Cheeseweek Menu
A little belated, but posting it for my own reference too. Here’s the menu for the last week we eat dairy before the fast begins. (We give up meat as of last week. Easing us in slowly.)
Sunday
We actually ate breakfast on a Sunday! Other than right after I had the baby, neither of can remember the last time that happened, since Orthodox observe a full (no food or drink) fast from midnight on Saturday until after communion on Sunday. But 27 inches of snow was too much to drive an hour to church in.
Breakfast: scrambled eggs with zucchini, green onions, red onions, and cheese, with toast and orange slices
Lunch: tuna melts
Dinner: Shepherd’s Pie, salad with homemade ranch
Monday
Breakfast: Macrina’s Strata (egg casserole with baby portobellas, roasted onion, and fontina)
Dinner: Carmelized onion, red pepper, and Jarlsberg quiche, salad, french bread
Tuesday:
Breakfast: leftover strata
Dinner: Leftover quiche, salad, bread
Wednesday: (still a fast day)
Breakfast: oatmeal with chopped dried apricots and bananas
Dinner: Homemade hummus and baba ghanouj with pita, tomatoes, and cucumber
Thursday:
Breakfast: more leftover strata (it makes a big casserole)
Dinner: Fettuccini alfredo with sauteed mushrooms, and chopped broccoli
Friday: (Another fast day)
Breakfast: Oatmeal with apricots and bananas
Dinner: Hummus, baba ghanouj, pita, tomatoes, cucumbers
Saturday:
Breakfast: An egg and cheese something. Use up whatever dairy is left
Dinner: Pizza!
Sunday, the last day before the fast, is still to be determined. Probably something to use up yet more of the dairy in our fridge.
Desserts:
Homemade chocolate custard ice cream with homemade almond-toffee-chocolate chunks. Homemade vanilla ice cream with something yummy mixed in, haven’t decided yet.
Anyone have any good ideas from their own cheeseweek menu to add to the mix for next year?
Posted in Uncategorized
February 10th, 2010 at 6:43 pm
hello ariel~
nice to see you writing again. always enjoy reading what you have to say.
i almost always make cheesecake during cheesefare week. we had homemade macaroni and cheese last night. i like to put a good amount of spicy mustard in the sauce. we also usually have grilled goat cheese sandwiches (also with mustard) and tomato soup made with cream. and we always have cream scones and coffee, usually the saturday afternoon before lent begins. most of the recipes come from deborah madison’s “vegetarian cooking for everyone. i think this is still one of my favorite cookbooks. works well during and after fasting times.
February 11th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Lovely blog- I really enjoy it! I’m curous to know which Archdiocese you’re in. Something I find fascinating is that in my Greek archdiocese we have this week as dairy allowed every day on the calendar from the archdiocese. Any idea why the difference?( I realize it’s not that big a deal, we’re all Orthodox, just wondering why:)
February 12th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
It looks really yummy, Arielle! I want to try making ice cream, but I think it won’t be this year (at least not before Lent!)
Russians allow dairy every day of Cheesefare too. I actually didn’t know there was anyone who didn’t!
February 13th, 2010 at 9:27 am
For whatever it might be worth, Wednesday and Friday in Cheesefare Week are not fast days (except from meat only) in our tradition. I’m about 95% certain that’s nearly universal throughout the Orthodox Church (WR parishes have a different fasting discipline).