Some Finer Things

One of the nice things about having a 6 week fast before Christmas (with T and me, at least) is that you get at least 6 Kris Kringle presents.

You might ask, "What are Kris Kringle presents?"  They're awesome, that's what they are :)  As kids, "Kris Kringle" always found the best presents and small gifts to give us.  On Sundays there would be a gift for the family, usually a Christmas book or chocolates--something we could all share and enjoy.  During the weekdays (it seemed to me, most often, on those days when my poor 3rd grade week was just too long to endure), we'd wake up and find a small treasure--sometimes wrapped, sometimes not--waiting on our pillow or on our dresser for us.  It was always such a treat, and so unexpected.

Two years ago, I decided Kris Kringle should come to our house, too.  And what'd'y'know? we found gifts waiting for us all 6 Sundays of Advent :)

The best part is that you never know where the present will show up, or even when.  We got this on on Wednesday--a special present. I guess Kris knew we needed a few things from the Body Shop.

Taylor really wished that he got a cut-throat razor to go with it, but I'm not so sure about those yet...

He really did enjoy his new brush, though--it was super cute, and, he says, "much better than that stuff from the can."  Well done, Kris Kringle!

And now we sit,

freshly brewed oolong tea

in nifty

new

 double-walled

 cups,

tidying up our day

before heading to bed.

The finer things in life

are usually very small.

 

But always fantastic.

Enjoy them :)

One Dish Wonder

Writing again late at night, but this is a quick one, anyway :)

Everyone in my family remembers shepherd's pie.  It was one of Momma's leftovers dishes and pretty simple--ground beef, frozen peas, condensed tomato soup, mashed potatoes. Bake it to warm. Dish it up, salt and pepper to taste :)  Ahhh, memories.  I'm not sure how much she made each time, but when I make it, T and I easily eat up half of the recipe in one dinner.  How did she stretch her recipe for a family of 7?!  Maybe she used bigger pans...

Anyway, I've been "experimenting" with this recipe of late.  I added onion because I love onion :) it's completely optional in the recipe below.  I didn't have tomato soup one day (I know, Daddy--the SHOCK! [Momma and Daddy always had canned tomato soup on hand.. it was one of their staples]) and so I used some canned tomatoes I had.  Tonight, I didn't have any mashed potatoes ready, and figured dicing them would be less mess than mashing them (certainly less to clean out of the pan).

Really, though, the possibilities are endless--change up the vegetables, carrots instead of peas, pearl onions with the ground beef, a layer of scrambled egg, different potatoes, cheese on top, etc.  Experiment with your own ideas!

So here it is, my small twist on
Momma's Shepherd's Pie

1 pound ground beef (or turkey, your preference)
1/4 onion, chopped (or 1 T dried onion)
2 T flour (or arrowroot powder)
1 pound bag frozen peas
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 c chopped parsley
leftover potatoes (if you have leftover potatoes--diced, mashed, fries, hashbrowns, etc., this really is a one-dish meal.  You'll need 2-3 c potatoes [chop the french fries into smaller pieces]. If, like me, you don't have any leftovers, follow the instructions in brackets)
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brown the beef in a large oven-proof skillet.  Add onion and saute until tender (or re-constituted).  Turn off heat, add flour and stir to combine.

While beef is browning, [bring a pot of water to a boil. Par-boil 3-4 diced potatoes until barely fork-tender (5-8 minutes).  Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and] toss potatoes with 1/4 c chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Set aside.

Layer the vegetables over the beef (in the skillet) in this order:
frozen peas
tomatoes
potatoes

Place the whole skillet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until juices are bubbling.

Serve warm.

CHECKing In!

Look what I've done this week :)

1. 4 of these:  CHECK (yes, I started with this one on purpose)
2. 5 of these:  ALSO CHECK! (ok, I only had to "make" this one once)
3. 5 of these:  CHECK! 
4. 5 of these: Check-a-partial-one. Given the above three CHECKs, these don't seem so bad anymore :) 
5. 3 of these:  Check a-partial-One!  Two and Three: pending successful completion of one. 
6. 1 set of these:  Check part One and Two. Third part--in progress! 
7. 1 of these:  No check. Coming up next, though! :)
8. mail this: CHECK! 
9. Order these: CHECK!
10. 2 of these: nope, haven't started these either. 

In other news, it's been sunny here of late. Sunny. And Windy. And (therefore) chilly.

Why does everyone think Sun automatically makes it a "nice day"?  Having been raised in a desert, where it's sunny all the time, I'm here to tell you that premise if flawed.  Don't get me wrong--sunshine is great (really!) but what's wrong with clouds?

Anyway :)  Enjoy the sunshine, wherever you are!

O Joyful Light

Advent is here.  That joyful season when we prepare to celebrate Christ's birth.  I've been thinking about Christmas for months now (homemade gifts + an ever-expanding family), but with the advent of Philipovka, it's time to prepare the soul (and body, and home) as well.

Yesterday, after work, I tidied up the house and got out the red cloths and candles for the icon corner.  I put away the familiar white cloth behind the crucifix, and I folded the fancier cloth that sits on the shelf, under our candles and icons and holy cards.  When our small red candle is lit for prayers, the red flame stands out against the golden icons.

I pulled our Star of David out from the shelf and unwrapped the six red candles I had saved from last year and set it up on our table. I placed our prayer booklets for meals, with matches and a candle snuffer, on the table next to the candles.

I unpacked the Advent Calendar and hung it on our bedroom door.

There.

Now I'm ready to wait for Christ.

Menu planning for the next 6 weeks will be a bit different.  See, part of our Christmas preparation is to fast, and I need to factor that in to my meal schedule.  Oatmeal for breakfast, very small lunch or snack, modest dinner, no desserts.  I know that some people may think fasting is "old fashioned" and "unnecessary" but I firmly believe in its benefits (spiritually as well as physically).  By abstaining from certain foods for certain reasons, our bodies remind us to prepare for Christmas, to pray, and to give thanks for the gifts we have.  Abstinence makes the heart grow (fonder, more charitable, holier).  Also, how much more feast-ive is the Christmas day feast when the fast is broken and the much-missed foods return to the table!  If one can fast from good things, one is free from slavery to them, and thus, closer to God.

Over the next several weeks, I will decorate our house for Christmas.  We will put up our nativity sets, hang lights and Christmas pictures, find a tree, and decorate it beautifully.  We will hear readings at Church each day that increase the anticipation and excitement with a voice crying out in the wilderness, "Ready the Way of the Lord!"  The house will be full of goodies which only make an appearance at Christmastime (cunningly saved in winter tins to await the end of the fast).  We will play Christmas music and wrap presents and visit family and warm our hearts and souls and bodies against the cold with all manner of Good Things.

But for now, it is just the beginning of the journey toward Christmas, and we enter the wilderness for 40 days to make ourselves ready.

Last night we had lentil and sweet potato soup with a quick wheat bread (recipe from my birthday cookbook).

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

2 c. red or brown lentils (or combination) soaked overnight
2 medium sweet potatoes
3 onions (or 3 heaping T dried onion)
2 qt water (or combination water and broth of choice)
1/2 tsp paprika
juice of one lemon
dash cayenne pepper (add this after soup is done simmering! if it boils, it intensifies!)
salt to taste

Combine water [and stock], lentils, sweet potatoes, and onions in soup pot and simmer until veggies are tender.

Blend soup until smooth.

Add seasonings to taste.


Whole Wheat Buttermilk Bread
adapted from: From a Monastery Kitchen

1 c flour
2 heaping c coarse-ground whole wheat flour
2 T sesame seeds
2 T toasted wheat germ (I used milled flax seeds)
2 T rye meal
1 tsp salt
1 T brown sugar
1 heaping tsp baking soda
2 c buttermilk (dairy allergy/vegan? use milk substitute + 2 T vinegar)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add 2 c buttermilk and stir until just combined (adding water if mixture is too dry--it should have the consistency of banana bread batter).

Grease bread pan. Pour mixture into the pan and bake for about 40 minutes. Cool (or not) and serve.

Writer's Block

It's a tricky time of year.  It's also Monday, and that means I feel frazzled--whether or not I have reason to.  Mondays mean I have to go into work after a couple days off (oh blissful days!). Mondays mean I have to start thinking about the week ahead (though I usually do that on the weekend, too).  Mondays mean I need to exercise again (I give myself Sundays off).

It's a tricky time of year because I can't talk to you about most of the crafty projects I'm working on ( = no accountability!) because most of them are presents.  And the projects that aren't presents I don't usually have time for, so the list would be short and, really, rather stagnant until post-holiday.

But in the name of (hopeful) progress, let's give this a try:

1. 4 of these:  CHECK (yes, I started with this one on purpose)
2. 5 of these:  ALSO CHECK! (ok, I only had to "make" this one once)
3. 5 of these:  Check One, Two, and a-partial-Three. Four and Five: pending
4. 5 of these: Um... we'll talk about these later. 
5. 3 of these:  Check a-partial-One!  Two and Three: pending successful completion of one. 
6. 1 set of these:  Check part One and Two. Third part--in progress! 
7. 1 of these:  No Check. Should be easy, though :)
8. mail this: have to make a card!
9. Order these: waiting for one more this. 

Hmm. That does feel a little better.  And it makes me smile to think that (most of) you have no idea what I'm talking about :)

So it's still Monday... but on the bright side, I still have 30-some day before (most of) the gifts are due.  And since it's Monday, that means that tomorrow's Two's Day!