2021 Pascha Basket

 

Greek Pascha Bread, Cheese, Sausage, Bacon, Eggs, Chocolate, and Cheese Pascha! 

I can't believe that I forgot the sparkling cider! 

Trifle

 

 

Our traditional Pascha dessert is always trifle! I make Paula Deen's pound cake recipe, mix up some vanilla pudding, make a fruit salad (this was strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries), and make lashings of homemade whipped cream. Layered all together in a Trifle bowl, it is a quite a sight! 

Kulich

 

 

I tried the kulich (Russian Easter bread that resembles a church dome with it's height and rounded top) recipe from Holiday and Celebration Bread in Five Minutes a Day this year. It appealed to me because of its ease, the fact that it only provides you with one large kulich (though I'm making three small ones), and relatively simple ingredient list (I could not find potato flour on short notice, so I substituted corn starch as @kingarthurbaking suggested). These little kulichi really turned out well this year! I will definitely be using this recipe from now on, and plan to use some of the other celebration bread from this book in the future!

Red Eggs!

 

 

Red Eggs! I dyed with onion skins and used @asceticlifeofmotherhood's tutorial. I put all of the dried, papery skin of about fifteen onions in a pot and covered them with water. I brought the pot of water and onion skins to a boil, pushing the onion skins under the water every so often (eventually they all stayed submerged). Once the water was boiling, I turned the burner down and let everything simmer for 30 minutes. While this was going on,, I left my eggs out to come to room temperature. Next, I strained the onion skins out of the pot by pouring everything through a strainer into a large bowl. I returned the dye to the pot and brought it back up to a boil. I added 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to the dye and put in twelve eggs, cooking them for 15 minutes. Once the eggs were done, I removed them from the dye and let them dry and cool on a cooling rack. Once the eggs were completely cool, I rubbed them with olive oil. This will make them glow like rubies, but most importantly, it will seal the color and prevent the eggs from forming condensation when you put them in your Pascha basket from the fridge! Aren't they gorgeous? Thanks for the tutorial, @asceticlifeofmotherhood! 

Pascha in the Kitchen

 

 

Cheese Pascha joins the 'finished column' along with three kulichi, red eggs, and potato salad for tomorrow's meal. 

Bible Study in Comfort

 

Bible study on Romans tonight... not sorry at all that it is via zoom and I can knit and enjoy the fire while I listen. 

Roof

 

After months of waiting, the roof is finally in progress on the arch! 

The Meeting of the Lord

 

 

 

⭐ The candles are blessed! ⭐ 

Preparing

 

 

Tuesday, February 2nd is The Meeting of the Lord, which commemorates when The Mother of God and Saint Joseph brought the Infant Jesus Christ to the Temple at 40 days old. Our church blesses candles after Liturgy. This is one of my favorite feasts! 

Evening Prayers

Romans

 

 

Our parish is starting a Bible Study on Romans tonight. 

House Blessing

 

Winter Jewels on Thephany

 

 

 

Joyous Feast of Theophany, dear Friends! Our after Liturgy breakfast is a slice of gorgeous sourdough (made by a parishioner!) with toasted cheese, a scrambled egg, and a generous portion of bacon. Rounded off with a clementine, mug of tea, and a new-to-me book, Williamsburg: A Seasonal Sampler. 

Prosphora

My husband's Prosphora (bread for Holy Communion) is so beautiful.

Vlogmas: 24 December

 Day Thirty-Seven of Vlogmas!

Saint Nicholas Coins

 

Our Saint Nicholas Day coins are ready for tomorrow! I love how they look in this antique dish... I read that this type of basket was for a bride's bouquet. 

The Feast of Saint Alexander Hotovitsky

O Holy Saint Alexander, Pray Unto God for Us!

Vlogmas: 20 November

Day Six of Vlogmas: homemade bagels, tidying a bookshelf, fixing the vacuum, and polishing the silver

Vlogmas: 19 November

 

Day Five of Vlogmas: Forcing bulbs for the Nativity Season and catching up after the long weekend

 

Vlogmas: 18 November

Day Four of Vlogmas: Infusions, check ups, and The Four Seasons