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Sunday, February 15, 2026

Menu Plan: Quinquagesima, Mardi Gras, and Ash Wednesday

We are not aligned with the East in our fast this year. We begin about five days before them this year, because we begin on Ash Wednesday, midweek. Quinquagesima is the 50th day before the Paschal feast for us in the West. We continue to pray, that both East and West will unite to celebrate together every year. The practices of Ash Wednesday are so profound, as are those of Forgiveness Sunday, and I hope that eventually the Church will get her act together and find a way to bring them together in all ways.

I've explained before that xerophagy is the accurate term for Lenten fasting. It means dry eating. We restrict meat, fish, dairy, eggs, oil and wine, which means our food is not as lubricated as normal. There are two strict fast days (no food or nutritive drink) in the West, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. There is an optional strict fast from the evening after the Maundy Thursday service through the end of the Paschal Vigil. In the East, the first week of Lent, from Clean Monday through their vespers service on Wednesday is supposed to be as strict a fast as possible, with the guidance of a spiritual father or mother, and they share the same Triduum fasting, I believe. Aside from that, the earliest rule of the Church is to eat no meat, no fish (with the exception of shellfish - and because of the expense, we eat them sparingly), no dairy or eggs, no olive oil (all oil in a few jurisdictions), no wine (or alcohol). On Saturdays and Sundays, the rule is relaxed to include olive oil and wine, and on a few significant feast days we are able to eat fish, and one day caviar is permitted (Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday, with fish eggs acting as a shadow of the eggs associated with the Resurrection). In the West, we celebrate Laetare Sunday about midway through the fast, and on that day we also eat dairy and egg. None of this is to imply that eating or that any of these foods are bad. They are good things from which we abstain as a discipline to train ourselves, following the example and teaching of our Lord.

This is worship. Worship throughout the Bible, Old Testament and New, always means sacrifice. It is not prayer, though that usually accompanies it. It is not singing hymns and songs, though they may also accompany it. It is not homilies or sermons, though they are edifying. It is sacrifice. The sacrifice that Christ offered for us once for all that we join into in the Eucharist. The sacrifice of something good for our own good in fasting. In the West, penance is emphasized, and while this is absolutely a part of our Lenten journey, fasting, praying, and almsgiving are seen more as a discipline Christ gives us through the Church to grow us spiritually. Young children, the elderly, those who have serious medical conditions, those who are hospitalized, pregnant and nursing women, are all exempt. There is no make-up required for these people. Their fast is considered complete. In all cases, fasting or not, we are to keep our eyes on our own plate. We are not to concern ourselves with how someone else is keeping the fast, unless that person is asking us for assistance or support.

This year, we have drawn down our diet a little more like the East does, so last week was our final week with meat, and this week holds our final few days with fish, eggs and dairy. Because our Sunday evenings are shared with an Anglican parish where we assist, there will be some Sundays with non-Lenten foods, and we will simply thank God for those breaks and enjoy them. I share our meals to encourage and help you to keep this worship. It is a training for ourselves, and an offering we give to God. Like all of these gifts, it is something He gives us first, which we then offer back to Him.

As we prepare for Lent, we must prepare for self-examination. So, in that frame of mind, if I have offended you or wronged you in any way, please forgive me and pray for me, a sinner. As for you readers, I pray that this will be a profitable and Holy Lent for you, however you observe it. Please pray for us, as well. Have a blessed fast.

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.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 7:28 AM 0 comments

Sunday, March 02, 2025

Menu Plan: Quinquagesima (Forgiveness Sunday), Mardi Gras, and Ash Wednesday

These are the last moments of meat for us in the West. Today is Forgiveness Sunday in the East, also known as Cheesefare Sunday (farewell to dairy). The Eastern Church will begin Lent tomorrow. We have a couple more days, because we begin on Ash Wednesday, midweek. Quinquagesima is the 50th day before the Paschal feast for us in the West. We celebrate together this year, glory to God, and we continue to pray, that both East and West will unite to celebrate together every year. The practices of Ash Wednesday are so profound, as are those of Forgiveness Sunday, and I hope that eventually the Church will get her act together and find a way to bring them together in all ways.

I've explained before that xerophagy is the accurate term for Lenten fasting. It means dry eating. We restrict meat, fish, dairy, eggs, oil and wine, which means our food is not as lubricated as normal. There are two strict fast days (no food or nutritive drink) in the West, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. There is an optional strict fast from the evening after the Maundy Thursday service through the end of the Paschal Vigil. In the East, the first week of Lent, from Clean Monday through their vespers service on Wednesday is supposed to be as strict a fast as possible, with the guidance of a spiritual father or mother, and they share the same Triduum fasting, I believe. Aside from that, the earliest rule of the Church is to eat no meat, no fish (with the exception of shellfish - and because of the expense, we eat them sparingly), no dairy or eggs, no olive oil (all oil in a few jurisdictions), no wine (or alcohol). On Saturdays and Sundays, the rule is relaxed to include olive oil and wine, and on a few significant feast days we are able to eat fish, and one day caviar is permitted (Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday, with fish eggs acting as a shadow of the eggs associated with the Resurrection). In the West, we celebrate Laetare Sunday about midway through the fast, and on that day we also eat dairy and egg. None of this is to imply that eating or that any of these foods are bad. They are good things from which we abstain as a discipline to train ourselves, following the example and teaching of our Lord.

This is worship. Worship throughout the Bible, Old Testament and New, always means sacrifice. It is not prayer, though that usually accompanies it. It is not singing hymns and songs, though they may also accompany it. It is not homilies or sermons, though they are edifying. It is sacrifice. The sacrifice that Christ offered for us once for all that we join into in the Eucharist. The sacrifice of something good for our own good in fasting. In the West, penance is emphasized, and while this is absolutely a part of our Lenten journey, fasting, praying, and almsgiving are seen more as a discipline Christ gives us through the Church to grow us spiritually. Young children, the elderly, those who have serious medical conditions, those who are hospitalized, pregnant and nursing women, are all exempt. There is no make-up required for these people. Their fast is considered complete. In all cases, fasting or not, we are to keep our eyes on our own plate. We are not to concern ourselves with how someone else is keeping the fast, unless that person is asking us for assistance or support.

Because we serve an Anglican parish on Sundays, we will be relaxing the fasting on Sundays to permit fish, as the parishioners are not required to keep the stricter fasting rules, so you will sometimes see fish on those days. My posts here about how we fast are not meant to show off, they are meants to show the reality of how we live our faith, and (I hope) to give encouragement and meal ideas to those seeking them. Now that all of our children are old enough to keep most or all of the fast, we are trying to live out the Lenten Rule more closely. Nejat is young enough not to be required to keep the fast, so we make sure we plan for her to eat on strict fast days, should she choose that, and she knows that she can eat foods that we cannot if we want to avoid wasting food or if she needs it. However, even she attempts to fast with the Church with us.

As we prepare for Lent, we must prepare for self-examination. So, in that frame of mind, if I have offended you or wronged you in any way, please forgive me and pray for me, a sinner. As for you readers, I pray that this will be a profitable and Holy Lent for you, however you observe it. Please pray for us, as well. Have a blessed fast.

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.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:02 AM 2 comments

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Menu Plan: Quinquagesima, Mardi Gras, and Ash Wednesday

These are the last moments of meat for us. Quinquagesima is the 50th day before the Paschal feast for us in the West. Sadly, the East and West are as far apart as is possible this year, but one day, we continue to pray, that both East and West will unite to celebrate together every year. The practices of Ash Wednesday are so profound, as are those of Forgiveness Sunday, and I hope that eventually the Church will get her act together and find a way to bring them together in all ways. At present, the next time we will celebrate together is 2025. Glory to God!

In the meantime, we are continuing to eat up meat and fish and dairy to empty our fridge and freezer a bit to make room for our Lenten discipline. Because of the difference between East and West and the upcoming wedding events, our fast is a little weird this week and next. We have a lot of preparations to take care of for the wedding, so we are not hosting our traditional doughnut Mardi Gras party. There are wedding goings on, and we will not be fasting this weekend because of that. We are also trying to eat up any perishable non-Lenten foods before Wednesday. Any non-Lenten foods we have left after Mardi Gras that can be frozen will be, and any that cannot be will be given to Nejat to eat this week. Then we will begin our xerophagy in earnest.

I've explained before that xerophagy is the accurate term for Lenten fasting. It means dry eating. We restrict meat, fish, dairy, eggs, oil and wine, which means our food is not as lubricated as normal. There are two strict fast days (no food or nutritive drink) in the West, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. There is an optional strict fast from the evening after the Maundy Thursday service through the end of the Paschal Vigil. In the East, the first week of Lent, from Clean Monday through their vespers service on Wednesday is supposed to be as strict a fast as possible, with the guidance of a spiritual father or mother, and they share the same Triduum fasting, I believe. Aside from that, the earliest rule of the Church is to eat no meat, no fish (with the exception of shellfish - and because of the expense, we eat them sparingly), no dairy or eggs, no olive oil (all oil in a few jurisdictions), no wine (or all alcohol in some jurisdictions). On Saturdays and Sundays, the rule is relaxed to include olive oil and wine, and on a few significant feast days we are able to eat fish, and one day caviar is permitted (Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday, with fish eggs acting as a shadow of the eggs associated with the Resurrection). None of this is to imply that eating or that any of these foods are bad. They are good things from which we abstain as a discipline to train ourselves, following the example and teaching of our Lord.

This is worship. Worship throughout the Bible, Old Testament and New, always means sacrifice. It is not prayer, though that usually accompanies it. It is not singing hymns and songs, though they may also accompany it. It is not homilies or sermons, though they are edifying. It is sacrifice. The sacrifice that Christ offered for us once for all that we join into in the Eucharist. The sacrifice of something good for our own good in fasting. In the West, penance is emphasized, and while this is absolutely a part of our Lenten journey, fasting, praying, and almsgiving, are seen more as a discipline Christ gives us through the Church to grow us spiritually. Young children, the elderly, those who have serious medical conditions, those who are hospitalized, pregnant and nursing women, are all exempt. There is no make-up required for these people. Their fast is considered complete. In all cases, fasting or not, we are to keep our eyes on our own plate. We are not to concern ourselves with how someone else is keeping the fast, unless that person is asking us for assistance or support. Because we serve an Anglican parish on Sundays, we will be relaxing the fasting on Sundays to permit fish, as the parishioners are not required to keep the stricter fasting rules, so you will see fish on those days sometimes. My posts here about how we fast are not meant to show off, they are meants to show the reality of how we live our faith, and to (I hope) give encouragement and meal ideas to those seeking them. Now that all of our children are old enough to keep most or all of the fast, we are trying to live out the Lenten Rule more closely. Nejat is still pretty young and not required to keep the fast, so we make sure we plan for her to eat on strict fast days, should she choose that, and she knows that she can eat foods that we cannot if we want to avoid wasting food or if she needs it. However, even she attempts to fast with the Church with us.

As we prepare for Lent, we must prepare for self-examination. So, in that frame of mind, if I have offended you or wronged you in any way, please forgive me and pray for me, a sinner. As for you readers, I pray that this will be a profitable and Holy Lent for you, however you observe it. Please pray for us, as well. Have a blessed fast.

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.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:37 AM 0 comments

Sunday, February 19, 2023

Menu Plan: Quinquagesima (Judgment Sunday), Mardi Gras, and Ash Wednesday

These are the last moments of meat for us and for the East. Today is Judgment Sunday in the East, also known as Meatfare Sunday (which has the same meaning as carnival - carnivale - farewell to meat/flesh). The Eastern Church will not have any meat from tonight through the Paschal feast. We have a couple more days, because we begin on Ash Wednesday, midweek. Quinquagesima is the 50th day before the Paschal feast for us in the West. Sadly, the East and West are a week apart again this year, but one day, we continue to pray, that both East and West will unite to celebrate together every year. The practices of Ash Wednesday are so profound, as are those of Forgiveness Sunday, and I hope that eventually the Church will get her act together and find a way to bring them together in all ways. At present, the next time we will celebrate together is 2025. Glory to God!

In the meantime, we are continuing to eat up meat and fish and dairy to empty our fridge and freezer a bit to make room for our Lenten discipline. We will have our doughnut night on Tuesday, as is our custom, and now that our children are much older, just about everone is fasting on Ash Wednesday. I will be preparing a light dinner for Nejat (and Mariam, if she needs to break the fast earlier), but it will be quite simple. Any non-Lenten foods we have left after Mardi Gras that can be frozen will be, and any that cannot be will be given to Nejat to eat this week. Then we will begin our xerophagy in earnest.

I've explained before that xerophagy is the accurate term for Lenten fasting. It means dry eating. We restrict meat, fish, dairy, eggs, oil and wine, which means our food is not as lubricated as normal. There are two strict fast days (no food or nutritive drink) in the West, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. There is an optional strict fast from the evening after the Maundy Thursday service through the end of the Paschal Vigil. In the East, the first week of Lent, from Clean Monday through their vespers service on Wednesday is supposed to be as strict a fast as possible, with the guidance of a spiritual father or mother, and they share the same Triduum fasting, I believe. Aside from that, the earliest rule of the Church is to eat no meat, no fish (with the exception of shellfish - because of the expense, we eat them sparingly), no dairy or egg, no olive oil (all oil in a few jurisdictions), no wine. On Saturdays and Sundays, the rule is relaxed to include olive oil and wine, and on a few significant feast days we are able to eat fish, and one day on which caviar is permitted (Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday, as fish eggs acting as a shadow of the eggs associated with the Resurrection). None of this is to imply that eating or that any of these foods are bad. They are good things from which we abstain as a discipline to train ourselves, following the example and teaching of our Lord. In the West, penance is emphasized, and while this is absolutely a part of our Lenten journey, fasting, praying, and almsgiving, are seen more as a discipline Christ gives us through the Church to grow us spiritually. Young children, the elderly, those who have serious medical conditions, those who are hospitalized, pregnant and nursing women, are all exempt. There is no make-up required for these people. Their fast is considered complete. In all cases, fasting or not, we are to keep our eyes on our own plate. We are not to concern ourselves with how someone else is keeping the fast, unless that person is asking us for assistance or support. Because we serve an Anglican parish on Sundays, we will be relaxing the fasting on Sundays to permit fish, as the parishioners are not required to keep the stricter fasting rules, so you will see fish on those days sometimes.

As we prepare for Lent, we must prepare for self-examination. So, in that frame of mind, if I have offended you or wronged you in any way, please forgive me and pray for me, a sinner. As for you readers, I pray that this will be a profitable and Holy Lent for you, however you observe it. Please pray for us, as well. Have a blessed fast.

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.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 3:35 AM 0 comments

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Menu Plan: Quinquagesima, Mardi Gras, and Ash Wednesday

We in the West are in the last few days before Lent. Quinquagesima is the fiftieth day before the Paschal feast. Sadly, again, we are a week off from our brethren in the East. One of our deepest prayers is for reunion of East and West, and fixing the Paschal feast date so that we celebrate it together always! The next time we will do that is in 2025. We've been cleaning out most of the non-Lenten foods in the house and I have done most of our Lenten preparatory shopping. Tuesday, we will be having our traditional doughnut feast. The fast officially begins for us on Ash Wednesday, and since the dietary rule for that day is nor food or nutritive drink, the only meals that day will be for our youngest two girls. Three years ago, I learned that the fast is properly called a xerophagy, which means dry eating or dry food. Eating without meat and fish and dairy and egg results in "dry" eating. So if you need a Scrabble word, there are two for you!

My posts here about how we fast are not meant to show off, they are meants to show the reality of how we live our faith, and to (I hope) give encouragement and meal ideas to those seeking them. Now that all of our children are old enough to keep most or all of the fast, we are trying to live out the Lenten Rule more closely. This means no meat, fish, dairy, egg, olive oil (except on Saturdays, Sundays, and specific feast days), or wine/alcohol (except on Saturdays, Sundays, and specific feast days). Shellfish is permitted, but since it tends to be more expensive, especially lately, it will appear sparingly. Our meals will be within that rule, for the most part, though we will relax the rule a little for Sundays, when we will eat fish, as well as during some major feast days when that is permitted, anyway. We do have some birthdays within Lent and, not wanting to embitter our children, we have either allowed them to break the fast that day, or celebrated with a Lenten, but festive, meal and dessert. Since those with birthdays in Lent are or were nearly adults, they have chosen to stick with the Lenten and festive, for the past couple years. We want to accustom our children to striving to live in this way, just as we have our youngest fast from one meal or two meals as they are able on strict fast days in which the older family members are not eating at all. This is how we both practice our faith and teach our children to practice their faith. Just as we have grown in this practice, we teach them to do so as well. We struggle within our strength and try to keep our eyes on our own plate (and that of our young children). So, even though Ash Wednesday is a strict fast, our youngest two will be eating one or two light meals still, and if we have any non-Lenten food left by then, they can consume them for us this week or next.

As we prepare for Lent, we must prepare for self-examination, in that frame of mind, if I have offended you or wronged you in any way, please forgive me and pray for me, a sinner. As for you readers, I pray that this will be a profitable and Holy Lent for you, however you observe it. Please pray for us, as well. Have a blessed fast.

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.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 7:08 AM 0 comments

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Menu Plan: Quinquagesima, Mardi Gras, and Ash Wednesday

With the snow and road conditions, it is looking like we will be missing church. It was supposed to stop snowing three hours ago, and it is still going strong. Our roads are some of the last plowed, and church is on a hilly stretch of road from here, as well as down hill from town.

What a week we have! This is the fiftieth day before the Paschal feast for us in the West, that's what that big name up there means. The past two weeks were also part of our pre-Lenten season, so we actually overlapped our Christmas and Lenten observance this year. That they exist points to the validity of the Eastern practice of meatfare and cheesefare, the counting down to Lent, and preparatory season of giving up parts of our diet, little by little, rather than all at once. It also teaches those of us in the West that the practice of giving up not only meat, but fish, dairy, eggs, wine, and oil, are part of the earlier practice of the Church. Even the shrivening of milk, butter, oil and eggs in pancakes or doughnuts that are a common meal for Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras) indicates that practice to us.

Our family still has people in it who are not required to keep the whole fast, and so we make allowances and don't keep the strictest fast. If we are with those who do not know better and are serving us food, we try to keep the fast as best we can, but we don't make a point of telling them off and refusing to eat if there is nothing we can lawfully consume. On the other hand, we try not to go out or eat out or attend parties during this time, so we aren't in that position in the first place. We struggle within our strength and try to keep our eyes on our own plate (and that of our young children). I have found myself more and more irritated and agitated on social media, so though I will still be posting here and Instagram, I think I will take a break from Facebook for a little while.

My posts here about how we fast are not meant to be holier than thou or preachy, they are to show the reality of how we live out our faith, and to (I hope) give encouragement and meal ideas to those seeking them. There will be some meals that include dairy or eggs during Lent, and we relax the restrictions quite a bit on Sundays, though I try to keep it from being too reckless. However, we will eat meat on many Sundays in Lent, usually excluding it entirely, and keeping the strictest fast, from Palm Sunday through all of Holy Week (as we do for the meals we have this first partial week). We do have some birthdays within Lent, and we have not wanted to embitter our children to the teachings of the Church and have either allowed them to break the fast that day, or celebrated with a Lenten, but festive, meal and dessert. We try to keep the strict fasts on Wednesdays and Fridays, as two days a week will not put anyone at risk, and we want to accustom our children to striving to live in this way, just as we have them fast from one meal or two meals as they are able on strict fast days in which the older family members are not eating at all. This is how we both practice our faith and teach our children to practice their faith. Just as we have grown in this practice, we teach them to do so as well.

Poor Jerome is having to go on a grain free and sugar free diet for 60 days, so he is beginning on Ash Wednesday. At first, he thought it wouldn't be too bad, until he realized that the Paschal feast would be within that 60 days. He asked me to freeze some of the special foods we make so he can have them after the diet, and I have worked out how to make a some of them in a way that he can eat them that day. He was rather upset when I suggested that he take the diet as his fast and that he eat meat during Lent, so we are going to increase his fish and dairy and egg, and he will still eat meatless otherwise, and we will give him alternatives to the grains/pastas/etc that we eat during the fast. I did pick up some cauliflower rice, some vegetable "pasta," and some monkfruit sweetener so he can try to eat some of the things we do, with different side dishes, sweeten his tea and so on. This adds a little more of a challenge to our Lenten observances this year, but he and I are working out a plan.

As for you readers, I pray that this will be a profitable and Holy Lent for you, however you observe it. Please pray for us, as well.

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. Linking to Menu Plan Monday

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 7:08 AM 2 comments

Monday, February 24, 2020

Menu Plan: February 23 - 29 (Quinquagesima - Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday)

The blog is a little delayed this week. I try to draft my planned posts for the week on Saturday, and we were so busy and without adequate time or internet coverage to get that done. Then, this morning, I gave myself a second degree burn while making breakfast.

We in the west are in the last days before Lent. Sadly, this means we are a week off from our brethren in the east. We've cleaned out most of the non-Lenten foods in the house and I have done most of our Lenten preparatory shopping. Tuesday, we will be having our traditional doughnut feast, too! Even though Ash Wednesday is a strict fast, there are still three kids in our house too young to try to fast the entire day. So, I have some basic meals planned for that day for those who are eating. All of the kids make an attempt of the fast, so those two meals on the list here may be the only things we need to make that day. Because we still have young children at home, we also still sometimes have fish and dairy/eggs, and often, even if we are not eating those foods as a family, we will give them some milk or egg (or yogurt cups for breakfast, for instance). The fast is about struggling within our strength so we will understand how much we need God. If you are not eating that way, obviously ignore those ideas. We still try to keep as close to the full fast as we can on all the days of the week except Sundays, so I hope you do find some suggestions to mix up your meal plans - it can be so hard finding different foods for the fast. Last year I learned that the fast is properly called a xerophagy, which means dry eating or dry food. Eating without meat and fish and dairy and egg results in "dry" eating. So if you need a Scrabble word, there you go!


What is on your menu this week? I hope these breakfast and dinner ideas help you make plans, too. 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.



Linking to Menu Plan Monday

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 5:57 PM 0 comments

Monday, February 27, 2017

Menu Plan: First Week of Lent



We just got home (less than 24 hours ago) from a fantabulous family vacation. We were able to visit with some good friends, stay at some lovely hotels, eat amazing food, go to Legoland, take over a cooking friend's home, enjoy the sunshine and the beach and the ocean, attend church at a cathedral in our communion, commune with our brothers and sisters and visit with friends there, and then returned home after almost 11 days to the frozen north and snow and ice. Nejat has told us numerous times today that she wants to move to California because there is no snow there.

Glory to God, we did not return to a flooded basement! So, even though we hadn't planned on doing our doughnut night this year, since Shrove Tuesday was only a day after our return, we are going to throw it together, anyway. I'm not sure who will be able to make it, but our kids were rather disappointed to hear that I was skipping it this year.

Lent is upon us, and even though we follow the Western calendar, I am pleased that it coincides with the East this year. May both lungs of the Church be united in our lifetime. If you want a refresher on the Lenten fast, it is a Trinity of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. We find it better to fast with the Church than to come up with something to give up specifically, though we have done that as well as the fast. Since we have small children, we are not as strict about the fast as we might be otherwise, we still eat dairy and egg, and occasionally fish, and we eat meat on Sundays. Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday are strict fasts, for at least 24 hours, but we have younger children who may only participate for one or two meals or none at all (in the case of Nejat, for instance), so I still plan meals for those days. We try to keep the stricter rules for Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent, but sometimes cannot do so. However, if you are looking for menu help and meal ideas for Lent, I do post meals and recipes that are meat free.

As we prepare for Lent, we must prepare for self-examination, in that frame of mind, if I have offended you or wronged you in any way, please forgive me and pray for me, a sinner. Have a blessed fast.

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.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:19 PM 0 comments

Monday, February 08, 2016

Menu Plan: Mardi Gras & Ash Wednesday


Lent is upon us in the West. We will begin our Lenten abstinence as well as my own dietary restrictions. Breakfasts may include dairy and egg, for our kids, so if you are keeping the strict fast, they may not be as useful for you. We still will eat fish and use oil and wine, because my own restrictions are my major fast this year, and I don't want to be making multiple dinners. I am always a little uncomfortable sharing how we observe the fast, because it seems so personal, between us, God, and our spiritual fathers. However, I know it's helpful for me to find blogs and websites that share recipes and food ideas, so I do the same.


Before we begin Lent, though, we will be feasting. Our doughnut night is on again this week! It will be my last day of dairy and egg (I may have to break that for one occasion, but will try to avoid it then as well) as well as our family's carnival (carne vale = meat goodbye or farewell to meat in Latin). Unless you have health issues, are very young (under 13 or uncomfirmed), very old, pregnant or nursing, or have specific direction from a spiritual father, the rule of Ash Wednesday (and Good Friday) is to fast completely from food and nutritive drinks (milk, juice, etc) for the whole 24 hours, please keep drinking water. If you cannot keep the whole fast, it is a day of abstinence from meat, and some limiting of meals or portions is recommended. A priest told us that a good guideline was to stop eating before feeling satisfied. Our younger children usually fast from one or two meals before they are old enough/ready to fast completely. We encourage them to fast from breakfast and/or lunch so they can eat before going to bed and if it is too difficult, it is not considered a failure if they eat. This is a physical discipline as well as a spiritual one and it takes training and building to the goal. We do not want this to be burdensome to them, so we have them eat after church, and it still helps them train themselves for the fast when they are older.

We picked up our organic produce boxes from the co-op this weekend, and ordered a big box of minneolas for snacks and to go with our meals. Usually during Lent, we try to get as much produce as possible, since we won't be eating the heavier meals of meat. There were some, out of season for us, blueberries from Chile that we just gobbled up as soon as we got them. We do try to eat seasonally, so unless we have canned, frozen, dried, or otherwise preserved our produce, we don't get a huge variety of it during winter. This isn't a strict rule, but this means that we generally don't have much in the way of fruit during winter (with the exception of citrus). The kids were so excited to have those fresh blueberries, and so were we! In any case, for the first part of this week, we will be having meat and cheese and eggs and sweets, but that will shift on Wednesday. I have planned meals Wednesday for the kids who aren't fasting, but tried to keep it pretty simple and easy to prepare.

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.


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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 1:46 PM 0 comments

Monday, February 23, 2015

Menu Plan: First Sunday of Lent


Last week, Rich did something brilliant as we made our doughnuts for Mardi Gras: He stuffed a few of the ftira (just after they were fried) and filled them with organic chocolate truffles (two or three) and rolled the whole thing in powdered sugar. We saved those for the parents at the party.


This was about a quarter of the doughnuts we made. Since Rich had the powdered sugar out already, he dusted some of the other doughnuts with powdered sugar as well.

We were blessed to find a lot of good produce on sale this past week, and even found wild caught (frozen) salmon and cod on sale, for days that we will eat fish. We forgot to pick up the fish, but friend of ours was near the store and got it for us! It was such good timing. We will be getting a nearly 30 pound box of organic apples this week, 25 pounds of organic carrots, and three boxes from our organic produce co-op, plus the deals we found at Grocery Outlet and Fred Meyer.

I don't know what we will do for Alexander's name day on Thursday, but we will be reading more about Saint Alexander of Alexandria at least.

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.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 4:34 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Yarn Along: Steady Progress


This is the middle of the seventh of eleven repeats of two rows on Amira's shawl. If I have enough yarn, I think I am going to do 12 or 13 repeats. Progress is being made, little by little, but since crochet is not as familiar to me as knitting, I find myself having to redo portions of it pretty frequently. I have basically done no knitting since finishing the baby set for our friends.


This is my February yarn from Paradise Fibers' Yarn Club. It is Abstract Fiber Super Sock + in the exclusive colorway, Pendleton. With it also came a nice little pair of knitters' snips to have handy and a sock pattern. I can think of about a million things besides socks that I'd like to make with this yarn, so it's sure to come up in the next year or so in a project for the kids or for a friend. Madeline Tosh is trying to tempt me out of my non-purchasing plan. The sweater club has begun, and the colors are just great for it. But, I am being strong, and I will not subscribe.

The first edit of Saint Helena is written and I really, really, really need someone to test it. So far, I only have one tester, and I'd rather publish the pattern with a little more input and a few more eyes than that. Please e-mail me or leave a comment with contact information if you are interested. I have a facebook group to add you to if you are able to help me this way, and you can talk to other people working on it as well as me. (And I promise you will get something nice - besides the pair of mitts you make - if you finish them, something even more if you let me use your photo!)

This has been another rather busy week, preparing for Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras, and Ash Wednesday - not to mention getting our kitchen ready for Lent, and trying to prepare our hearts and minds for Lent as well. We held a dance on Saturday, and our traditional doughnut party last night. I wanted to be super spiritual and get more religious reading done, but honestly it was a challenge to do the daily scripture readings. We do have our Lenten book bin out now, as you can see above.



Also posting to Keep Calm and Craft On

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:22 AM 2 comments

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Menu Plan: February 15-21


I was late on my recipe posting again. I will post the recipe today. We were invited to a neighbor's for lunch on Saturday, and had spent the week putting together a Valentine's dance for our homeschool friends. Which was a blast! We taught foxtrot, merengue, and rhumba, demonstrated swing (since some of the people had experience with that) and danced our little hearts out. We will be holding dances each month.

Now, though, we have arrived at Lent. Tonight we will be feasting on fried things and eating up the last of our candy and chocolate. Since Ash Wednesday is a strict fasting day, the only meals planned that day are for our young children. The only meat meals we'll be planning from here through the Paschal feast will be on Sundays and a couple major feast days during the season. Again, I will be trying to make our Wednesdays and Fridays vegan to increase our level of fasting on those days. So, if you are looking for menu or meal ideas, I hope I can be of help.
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.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:39 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, March 04, 2014

Feast to 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.

Tonight, we had our traditional fried food extravaganza and doughnut feast. Our last hurrah before the penance and abstinence of Lent begins. The day started with doughnuts (we had some my dad bought and figured it would be a good way to use them up - and I didn't have to make breakfast that way) and ended in fried chicken, onion rings, potato wedges, and doughnuts that we fried ourselves. In some ways, this makes it easier to fast the following day, because who wants to eat after having all of that?

This year, yet again, I will not fully be participating in the fast, as I am nursing a baby. Since my dad is here, as well, we have relaxed our family rule, so menus will include more dairy and egg, perhaps fish, than they normally would have.

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 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. May your journey during this Lenten period lead you to peace, spiritual regeneration, and the joyous Pascha of our Lord.

Blessed Fast.

With Love in Christ.

"If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" Mark 6:14-15

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

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:31 PM 0 comments

Sunday, March 02, 2014

Menu Plan Monday: March 2 - 8

As we are entering the Lenten observance, I thought I would include our daily scripture readings from Morning Prayer in case that would be something others might want to read as well. If you are interested in our Evening Prayer readings, I can post those as well. We are having our doughnut night again for Mardi Gras. Then the fast will begin. If I have sinned against you or offended you in any way this year, please forgive me and pray for me, a sinner. I wish you a Holy Lent.

I did not get my recipes posted this Saturday, so I'm working on that next. Here is our menu for the week. With my dad here, we have had so much leftover, that we are moving a lot around, and freezing a ton of extras. We are fasting a little more easily this year, with my father visiting, and with me nursing Nejat. We relaxed the rules a bit more than we normally do, so you will see dairy and egg on some Wednesdays and Fridays.

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 recipe round up on Saturday.


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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:40 AM 0 comments

Friday, March 11, 2011

Seven Quick Takes: March 11



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 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.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 12:00 AM 0 comments

Sunday, March 06, 2011

Menu Plan: March 6 - March 12 Ash Wednesday

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.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:

Parsley
Red Onions
Limes
Poblanos
Cilantro
Pears
Bay Leaves

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 4:43 PM 1 comments

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday

Our Shrove Tuesday feast tonight will be rather subdued, since it will only be the family. We're eating rich food and having a big dessert, but that's pretty much it. I did pick up doughnuts at the store yesterday as a nod to our normal doughnut party.

However, I have noticed the annual upswing in visitors to the blog searching for Ash Wednesday Menus. I'm not sure if there are any schools that have research projects on this, or if there is just a lot of ignorance about Ash Wednesday. So, I thought I'd clarify. There is no traditional or modern menu for Ash Wednesday, as it is a strict fast day. The menu is water. Very young people (children, under 13, and/or unconfirmed), sick people, pregnant people, nursing mothers, people on medication that require food and other exceptions notwithstanding, the menu for Ash Wednesday is pretty much no food. If, for some reason (one of the exceptions above, or specific direction from a spiritual father) one is not fasting completely, then a meat fast, limited meals and trying to eat less than normal is the norm.

For more encouragement on the Lenten fast, please read this from an Orthodox perspective. I break the rules about not discussing asceticism a little because I blog our menus and a little about our family rule and motivation, but it stems from a desire to encourage and help others as we have been helped by reading about their practice and struggle. I liked what she had to say about laboring within your strength. If our piety is too easy, we aren't being challenged enough, but it isn't a strong man contest either.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:26 AM 0 comments

Monday, February 23, 2009

Menu Plan Monday: Ash Wednesday

This week is the first week (partial) of Lent. Each year at our home, we celebrate Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, by having a doughnut party. We make up a large batch of potato doughnuts, which are the best in the world, deep fry them and serve them hot for everyone who comes. This is the last day we are to eat sweets, extra fat, lots of meat. We move to eating meat free three days a week during Lent (we are slowly working up to a meat fast on each day except Sunday), this has the added benefit of reducing our food budget, which leaves more for giving. Lent is a time of sacrifice, in our diet, in our time and in our finances. These are material and temporal disciplines which are used as spiritual training. I have said it before, but will repeat it. A fast in the Christian Tradition is shorthand for fast, pray and give alms. We have a lot to be praying for in our family and with the economy as it is, there is much need for alms giving.

Ash Wednesday is a strict fast (an actual fast, not the eating a light meal and having snacks "fast"), but only Rich will be observing that this year. I pretty much only get to fast every two or three years now, because of pregnancy or nursing. The older boys will pick at least one meal to fast that day and I will eat lighter. Lent is always a time of growth, but we have a sense that this year will be particularly stretching for us. Please pray for us to have a holy Lent and for the fruit to be great.

This week's menu has a repeat, we ended up having an opportunity to go to an aviation fair on Sunday after church, so we used the children's pizza reward coupons to get them pizzas, and picked up a wood fired pizza from our local place (which was both tastier and cheaper than the fast food pizza) for us. We had the stuff for salads at home, so we were set.
I hope to post the recipe for the doughnuts before tomorrow. If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can.
What is on your menu this week?

Potato Doughnuts
I have used this baking powder raised version for the past four years at least, but I do like yeast risen doughnuts, so I will be experimenting with a potato dough yeast risen version the next time we do this and make some of each. This recipe is a take off from one I found in Endangered Recipes, which is a great book. I have fiddled with quantities and method and changed the fat used and we've had not a single person who didn't love these.

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups mashed potatoes
6 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup baking powder (this is a ton, I know - when I first used the recipe, I made a mistake and used tablespoons instead of teaspoons, but it made them huge and light and didn't affect the taste, so I've kept it that way)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Oil or fat to fry doughnuts

These are much easier to make with a stand mixer or small electric mixer than by hand, but they can be made by hand as well, you will just have to really work to beat the living daylights out of the potato mixture to make it smooth.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs until they are a uniform yellow. Mix in sugar and milk and combine thoroughly. Add in butter and mashed potatoes and whisk until smooth.

In a separate bowl, thoroughly combine flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in parts, mixing until flour disappears.

Chill dough, covered, at least an hour, until dough is stiff.

Roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of no more than 1/2 an inch. Cut doughnuts with a doughnut cutter, or in any shapes you like. Let stand to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Heat oil to somewhere between 340 and 350 F. We prefer to cook them a little longer at a slightly lower temperature than quicker at a higher temperature, so the crust doesn't get too brown and the middle is all the way cooked. You will have to turn the doughnuts 99% of the time, though a couple will turn themselves. I've heard that if you cut them in strips and twist them in the middle they will turn themselves, but I haven't done it yet. Drain on a rack and glaze or dust with sugar or cinnamon sugar or cover in ganache or whatever you like to do with your doughnuts.

I haven't tried this yet, but I think if you got rid of the nutmeg and replaced some of the flour with cocoa, you could make chocolate doughnuts with this recipe that would be pretty good.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:28 AM 2 comments

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Shrove Tuesday

Today is Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras. We are hosting our church family for an evening of shrivening. Instead of the traditional pancakes and sausages, we are making potato doughnuts with lemon glaze, yeast doughnuts with cinnamon sugar and Viennese doughnuts. We bought a deep fat fryer a few months ago. Other people are bringing their favorite fattening desserts and hors-d'oevres. We will be eating a sausage and potato bake made with a cream sauce and a salad for dinner. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we fast.

Of course, the children won't be fasting, but I will be making meals of abstinence, so no meat. That way we can talk about what Ash Wednesday means, why we are eating differently (or not eating, as we adults will be), and so on. We will be going to our priest's house for an Ash Wednesday service. It will be later than our normal mid-week activities, but with no coffee hour, food and socialization afterward, we will likely get home earlier anyway.

So begins Lent. I have been contemplating what penances of the will, body and mind I will do, and have come up with a plan. Please pray for me to keep them.

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// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 1:26 PM 1 comments

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