The peppers are finished! We still have a lot in our fridge, but we are using them in cooking. Unless we get another crate, we are finished with freezing and drying them. We are still working on apples. I want to get enough applesauce and dried apples and apple scrap vinegar made so we only have apples to fill a couple drawers in our produce fridge. I still need to make the salsa, though, and we are going to smoke some more tomatoes to preserve and turn the skins into more smoked tomato powder (which is fantastic in rice dishes, soups, sauces, added to meatballs, or in sour cream based dips). We also just picked up 50 pounds of yellow onions and 25 pounds of red onions which store really well, so mostly they are just going into storage for us to use over the next few months, but we are also going to dry (outside) some of the yellow onions to put into an onion dip mix that I will be making as part of our Christmas presents this year.

This week is the anniversary of Rich and my first date. It is 30 years since we count our first date. I don't remember if I've shared that story here, but we started that night not on a date and ended it on a date. Since times are tight, we are using a bunch of gift certificates that we have to have a progressive lunch date. Then, I am making a special dinner for us at home.

God is so good to us. With all the continually rising prices, He keeps providing for us in markdowns at the store, things we need from our gleaning group, and even produce that is still coming from our garden. One thing I have learned, too, is that apples that aren't that great (sorry, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Gala apples) can be made much better through drying them. I don't know why, but even the most bland and sad apples taste really good when dried. So, that's your tip for what to do with apples you aren't thrilled with and don't want to waste. Also, I was surprised to find that Honeycrisp apples, which are really tasty fresh and taste more than sweet enough, need a little sugar when turning them into applesauce. I've never added sugar to applesauce before using Gravensteins, Yellow Transparents, and Fujis, but this year we had a lot of Honecrisps from our gleaning group, and when I cooked them down, they just didn't taste as sweet as those apples usually do. It is only a little sugar, and I am using brown sugar, but about a quarter cup to about 25 apples seems to be enough.

Last night was our local crisis pregnancy center's fundraising dinner. Rich and I attended again (I think we have only missed it one year since living here), and two of our girls helped serve and clear away the dishes. It was a great experience, and we were so proud of our girls for helping. The work they do at the crisis pregnancy center is so crucial to helping men, women and children in need in our community, and we are so glad to help them in their mission. Part of being pro-life is being active about supporting the people in crises who are in a position to choose other than life. Please pray that all life would be welcomed and supported.

• Sunday - Feast of Saint Edward the Confessor
  Breakfast: Leftover Roulette, Sliced Apples, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Ouzi Lamb and Rice, Sides/Salads/Fruit/Desserts brought by Church Family
• Monday
  Breakfast: Sausage and Potato Hash with Salsa, Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Kofta bil Bayd, Rice Pilaf, Moroccan Beet Salad*, Sah'awiq, Apple Pies and Vanilla Ice Cream
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Chopped Apples, Raisins, Brown Sugar and Spices, Milky Tea
  Dinner: Lemon Pesto Pasta (Gluten free for Jerome), Italian Sausage Meatballs, Truffle Butter Baguettes, Green Salad, Fruit
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Longinus the Centurion
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Almond Butter Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Bouktouf, Khoubz Zeitoun, Tomato Salad, Fruit Plate
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Hosea the Prophet
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Papas con Chorizo, Salsa, Sour Cream, Chopped Avocados, Salad, Fruit Plate
• Friday - Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Spanish Farmer's Rice, Spanish Poor Man's Potatoes, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Joel the Prophet
  Breakfast: Savory Parmesan French Toast with Hollandaise Sauce, Fruit Plate, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pasta Bolognese Sauce (Gluten free for Jerome), Green Salad, Torta Dominguera

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Preserving the Harvest, Romance and Relationship, Tales from the Kitchen

Florida Style Black Beans

This is a general guideline. If you want to change it, you can. Once, we had about three tablespoons of salsa verde left in the fridge, so I tossed that in, too. I use our instant pot type pressure cooker. You could do this on the stove or in a slow cooker, but do sauté the vegetables first. In a pot on the stove, it will only take about an hour and a half to two hours, in a slow cooker, it will take six to eight hours on low. I like lime juice in it, too.

4 cups black beans, rinsed and soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight
Safflower/sunflower/avocado/olive oil
4 small onions, or 2 large, peeled and diced
8 bell peppers, seeded and sliced
24 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 or 2 hot peppers, minced
1/4 cup ground cumin
3 tablespoons dried oregano
3/4 cup tomato paste
28 - 32 ounces diced, roasted tomatoes with their juice
6 cups vegetable broth (or water)
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons kosher salt

Use the sauté function on the pot to heat it up, and add enough oil to coat the bottom. Sauté the onions and peppers until they are soft, then add the garlic and hot peppers and cook a minute more. Add the herbs and tomato paste and stir to blend with the vegetables. Cook the mixture a minute or two. Add the diced tomatoes.

Rinse out the cans (if you used cans) of tomato paste and diced tomatoes with a little warm water to get the last of it and put that in the pot. Add the broth, bay leaves, and salt. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Allow to naturally release for at least 5 minutes, or all the way (they will be softer if you let it release completely), then release pressure. Serve with rice.

Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

We are still putting up apples! And peppers. And tomatoes. The freezes have meant that everything is coming in to be prepped for winter. We are supposed to have a carrot glean, and i am looking forward to that, because they store so well without a lot of extra effort on our part. Also, we had an opportunity to buy two 50 pound bags of onions for less money than the three to five pound bags are costing at the grocery store, and we use a LOT of onions. We are hoping for a potato glean. We live in prime potato growing country, and potatoes are usually plentiful. Unfortunately, the flies and black widows are also trying to prepare for winter, so we are killing a ton. We are seeing more black widows in our area than is the norm, which is probably because of our milder winter and weird summer.

Because of our church schedule last week, we were just too tired for our bonfire and Michaelmas dragon, so we did it last night. We had the dragon guts with an almond crumble for Jerome, so he could avoid the bread. We have a family birthday this week, but it is for an adult son who is out of the house, so, we will see what their plans are.

My experiment with freezing the falafel mix and also freezing some of the falafel shaped, then frying them worked beautifully. Both worked equally well, but freezing them shaped and frying from frozen means less work at the fryer. So, now we have a plan of attack for the kebab fest next year.

We are still cooking our way through our freezers and pantries and making room. Also, thank God, saving some money because of this. We hope to stock our freezers with some geese and are filling it with peppers and other lovely ingredients for the fall and winter and early spring. Now that I am not afraid of my pressure canner, I have been canning any new stock we make and using the frozen stock to empty the freezers. This gives us shelf stable stocks to use in our cooking, and frees up even more space in our freezers for other things.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Chorizo and Potato Hash Burritos, Salsa, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Garlic Herb Roasted Pork Loin, Sides/Salads/Fruit/Desserts brought by Church Family
• Monday
  Breakfast: Battatas ou Bayd, Toast, Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Thai Style Ginger Chicken with Eggplant, Stir Fried Bean Sprouts, Jasmine Rice, Sliced Watermelon
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Chopped Apples, Raisins, Brown Sugar and Cinnamon, Milky Tea
  Dinner: Korean Style Beef with Patty Pan Squash and Bean Sprouts, Jasmine Rice, Sliced Apples
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Almond Butter Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Fried Cauliflower, Arabic Style Rice Pilaf (without the vermicelli), Taratoor, Tomato Salad, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Overnight Breakfast Enchiladas with Egg and Chorizo, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Green Chile Pork, Salsa Rice, Corn Tortillas, Fruit Plate
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Florida Style Black Beans*, Rice, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pancakes (Gluten free for Jerome) and Raspberry Syrup, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Wedding Pork (leftover in our freezer), Salsa Rice, Tortillas, Fruit Plate

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Preserving the Harvest, Tales from the Kitchen

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world -- he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. -- Revelation 12:7-9

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits, who roam through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in praelio. Contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur. Tuque princeps militiae caelestis, Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo divina virtute in infernum detrude. Amen.

This week was our first full work of school and, unfortunately, we had a little sickness in the house. Nothing worse than a cold, but it does put a damper on things. We did get most of our peppers frozen that we wanted to freeze and we are trying to decide if we can eat all the rest in time, or just put a few more bags in the freezer (or dry some). This weekend was all about apples. We made applesauce, apple scrap vinegar, and apple pie filling, and we dried loads of apples. Normally I freeze the pie filling, but I am going to try a batch of it canned and see if we like the results. If so, we can free up some more freezer space and have more that is shelf stable and ready to go. So, there will be another apple pie this week. Oh, darn! If worse comes to worst, and we don't like having the apple pie filling pre-cooked as it would be in canning, I'm sure we can find a way to use it in a different way.

Speaking of weekends and freezers, we are going to have to postpone our goose butchering, it sounds like. We had hoped to do it yesterday, but there was a lot needing done in the garden, and a need for a larger scalder for the birds. So, they have a reprieve. And our neighbors don't.

Did I mention that I agreed to provide the falafel mix for next year's kebab fest? They talked about adding falafel to the menu and I said I would only be a party to it if they didn't use a mix. So, I said I'd be willing to mix it all up in advance, and other people could fry it. I will be experimenting this week (and over the next few months) to see if it can be frozen and thawed to make later, and if that is successful, if it can be frozen shaped and then fried from frozen.

We had so much going on with our weekend, and before church today, that we didn't get our Michaelmas dragon made, and we forgot to make waffles with blackberries instead of pancakes with raspberry syrup. So, we might have a belated bonfire and dragon this coming weekend. We will be celebrating Jerome's name day, too.

• Sunday - Feast of Saint Michael and All Archangels
  Breakfast: Pancakes and Raspberry Syrup, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Filfil Mahshi (Stuffed Peppers), Rice, Sides/Salads/Fruit/Desserts brought by Church Family
• Monday - Feast of Saint Jerome
  Breakfast: Sausage and Potato Hash Burritos with Salsa, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Porchetta, Roasted Potatoes, Fried Peppers and Onions, Lion Cupcakes
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Tomato Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Spicy Spanish Tomato Skillet with Eggs and Cheese, Bread, Beet and Onion Salad, Torta Dominguera
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Veggies, Toast, Sliced Apples, Mint Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Falafel, Khoubz Araby, Sliced Veggies, Olives, Sah'awiq, Toum, Taratoor, Harissa, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Overnight Breakfast Enchiladas with Egg and Chorizo, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Italian Sausage and Potato Bake, Italian Bread, Melting Apple Cake
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Mexican Garlic Soup with Oregano and Fried Tortilla Strips, Salad, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Savory Parmesan French Toast with Hollandaise Sauce, Fruit Plate, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Sudanese Kofta, Rice, Loubiyeh bi Zeit, Apple 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.

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Michaelmas, Name Day, Preserving the Harvest, Tales from the Kitchen

Hooray! I finished the last piece of the spa set. Boo! After I sent the pattern to my technical editor, I found three errors I should have caught myself. I do love this little bath pouf, though. Are you interested in beta knitting it? Or any of the other four pieces in the set? Let me know, please, and I will give you more information.

The baptismal gown is corrected, but not progressing much. I forgot to bring the needles for small circumference circular knitting when we took an overnight trip to Lake Chelan, and the gown was not really an appropriate project for catching a stitch here and there at the Kebab Fest. So, I will get back to it this weekend and we will see if I can finish two sleeves in two or three days, while also trying to preserve apples in about five different ways.

We are slowly working our way through Emma, and are more than a third of the way through. I've finished three happy, little murders, and I started the fourth in the series, Boston Scream Murder, in which the victim has my husband's name. Well, his first name, Rich. These are fun, and have a little knitting group who are mentioned throughout the books, too, though I hate the spelling of doughnut in them (she uses donut), and I do not love calling cake doughnuts unraised doughnuts. In other news, I crave doughnuts all the time now.

I'm still making a little progress in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages. We've had a busy couple weeks and light reading was almost all I could handle.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday

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Labels: Books, Design, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns, WIP, Yarn Along

We had a great, but tiring weekend. Rich had a short business trip to Lake Chelan, and I got to go with him. It was short enough that I really didn't get a lot finished while he worked, but I did get to rest, which is worth quite a bit. Also, I got to hang out at the pool and on the lake and soak in the last of the summer sun. Then, after we got home, we had a day of volunteering at the Kebab Fest in Wenatchee. The kids, Rich and I all helped and had a fantastic time. We ate our fill of gyros, kebabs, feta garlic fries, honey nut cookies and came home with a tray of baklava (I'll call it that, because it was the Greek kind made by Greek Yiayias).

Since it is an Antiochian church that puts this on, we asked why there was Greek music playing, rather than debke and traditional Arabic music. They said that if we can get the music to them a month before next year's, they will play it. We are on it!

Sunday mornings are really our time to rest, and since we have services in the evening, we have a leisurely breakfast and ease into the morning. That will give us a chance to rest from our busy-ness of the end of this past week. Our dinner after church is a turkey soup, which is easy to make, and Mariam is making my chocolate chip cookie recipe to share.

Our gleaning group has been fantastic lately, with the end of season produce, and we have something like 150 - 200 pounds of honeycrisp apples and 100 pounds of sweet peppers. We will be eating and cooking those, as well as drying, freezing, storing as many for winter and spring and next summer. A few years ago, we froze about 20 or 30 bags of apple pie filling, and I'm trying to decide if I want to do that again, or maybe can them, so we don't fill the freezers.

In the spirit of using what is in season and fresh, there are a lot of peppers and apples on the menu this week. An apple pie has been intimated, so I will do that Saturday and find a way to make it without a crust for Jerome.

Sadly, on our way to Lake Chelan, we saw three or four flocks of sandhill cranes. They are beautiful, and we love seeing them, but they herald the shift to winter, and we know it is coming soon.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Vegetable and Sausage Hash and Eggs, Baklava, Coffee and Tea
  Dinner: After Thanksgiving Soup, Oyster Crackers/Gluten-free Crackers for Jerome, Sides/Salads/Fruit/Dessert brought by Church Family, Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Monday - Feast of The Conception of Saint John the Baptist
  Breakfast: Shakshouka, Toast, Sliced Apples, Milky Tea
  Dinner: Beef and Cheddar Potato Stove Top Gratin, Tomato Salad, Baked Apples
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Toast, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers in Sauce, Bread, Fruit Plate
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Chopped Apples, Cinnamon and Brown Sugar, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Ful, Sah'awiq, Bread, Fruit Plate
• Thursday - Feast of The Falling Asleep of Saint John the Evangelist and Theologian
  Breakfast: Leftover Oatmeal Muffins with Almond Butter, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Cashew Chicken and Peppers, Jasmine Rice, Frozen Fruit Salad
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Pasta Trapanese (gluten-free pasta for Jerome), Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with Cream Cheese Drizzle, Chorizo Patties, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken Salad with Bacon and Gorgonzola Sandwiches (or in Tomatoes for Jerome), Pickled Asparagus, Apple 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.

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Preserving the Harvest, Tales from the Kitchen

How was your week? We are so busy running everyone right now, but it is for good things. I'm just hoping we settle into the schedule better soon.

It is definitely deep fall here. I'm hoping we can get at least a couple weeks more before winter shows up again. This is our last week of not full school work, so I am really trying to get some more canning and preserving finished. Besides that, it is just normal life, a little school work, and trying to rest a bit.

Starting this week, though, we have three days of the week that require quick and easy meals both morning and evening. This is putting a crimp in my style for cooking, but we are figuring it out as we go. This means that we have repeats this week, though.

We are putting one of our free turkeys from Thanksgiving to work for us this week. It also means that we are freeing up some room in the freezer, which means that we are closer to butchering our numerous Muscovys. Our poor neighbors keep having them in their field, and they haven't said anything about it, but I am sure it is annoying. We already planned on putting many in the freezer, and it is finally cool enough to take a day to do it, and we don't want to trouble our neighbors any more. Also, I think we are going to sell some more of them. They are prolific layers, and fantastic for fly control, as well as being wonderful meat birds. (If you live near us, and want them, let me know so we can hook you up)!

This is our last truly busy week, too, before we settle down for the fall and winter. You know that is not really true, but it is what I am telling myself to comfort myself before life finds a way to make us super busy again.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Sausage Patties, Sliced Peaches, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Carne Guisado (with green sauce) and Rice for Church Potluck
• Monday
  Breakfast: Shakshouka, Toast, Fruit, Milky Tea
  Dinner: Herb Roasted Turkey, Bourbon Gravy, Boiled Potatoes, Cranberry Horseradish Relish, Buttered Corn on the Cob, Chocolate Pudding
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Potato and Veggie Hash with Chorizo, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Hot and Numbing Sichuan Style Turkey Salad, Garlic Eggplant, Sliced Watermelon
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Peanut Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Tbikhat Ful, Tamis, Sah'awiq, Cucumber Salad, Sliced Apples
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Theodore
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Thai Style Ginger Chicken with Eggplant, Jasmine Rice, Frozen Fruit Salad
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Baba Ghanooj and Hummus, Tamis, Sliced Veggies, Olives, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Sausages, Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Souvlaki, Gyros, Tzatziki, Honey Cake

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

Since Arabic has a completely different alphabet than English, there isn't really a correct spelling of words in English, but rather a more commonly used one. I've seen this spelled as it is above, mehallebiyeh, and a few other ways. It is pronounced somewhere between these two. Even though people say that the hard, gutteral, and back of the throat sounds are so difficult in Arabic, I actually find that it is the vowels which really stymie them. They are often pronounced in a similar way, but with the mouth held in a completely different way, which makes them sound different.

Anyway, I made this muhallabiyeh for church this week (I made it for church in a large bowl, rather than the traditional small cups or bowls to make serving it more simple), and told the kids how my mother loved it and made it often, and I HATED it. She would make big pots of it and store it in the fridge in many little bowls, and I wouldn't touch a one.

When we were in London, there was a Lebanese restaurant where we picked up dinner one night and it was on the menu, so I ordered it and I think Rich did, too. It was lovely, and reminded me of my childhood. The one in which I didn't eat it. At all.

Of course, I ate it. It is the most inoffensive, simple and easy to digest dessert. It is a great introduction to Arabic desserts to someone who is a little skeptical. And I wouldn't eat it for nearly 48 years.

Traditionally, the rose syrup is made with a commercial rose concentrate that has dyes in it, so it is a prettier color, a bright rose pink, than the one I made, but mine doesn't have red #40 in it, so there is that. I will share the recipe for the homemade rose concentrate and the pudding on the blog. Also, traditionally, it is made with either a rice flour or another starch that is not quite as easy to source here in the US. You can make your own rice flour (I do that all the time by grinding in a clean coffee grinder or grain mill) or just use cornstarch.

Muhallabiyeh

3 1/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup rice flour or cornstarch
2 teaspoons orange blossom water
1 teaspoon rose water

2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon concentrated rose syrup (divided)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons rice flour or cornstarch

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup pistachios, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon orange blossom water

food grade rose petals, for garnish (optional)

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, whisk together milk, cream, sugar and rice flour or cornstarch until blended with no visible lumps of starch. Turn heat on the medium-high, and whisk constantly for a few minutes, until the mixture is thickened with large bubbles forming all over the surface. Remove from heat, and stir in the orange blossom water and rose water.

Pour into pretty cups and bowls and chill in the refrigerator, uncovered, until the surface begins to set, about 20 - 30 minutes.

While it is chilling, prepare the rose topping and pistachio topping.

In a small saucepan, whisk together 2 tablespoons concentrated rose syrup. water and cornstarch until well combined. Turn heat on to medium-high and bring to a full, rolling boil, whisking constantly. When the mixture is thickened and there are large bubbles forming on the surface, remove from the heat and whisk in the reserved teaspoon of concentrated rose syrup.

Spoon a thin layer of this over the cups of muhallabiyeh, tilting them to cover the surface thinly and evenly. Refrigerate until set completely and cold, about two hours or overnight.

In a medium skillet, over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the pistachios. Sauté the pistachios just until they start to smell like they are browning. Add the sugar and stir until it is melted and starting to caramelize around the edges of the pistachios. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the orange blossom water.

Spoon the pistachio topping evenly over the cooled muhallabiyeh cups. Serve immediately. If you are not ready to serve, the pistachio topping can be kept in a sealed container for a day or so, and then put on the pudding when ready to serve. This is best served cold or room temperature. If you want to be fancy, you can sprinkle a few rose petals over the top of the pistachios when serving.

Concentrated Rose Syrup

This can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. It lasts for quite a while in the refrigerator. Honestly, you could probably make a larger batch and can it to store on the shelf.

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup food grade rose petals

In a medium saucepan, stir the sugar and water together to dissolve. Add rose petals and bring to a full, rolling boil, over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 - 3 minutes, until the liquid reduces slightly, and the color is rose pink. Remove from heat, strain liquid into a container and set aside in the refrigerator.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

The family at BrickCon!

So, this is a tip that I have been using for a little over two years now. When we go on trips, either vacations, short weekend getaways, or work trips, I save a ton of money and try really good food by using an app that allows me to buy food from delis, restaurants, and some grocery stores, for a fraction of the original price. We've used it in the US, Canada, and the UK.

Too Good to Go is an app which partners with these places so that their overstock does not go to waste. Some companies use it as a way to generate income to make sure they don't have overstock, too. There is a rating system, and as all of these are grab bags, with no way of ordering something specific, I am a little careful. I make sure that I check the reviews (if it is a place I haven't tried before), and only order from places with high enough ratings. For me, that is no lower than 4 out of 5 stars. So far, there has only been one that was just okay, and none which have been bad.

One of the ways that we check out these places is also to check reviews outside of the app. So far, it has worked well for us. In London, for instance, there was an Ethiopian restaurant we tried that was fantastic! It cost us all of about $6.50 each for our full dinners (mine was too much for me to eat, and Rich ended up eating his and about a quarter of mine, too). We picked up three orders of smoked fish from a place in Bellevue to add to the fruit and crackers and cookies we brought with us to make lunch for the family after BrickCon, which consisted of smoked salmon, smoked black cod, smoked halibut, and smoked sturgeon, and was all of about $34 for all eight of us, and left enough for two more meals. I've gotten quite generous bags of muffins and breakfast pastries for about $4.00 in Portland, OR, and a dinner and dessert that I grabbed from a Lebanese place for about $11.75 in London.

The way it works is that you put your location in the app, search for what is available in that area, make a reservation for the grab bag, which also will give you a window of time in which you can pick up the food. When you get to the place, you show them the app, slide a little bar to show that you have picked up, and they bring you the food.

This is not as useful in small areas, and there is only a gas station "deli" participating here in my little town. However, whenever we travel or are heading to a different area than where we live for an evening, I always fire up this app and see what is available. We have found all sorts of interesting restaurants and places to eat, and kept the costs down to what they would have been nearly 20 - 30 years ago.

This isn't a huge, amazing thing, but it is one of the ways that you can save some money, stretch your budget, and perhaps allow for some special meals out, or permit your family to go on trips without worrying as much about the cost of the meals. I hope it helps you.

We used this app, plus some of the hints in my Bargain Getaways post (like finding a Homewood Suites - though it looks like the dinners there now are only standard once a week instead of the Monday through Thursday that they used to be - some locations still host more days). Also, we found that Element by Westin hotels have evening socials/meals three times a week, as do Staybridge Hotels (and also offer free laundry machine services). Drury Hotels have daily dinners available. These are all places to look into while traveling to cut your meal costs down, as well.

Previous Posts:
Make it at Home
Grocery Shopping
Waste Not, Want Not
Soup
The Celery Stalks at Midnight
Use What You Have
Combining Trips
Storing Bulk Purchases
Turn It Off
Grow Your Own
Buying in Bulk
Gleaning
Entertainment on the Down Low
Finding Fun Locally
Holiday Shopping
Reconsidering Convenience
More Bang for Your Grocery Buck
Preserving the Harvest
Revisiting Kitchen Strategies
Extreme Frugality
Bargain Getaways
Cultivating or Curating Abundance
Making Your Own Snacks and Treats
How Weird Is Too Weird? Things We Don't Think of Eating
Fuel Costs
Quick Hint on Eggs
What's in Your Refrigerator (Revisited)
Taking Stock
Garbage Management
End of the Paycheck Meals?

Labels: Family, Frugality, Homemaking, Tales from the Kitchen

I’m finally nearing the end of the baptismal gown project. Unfortunately, I reversed the shaping on the back sections and didn’t realize it until working the front. Fortunately, it is only about 10 rather short rows on each side to correct. The bodice is fairly simple, though I have basically rewritten all the shaping and decreases. When I fix the back sections, I will knit the sleeves, then it will be finishing and collar.

We are still reading through Emma and I picked up a happy, little murder in the interim. I've made a little progress in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Any time you click on a book link, it gives me the opportunity to earn a few cents for our family.

Labels: Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns, WIP, Yarn Along

Thy nativity, O Mother of God, heralded joy to the whole universe, for from you rose the Sun of Justice, Christ our God. Taking away the curse, He imparted blessings, and by abolishing death, He gave us everlasting life.

Through thy holy birth, O Immaculate One, Joachim and Anna were delivered from the shame of childlessness, and Adam and Even from the corruption of death. Thy people, redeemed from the debt of their sins, cry out to you to honor your birth: "The barren one gives birth to the Mother of God the Substainer of our life!"

It is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Theotokos today and we rejoice in that. Without her, we could not have Him. Glory to God in His saints!

We had such a fun weekend! There was a BrickCon in Bellevue and Rich either found discounted tickets, or just heard about it and found that the tickets were not that expensive, and we bought them a few months ago. We also reserved a hotel, which was our largest expense for the trip, but it was big enough for all eight of us, and there was a full breakfast in the morning, and as it was a two bedroom suite with a pullout bed in the living area, we didn't need two rooms, and there was a kitchen, so we could bring our dinner for Friday night with us. Anyway, we had a blast looking at all the cool builds and art and robotics done with Lego (and other bricks) and the market had some discontinued sets that our kids had been looking for for ages. Amira found her dream Lego set for around $250, which has been discontinued for years, and which she has only seen for $600 plus online. She held it to her the entire time after buying it and so many people asked her where she got it.

Anyway, we took advantage of one of the apps I use to save money on eating out while we are on trips (I'll post a new frugality blog with that information soon), so we bought some pretty awesome smoked fish, plus crackers - gluten free ones for Jerome, and the fruit we had brought with us, which was a pretty fabulous lunch. The fellow at the fish market was out of one of the smoked salmon packages we had ordered, so he substituted a third package of the more expensive smoked fish from the other two orders we had made. We had smoked salmon (initially it was two orders of that), smoked halibut, smoked sturgeon, and smoked black cod. This made lunch for all of us on Saturday about $43 for eight people, and that is a pretty good deal for buying lunch. A normal restaurant meal for us, even lunch, is always over $140. In fact, we still have one and a half packages of the smoked fish left (and the smoked salmon came in a canning jar we can re-use), for breakfast today, so that price for the smoked fish (that part was about $33) made two meals for us, two and a half packages for yesterday and one and a half packages for today.

Last week, we tried a new recipe for sheikh al-mahshi, and it was so good! We will definitely be making it again. I did modify the method, so I was only using one pan, and in future, I would mirror the spices of the meat in the sauce, as well as salt and pepper the eggplant before frying it to soften. However, it was still delightful and we had a little leftover, plus a ton of the sauce and some of the meat filling left over, which will go into meals this week. This week isn't too busy until the end of it, then we are all running everywhere. I am so grateful for older, competent kids during busy times like this.

As this is one of the two weeks before we really start serious school work (we are only doing about two days a week of more rigorous work, and light work the rest of the week), I am going to try to take this opportunity to put up some peach preserves (maybe some peach melba jam with some of our fall bearing raspberries) and can up some poultry and corn and vegetable stocks, to clear out some room in the freezers. I also have loads of plums that will make wonderful plum jelly and butter. If we have enough time, I will also have the kids help me make some apple pie filling to freeze. They have been just slamming the trimming and slicing of our gleaned sweet peppers for the freezers, and I think we have put away about 30 pounds of sliced peppers - after seeding and stemming them.

• Sunday - Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Theotokos
  Breakfast: Smoked Fish, French Cheese, Baguettes (Parmesan Crisps for Jerome), Fried Eggs, Leftover Plum Tart and Custard, Poached Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pesto and Ricotta Baked Pasta (Leftover Sheikh al-Mahshi for Jerome) and Muhallabiyeh* for Church Potluck
• Monday - Feast of Saints Joachim and Anna, parents of the Theotokos
  Breakfast: Sausage and Vegetable Hash, Toast, Figs, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Orange Marmalade and Apricot Nectar Glazed Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Steam Sautéed Carrots with Garlic and Dill, Sliced Watermelon
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Fried Ham and Eggs, Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Spicy Spanish Tomato Skillet with Eggs and Cheese, Bread, Fried Peppers and Onions, Torta Dominguera
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Apples and Raisins, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Tbikhat Ful, Tamis, Sah'awiq, Beet and Cucumber Salad, Sliced Canteloupe
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Overnight Slow Cooker French Toast (Gluten-free Oatmeal Muffins with Almond Butter for Jerome), Plums, Milky Tea
  Dinner: Papas con Chorizo, Salsa, Sour Cream, Chopped Avocados, Cucumber and Tomato Salad, Sliced Watermelon
• Friday - Feast of Saint Cyprian of Carthage
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas and Veggies, Toast, Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegetable and Coconut Rice Salad with Peanut Sauce, Sliced Mangoes
• Saturday - Feasts of Saint John Chrysostom and the Elevation of the Holy Cross
  Breakfast: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with Cream Cheese Drizzle, Chorizo Patties, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ham and Pinto Beans, Cornbread, Garlic Beet Greens, Corn Relish with Sweet and Hot Peppers, Fig and Mascarpone Almond Tart

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Blessed Virgin, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen, Theotokos

The knitting on the first tree garland is complete, but I still need to block and string them for a garland. I probably won't put it all together until I am finished with the second set of trees, because I am not sure if I want two separate color schemes or to alternate the trees on each garland.

I've also finished a scrappy crocheted basket that will be a gift, as well. Even though I should be working on one of three or four designs right now, I have taken a break and I'm working a bit more on the baptismal gown, which is so close to being finished. I kind of want to get enough progress made that it can be my weekend project again, and still finish it within the month or so.

The gown pattern is beautiful, but aside from my needing to adjust it for the gauge of the yarn I wanted to use (which is on me), it is a pattern that I wish were more elegantly designed. There is a lot about it that I would have designed differently. I should write up my notes on that. I would have made the cable patterns to be divisible into each other, for one. As it is, the smaller cable is a six round repeat. The main cable motif is 16 rounds. So, it takes three full repetitions of the center cable before you are back to the beginning of the smaller one. This could have been avoided by making the smaller cable either a four or eight round repeat. The pattern has you divide for the back in a manner which means that your cable patterns aren't aligned, so I did that entirely in a different manner. At least I caught that soon enough to change it. Also, it has you make the divide much sooner than I think is necessary, which I didn't catch soon enough to alter. However, now I am nearly to the all stockinette portion, which ought to go more quickly, then the cabled sleeves, which aren't too long.

We are moseying through Emma and I have actually finished two books in the interim: Everthing Sad Is Untrue (A True Story) and Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Life, Love, and Food. Rich is still reading the former, so we can have a chance to discuss it a little with each other. I really enjoyed the latter, though not all the recipes were things which would delight me. I do adore food writing, though, and she tells her story well. Some of her discussions of her ex-husband and current husband in comparison are a bit too precious, and annoyed me on a few levels. And I really like Michael Ruhlman. Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages is back on my nightstand and I am reading a bit more now. Also, I finally bought a copy of You Are Peter, which I got a few pages into before Rich started reading it. Since I have plenty of other books in my stack, I am going to get back to it when he is finished.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Any time you click on a book link, it gives me the opportunity to earn a few cents for our family.

Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns, WIP, Yarn Along

We had the opportunity to worship with the Sudanese church to the south of us today. Their faith is so inspiring. They have literally been holding memorials all summer for their family members who have been killed for their faith in their home country, and are still full of joy and hope. I wish one day to have their faith.

We ease into school work in September, to take advantage of museums and events that are not as busy once "regular" school starts. So, we are doing some literature and grammar work, and a little bit of math. However, a couple of the kids are taking a biology class and a geometry class with a neat local professor and it is great. I'm really excited for them to have this opportunity, especially for the lab science.

Besides that, we are just reading, doing crafts, getting some organizing done, and enjoying the outdoors before it is too cold to do so. This week also holds an anniversary of ours. Rich and I became engaged on September 4, 28 years ago. It was literally our coming to agreement after about a month of consideration. Our how we met story sounds more romantic than it was, and our engagement story sounds much less romantic than it was.

We are still eating the fresh foods of the season and trying to hold on to as much of the beautiful weather as we can until the freezes hit. Pray for us.

• Sunday - Feast of Saint Anna the Prophetess
  Breakfast: Spiced Oatmeal with Raisins and Dried Cranberries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Smoked Chicken, Rice, Corn on the Cob, Plums
• Monday
  Breakfast: Fried Egg and Cheese Bagel Sandwiches (no bagels for Jerome, and more egg), Sliced Canteloupe, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Meatball Grinders, Sliced Cucumbers, Canteloupe
• Tuesday - Feast of Pope Saint Gregory the Great
  Breakfast: Oatmeal Muffins with Peanut Butter, Sliced Canteloupe, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Beef, Green Chile and Potato Stew, Arepas, Marinated Cucumbers, Sliced Canteloupe
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Peaches, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Pasta Trapanese (gluten-free pasta for Jerome), Cucumber and Tomato Salad, Fruit Plate
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Zecharias, Father of the Forerunner
  Breakfast: Migas with Chorizo, Plums, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Sheikh al-Mahshi, Rice Pilaf, Beet and Cucumber Salad, Muhallabiyeh
• Friday - Feast of Saint Onesiphorus
  Breakfast: Potato and Vegetable Hash Burritos with Salsa, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Black Bean Salad with Tomatoes, Corn and Avocado, Corn Chips, Plums
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pancakes and Maple Syrup, Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Sausages, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Spicy Spanish Tomato Skillet with Eggs and Cheese, Bread, Fruit Plate, Torta Dominguera

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Name Day, Prayer Requests, Romance and Relationship, Tales from the Kitchen

Well, I should be finishing up one of two designs I put on the backburner, but I started this little, scrappy tree garland instead. It will be a great decoration come winter. My plan is to make another set in different tones and alternate the two, and make them gifts. Notice that the tree trunks are made with the leftovers from the adult sample of Jamal.

However, I did get Jamal published, and I have a great discount if you want to try it. Jamal is now available on Ravelry and on PayHip (it will be on LoveCrafts shortly).

Through September 1, 2024, there is a tiered coupon code: Use JamalIntro on PayHip or Ravelry for the first 10 purchases and receive 75% off, the next 10 purchases will be 50% off, and all purchases after that are 25% off. There are still some of those discounts available! (And if you are paying attention, there are really double available, because of being on both those sales platforms).

The kids and I began reading Emma this past week, and I am reading a little in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages. On a recommendation from a young woman at church, I also began the delightful autobiographical novel Everthing Sad Is Untrue (A True Story). It has so much I relate to in it, and much to make one both laugh and cry. It is light reading, as it is aimed at young adults and kids, but it is good reading.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Any time you click on a book link, it gives me the opportunity to earn a few cents for our family.

Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, Faith and Morality, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns, WIP, Yarn Along

"Holy Spirit, inspire me. Love of God, consume me, on the true path, lead me. Mary, my Mother, look upon me, with Jesus, bless me. From all evil, from all illusion, from all danger, preserve me."

"Always remember to love your neighbor; always prefer the person who tries your patience, who tests your virtue, because with them you can always gain merit."

"The proud person is like a grain of wheat thrown into water: it swells, it gets big. Expose that grain to the fire: it dries up, it burns. The humble soul is like a grain of wheat thrown into the earth: it descends, it hides itself, it disappears, it dies; but to revive in heaven."

"It is sweet to think of Jesus; but it is sweeter to do His will."
~ Saint Mariam Baouardy (Mary of Jesus Crucified) ~

We have two birthdays this week: Mariam and Shawn. We won't have Shawn with us this week, and I suspect it will be a little more subdued than normal. Please offer all the prayers you can for her this week. Not only is it a birthday week, but it is a nameday week, as well. The feast of Saint Mariam Baouardy is also this week.

I'm not a superstitious person, generally speaking, though I do roll up my car windows to make sure it won't rain. However, that whole troubles come in threes thing has come twice, and now we have had three other challenges/difficulties, and at this point, I am hoping that is the third set of three, and that we will be set for a while.

Fall weather is definitely here. Wind and rain, much cooler feeling air, and I even wore a sweater yesterday - with long wool socks. We still have temperatures in the 70s at the height of the day, but our evenings and mornings are feeling frigid. In a couple months, we will long for temperatures in the 40s, but for now, they feel quite cold. The air conditioning units are still in the windows, in a nod to a slight superstitious hope that I will keep the alleged heat spike predicted for the end of the week at bay, but our windows are almost all closed, and the fans have been off all this past week.

We have so many ducks and geese to butcher! We are still cooking mostly from our freezer, and cooking it down so we will have room for them. When it is cool enough, there will be a couple weekends of pretty significant poultry harvest. Our Gleaning Club and even our garden are keeping us well stocked in beautiful produce. Except for potatoes and onions, we haven't had to buy produce in a few weeks. We are using what is fresh and in season, and it is delightful. This is one of the bright lights in our challenging time.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Rum Raisin Coffee Cake, Fried Eggs, Sausages, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Rouz Zirbyan with Lamb, Watermelon, Cucumber and Feta Salad with Herbs, Sides/Salad/Fruit/Dessert brought by Church Family
• Monday - Feast of Saint Mariam Baouardy
  Breakfast: Breakfast Veggie Crinkle, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Cheese Zombies (Cheese Crisps for Jerome), Tomato Soup, Peach Melba Cheesecake with Almond Crust
• Tuesday - Feast of Saint Monica
  Breakfast: Yogurt, Toast, Cubed Cantaloupe, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Stuffed Dover Sole, Herbed Rice Pilaf, Sliced Nectarines
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Augustine of Hippo
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas and Summer Squash, Sliced Canteloupe, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Tbikhat Ful, Tamis, Battatas Harra, Sliced Watermelon
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Steak and Eggs, Toast, Rajas, Corn Tortillas, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Summer Squash, Corn and Egg Bake, Sautéed Garlicky Eggplant and Tomatoes, Broiled Italian Sausages, Fruit Plate
• Friday
  Breakfast: Potato and Vegetable Hash Burritos with Salsa, Sliced Peaches, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Banadora Maghlieh, Vegetarian Rouz Bukhari, Sliced Watermelon
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Aidan
  Breakfast: Overnight Slow Cooker French Toast (Scrambled Eggs with Cheese for Jerome), Sliced Cantaloupe, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Porchetta, Roasted Potatoes, Grilled Summer Squash, Limoncello Zabaglione

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Name Day, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen

I am actually nearly finished with this second pair of Jamal mitts, in the Bactrian variation. The pattern should be ready for publication in a couple days, and I will have a great coupon code for everyone. (See the link to subscribe to my newsletter below, if you don't already, for the earliest access to coupons and sales).

Besides this, I have started a crocheted scrap yarn basket to use up some bits and bobs of DK and worsted (mostly) yarns that I have had hanging around here for a while. My destash plans are continuing apace. I have only bought about a quarter of what I have used or destashed so far this year, and don't expect to be buying a whole lot of yarn this year.

I finished Knitmare on Beech Street. It was a fun read, and not too Encylopedia Brown in its solution. However, I am a little frustrated with the author. She actually did this in the previous book, but was evidently not satisfied with that and had to mention it briefly again in this book. She proclaimed the "facts" that "everyone knows" about how Easter/Pascha is really a pagan celebration. This is utter nonsense.

The entire theory was created by a 19th century occultist (much like the claims that the feast of the Nativity was a co-opting or secret celebration of Pagan feasts/deities), who made it up whole cloth, and was utterly debunked. However, the accusation lingers, because of angry secularists and the anti-Catholic Protestants who will make partnership with them to get a jab at Catholics. Serious historians, even non-Christians, even non-theists, even non-religious ones, all know this is ridiculous. One does not have to believe that Jesus is God, or that He was raised from the dead, to know that the celebration of the Paschal feast is historic, Christian, and has nothing to do with Germanic or Ango-Saxon/Celtic mythology. For one, it was celebrated long before Christians had contact with those people groups. For another, the whole Easter=Eostre garbage is bizarre, as that is only the word in Germanic languages (German, English, and I think one Nordic language, perhaps, as well), and that "pagan" word was simply the word for the month and season in which the feast normally fell. It is the word for Spring. We don't even know that the word refers to a pagan deity. That is speculation. However, even if it did, that doesn't mean that is what is really being celebrated (or co-opted) by Christians, any more than celebrating the Fourth of July is really a tribute to the Pagan Roman Caesar Julius. There used to be a wonderful website online, footnoted, that gave historic and religious reasons for Christian celebration of the Paschal feast, but it went away. A blog that catalogues most of the rebuttals (from a pagan, no less) can be found on the wayback machine here - be sure to check the links at the bottom of that post for even more information debunking this modern mythology, but I haven't been able to get the footnoted one since the internet ate it (there is one for Christmas that was put out by an honest atheist, which also disappeared, but was preserved by an Orthodox blogger, who added his own devotional text after all the facts and footnotes). However, note that the word Pascha (which is the word, in various languages, in nearly every culture and language for the feast) is derived from Passover. Because Christ OUR Passover is sacrificed for us. Italian, Spanish, French, Romanian, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, ALL languages except for English and German (and maybe that one Nordic language) call this feast Passover. And the eggs? They came from the Passover Seder. The dyeing of the eggs began because of a miracle of Saint Mary Magdalene and initially (and still in much of the world) was not pastel spring colors, but was blood red, because of the blood of Christ. There were also iconic depictions and other decorations (like Pysanky) which developed. The pastel spring colors also come from later tradition that is just fun, and I believe in the 20th century.

In short: Ishtar is not pronounced Easter. Constantine did not Christianize the empire, the Edict of Milan simply made it so that being a Christian was no longer a capital offense against the state. Ishtar's symbols did not involve eggs or bunnies. They were the lion, the gate, and the eight pointed star. The reason Christians have eggs at Pascha (as Constantine himself would have called it, being a Greek speaker) or Easter is because of Passover's use of the eggs, and the miracle wrought by St. Mary Magdalene explaining Christ's blood shed for sin and resurrection. The commemoration of the passion and resurrection of Christ is the earliest celebration and feast of Christian history. If Fes-h'a/Fesih’ (Arabic) was about fertility and sex, there would be much less eating and chocolate and much more sex, to be blunt. Ishtar, after all, did have temple prostitution as part of her cult.

All that said, it was a brief mention in this book, though it had more prolonged visibility in the previous one, and I am assuming/hoping it won't come up in later books. In the meantime, I will be returning to Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages for my evening reading.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Any time you click on a book link, it gives me the opportunity to earn a few cents for our family.

Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Crochet, Design, Faith and Morality, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

God has been so good to us over these past few weeks of hardship and sorrow. He has sent so many people to bless us and taken care of even our simplest needs. We are looking for those lights in what feels like a rather dark time right now.

Our gleaning group has definitely been one of those lights for us. The folks running it have really looked out for our family and been generous and thoughtful. There is an abundance of fresh produce in our home, and we are eating such tasty fruits and vegetables.

It is Jerome's birthday this week, which means that we only have four more birthdays left this year. Mariam and Shawn are later this month, then Alexander and Amelia in the fall.

We are going to be saying goodbye to Dominic and Shawn this week, and that is a little sad, but they have great support and a fabulous church family at home.

Last night the winds of fall already blew. It usually comes like clockwork on the Monday after fair, but wind and rain came while fair was still going. I hope that doesn't mean that we will have an even shorter summer, though I wouldn't be upset if we had a longer fall. Fair was so strange this year, with no booth to work, and then a few scary incidents. I am looking forward to a week of rest.

• Sunday - Feast of Saint Helena
  Breakfast: White Chocolate Strawberry Cake, Raspberries and Grapes, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Spicy Brazilian Coconut Chicken and Vegetables, Rice, Watermelon, Sides/Salads/Fruit/Desserts brought by Church Family
• Monday
  Breakfast: Homemade Cottage Cheese with Avocado, Cucumber, Cherry Tomatoes and Cracked Black Pepper, Nectarines, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Slow Cooked Garlic Pork Roast, Yellow Squash, Corn and Egg Bake with Basil, Sliced Canteloupe
• Tuesday - Feast of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
  Breakfast: Biscuit Breakfast Bake, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Mousakka'a, Arabic Rice Pilaf, Morroccan Beet Salad, Muhallabiyeh
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas, Shishito Peppers and Summer Squash, Sliced Canteloupe, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Tbikhat Ful, Garlicky Swiss Chard, Marinated Cucumbers and Onions, Sliced Canteloupe
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Sausages, Sliced Peaches, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Parsleyed Peppercorn Beef Patties, Rice Pilaf, Buttered Corn on the Cob, Sliced Watermelon
• Friday - Feast of Saint Zaccaeus of Jerusalem
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Honey Peanut Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Succotash (Corn, Beans, and Peppers), Rice, Cucumber and Beet Salad, Sliced Canteloupe
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle
  Breakfast: Pancakes (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Maple Syrup, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Italian Beef Sandwiches on Herb and Olive Bread with Fried Peppers and Onions, Corn on the Cob, Fruit Plate

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.

Rejoice, O Virgin Mother of God, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee! Blessed art though amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, for thou hast borne the savior of our souls.

Dominic said that when we pray this prayer, or any other Marian prayers like the Hail Mary, which are based on the text of Luke, we are placing ourselves in the prophecy from Mary's own lips: "For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed" Luke 1:48

Labels: Birthday, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen

Swedish Cardamom Knots

These are award winning sweet rolls. I entered them into the fair this year and they got first place. Honestly, I am not sure how Swedish they are, but they are really delicious. They do not take any more time to put together than normal cinnamon rolls, but they are pretty and a tasty alternative.

Dough:
1 1/4 cups warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 large eggs beaten lightly
6 cups bread flour

Filling:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons ground cardamom
1 tablespoon ground Ceylon cinnamon

Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
coarse sugar for sprinkling

In a large mixing bowl, combine milk, melted butter, salt and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture and let stand for about 5 minutes or so, until foamy.

Add the eggs and use a wooden spoon to stir everything together. Add 5 cups of flour, one cup at a time, stirring often until a soft dough is formed. Turn it over into a floured surface and knead for about ten minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Use just enough flour from the remaining cup during kneading until the dough is no longer sticky.

Shape kneaded dough into a ball and place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour, until doubled in size.

Make the filling. Stir together softened butter, sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom until combined. Set aside.

Punch down risen dough and roll into a 15" x 21" rectangle. Spread the filling on the surface, using a spatula, brush, or back of a spoon to press the filling into the dough. Starting on the short side of the dough, fold 1/3 of it into the center, then fold the other third over to center too, covering the first flap. Briefly roll the pin over the folded dough just to stretch the width out to 12 inches.

Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut strips of dough starting from one long side to the other. The strips should be about 5/8 inch width. You will be able to make 16-20 strips. To assemble the rolls, take one strip, hold one end with your thumb and next three fingers. Wrap the strip around your fingers two times, covering the thumb as well, then pull the dough under and slip it through the opening where your thumb is. Pull it upwards and let it cross over the bun and tuck it in the other side.

Place each roll on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. Cover it loosely with a plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour, until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon milk and brush this glaze on the surface of the risen rolls. Sprinkle a little coarse sugar over top of the rolls and bake for about 22-25 minutes, until lightly golden.

Croissant Breakfast Strata

I found this recipe on Pinterest, but didn't like everything about how the dish was put together. So, here are my changes.

6 large all butter croissants torn into rough eighths
8 large eggs
3 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced
3 cups whole milk
3 cups grated Gruyére, Emmenthaler, or Jarlsberg cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 pound bacon cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 small handful chives or scallions, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste

Place butter and onions in a pot. Let onions soften, covered, for about 15 minutes over low heat, turning often. Remove lid and increase heat to medium-high, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. When onions turn golden, add balsamic and stir. Let cook for an additional 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove onions from pot and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Grease a 9×13" baking pan. Spread out torn croissants in pan, and bake for 10-15 minutes until croissants are toasted and crisp. Remove from oven and turn heat off.

While croissants are toasting, cook bacon in a pot over medium-low heat until crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Remove bacon from pot with a slotted spoon and let cool in a separate dish.

Sprinkle bacon and caramelized onions evenly over top of the croissants in the pan. Evenly sprinkle half the cheese on top of the strata.

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add remaining half of the cheese. Stir. Pour mixture evenly over croissants.

Refrigerate strata for at least 30 minutes, or even overnight. Preheat oven to 350 ℉.

Sprinkle chives or scallions over the top of the strata and bake for 50-55 minutes, until egg mixture is set in the middle and the top is deep golden brown.

Allow to rest 10-15 minutes before slicing into servings. Delicious served warm or room temperature.

Biscuit Breakfast Bake

This is another recipe I found online, but it was dependent on pop can biscuits and a lot of things I don't like to eat. So, this is how I make it for our family. I used the basic structure of the original recipe and changed the ingredients.

one recipe biscuit dough, rolled about 3/4" thick
12 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked, crumbled bacon or sausage or seasoned ground beef (optional)
1 bunch scallions, finely minced
2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Grease an 11" X 17" baking pan and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375˚F.

Using kitchen shears, snip the biscuit dough into 1 inch pieces and place in the greased baking pan.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the biscuit pieces in the pan. Sprinkle with the cooked meat and scallions and gently fold in with a spatula. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of everything.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until the egg is mostly set (a tiny jiggle in the center is fine) and the biscuits are a little browned. Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before cutting into servings.

Labels: Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

My knitting has been going much more slowly lately, between the sheer exhaustion of everything we have done, recovering from illness, and then the exhaustion of grief. This design was supposed to be ready weeks ago; and then even after modifying that schedule, was supposed to be ready this week. Instead, I am hoping to have it out this month. If you are interested in beta knitting it for me, and sharing photos, please contact me. The design has two options, and six sizes. I am only asking for one mitt to be made of any of the sizes, except the two smallest. Ideally, I would like to have a beta knitter for each size in each variation, which right now means ten knitters, as I have knit the adult medium in one variation and am working on the toddler size in the other.

It is also fair week, and though we still entered things into the fair, it was much less than normal. All of my knits and baked goods got blue ribbons, though (look at Nabati there!), and my peach pie received best in class.

Now for our sorrow and the reason for our grief. (Skip to the bottom, if you do not want to read about sorrow).

Our sweet grandson, Emmanuel Nasrullah was delivered stillborn to our second son and his wife early in the morning August 6, on the Feast of the Transfiguration. His name means God abiding (or living) with us (Emmanuel) and the victory of God (Nasrullah).

Having the experience of the corporal act of mercy in burying our loved one was extremely powerful and cathartic. I think we, in the west especially, have denied ourselves this part of grief and healing. Every one of the men, father, grandfathers and brothers, priest and godfathers, dug the grave and almost all of us, men, women, children, buried our sweet babe. Please keep us in your prayers. Especially our son and his wife.

I will be posting at least one more sample to sell on Instagram, if you are interested. I am also selling stash on Instagram and Ravelry (and you are free to make an offer on any stash that isn't marked for sale, but I may not accept it), and some samples on Instagram. Of course, all my patterns are available for sale at these sales platforms: Ravelry Store, PayHip Store, LoveCrafts Store.Thank you.

I'm reading Knitmare on Beech Street, my prayer book and Bible, and that is basically it. It's still a challenge to read anything else.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Any time you click on a book link, it gives me the opportunity to earn a few cents for our family.

Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

In birth, you preserved your virginity; in death, you did not abandon the world, O Theotokos. As mother of life, you departed to the source of life, delivering our souls from death by your intercessions.

Shudder, O ye heavens! and, O earth, give ear unto these words:
God descended once before for our sake; He descends again today for His Mother.

This is a bit early; the feast isn't until Thursday. However, the Dormition (or Assumption, in the West - this is the same feast, but the title emphasizes a different aspect) is the fourth highest feast in the Church year, following the Paschal feast, Pentecost, and the feast of the Nativity. Church teaching is that all the apostles but Thomas were gathered mystically around the Blessed Mother as she died, and were there for her burial. Thomas, arriving three days later, was taken to her tomb, only to find that it was empty. This Church teaching of the assumption of her body into heaven is not just a pious tradition, but holds some deep spiritual and physical truths for us. It is a sign and reminder to us that not only Christ resurrected bodily, but that we all will rise. Also, we know now, as they didn't then, that all women bear the DNA of each and every child borne to them in their bodies forever. So, by raising His mother, our Lord made sure that His resurrection was complete on this earth. If this had not happened, then He would not be completely risen. What a wonder and miracle!

So many times, when people deny honor to the Theotokos, it is really a dishonor to the Lord. Even denying her the title Theotokos ends up declaring that Christ was either not God in her womb, or that He is not God incarnate. It is not intentional, but I think a good question to ask oneself when putting her "in her place" is what does this mean about Christ and His divinity? If it ends up dishonoring Him, calling His divinity into question, or lessening Him, it isn't a good thing. Likewise, so many people say that there is too much honor given her, without actually considering whether or not they honor her enough or even at all. What is just the right amount of honor? Surely it isn't debasing the woman who bore and raised our Lord? Jesus was born a Jew and fulfilled the law. He loved and honored His mother, and as we could not have had Him without her, why would we want that, instead of following His example?

The Archangel Gabriel in the Gospel of Luke hails her and says that God calls her blessed. Her cousin Elizabeth's unborn son, Saint John the Forerunner, leaps at the sound of Mary's voice, and by this does Elizabeth know and proclaim that Mary is the Mother of her Lord. Mary replies by saying that ALL generations will call her blessed. It is in the Scriptures that we are to bless her, that God Himself magnifies her, so why should we not do the same? How can we do less?

Besides the Dormition feast, it is also fair week, which is a very busy week for us. And besides that we are all in grief. Because of this sorrowful event, we were not home to make most of the meals last week, and some are now on this week's menu.

I had not made an open announcement, because we were waiting for Dominic and Shawn to do so, but we have had a terrible tragedy in our family. Their first son, our grandson, nephew, cousin, Emannuel Nasrullah was stillborn on August 6, the feast of the Transfiguration. We buried him Wednesday. I will not be sharing many photos, just of the grave, but please keep all of us in your prayers, especially Dominic and Shawn, and especially pray for the soul of Emmanuel, that he and many would be brought to the Lord in glory. The feast of the Transfiguration will be forever linked to this in our lives.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Cheesy Potato Hash, Fruit Plate, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Eggplant Lasagne*, Salad, Strawberries, Blackberry Crumble
• Monday
  Breakfast: Swedish Cardamom Knots*, Battatas ou Bayd, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Spanish "Foolish Eggs," Spanish Poor Man's Potatoes, Leftover Treats from the Fair
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Honey Peanut Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Tuna Sandwiches, Carrot and Celery Sticks, Pickled Asparagus, Sliced Watermelon
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chickpeas with Veggies, Toast, Blueberries, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Italian Braised Green Beans and Potatoes, Italian Bread, Sliced Canteloupe
• Thursday - Feast of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Sausages, Fruit Plate, Milk and Tea
  Dinner: Slow Cooker Steak and Guinness Pie, Chopped Salad, Chocolate Velvet Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
• Friday
  Breakfast: Vegetable Hash Burritos with Salsa, Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Instant Pot Mixed Lentil and Vegetable Khichdi, Basmati Rice, Nectarines
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Peach and Blueberry Coffee Cake, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Sauerbraten, Sour Cream Egg Noodles, Torta Dominguera

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.

Rejoice, O Virgin Mother of God, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee! Blessed art though amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, for thou hast borne the savior of our souls.

Dominic said that when we pray this prayer, or any other Marian prayers like the Hail Mary, which are based on the text of Luke, we are placing ourselves in the prophecy from Mary's own lips: "For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed" Luke 1:48

Labels: Blessed Virgin, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen, Theotokos

These mitts are finished, though they need to be blocked. I have started a pair of tiny mitts to show the variation. Anyway, here are the just about finished, finished, finished mitts with my lovely camel.

This has still been a hard week. We are getting by, though. If you remember our family in prayer, we would appreciate it.

Again, I'm not normally someone who has a hard sell, but if I had enough sales from any of my sales platforms, we could cover the unexpected expenses of an ambulance, overnight in the ER, plane tickets, and so on. If you have ever considered buying my patterns, please do so now: Ravelry Store, PayHip Store, LoveCrafts Store. I am also selling stash on Instagram and Ravelry (and you are free to make an offer on any stash that isn't marked for sale, but I may not accept it), and some samples on Instagram. Thank you.

I've finished Irish Knit Murder and am having a hard time reading anything but Scripture and the Saints right now.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Any time you click on a book link, it gives me the opportunity to earn a few cents for our family.

Labels: Around the World Stitch Along, Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along