wouldn't miss it again, but have had some other things come up, along with gas prices, that kept us home again. It is very depressing to miss it. We will try again next year.

We have one repeat meal this week. Saturday was a busy day for us and we ended up coming home rather late, so we had snack tray for dinner.

I forgot to mention that this Thursday is Ascension Day. We try to take a picnic meal on a high place, though we now live in a place that doesn't have so many of those.

Sunday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Sliced Oranges, Mixed Berry Kefir
Dinner: Herb Rubbed Chuck Roast, Steam Sauteed Carrots, Asparagus and Yellow Squash, Butterhorn Rolls, Pine Nut, Chocolate and Caramel Bars

Monday
Breakfast: Caramel Apple Baked French Toast, Fried Eggs, Hot Chocolate and Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Pizzas, Tropical Fruit Salad, Raspberry Custard Pie with Chantilly Cream

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Fettuccine with The Best Meat Sauce Ever, Sauteed Yellow Squash and Asparagus with Garlic

Wednesday
Breakfast: Halloumi with Za'atar and Olive Oil, Toast, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Grilled Tuna Sandwiches, Carrot and Celery Sticks, Sliced Oranges

Thursday Ascension Day
Breakfast: Toad in a Hole, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Bean and Venison Burritos, Salsa Rice, Tropical Fruit Salad

Friday
Breakfast: Potato, Asparagus and Onion Hash with Eggs Poached on Top, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Black Bean Soup, Kamut Rolls, Fruit Plate

Saturday
Breakfast: French Breakfast Puffs, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Roasted Fresh Ham, Horseradish-Dill Potato Pancakes, Buttered Peas, Roasted Asparagus

Weekly Recipes: May 28

2011-05-28T00:49:00.000-07:00

Steam Sauteed Vegetables

This is more of a method than a strict recipe. Use the vegetables you have and like, whatever herbs you like and enjoy.

4 pounds vegetable of choice, prepared to cook (I peeled carrots and cut them and the yellow squash on the diagonal)
2/3 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped herbs like parsley or cilantro or mint or dill

Put the vegetables, water and salt in a saute pan with a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil, covered, for 5 - 6 minutes.

Remove the lid and add the butter and garlic. Saute to evaporate the remaining water and coat with butter.

Remove from heat and stir in herbs. Serve hot or warm.

Butterhorn Rolls

These rolls are simple and amazing. I mix the dough in my bread machine or kitchen aid.

Put ingredients in bowl in this order:

1 cup hot milk
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups flour
3 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
6 tablespoons butter, melted, for brushing

Set on dough cycle or mix until a soft dough is formed in the kitchen aid. If using the stand mixer, knead lightly on a lightly floured surface, then return to bowl and cover, allowing to rise for about 1 - 2 hours.

Divide dough into three balls, roll out each into a 9" round. Brush with melted butter. Cut into 12 - 16 pie wedge pieces. Roll up beginning with the wide end and place on a buttered baking pan, point down. Brush tops with more butter. Repeat with two other rounds.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover rolls and let rise about 45 minutes. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes and serve warm (they are delicious cold, too).

Menu Plan: Post Apocalyptic Week

2011-05-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like I'll have to cook dinner this week after all, since the world did not end.

Last week I realized I was out of ground beef so I made lamburger helper instead of my homemade hamburger helper. It was quite tasty. I also changed up the vegetables for our Friday dinner and made some steam sauteed carrots which were wonderful. I will be making them again and posting the recipe this week.

I included the things we bought this week at the bottom of the page. However, because of my Fred Meyer Rewards Rebates and a few coupons, the only thing we paid for out of pocket was the oranges.

Sunday
Breakfast: Whole Wheat Rolls with Cream Cheese and Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Steaks, Grilled Asparagus, Salad, Apple Cake

Monday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Summer Sausage, Toast, Apple Sauce, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Mensaf (Arabic Lamb and Yogurt Stew), Cracked Wheat Pilaf, Slow Sauteed Green Beans

Tuesday
Breakfast: Rice Pudding with Apples and Cranberries, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Sausage and Pepper Calzones with Marinara Dipping Sauce

Wednesday
Breakfast: Yogurt, Granola and Honey, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Asparagus and Potato Frittata with Parmesan Cheese, Salad, Sliced Oranges

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Chicken Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Corn Relish

Friday
Breakfast: Ful with Pita Bread, Sliced Oranges, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Layered Tortilla Casserole with Black Beans, Corn, Sour Cream and Salsa Verde, Sliced Oranges

Saturday
Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Breakfast Sausage Patties, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Herb Rubbed Chuck Roast, Steam Sauteed Carrots and Yellow Squash*, Butterhorn Rolls*

Weekly Recipe: May 21

2011-05-21T00:15:00.000-07:00

Green Chile Rice

This is such a quick and easy side dish. It's full of flavor and it is pretty on the plate.

3 tablespoons oil, bacon grease or rendered lard
3 cups white rice
1 small onion, finely diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch cilantro, finely minced (about a cup and a half)
3 jalapenos, stemmed and diced, seeded if you want them a little milder
6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, jack, etc. or a blend)

In a medium pot, heat the fat over medium heat, add the rice and onion and stir until onions are transparent. Add the garlic and stir a minute more. Stir in the cilantro and jalapeno, then pour in the water and the salt. Bring to a rolling boil on high. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Stir in grated cheese and taste for seasoning.

Photo of FO: Slip Stitch Bookmark

2011-05-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

I finished this bookmark in March, but finally have taken a picture of it. It's part of my year of handmade gifts. I signed up to participate in a year of handmade gifts in which I make and send five handmade items to people while I receive handmade gifts from others. There is still doubt as to whether I'll finish within the year or not.

In any case, this bookmark used up the last of the sock yarn I had leftover from making Mariam's hat and jacket. I'd used a little of it on the toes of Yasmina's socks, but still had this bit left. Now, it is finished.

Menu Plan: May 15 - May 21

2011-05-16T08:41:00.001-07:00

Whew! We have had a whirl wind week!

Last Saturday, we drove down to Rich's parents, in time to be at the Borders for their book party for The Throne of Fire so Alexander and Dominic could get free Lego sets and do some Egyptian mythology games and such. We bought the new book and a t-shirt. The next day, we went down to see Rich's grandparents and then further down the freeway to go to lunch with them and his parents. We had three generations of mothers from his family, but we forgot to get a picture. That night, we kept driving, and went down to my home town and crashed. The next morning, Rich had an appointment to meet with some folks at the airport there and I took the children to see my mom. We drove back to his folks that night, crashed all the next day, then Rich and I went to a conference for his work with Mariam. On Friday, we split up, he went back to his parents to get the children, Mariam and I headed to a women's retreat for church. Mariam was a little too keyed up from all the travel to really let me rest much at night, even there, but I did get a break from responsibility and was able to have others care for me and teach me and pray for me. It was a much needed break. We got home last night. To a skunk in our trap.

Fortunately for us, Rich's parents had sent all sorts of sandwiches and leftovers with us, so we didn't have to make dinner. Mariam and I had gone to lunch with some of the women from the retreat on the way home, so I was able to eat at Visconti's again. I was nice and brought Rich some of my lunch, too, because I am the best wife ever.

I'm just now getting to menu planning, so things are going to be easy this week.

Sunday
Breakfast: Granola and Yogurt, Coffee
Dinner: Sandwiches, Cheese and Crackers, Cookies

Monday
Breakfast: Cold Cereal and Milk
Dinner: Hot Dogs, Carrot and Celery Sticks, Cookies

Tuesday
Breakfast: Ful, Pita Bread, Sliced Apples, Coconut Water
Dinner: Homemade Hamburger Helper, Butterhorn Rolls, Pineapple

Wednesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: ~~Baked Potatoes with Cheese Sauce and Steamed Veggies~~
Macaroni & Cheese, Sliced Apples

Thursday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Vegetable Beef Soup with Whole Wheat Rolls

Friday
Breakfast: Yogurt, Granola and Honey, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Baked Salmon with Onions, Roasted Vegetables, Rice Pilaf

Saturday
Breakfast: Cornish Splits with Nutella, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Quesadillas with Chicken, Peppers and Onions, Green Chile Rice*, Black Bean and Corn Salad, Raspberry Custard Pie

Menu Plan: May 1 - May 7

2011-05-01T16:25:00.000-07:00

Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Hallelujah! It is the last day of the Paschal Octave, though the season goes until Pentecost.

We had some friends' children over last week, some schedule shifts and loads of activities in preparation for Amira's ballet recital, so we moved several of the meals around. Some of them will appear here this week.

Sunday
Breakfast: Cold Cereal with Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Roast Turkey with Potatoes and Asparagus, Butterhorn Rolls, Raspberry and Mango Sorbet

Monday
Breakfast: 'Ijja, Toast, Leftover Coconut Smoothies
Dinner: Thai Chicken over Shredded Lettuce, Thai Basil Pasta, Coconut-Pineapple Ice Cream and Coconut Brownies

Tuesday
Breakfast: Yeasted Pancakes with Walnuts, Brie and Apples, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Hot Turkey Salad, Provencal Green Beans, Crisp Parmesan Biscuits, Raspberry Custard Pie

Wednesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Spanikopita Bread Pudding, Salad, Sliced Apples

Thursday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Hot Breakfast Sandwich, Key Lime Pie with Whipped Cream

Friday
Breakfast: Yogurt, Granola and Honey, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Creamy Potato Soup with Rolls

Saturday
Breakfast: Cornish Splits with Leftover Strawberry Sauce and Sweetened Whipped Cream Cheese, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk, Coffee
Dinner: Dinner Out

Weekly Recipes: April 30

2011-04-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

Here are last week's and this week's recipes. Enjoy!

"Mexican" Rice Pilaf

3 tablespoons oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 pound sliced peppers
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 cups long grain rice
16 ounces tomato sauce
1/2 pound roasted corn kernels (I used frozen)
water
salt

Heat oil over medium high heat in a medium pot. Add onions and peppers and cook until onions are translucent and wilted. Stir in garlic and rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until rice becomes fragrant.

Pour in tomato sauce, along with enough water to cover by an inch or so. Add corn and a generous sprinkling of salt. Bring to a full boil, cover and reduce heat to low, cooking for about 15 minutes.

Chocolate Gravy

I got this recipe from a southern woman's blog and upped the
chocolate. She listed the butter and vanilla as optional, which I
imagine is a legacy from the poverty food nature of the dish, but I see
them as necessary.

1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (you can use 2 Tbs. regular and 2 Tbs. dark if you like)
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup hot water
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a skillet, mix flour and cocoa and sugar. Turn heat to medium.
Slowly add the hot water, a little at a time. Keep stirring this paste
until the sugar dissolves.

Slowly add in the milk. When completely mixed, turn up the heat to
medium high.

Stir constantly until desire thickness is reached. Add butter and
vanilla; keep warm on low until the biscuits are done.
(For gravy that is less like syrup and more like pudding, use 3
tablespoons flour and use only milk.)

Menu Plan: Bright Week

2011-04-24T00:09:00.000-07:00

Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Hallelujah!

There is no fasting this week as we celebrate the Octave of the Risen Lord. God bless you and keep you on this holiest feast of the Church Year!

Sunday Pascha
Breakfast: Mexican Eggs (Scotch Eggs made with Chorizo), Paschal Braided Bread, Pascha Cheese, Peppermint Mochas
Dinner: Paschal Feast - Grilled Herbed Leg of Lamb, Harissa, Laban bi Chiyar, Tabbouleh, Hummus, Baba Ghanooj, Pita Bread, Tamis, Waraq Ounab, Sambousak, Fatayir bi Sabanich, Loubiyah bi Zeit, Gatayif, Baq'lawa, Basboosa, Ma'amoul

Monday
Breakfast: 'Ijja, Leftover Tamis, Doughnuts (from the freezer, leftover from Shrove Tuesday), Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Lamb "Nachos" with Toasted Pita Wedges, Champagne Sangria, Leftover Desserts

Tuesday
Breakfast: Baked French Toast with leftover Pascha Bread and Pascha Cheese, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Pizzas, Raspberry Custard Pie

Wednesday
Breakfast: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, Peppermint Mochas
Dinner: Meatloaf, Horseradish-Dill Potato Pancakes, Strawberry Puff

Thursday
Breakfast: Cornish Splits with Leftover Strawberry Sauce and Sweetened Whipped Cream Cheese, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Hot Chicken Salad, Provencal Green Beans, Crisp Parmesan Biscuits, Raspberry Gelatin Dessert

Friday
Breakfast: Browned Butter Banana Muffins, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Thai Chicken over Shredded Lettuce, Thai Basil Pasta, Coconut-Pineapple Ice Cream and Coconut Brownies

Saturday
Breakfast: Brown Sugar Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy*, Cheese Omelets, Bacon, Vanilla Coconut Smoothies
Dinner: Take Out Pizza, Pine Nut Chocolate Caramel Bars

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. Last week's recipe will be posted soon. We were so busy with the Triduum and preparations for Pascha, that I just never edited it.

Menu Plan: Holy Week

2011-04-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

We have arrived at Holy Week (not Easter week! That is next week). Our church had her Procession of the Palms this morning which was wonderful. Of course, the older children were trying to fold their palms into crosses and the younger children were trying to sword fight. Mariam was eating hers happily.

Our menu this week is completely vegetarian except for tonight. We are preparing our hearts and souls for Pascha. This is a very busy week, we have services on five days. Plus, Amira has a dress rehearsal for her ballet recital. And there is a field trip to the only forest in our county. Meals are simple this week.

I pray you have a blessed Holy Week as you walk the Via Dolorosa with our Lord.

Sunday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Bananas, Milk and Drinking Chocolate
Dinner: Chicken with Poblano-Lime Cream, "Mexican" Rice Pilaf*, Sliced Apples

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk & Coffee
Dinner: Salmon Cakes and Sweet Potato Chips, Sliced Apples

Tuesday
Breakfast: Toad in the Hole, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Tuna Noodle Casserole with Peas

Wednesday
Breakfast: Yogurt with Granola and Jam, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Green Chili Rice with Refried Black Beans

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Dried Cranberries and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Baked Potatoes with Scallions and Cheese, Sliced Apples

Friday
Breakfast: Granola Bars, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Spanikopita Bread Pudding, Sliced Apples

Saturday
Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Cashew and Bean Stew, Rolls

Menu Plan: April 10 - April 16

2011-04-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

So, here's our weird week. We were able to take a mini-vacation as Rich had a work conference, so Mariam and I came along and we all got to go out with two couples we know back home on a couple nights and she and I went sightseeing and walking around while Rich was in his meetings. This meant that we were eating out a lot more, but still trying to keep the fast as best we could (some of our meals will be at the mercy of others, so we won't be able to control or pick the food as easily without, perhaps violating hospitality or causing offense).

We are nearing the end of Lent. Next week is Holy Week. So, Pascha is in sight!

In any case, here is our menu, such as it is.

Sunday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast and Cream Cheese, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Dinner Out with Friends

Monday
Breakfast: Cereal Bars, Yogurt, Clementines, Coffee
Dinner: Dinner Out with Friends

Tuesday
Breakfast: Leftover Pizza, Coffee
Dinner: Dinner Out with Friends

Wednesday
Breakfast: Pancake, Fried Egg, Hash Browns, Coffee
Dinner: Tuna Sandwiches, Dill Pickles and Clementines

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Dried Cranberries and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Cashew Chicken and Brown Rice, Clementines

Friday
Breakfast: Yogurt and Granola, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Broccoli Cheese Soup in Bread Bowls

Saturday
Breakfast: Some form of these Muffins using last summer's Strawberry Jam, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Salmon with Creamy Feta Sauce, Onion Pasta, Steamed Green Beans

Menu Plan: April 3 - April 9

2011-04-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

We had some dear friends come stay with us this weekend. After much fun and play, poor Rich came down with either an allergic reaction to something or a stomach bug, or both. So, our Sunday became a little more complicated. He stayed home from church while the rest of us went, the children's godparents took us out to lunch and Rich stayed mostly in our room. Our Laetare Sunday was a little more subdued because of that.

Anyway, our menu is finally up for you to peruse. Next week's menu is going to be weird. I'll try to post it anyway.

Sunday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Bread, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Leftovers

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal, Brown Sugar and Raisins, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Potato, Pepper & Onion Frittata, Oatmeal Bread

Tuesday
Breakfast: Toad in the Hole, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Vegetable Beef Soup, Whole Wheat Rolls

Wednesday
Breakfast: Yogurt and Berries (frozen), Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Baked Pasta with Vegetables, Sliced Oranges

Thursday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Broccoli Beef, Brown Rice, Sliced Oranges

Friday
Breakfast: Soft Pretzels, Apple Sauce, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pineapple Fried Rice (we ended up with a different meal last week)

Saturday
Breakfast: Dutch Baby Pancake, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pasta e Fagioli, Garlic Bread

Weekly Recipes: April 3

2011-04-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

I'm a little off my game this week, so the recipe is late, and my meal plan probably won't get posted until tomorrow.

Garlic Prawns with Lemon Pilaf

This recipe came from an Armenian cooking group. I ended up changing it a little bit, as I thought I would, and everyone enjoyed it.

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, halved and finely sliced
3 cups long-grain rice
6 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 tablespoons lemon zest
6 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
2 pounds prawns, peeled, deveined with tails left
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons sumac and extra for serving
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Heat three tablespoons of oil in a large sauce pan and cook onion for about five minutes. Add rice to the onions, tossing well. Add water, salt, turmeric, lemon juice and zest and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to rest, covered, while cooking the prawns.

Heat remaining oil in frying pan and cook garlic over medium heat for just a minute or two. Add prawns, cayenne, coriander and sumac, tossing well until the prawns are cooked and the garlic is golden and nutty.

Toss parsley and mint with the rice, top with prawns, garlic, a final dusting of sumac and lemon wedges for squeezing.

Menu Plan: March 27 - April 2

2011-03-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

Our weekend was rather busy with a birthday sleepover for Elijah, loads of work in the garden and running errands. We were about a week late, but we have our peas, fava beans, lentils, and garbanzo beans planted. We'll be planting onions, radishes, cabbages, broccoli, kale, turnips, rutabagas, beets, chard, spinach, lettuces and other greens over the next couple weeks. So, my menu plan is being posted late.

We are creeping up on Laetare Sunday, the midpoint of Lent. It is the last brighter feast Sunday until Pascha. Laetare means to be glad, but its roots are in the word for milk. Milk happy, like a baby at his mother's breast. It is the Church's Mother's Day, for the Church who is our mother, for the Blessed Virgin, who is the Mother of God and all believers, for all mothers. We are finishing our Lenten lapbooks with the children and we've done a few things to mark their sacrifices and impress on them the meaning of Lent. I'll post pictures to our crown of thorns and cross and we have an alms box out for the children to collect their coins to offer to those in need.

Sunday
Breakfast: Grapefruit, Meringue Filled Coffee Cake, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pizza (still! We made a couple extra to make sure there was enough, but it's all gone now), Bananas, More of the Meringue Filled Coffee Cake (we finished it off)

Monday
Breakfast: Feta Cheese, Za'atar, Olive Oil and Toast, Orange Juice
Dinner: Mayacoba Beans & Cornbread

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Korean Beef Skewers, Rice, Sauteed Onions and Cabbage with Sesame Seeds, Sliced Oranges

Wednesday
Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Toast, Orange Juice
Dinner: Cashew and Bean Stew, Rolls

Thursday
Breakfast: Toad in the Hole, Berry-Apple Sauce, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Crock Pot Chicken Masala, Brown Rice

Friday
Breakfast: Cream Cheese on Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pineapple Fried Rice

Saturday
Breakfast: Blueberry Pancakes, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Garlic Prawns with Lemon Pilaf*, Slow Sauteed Green Beans, Sliced Oranges

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.

Bought:

Feta Cheese (marked to $0.99 per six ounce package, in brine)
Orange Juice (was marked down to half price for organic, refrigerated)
Bananas ($1.00 for three pounds)
Limes
Grapefruit (four for $1.00)

Daring Bakers Challenge: Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake

2011-03-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

The March 2011 Daring Baker’s Challenge was hosted by Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast. Ria and Jamie challenged The Daring Bakers to bake a yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake.

I was so excited to find out I hadn't been kicked out of the Daring Bakers, even though it has been so long since I last participated. And my last attempt was such a colossal failure (I pride myself on its being the only failure, at least). This month's challenge was something simple enough for me to dip my toes in the pool again. I love yeasted doughs and I saw the potential for flavor variations right away. Also, this wasn't too sweet and decadent, so it was still a good option for a Sunday dish during Lent.

Unfortunately, this post won't be as heavy on photos as others have been, but I hope you will get the idea anyway.

My first change was to use whole wheat pastry flour. We grind most of our flour, and we keep soft white wheat around for pastries and cakes and muffins and cookies. So, I I thought I'd see if I could make this treat with whole wheat, ground some up and added a little gluten to it to help it rise and remain a little more elastic while still being delicate enough in flavor and not making a heavy dough. I added the saffron, as Ria suggested. However, instead of turning toward India, I turned toward the Arabian peninsula.

I did not add the vanilla to the meringue, instead, I used a teaspoon of rosewater. For my filling, I used unsalted pistachios with a little more saffron, some cardamom and increased the sugar a little since I left out the chocolate. I did have a little trouble sealing the ring, but I noticed that other pictures strategically left that part of the coffee cake out of the shot, so I'm assuming others had that difficulty as well. It seemed to work its way out in the second rise and baking, though. I did forget to make the egg wash glaze, but the powdered sugar stuck to the warm bread and meringue quite easily without it. I added a tiny bit of cardamon to the powdered sugar as well.

Thank you Ria and Jamie for a great return to Daring Baker's this month!

Weekly Recipe: March 26

2011-03-26T00:08:00.000-07:00

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

I modified this from the Farm House Cookbook some time back and we love them. The recipe says it makes a dozen, we make about three dozen standard sized muffins from this, so I don't know what they are talking about. We also double the recipe. These freeze beautifully, and are great to keep on hand for breakfasts or coffee with friends.

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or white, or AP)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup mild, light oil (like sunflower or safflower, even coconut oil)
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (we like Winter Luxury or Small Sugar pumpkins the best - you can also use canned)
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 400 F. Heavily butter muffin tins.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and sugars and set aside. I just use a whisk.

In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, pumpkin and milk until thoroughly combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix, just until they are moistened. Don't overmix, or muffins will be tough. Fold in the nuts and cranberries. Fill the prepared muffin tins two-thirds full with batter.

Bake in the center of the oven until the muffins are puffed and golden and spring back when touched, 20-25 minutes. Check at 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cool five minutes, remove from tins and serve or cool completely on racks.

Beduin's Gazelle by Frances Temple

2011-03-21T00:34:00.000-07:00

I was hoping this book would be a good way to give my children an image of the world they are studying in history. The factual errors and random historical insertions were enough to turn me off, however.

One of the Arab Beduins, for example, has a Hebrew name, Miriam, when there is an equivalent, and different, Arabic name, Mariam. The single European character seems to be present only to explain that there were Christian missionaries, and only briefly and without any context. Since the story was somewhat engaging, I thought I could simply explain those to the children and let them read it anyway. I figured it was harmless, if not particularly accurate, historically. However, as the story began to develop and reach its climax, it was as if the author ran out of paper and simply stopped the story. Deus ex machina, everything turned out as it ought, with no explanation or logical reason. This wasn't simply a suspension of disbelief, it was out of left field. At that point, I just didn't want to subject them to the whole package of historical errors and mediocre writing.

I wish this story were better, as it had much promise, but I won't be passing it on to my children. I wish I had the two or three hours back that I spent reading it, too.

Menu Plan: March 20 - March 26

2011-03-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

The home corned beef was a hit. I meant to use the leftovers to make Rose's double decker Reuben sandwiches, but there wasn't enough left over to do that. It was that good. My pictures of the corned beef were not very good, because the color wasn't good, as I didn't use the pink salt. I'm going to try again with celery powder to help with that. I'll post a (late) separate post about the corned beef. I don't think we'll go back to store bought now.

I learned that Mariam's little stomach can't quite handle my eating raw cabbage. That's part of why I was up between 1:30 and 4:51 this morning. So, I'll hold off on that tonight. Here is this week's menu, our second full week of Lent. I'm really proud of how seriously our children are taking the fast, some of them have fasted on days we didn't (like on the Ember days, I didn't fast at all, and Rich only reduced his meals, some of our children decided to observe the fast on their own, or at least try to do so). They have been conscientious about the things they have sacrificed for Lent and are making an effort in their prayers and alms giving. Even without us telling them, they have been saving money or toys to give to people and organizations to help the poor. It is encouraging to us.

Sunday
Breakfast: Bacon, Potato and Onion Dirty Eggs, Sliced Oranges, Milk
Dinner: Leftover Pizza (we froze the rest, and there was a ton left), Cabbage Salad

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Green Chile Rice with Refried Black Beans, Sliced Oranges

Tuesday
Breakfast: Granola, Jam and Yogurt, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Provencal Chicken Soup, Whole Wheat Rolls

Wednesday
Breakfast: Almond Butter on Toast, Sliced Oranges, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Grilled Halibut Steaks, Peas, Garlic Pasta

Thursday
Breakfast: Toad in the Hole, Mango-Apple Sauce, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Italian Sausage Skillet, Brown Rice

Friday
Breakfast: Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins*, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Potato and Chick Pea Curry, Herbed Cous Cous

Saturday
Breakfast: Blueberry Pancakes, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Macaroni and Cheese, Peas, Sliced Oranges

Weekly Recipes: March 19

2011-03-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Cloud Cake

The only resemblance this flourless chocolate cake has to a cloud is in the frothy whipped cream on top. It is delicious and decadent. This small cake fed our entire family as well as another six people. With two pieces left over. This recipe is only slightly modified from Richard Sax' recipe in Classic Home Desserts. It is one of two or three I rotate through for my own birthday cakes. The thing about this cake is that it is dead simple and quick to make. It is so impressive, though, and people think you are some sort of superstar baker.

8 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 large eggs: 2 whole, 4 separated
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Chambord

2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons Chambord
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 12 inch springform pan with a round of wax paper; do not butter the pan. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in a bowl set over hot water. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted; set aside.

In a bowl, whisk the 2 whole eggs and the 4 egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar just until blended. Whisk in the warm chocolate mixture. Whisk in the Chambord.

In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the 4 egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until the whites form soft mounds. Stir about 1/2 of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whites. Pour the batter into the pan, smooth the top.

Bake until the top of the cake is puffed and cracked and the center is no longer wobbly, 35 to 40 minutes. Do not overbake.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack; the cake will sink as it cools, forming a crater with high sides.

When serving, whip the cream with the confectioners’ sugar and Chambord until not quite stiff. With a spatula, carefully fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, pushing it gently to the edges. Dust the top lightly with cocoa powder. Run the tip of a knife around the edges of the cake. Carefully remove the sides of the pan and serve.

Olive-Herb Bread

This bread is based on this one from my friend Rebecca. I modified it and added a cheesy, herb-y, olive-y topping that is so delicious you could just eat a loaf of it yourself and keep it from your family. For a homemade bread, it is amazingly fast to put together. (And, yes, that slice is all that was left over, why do you ask?)

Bread:
2 cups water
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons yeast
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon aleppo pepper flakes (or red pepper flakes)
1 teaspoon onion granules
1 teaspoon garlic granules (I've used Penzeys' Minced Garlic as well)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded provolone
1/2 cup grated parmesan
5 cups bread flour

Topping:
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded provolone
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 pound kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1/4 pound Spanish olives, roughly chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme

Either mix all the ingredients for the bread in a big bowl or use your bread machine on the dough cycle to do it. Don't let the dough cycle run to completion. Place a baking stone (or other baking pan) in a cold oven in the middle.

On a lightly floured board, knead the dough slightly and cut into four equal parts. Make a slash down the center of each loaf, lengthwise and place on a peel that is dusted with semolina or cornmeal to transfer to the pan in the oven. Arrange all four loaves so they fit with room to rise and close the oven. Turn on the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Increase heat to 450 degrees F.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together all the topping ingredients. Set aside. When bread is baked, remove to a rack to cool while the oven is increasing its temperature. After a few minutes, slice two of them in half, horizontally. Place four halves in a jelly roll pan, crust side down. Cover generously with the olive-herb-cheese mixture. Bake for about 5 - 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. While it is baking, you can devour the other loaves of bread with your husband or wife. Or, you can leave them alone and save both for meatball or Italian beef or almost any other kind of savory sandwiches.

Apple Set Complete

2011-03-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

I finished the mitts this morning. If I were making the mitts for an older child, I'd make the leaves into thumbs. As they are here, I put a buttonhole in the middle of each to button the mitts to Mariam's coat.

Jerome thought I should make some brown pants and a brown and green top to turn this whole set into an apple tree outfit. I don't think that will happen anytime soon.

What I am working on is getting a multi-sized pattern [0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months and 18- 24 months, the last would have a thumb rather than the buttonhole leaf] written up for both the hat and the mitts/mittens. If I do so, would anyone buy it? I'm thinking of a pdf pattern that would be for sale for $7.00. Is that reasonable?

Menu Plan: March 13 - March 19

2011-03-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I sorted our two freezers with Alexander and Dominic. One is now dedicated to meat, poultry, seafood, stock/broth and things like that, while the other is for vegetables, fruit, coffee, dairy products, breads, nuts, flours and things like that. I don't have them inventoried yet, but we discovered some treats we didn't realize we still had, which was nice. We also rearranged the freezers on the refrigerators to reflect how we use them better. This is making cooking from our own stores much simpler.

It turns out that we still have a ton of beef and lamb left, too. We are lower on seafood and pork than I thought we were, so we know to buy more of that when we can. We were gone so much last year, with business trips and family things, that we didn't end up cooking as much at home as we normally do. Our steer from last spring is going to last us until probably June. Rich has been busy butchering turkeys, and we've put three in the freezer already with three to go. I'm so excited to have these for our family. We can't wait to cook up a turkey we raised and butchered ourselves. I'm thinking of using one for Laetare Sunday.

Today, we are having Amira's birthday party. We did a small family party on her actual birthday. I brought her flowers in the morning and she chose our breakfast and dinner that day. Today, we will get to feast and have a great cake and do presents with her friends.

This week is also the feast of St. Patrick, so we'll be feasting on corned beef. I actually corned our own brisket from our steer. This is the first time I've corned my own meat, and I'm pretty excited about it. I am doing this as part of Charcutepalooza. I'll be making the bacon and the duck breast soon as well, though most likely after Lent.

Sunday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Mango-Apple Sauce, Milk, Tea
Dinner: Pizza Party and Chocolate Cloud Cake* for Amira's Birthday

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Costa Rican Black Beans and Rice with Fried Eggs, Avocado and Lime Wedges

Tuesday
Breakfast: Almond Butter on Toast, Sliced Oranges, Milk
Dinner: Sausage and Spinach Calzones, Carrot and Celery Sticks

Wednesday
Breakfast: Granola and Yogurt, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Minestrone Soup, Whole Wheat and Rye Rolls

Thursday St. Patrick's Day
Breakfast: Spinach Omelets, Toast, Mint Steamers
Dinner: Corned Beef (that I corned myself!!!), Garlic Hasselback Potatoes, Baked Cabbage, Soda Bread (the recipe is formatted a little oddly, the raisins are optional, not the buttermilk)

Friday
Breakfast: Pretzels with Almond Butter, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Potato, Pepper and Onion Frittata, Olive-Herb Bread*

Saturday
Breakfast: Banana Bread, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Fr. Jeff's Salmon, Pepper-Garlic Pasta, Cabbage Salad

Weekly Recipes: March 12

2011-03-12T08:38:00.000-08:00

Corndogs

This makes a lot. It was for eight feasting people. Reduce as you see fit.

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 cup pastry or all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (depending on your taste)
3/4 - 1 cup whole milk
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup cornstarch for dredging
24 hot dogs
Oil for frying
24 thick skewers

Preheat oil in a pan that will allow you to fry your hot dogs on sticks.

Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In another, large bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup milk, egg and honey. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Skewer hot dogs vertically. Place corn starch in a pie pan or other shallow dish and roll hot dogs in it. Dip hot dogs in the batter. This is a little easier if you pour the batter into a tall cup, but that isn't necessary, if you aren't interested in dirtying up another dish.

When oil is hot enough to sizzle bread, start frying corndogs. They may need to be turned and the sticks can be used to do that. When they are golden and puffy, remove to a rack and fry remaining corndogs in batches, being careful not to crowd them.

Serve with mustard and ketchup.

French Farmer's Soup

I love that our children choose dishes like this for their birthday dinners.

1 pound dry white beans cooked with:
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 bay leaves
(remove bay leaves and reserve 2 cups of bean broth)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound bacon, diced
2 large onions, diced
1 tablespoon dry thyme (or 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves)
4 large carrots, cut into 1/4" half moons
6 stalks celery, sliced
1 large or 2 small rutabagas, peeled and diced
10 cups chicken stock
4 teaspoons champagne vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
2/3 cup chopped parsley
2 cups homemade or good quality store bought croutons

Heat oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add bacon and cook, stirring, until it starts to brown and most of the fat is rendered. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Add onions and thyme and cook until onions are just beginning to brown on the edges. Add carrots, celery and rutabaga and stir to coat with fat.

Add 4 cups of the chicken stock and simmer 10 - 20 minutes (until root veggies are almost cooked through). Add beans and and remaining stock and bean broth. Return bacon to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a sprinkling of parsley and croutons.

Seven Quick Takes: March 11

2011-03-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

1. Jerome and Yasmina insisted on giving up something for Lent. All day Wednesday, Yasmina was telling us that her bunny is for Lent. For all we know, she thinks Lent is a person.

2. Aside from that bit of humor, our children really seem to be learning what Lent is about and how and why we observe the fasting/abstinence and penance. I'm so glad that Rich teaches them these things, too, he is so obedient to the Church's teachings, even though the fasting rules are hardest on him sometimes.

3. I finished what I'm calling my Grapes Scarf for a friend. It's a super secret surprise, though, so I won't say for whom it was made. I'll post a picture on someone soon.

I'll get a picture up with it on someone soon.

4. We didn't go to the pancake supper at church this week, but, instead, had our own doughnut feast as we used to do. We thought it would be fun and important to keep some of those traditions, even though we don't have our church family with whom to share it here.

5. However, I tried a new yeast risen doughnut recipe that I found on the web. With pictures. I think she forgot to halve the ingredients. All but the flour. So, I added flour. And added flour. And added flour. Then Rich added some. We ended up with so much dough that I put our regular batch of doughnuts in the freezer without frying it. We'll save those for Bright Week. Instead of two kinds of potato doughnuts, we had one, plus the pear fritters. We have 39 left in the freezer. Yum!

6. We had quite the adventure trying to get to church for the Ash Wednesday service this week. Rich had a meeting that ran late, so I had to pack everyone up to go pick him up from work to go straight to church from there. About two minutes from his work, I realized I'd left the oven on and we'd have to go back. When we turned on our street, the van started to act like it was out of gas, even though it was nearly full, and stopped running. Needless to say, we missed the service.

7. We were thankful, though, that we did have to go back home to turn off that oven, because otherwise, the van might have stopped on the highway. Please be praying that the problems are fixed soon. Fortunately, we have a warranty that will pay for the repairs, we only pay a $60 diagnostic fee, and just this Sunday, we were given the name of a good and reliable repair shop near by our church. Thank God for allowing me to leave the oven on so we'd be home when the van died! I never leave ovens on when we leave. Ever. I also never thought I'd be thankful for that.

Lenten Abstinent Dishes

2011-03-10T17:15:00.000-08:00

If you are trying to keep the fast and are looking for ideas, you can read my post from last year or check out my ever growing
recipe index's meat abstinent section. I will be adding more as we go through Lent.

Ash Wednesday

2011-03-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

I am scheduling this post since I cannot participate in the Ash Wednesday fast. As I cannot do the fast, because of nursing a baby, I will be having a media fast.

If you are looking for a traditional Ash Wednesday menu, here it is: Water. It is a 24 hour strict fast. The rules have been relaxed in the west (to the point of absurdity), but it is still a strict fast. If you cannot fast, try to fast from one or two meals and eat less. If that is not possible for some reason, this should be a meat abstinence day. Read this for a pretty good summary of our feelings about the relaxation of the fasting requirements in the west. For more encouragement on the Lenten fast, please read this from an Orthodox perspective.

We were talking this week about how the entire Church year is tied together. What happens in one part is the beginning of another part, and that part is the fulfillment of another. The ashes tonight will come from the burning of the palms from last year's Palm Sunday services.

Lent is a penitential season. We make sacrifices in our diet, of our time and of our finances. Our dietary changes allow for more money to give to alms, one third of the trinity of the Christian fast. I say this each year: To fast as a Christian is to fast, pray and to give alms. This is the definition of a fast. We do not simply abstain from eating and hope that by doing so we receive grace or earn favor. The fast is a daily reminder of our obligation to pray and care for the poor as well as using physical discipline to lead us to spiritual discipline. I still remember the teaching that all sin is an appetite indulged, so the fast is a way to teach us not to indulge our appetites. Even during the abstinent days of Lent, rather than the full fasts, we are to eat less than we normally would. We are to leave the table a little hungry. I read this somewhere, and I can't remember the source to give credit:

"By abstaining from meat (and dairy), we allow both creation (the animals) to rest from milking or laying and allow nature to "rebuild". But more importantly, we embrace the simplicity of eating plainer foods so that we can focus more of our time on Christ. We also allow ourselves to be a little more hungry than normal in order to remember that God is the only one who can truly fill our deepest hunger!"

Although we are not Orthodox, I will borrow from their tradition for the eve of Clean Monday: Friends and family, I humbly ask your forgiveness if I have offended you in any way. I bow down to the ground in my heart before each one of you and ask for your forgiveness. I ask forgiveness for having offended, scandalized and sinned against anyone, whether by my words, actions, or thoughts. Forgive me, a sinner. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

I wish you a holy Lent.

"Yet even now," says the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. Who knows whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal offering and a drink offering for the LORD, your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.

Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, "Spare thy people, O LORD, and make not thy heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, `Where is their God?'" Joel 2:12-17

Menu Plan: March 6 - March 12 Ash Wednesday

2011-03-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

Lent is upon us. We will be doing our own Shrove Tuesday at home with our family and, perhaps, a few friends. Because I am nursing a baby, I will not be observing the full fast on Wednesday. The older children are going to try to do it, but the younger children will be eating, some fasting from one meal, so I will be cooking meatless meals for those of us who are not keeping the fast. We are looking forward to 40 days of praying, fasting and giving alms, the trinity of fasting in the Church. This penitential season is a good time to do self-examination, and I know there is plenty to improve in my own heart and life. I wish you all a holy Lent.

Sunday
Breakfast: Cereal and Milk, Cafe au Lait
Dinner: Bolitas with Bacon and Chorizo, Cornbread, Fried Turnip Slices (from our garden! It survived -19 degree weather) with Garlic, Lemon Pudding Cakes

Monday
Breakfast: Feta with Za'atar and Olive Oil, Toast, Tea and Honey
Dinner: Indian Spiced Steak and Onion Kebabs with Naan and Peach Chutney, Fig Tart

Tuesday
Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Bacon and Toast, Mochas
Dinner: Corndogs*, Seasoned Potato Wedges, Roasted Corn and Butter, Potato Doughnuts, Pear Fritters

Wednesday
Breakfast: Granola and Yogurt, Water
Dinner: Mayacoba Beans and Rice

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: French Farmers' Soup* with Rustic Croutons

Friday
Breakfast: Kamut Toast with Almond Butter, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Stations of the Cross and Fish Fry at church

Saturday
Breakfast: Spinach Omelets, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Mejeddarah with Onions and Yogurt

Menu Plan: February 27 - March 5

2011-02-27T17:08:00.000-08:00

With only a week and a half before Lent is completely underway, we are eating up many treats that we won't see for some time. We're still working out way into eating completely meatless except for Sundays during Lent, so this year, we'll be observing the meat fast on Mondays and Saturdays as well as the normal Wednesday and Friday fast.

We have another countdown as well: Amira is counting down the days to her birthday. And telling us what she wants.

Sunday
Breakfast: Cereal and Milk, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Baked Ham, Scalloped Potatoes & Rutabagas, Blackberry Cobbler

Monday
Breakfast: Leftover Blackberry Cobbler
Dinner: Sliced Ham and Biscuits, Sliced Apples

Tuesday
Breakfast: Poached Eggs on Hash, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Split Pea Soup (with the ham bone), Kamut Rolls, Pots de Creme

Wednesday
Breakfast: Kamut Toast with Almond Butter and Honey, Orange Slices, Milky Tea
Dinner: Potato, Onion and Herb Frittata with Feta Cheese, Spelt Rolls, Orange Slices

Thursday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Red Beans and Rice

Friday
Breakfast: Cappuccino Muffins, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Eggs in Purgatory, Olive-Herb Cheese Bread

Saturday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Neighborhood Game and Chili Night, we are bringing Corn Bread

Weekly Recipes: February 26

2011-02-26T20:59:00.000-08:00

English Muffins

So, I found this recipe online, changed it a bunch and made it a lot of different times and ways and here is what I've finally come up with and like the best.

1 cup hot water
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups spelt flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1/4 cup softened butter + more for pan
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
cornmeal or semolina

Mix together water, milk, honey and salt. Add 2 cups flour and yeast. Mix until you have a loose batter. Cover and let rise for about an hour. Add butter and remaining flour. Mix well and let rise again for about an hour. Sprinkle in baking soda and mix well.

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Roll dough out on a surface sprinkled with cornmeal or semolina until dough is about 1/2 an inch thick. Cut out with a biscuit cutter or glass to make circles. Melt butter in pan and fry until muffins and browned and puffy. Turn once and cook on the other side. Repeat until all muffins are cooked.

Eat hot or cool and eat. Split with a fork and spread with something delicious.

Blackberry Cobbler

We're not in blackberry season yet (and out here, there isn't the abundance of blackberries we had west of the Cascades), but if you have some in the freezer, you can still make this. You don't even have to thaw the berries.

12 cups blackberries
3/4 - 1 cup sugar (depending on how sweet your blackberries are - unless we froze them ourselves, I use the one cup when using frozen)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon (if you can get your hands on Ceylon cinnamon, use that)

3 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks of cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup buttermilk
vanilla sugar to sprinkle over top

Use a huge pan. I use an 11 X 15 inch pan. I mix the berries, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon all in the pan, there is no need for another bowl.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F while you make the biscuit cobblestones for the top.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Rub butter pieces into flour until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with pea to lima bean sized bits of butter coated in flour dispersed throughout. Stir in buttermilk and knead slightly to form a cohesive dough. Pat out on a floured surface to about 1/2 an inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or a glass to cut the dough into cobbles, reshaping dough as necessary, but handling as little as possible. Layer the cobbles over the blackberries and sprinkle with vanilla sugar.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until cobbles are browned and risen and the blackberries are bubbly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or chantilly cream.

FO: Amira's Socks

2011-02-21T21:29:00.001-08:00

Amira wanted them finished by the time she was out of the shower last night. Sadly, that was not to be. However, they were finished before the night was through. This morning, when I showed her the finished socks, she immediately put them on and we took some photos. The one above is with her jeans hiked up to show off her socks. This next one was with her sitting with toes pointed, little ballerina she is.

Menu Plan: February 20 - February 26

2011-02-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

We are now in the weeks counting down to Lent. It's been a longer break between Christmas and Lent this year than it has been in the recent past. We're still whittling down our freezer and pantry. We're working on defrosting and reorganizing our freezers as well. We used to have an inventory of everything that was in each freezer, but let that lapse after we moved. I've been meaning to get that taken care of for a longer time than I'd care to admit. So, in the next couple weekends, we plan on tackling that, along with more work getting the garden ready. It's butchering time, too. So, things are just a little busy here.

Amira is busy counting down to her birthday, which is the second day of Lent. Her birthday is the last possible date for Ash Wednesday in any year. However, she has figured that in two years her birthday will fall on a Sunday so everyone will be able to break the fast with her. Elijah's birthday is already a feast day and there is a party scheduled for that day this year with our homeschool co-op, so he'll get that, too.

Since Rich actually has Monday off, we will be having a bigger family breakfast. He so rarely gets to eat a real breakfast anyway, let alone with us. It's usually something he packs to eat at some point at work. He's also been pretty sick with a cold this past week, so having a three day weekend to recuperate was not a bad thing. We haven't gotten a lot of the things we wanted to do finished this weekend, but all of us who were fighting the cold or who had it, got a lot of rest and fresh air.

Sunday
Breakfast: Dutch Baby Pancake with Butter, Lemon Juice and Powdered Sugar, Yogurt with Assorted Fruit Jams, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Leftover Enchiladas, Rice and Black Beans, Sliced Oranges

Monday
Breakfast: Apple Upside Down Pancake, Mochas
Dinner: Black Bean and Chorizo Soup, Spelt Rolls

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Slow Baked Chuck Roast, Winter Squash, Roasted Rutabaga Wedges

Wednesday
Breakfast: English Muffins* with Almond Butter and Honey, Dried Figs, Milky Tea
Dinner: Vegetables Jalfrezi (using the vegetables we have on hand and garbanzo beans), Herbed Cous Cous

Thursday
Breakfast: Toast with Feta Cheese, Za'atar and Olive Oil, Sliced Oranges, Tea with Honey
Dinner: Teriyaki Chicken, Sesame-Garlic Green Beans, Sesame Noodles

Friday
Breakfast: Giant Breakfast Cookies (we use nuts or raisins), Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter with Pasta and Parmesan, Onions, Olive-Herb Cheese Bread

Saturday
Breakfast: Cinnamon Apple Waffles, Sausage Patties, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pepperoni, Pineapple, Onion, Olive Pizza, Blackberry Cobbler*

Weekly Recipes: February 19

2011-02-19T00:03:00.000-08:00

Here are two recipes that I didn't even promise! Both are simple, delicious Italian food. Both are almost entirely about good, simple ingredients and technique. Neither are difficult to make and both are absolutely heavenly.

Bolognese Sauce

This is what Chef Boyardee wishes it could be. It's what he wants to be when he grows up. The bonus is that you can make this in larger quantities and freeze the excess, so you have the benefit of the convenience while still having good, homemade food.

I got this recipe from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. I love Marcella Hazan. You can never go wrong using her recipes. I modified this very, very slightly and only to accommodate what we usually have at home. We double this recipe to feed our family.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons butter, divided
1 small onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, scrubbed and chopped
1 pound ground beef chuck or veal
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 cup whole milk
Whole nutmeg
1 cup dry white wine (chicken broth can be used in a pinch)
1 1/2 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, torn into pieces, with juice
1 1/2 pounds pasta (preferably spaghetti), cooked and drained
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at the table

Put oil, 4 tablespoons butter and chopped onion in a heavy bottomed pot and turn heat to medium. Cook and stir onion until it has become translucent, then add chopped celery and carrot. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring vegetables to coat well.

Add ground beef, a large pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble meat, stir well and cook until beef has lost its raw, red color.

Add milk and let simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has bubbled away completely. Add about 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg and stir.

Add wine and let it simmer until it has evaporated. Add tomatoes and stir thoroughly to coat all ingredients well. When tomatoes begin to bubble, turn heat down so that sauce cooks at the slowest simmer you can manage.

Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours or more, stirring from time to time. While sauce is cooking, you might find that it will begin to dry out and the fat will separate from the meat. To keep it from sticking, add 1/2 cup water as necessary (I use the pasta water, rinsing the can of tomatoes with it before putting it in the sauce). At the end of cooking, however, the water should be completely evaporated and the fat should separate from the sauce. Taste and correct for salt.

Add remaining tablespoon butter to the hot pasta and toss with the sauce. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan on the side

Crab Linguine with Lemon Cream Sauce

This is my recreation of the dinner Rich and I had in Leavenworth. The restaurant very generously gave me the ingredient list and basic method and I worked out the rest to make for our anniversary. It is quick and easy to make. It is all about the ingredients. And it is delicious. This is a big treat for us, because we no longer live where crab is easily and inexpensively gotten. This serves four easily as a main course. More, if the people aren't so greedily hungry for crab.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 cups heavy cream (get the least pasteurized, without thickeners if you can manage it, cream)
juice and zest of two lemons
1 teaspoon salt (kosher or sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound linguine
1 pound Dungeness crab meat (you can use whatever crab meat you like, but we strongly prefer Dungeness)

Cook linguine in heavily salted, boiling water.

While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Stir in the heavy cream and heat until it bubbles a little and starts to thicken. Sprinkle in the lemon zest and juice along with the salt and pepper and stir to mix. You don't want the cream to boil or burn, so watch well, stir frequently and reduce heat if necessary.

Drain pasta and add to the pot with the lemon cream. Stir to coat. Add crab meat and mix just to heat the crab. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper as you like. Serve immediately. Swoon. Use your bread to sop up the remaining sauce. Or just spoon it up like cream soup. It is that good.

Menu Plan: February 13 - February 19

2011-02-13T17:27:00.000-08:00

Some of our meals were changed last week with some schedule changes. We had a funeral on Saturday, so our day wasn't as free as it would have been otherwise. Friday was a very tiring day, so I switched gears to breakfast for dinner, made biscuits, hash and fried eggs because Rich so rarely gets to have breakfast with us, and he ended up with a semi-emergency that brought him home just before midnight.

Rich and I are going to get to celebrate Valentine's Day a little later this week with a crab dinner. We are always so desperate for good seafood around here, so this is a real treat for us. As St. Valentine was martyred for his work marrying Christians against the will of the emperor, it really is only a romantic holiday for married couples. The other major saints who share his feast day are Sts. Cyril and Methodius and we will be teaching on them with our children.

Sunday
Breakfast: Dirty Eggs, Toast, Fruit Salad, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Snack Tray, Milk

Monday
Breakfast: Heart Shaped Toad in a Hole, Sliced Oranges, Mochas
Dinner: Spaghetti Bolognese, Salad, Garlic Bread, Butter Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Beer Bratwursts with Grilled Onions and Mustard, on Whole Wheat Buns with Roasted Rutabagas, Coconut Pudding

Wednesday
Breakfast: English Muffins with Almond Butter and Honey, Sliced Oranges, Milky Tea
Dinner: Creamy Potato Soup, Spelt Rolls

Thursday
Breakfast: Granola and Milk, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Saucy Sour Cream Meatballs with Green Beans, Egg Noodles

Friday
Breakfast: Giant Breakfast Cookies, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Huevos Rancheros, Pineapple

Saturday
Breakfast: Blueberry Muffins, Fried Eggs, Sausage Patties, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Enchiladas Blancas, Tomato Rice, Black Beans

The Goodness of God

2011-02-09T19:07:00.000-08:00

I won all of this from Kat at A Good Appetite and the California Fig Advisory Board. In the package were about 12 pounds of Calmyrna and Black Mission figs, a t-shirt, a big market bag, a calendar with recipes, some promotional material, information and more recipes.

A little over a month ago, a neighbor brought over about 50 pounds each of some extra potatoes and onions he had. It's nice living in farm land.

Yesterday, our Fred Meyer rewards came which will give us about $85.27 in free groceries, plus 40% off of two items of clothing for men, women or children. Also in yesterday's mail were several coupons for diaper supplies.

I list all of these things because when we bought our big van, we decided to keep my mini-van, since I prefer driving it, instead of trading it in or selling it to buy the new van. This meant that, for the first time since we've been married, we had a loan for a car. It was a relatively small loan, but it meant an extra monthly payment nonetheless. We were determined not to get a loan, but between the uniqueness of this van (it had doors on both sides, like our minivan) and its necessity for our family and the fact that after we went to take a look and test drive, they called us with an offer that was about $6000 lower than they initially asked and which was lower than the blue book value, we decided to tighten our belts and get the loan and make an effort to pay it off as early as we can. We really don't like having debt on anything but our house, but we couldn't take trips together as a family without this van. Even to church. We would have needed to take two vehicles.

So, as we determined to buy as little as possible and use up the generous riches of our freezer and pantry, we found that God provided little extras for us anyway. We won't be buying potatoes or onions for quite a while. We have figs to last us for some time (if we don't eat them all up standing in the kitchen, because they taste so good). We also have enough rewards money that we can cover quite a bit more than we had been planning for this month's groceries without actually using our own money.

One of the great things we have learned is to look for God's blessing and provision. Here are three examples of Him blessing us with plenty while we were planning to live on less. It is a good lesson on God's generosity and grace for us and for our children.

Menu Plan: February 6 - February 12

2011-02-06T18:28:00.000-08:00

I actually managed to avoid buying the three things on my list last week. I'm still trying to get a hold of the folks who sell our apples and pears, but I made do with what we had and worked with what was already in our pantry or freezers. I'm going to have to make a trip to the store at the end of the week, though, to get some cheese and fresh produce for the next week and I'll be getting a few supplies when I pick up our milk.

Sunday
Breakfast: Leftover Coconut Sugar Cake, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Leftover Barbecue Beans with Sliced Hot Dogs, Chips and Spinach Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Monday
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Toast, Apricot-Apple Sauce, Milky Tea
Dinner: Taco Soup, Corn Tortillas

Tuesday
Breakfast: Baked French Toast (using vanilla syrup from vanilla pears), Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Kofta, Taratoor, Rice Pilaf, Slow Sauteed Green Beans, Coconut Pudding

Wednesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milky Tea
Dinner: Potato and Garbanzo Bean Curry, Rice

Thursday
Breakfast: Ful, Toast, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Lamb and Guiness Stew, Soda Bread (the recipe is formatted a little oddly, the raisins are optional, not the buttermilk)

Friday
Breakfast: Giant Breakfast Cookies, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Mejeddarah with Yogurt and Crisp Fried Onions

Saturday
Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Spaghetti Bolognese, Garlic Bread

Weekly Recipe: February 5

2011-02-05T00:03:00.000-08:00

Coconut Sugar Cake

I came up with this recipe after making some coconut sweet rolls and a German sugar cake. I decided to kind of merge the recipes and came up with this. We brought it to church for coffee hour once and all the youth demanded we share the recipe with their families. Once, we made it for coffee hour when my inlaws were visiting and we all ended up sick and not going to church. Rich and I ate nearly all of the two cakes ourselves that day. We saved one piece each for everyone else in the house. It is that good.

Dough:

1 cup coconut milk (not coco lopez or other sweetened, thickened coconut cream products)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup dried coconut flakes (I buy the Bob's Red Mill dried unsweetened coconut)
4 cups white bread flour
2 teaspoons yeast

Put in bread machine and set to dough cycle. When machine beeps, take
out the dough and divide it in half.

Grease two 9" or 10" pans (I use stoneware pans, and don't grease
them). Preheat oven to 350 F.

Roll each half of dough to fit pans. Place dough in pans and cover and
let rise for 30-45 minutes, until doubled in size.

Topping:

2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

With two fingers, punch deep holes all over dough. Sprinkle sugar
evenly over dough, drizzle cream evenly on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes
until tester inserted in middle comes out clean. Serve warm, or room
temperature.

Look at Me! I'm a Elf!

2011-02-04T23:38:00.001-08:00

Weekly Recipe: Two Days Late, but Not Short

2011-01-31T09:55:00.000-08:00

So, I promised that I'd share how we changed Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich.

I still used her basic recipe. However, instead of only cooking up onions, I used about a pound of sliced peppers, six cloves of minced garlic along with them. The liquid from the vegetables was a nice addition to the sauce made for the sandwich.

When seasoning the meat, I used less of the seasoning salt, and added lemon pepper to the mix. We used about 2 or 3 pounds of the meat for eight sandwiches rather than four and still had some left in the pan for extras.

I also reduced the amount of worcestershire sauce. We thought it overpowered the taste of the meat and vegetables. So, we cut it back to 1/3 of a cup. It could have been 1/4 cup quite easily. Instead of Tabasco, I used Frank's Red Hot Chile Lime sauce and included all the juices from the cooked vegetables in the sauce.

When serving, I made my own rolls, which were wonderful, just mixing up the dough in the bread machine and we put a few slices of pepper jack on the meat, veggies and sauce. That's it. They were delicious and, we thought, a big improvement on the original.

Menu Plan: January 30 - February 5

2011-01-30T16:23:00.000-08:00

First off, I'm sorry I still haven't posted my weekly recipe for you. We had a rather busy week and Friday, then on Saturday, we had the opportunity to go out and visit with another couple without any of our children (well, we took Mariam) and stayed out until very late. It was wonderful!

Here is the menu for the week. We are still trying to use what's in the pantry and freezer, for the most part, and are doing a pretty good job of it.

I'll get our sandwich recipe posted and work on making sure the recipe this week is posted on time.

Sunday
Breakfast: French Toast, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Pan Fried Steak and Leftover Beans with Leftover Rice, Pot de Cremes

Monday
Breakfast: Toad in the Hole, Gravenstein Apple Sauce, Tea
Dinner: After Thanksgiving Soup (from the Freezer), Rolls

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Milky Tea
Dinner: Macarona bi Bechamel, Slow Sauteed Green Beans, Pineapple

Wednesday
Breakfast: Ful, Toast, Mint Tea with Honey
Dinner: Salmon Patty Melts, Carrot and Celery Sticks

Thursday
Breakfast: Baked French Toast (using vanilla syrup from vanilla pears), Milk and Coffee
Dinner: German Sausage with Sauerkraut, Onions & Apples, Scalloped Potatoes

Friday
Breakfast: Toast and Almond Butter, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Fr. Jeff's Grilled Salmon, Garlic Pasta with Peppers and Onions

Saturday
Breakfast: Biscuits with Sausage Gravy, Hard Boiled Eggs, Milk and Coffee
Dinner: Burnt Offering Brisket, Coleslaw, Barbecue Beans, Coconut Sugar ~~Buns~~ Cake*