How to make it Special

I have been reading and talking to others about ways to make feasting in general special.Many who have been doing this longer than I, say that making your weekday meals more simple is one way. I have posted on this a little before. For us we did this because financially we could not swing big meals 6 nights a week and then added to that a feast. As I also said before, I needed to free up some time in the week to prepare for Saturday night. Today I will be cooking my side dishes for tomorrow, therefore we are eating leftovers from last night. I usually cook one pot of soup or chili once a week. We can get two meals out of those. Someone said to me"you spend your entire week making sacrifices and planning for one meal". Yes, I do, but I see it as more than a meal. That meal is the start of the day that my family and I look forward to the whole week. That meal makes us stop and forget everything else, to focus on worshipping our savior. That meal encourages conversations with my children that would not normally happen. Preparing the entire week for the Sabbath has made it a very special day in our home. A day to look forward to, just as you do Christmas or Thanksgiving. If you are new to this, give it time. It took us a good year to get in the groove. Now that we are, I would not change it. Seeing my children's love of the Sabbath makes everything worth the sacrifices and work. I would recommend the book A Return to Sunday Dinner. It is not about Sabbath feasting, but the same principles apply.

Is it hard for your family to decide what standard to set for feasting? We have never really struggled, because my husband is not one to think he has to do what everyone else is doing. I do know families that struggle with this. When you fellowship with a community that feasts regularly this is not as hard because you have others to learn from. If you decide that the same"rules" apply for Sabbath feasting that apply to Sunday worship, then you have a good starting place. We did this knowing this meant we would be offering our best. We have always believed we offer Christ our best when we worship Him. AS I have said before this meant creative budgeting for us. I think we should all remember that our "best" is different for each household. I love to cook. I cook a hot home cooked meal most every night. To make it special on Saturday takes a little work. I have friends who do not cook. When they do cook on Saturday, their feast is different than mine. I have been touched to be invited to feast with a family that lives this way. I knew the food she prepared took hours of thought and labor because it did not come naturally. Those who love to do this, because it is gift God has given them, need to not be quick to judge those who may not have the same gift. They have many that I do not have, and prayed that I did. I will say this often, because I truly believe it. Feasting is about bringing a love of celebrating the Sabbath to your home. You may do it differently than I, as long as the end goal is the same.

Julie

Apricot honey glaze

This glaze was delicious! I like to do a ham every so often, because it is very cost effective. I bought it on sale at Christmas an I will be able to get at least two more meals out of it. I will do a ham and potato casserole tonight and then freeze the rest to do a bean soup next week. This was a great glaze and I believe it would dress up a chicken as well as the ham.

1/2 c. apricot preserves
1/2 c. honey
1 TBS cornstarch
3 TBS lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Mix all ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until it reaches desired thickness.

Weekend Plans

It is Tuesday,and I have started to look at the weekend. We have invited company for our feast. They have not responded, so I am not sure what to do yet. I have london broil in the freezer. I think I found it on sale for $1.99lb. I have the ingredients for broccoli casserole. That's a favorite around here. Bruce(husband) loves my roasted potatoes. I will more than likely do bread with honey butter. If we have company I will do a nice dessert. If we do not, then I will stick with icecream. My kids really do like that better. Oh yeah! I cooked the ham last night that I was supposed to have on Saturday. I did an apricot honey glaze. HUGE success. I will post the recipe later. I am waiting for the tow truck to come and get my car. It will not start. Nothing to make you feel more trapped than when you do not have a vehicle. Anyway need to get back to the window to watch for the truck.

Julie

Best Laid Plans

So, what is that they say about best laid plans? Well, in all of my planning last week I forgot it was a teacher work day at school on Friday. Not normally a problem. I know there are home-school moms who cook everyday, and I can cook while the kids are home. But, teacher work days are special for us because, daddy still has to go to school while the kids stay home and have a ton of fun. This usually involves going out to lunch. We had plans Friday night. Therefore my Friday cooking did not get done. Saturday was full as well. I suggested moving the feast. My husband says no. We will just want to crash on Sunday due to the busy weekend, and i was starting to lead a ladies book study that night. He thought it was too much for me. So, he says let's just do a pared down feast. Thankfully we had some steaks in the freezer that had been given to us as a gift. I threw some potatoes in the oven and sauteed some asparagus in garlic olive oil and pine nuts. I sprinkled feta cheese on top when they were done cooking.(Yes, my children love asparagus. I know they are weird.) It would have been okay to just skip this week, but it is a night my family as grown to love. We did not want to skip. We just were a little more laid back. Instead of wild and crazy games, we curled up on the couch as daddy read Prince Caspian. Or as Zachary(3) says Prince P. Caspian. So, what is the point here? Do not be legalistic about feasting. Set the standard you want to attain, knowing that occasionally it will have to be altered.

Julie