This was such a busy weekend for us. Between the feasts of All Saints and All Souls, a couple of our kids going to a teen retreat in Idaho, a memorial for a friend and neighbor, and going to liturgy at a church an hour and a half away this morning for a Saints Alive feast and celebration, we have been on the go in every direction you can imagine.

We had a lot of winners last week for dinner. The Colombian beans, Croatian soup, and Spanish farmer's rice are all going to be seen on our menus again later this year and into next year. However, I'm finding that we are needing quicker, simpler breakfasts even than what I have been planning, so I am streamlining it even more. Also, I am trying to plan for leftover uses to stretch the budget and make cooking time easier at night. For instance, we have roast pork on the menu for tomorrow, but I know there will be a little left, so it will go into the fried rice the next day. I tried to make enough rice this weekend that I wouldn't have to cook any Monday for the dinner Tuesday, but we went through it all pretty thoroughly. Soups, stews, and legumes are still showing up a lot, as they are warm and filling and good for the family purse. Speaking of which, our Grocery Outlet had these Spanish tuna burgers, made with real food, for less than $4.00 per pound, which is a screaming deal. Even considering that we are paying for the other ingredients at that rate, it also means that all we have to do is to heat it up in a skillet or in the oven, so that seems like a win to me. We bought a lot of them.

Since we had freshly butchered chicken, I used it for a meal this past week and that meal is going on next week's menu. This next weekend is the first (and maybe only) weekend since we last butchered. We have about seven muscovies on death row, destined for the freezer. I'm also trying to sell about 10 to 12 of them. If you live near us, let me know if you are interested. We do not want to be feeding this many all winter, so we are keeping a few for breeding and eggs, and the rest will become meat or get sold. The meat will be lovely in meals come January, though we may try a little this month, too. Thanksgiving will be taking up a lot of the menu at the end of this month, and then the Advent fast begins. We may slip in one muscovy dinner before all of that.

Because of our very busy weekend, it was a relief to us that the folks at church all pitched in to plan a wonderful dinner so we wouldn't have to do it tonight. In fact, one person explicitly told me that I could send recipes and assignments if ever I needed assistance. One person sent me a text less than a day from returning from Italy to ask what she could bring. We are so grateful for these people who are our church family.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: None (morning Liturgy)
  Dinner: Moroccan Lamb and Chickpea Stew, Rice, Homemade Bread, Cinnamon Rolls
• Monday
  Breakfast: Fried Halloum, Sliced Tomatoes, Toast (GF for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Roasted Garlic Herb Pork Loin, Roasted Broccoli, Baked Potatoes with Sour Cream and Scallions, Sliced Apples
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Yogurt and Jam, Toast (GF for Jerome), Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Fried Rice, Green Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing, Fruit Plate
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Apple Coconut Breakfast Bowls with Cashew Butter Drizzle, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Persian Potato Curry, Basmati Rice, Tomato Salad, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Tuna Burgers, Pickles, Potato Wedges, Torta Dominguera
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Thai Mussels with Jasmine Rice to break the fast after Liturgy
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pancakes (GF for Jerome) with Raspberry Syrup, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Habanero Pork Belly Tacos, Ranchero Beans, Mexican Rice, Salsa, Fruit

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:20 AM 0 comments

This is such a delicious and simple salad. For your cooked beets, you can boil or steam them, but I prefer roasting them. You can cook them in a pressure cooker. In any case, you want them cooled and peeled, and that can be done ahead of time. This makes a good quantity of salad, so you may wish to halve it, but it does hold in the refrigerator for at least a week and a half or more. You can serve it a few times over that week or so, and not have to make salad each time.

10 medium beets, scrubbed, cooked, cooled and peeled, diced into fine dice
1 large red onion, finely minced
1 bunch fresh, flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher, flake, salt (I use Diamond)
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice

In a large bowl, put the diced beets, minced onion, chopped parsley and cilantro, and toss a little.

In a small frying pan, toast the cumin seeds over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 2 - 3 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat once they start to smell toasty. You can grind them completely in a spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle and only roughly crack and grind them (which I prefer). Allow to cool.

Mix together the toasted cumin seeds, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice into a dressing. Pour over the vegetables and herbs in the bowl and mix well to coat everything. Chill until ready to serve.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 2:11 PM 0 comments

We got to go to a fun, family party last night, so my Saturday dinner plans are now on this week for Monday. This also means that I will share the beet salad recipe on Saturday, so I can post with pictures.

The weather is making a lot of our life a little more difficult, so we had some garden/produce disappointments this past week that we are mourning. However, dear Rich got a bunch of our birds in the freezer, so they aren't roaming around and we have wonderful meat for the year. This is our first time trying muscovy meat, and we have heard it is almost like red meat. I'm excited to try it. Our neighbors are probably excited not to see so many of our birds wandering. We really need to get more fencing up on the property.

We are eating more soup because of that weather, and I am so happy. I love soup. Part of our preserving our budget is also eating soups (and legumes), and I try to serve soup or stew once a week even in the summer, and at least one meal that is based in legumes. This week, we are having three soups, which is really pushing it for Rich, but he is a good sport about it, and three legume meals (one a soup!), though two of those have meat in them. Rich really prefers soups that are creamy or thick, so at least two of these fit that description. If you are trying to keep your budget well, soups and stews are great. Beans and other legumes are protein and calcium rich foods that are an integral part of many different cultures' cuisines, and can be made in so many different delcious ways. They also have the benefit of being inexpensive and filling - especially if you cook them from dry.

Since this week contains many feasts and memorials, we have a busy time ahead of us. We do celebrate Halloween, as the fun, trick or treat and costume celebration, but we also very much remember all the saints, which is why we celebrate it in the first place. We will be praying for all the souls who have passed, as well, this week. Have a fun All Hallow's Eve, but also please remember why we celebrate.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Spiced Prune Cake (GF for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Bean and Bacon Soup, Sides/Salads/Bread/Fruit/Desserts brought by Parishioners
• Monday - Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
  Breakfast: Chorizo and Vegetable Hash, Toast, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Waraq ‘Ounab, Rice, Harissa, Sah'awiq, Moroccan Beet Salad*, Olive Bread
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with Chopped Apples, Raisins, Brown Sugar and Cinnamon, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Hobbit Dinner (Sausage, Potato, Cauliflower, Carrot and Onion Skillet), Green Salad, Fruit Plate
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Potato and Vegetable Hash with Salsa, Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Croatian Roux Soup with Croutons, Salad, Sliced Apples
• Thursday - Eve of the Feast of All Saints
  Breakfast: Biscuit Breakfast Sandwiches (GF for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Columbian Beans and Rice, Corn Tortillas, Salad, Fruit Plate
• Friday - Feast of All Saints
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Spanish Farmer's Rice, Spanish Poor Man's Potatoes, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Comemoration of All Souls
  Breakfast: Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with Cream Cheese Drizzle, Chorizo Patties, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Cream of Jalapeño Soup, Crackers (GF for Jerome), Fruit Plate

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:54 AM 0 comments

The final version of Shallal is knit and finished, but still needs photography. I've made progress on the baptismal gown sleeves, though. I figured out the stitch count for the yarn I am using and how many repeats to work, and now I'm more than halfway through the first one. Oh, and I started Amelia's Saint Nicholas stocking.

There are a few other projects on needles, and a couple on hooks, for grandbabies and Christmas and so on. I've accidentally taken a break from design knitting, but that is because I have one that was giving me trouble that I need to fix and another that is almost finished, but I don't want to pick it up until I finish the problem child.

So, basically I am trying to decide if I should put all the designs on the back burner and work on some of the Christmas projects, especially since I haven't taken my sabbatical months this year the way I normally do, and there are some people whose gifts might be deliverable in person over Thanksgiving, or if I should knuckle down and at least get the problem child finished and edited so I can publish it this year and finish a collection that has been open a little too long. I also have another stocking to knit, and want to get that finished. Though that is for Old Calendar family, which gives me an extra 13 days!

That brings me to the other design project I'd like to have finished: The Pascha basket cover design. 2025 is the next time East and West celebrate the Paschal feast together, and the one after that isn't until 2028. I wanted to make it a knit along, and have it start during Clean Week and end at Lazarus Saturday, with Holy Week and Bright Week being when people can share their pictures and so on of their finished covers. If I don't work on it for 2025, it will go on the back burner for another two and a half years, at least. What say ye?

My goal is for us to finish Emma before Thanksgiving. I really thought we could finish before the end of the month, but life keeps throwing stuff at us that makes our time more compressed. Normally, when we are reading something like this, we read three to four chapters at a shot, and lately it's been more like one or two. Deck the Donuts is still my brain candy reading, and I like it, but even that has been a little more time than I could take recently. It should be finished by my next Craft On post.

Hooray! I was able to pick up Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages and read a little more. Again, I don't agree with all of her conclusions, but her information is fascinating, and the history she gives is fantastic.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday

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

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 5:05 PM 0 comments

We celebrated Amelia's birthday this weekend! She is growing so much and we love her more each day.

I keep thinking we will be finished with the preserving, but there always seems to be a little more. We still have tomatoes to finish and a little more apple pie filling to make. The apple scrap vinegar is a great side product from all the peels and trimmings. And we'll probably smoke some more tomatoes and make more tomato powder.

Our week was challenging and some menu items were moved around so we have repeats this week. We also were given a bounty of eggplant, and used some on Friday, and will be using more this week. If we still have some, I will turn it into caponata for the freezer and pull it out when we need a quick Lenten meal.

Also, I know I was supposed to share a recipe this weekend, but we didn't get it made, so I didn't have a photo, and I thought I'd wait until I had a picture of it for you to share. We are trying again this week, and I should be able to make it because we don't have the weird appointments and schedule shifts that we did last week.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Pancakes and Maple Syrup, Bacon, Grapes, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Kofta and Potato Stew, Sides/Salads/Fruit brought by Parish Members, Leftover Birthday Cake
• Monday - Feast of Saint Hilarion the Great
  Breakfast: Spiced Prune Cake (GF for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pepperoni Pizzas with Peppers, Red Onion, and Tomato, Green Salad, Mandarin Oranges
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal Muffins with Cashew Butter, Fruit Plate, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Cream of Jalapeño Soup, Crackers (GF for Jerome), Fruit Plate
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint James of Jerusalem
  Breakfast: Potato and Vegetable Breakfast Tacos with Salsa, Fruit Plate, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Moroccan Lentils with Eggplant and Cauliflower, Rice, Moroccan Beet and Onion Salad*, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Overnight Breakfast Enchiladas with Egg, Chorizo and Diced Tomatoes, Sliced Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Bacon Cheeseburgers, Potato Wedges, Pickles, Fruit Plate
• Friday - Feast of Saints Crispin and Crispian
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Fruit, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Spanish Farmer's Rice, Spanish Poor Man's Potatoes, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Savory Parmesan French Toast with Hollandaise Sauce, Fruit Plate, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Waraq ‘Ounab, Rice, Harissa, Tomato Salad, Fruit Plate

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 4:21 AM 0 comments

I have finished all of the H'ammaam spa set and the prototype for Shallal. Now, I am working on the second, final version of Shallal and the pattern is all written. That feels good after a tough time getting my thoughts together.

Besides that, I am making progress on the baptismal gown sleeves, and hope to have both sleeves finished in just a couple weeks.

We are more than halfway through Emma. I've finished two more happy, little, doughnut murders, and I'm on the sixth in the series, Deck the Donuts, which precipitated a bizarre dream involving a former colleague of Rich's bringing us a pre-decorated, fake Christmas tree, and another bringing us three more. Which were upside down. Then meeting up with Colin Firth who came over for snacks and drinks. And could speak Arabic. It's been a hard time and my brain is doing weird things. I still haven't had a doughnut, though.

I got to read a very little in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages, but then we had more difficulties and I couldn't think enough to engage with it.

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

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 4:58 PM 0 comments

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 Honeycrisps 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

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 7:43 AM 0 comments

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:20 AM 0 comments

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

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:59 AM 0 comments

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

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

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:18 AM 0 comments

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

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

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 4:12 PM 0 comments

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

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:34 AM 0 comments

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

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:58 AM 0 comments

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 7:53 AM 0 comments

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 12:34 PM 0 comments

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.

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:58 PM 0 comments

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:29 AM 0 comments

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.

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:01 AM 0 comments

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

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:02 PM 0 comments

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.

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:46 PM 0 comments

"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

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 12:14 AM 0 comments

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.

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:24 AM 0 comments

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

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

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:27 AM 0 comments