Joyful thanksgiving, so far from being escapist or sentimental, is on the contrary entirely realistic—but with the realism of one who sees the world in God, as the divine creation.
Metropolitan Kallistos Ware | The Orthodox Way
Christ is Risen !!
My girls call this chili soup! So easy to make you almost don’t need a recipe. Leave a comment and let me know how you like it!!
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Praise the Lord, Who preserved the children in the flame of fire of the burning furnace and came down to them in the form of an Angel, and supremely exalt him to the ages
Ode Eight : Heirmos Sunday of Thomas Matins
Christ is Risen!! Truly He is Risen!!
We are still working our way through our last loaf of Tsoureki (recipe here) . We stashed our last loaf in the freezer and will enjoy it at the end of the summer. It’s a tradition we began a few years ago when we found a loaf in the freezer at the end of the summer. We were so happy to find it that we do it every year now 😊
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If one can live in the world and yet not mix with it – just as the oil and water do not mix in the oil-lamp – then he can live in God. He is in this world but not of this world.
Mother Gavrilia
Christ is Risen!! Truly He is Risen!!
Each year we bake enough Tsoureki (Greek Easter Bread) for our feast and friends. We also always try to have enough leftover to enjoy in the coming weeks. In my next few posts I will share some of the ways we love to enjoy it! If you have never made Greek Easter Bread you can find the recipe here and a video tutorial here.
Over the years I have found many fun ways to eat our leftover loaves. This week and next I will share them with you! Today we had Tsoureki French Toast for breakfast! It’s super versatile and that citrus flavor stands up to cooking, nicely. I hope you Enjoy!!
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Love, my child hospitality, because it opens the gates of paradise. Being hospitable you can be rewarded with receiving angels. Hospitality is the greatest virtue.
Elder Amphilochius of Patmos
Having received many questions about baking Greek Easter bread from my IG post – I put together a little video while we were baking yesterday. I hope you find it helpful.
The recipe I use can be found here
A couple of hacks from over two decades of baking the Tsoureki
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Grace is the foundation of forgiveness. We pray for forgiveness to enter our heart. We beg for forgiveness to enter our heart. We importune God for forgiveness to enter our heart.
Father Stephen Freemen : Glory to God for All Things
Preparing for Pascha – there is spiritual preparation, our fasting, almsgiving and prayer and there is physical preparation : cooking for family & friends. Prepping ahead of time saves me from exhaustion and becoming too much of Martha and not enough Mary during Holy Week. Over the years, I’ve learned to plan ahead. Anything that can be made and frozen we make the week before Holy Week.
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Where love is there is Christ – Love. And where humility exists, the Grace of God takes up permanent residence, God reigns and the earth is ultimately transformed into Paradise.
Saint Paisios the Athonite
I’m just guessing that right about now you may be looking for mew Lenten recipes. This is usually when I am. And if you are, these Black Bean Burgers are for you! Normally I am not a fan of making a vegan version of dinners that should be meat… over the years my kids have always balked, but not with these. They are simple, tasty and got a thumbs up from 3 our of 3 of my kids.
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“When you humble yourself all will seem Saints to you “
Saint Joseph the Hesychast
We had so many pears that were super soft so we decided to whip up my favorite almond pear cake.
It’s gluten free and has no added sugar (bonus!).
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“Today is the day of salvation and we must never put off prayer for another time. Every moment is the moment to turn to the Lord, to thank the Lord for all His innumerable benefits, to beseech aid from on high, to repent and ask forgiveness, and to ask His blessings. The most essential part of prayer is the inner turning of the heart to the Lord.”
Acquiring the Mind of Christ : Embracing the Vision of the Orthodox Church
These vegan almond shortbread cookies are so easy to make and taste delicious. Because there are no eggs the kiddos can eat all the dough they’d like!! These cookies are
“Orthodox Fast friendly”
“Paleo”
“Low carb“
“grain-free“
These are so easy to make – basically fool proof. The recipe doubles or triples very nicely. I let them cook till they are just a slight golden brown and not super soft to the touch. They will crumble a little easier than other cookies so that really ensures that they are set up nicely. Before you start gathering your ingredients go ahead and preheat your oven to 350F.
Ingredients
Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Using a large melon baller scoop cookie dough and form into a ball. Lay each cookie dough ball on parchment lined cookies sheet and flatten with a fork. Bake cookies in preheated oven about 15-17 minutes checking to make sure they do not over brown. Even if they are a little soft when you take them out they will firm up once they cool. Enjoy with a good book and a cup of coffee!
Euphrosynus was a simple man, but a man of God. He served as the cook in a monastery in the 9th century. One night, the spiritual father of this monastery saw himself in Paradise and saw Euphrosynus there as well. Euphrosynus picked and gave him three apples from Paradise. When the spiritual father awoke, he saw three unusually beautiful and fragrant apples by his pillow. He quickly found Euphrosynus and asked him “Where were you last night, brother?” ” I was where you were, father,” the blessed God-pleaser replied. The spiritual father then revealed the entire incident to the monks and all recognized the sanctity and godliness of Euphrosynus. But Euphrosynus, fearing the praise of men, immediately fled the monastery and hid in the wilderness, where he spend the remainder of his life.
The Prologue of Ohrid : September 11/24
Almost everyone I know has an icon of Saint Euphrosynus in their kitchen… It’s become a tradition in some Orthodox circles – and most especially for anyone with kids, to pick apples, or make an apple treat on this day. Usually we bake a pie, but this year, I wanted to share this delicious apple tart with you – because we are almost totally gluten free now. The amazing thing to me is that the crust is actually simpler than making pie crust and it’s gluten free. It’s the favorite pie crust of my family these days.
Saint Euphrosynus is the Patron Saint of Cooks… and its a blessing to remember when we read about the lives of such humble Saints, that the food which sustains our very being is the Bread of Life. There is a quote by Father Schmemman that I love, and always made me feel good about being in the kitchen so much…
“Food is still treated with reverence. A meal is still a rite—the last “natural sacrament” of family and friendship, of life that is more than “eating” and “drinking.” To eat is still something more than to maintain bodily functions. People may not understand what that “something more” is, but they nonetheless desire to celebrate it.
Father Alexander Schmemman
They are still hungry and thirsty for sacramental life.”
No matter how overflowing our plate or filled is our belly, the instatiable hunger of the soul is far greater than the hunger of the body. Fall is a great season for apples and apple pie is a major comfort food. As we eat with the Saints, we can remember that our ultimate comfort food is heavenly nourishment – the Eucharist – the Bread of Life – Living Water – the Sacraments – from which we will never hunger.
And when we make any food honoring the remembrance of a Saint, the true expression of that commemoration is when we gather with our family and talk about the Lord, about the Saint, about our Faith – or even to distribute it to the poor in your area, because where two or three are gathered, He is with us.
This is a tart that I really love. It is naturally sweetened, which by now most everyone knows that I try to reduce the sugar as much as possible in my recipes. If you would like a sweeter tart, feel free to sprinkle brown sugar on top, or you can make the caramel sauce to drizzle atop the tart before you eat.
Ingredients
Notes: I can not take credit for recipes that are not my own. The crust is inspired by Elena’s Pantry and the caramel sauce is a Pioneer Woman favorite of mine, plus it is insanely easy and beyond delicious!!!!
If you would like to learn more about Saint Euphrosynus the Cook here are some amazing resources:
Saint Euphrosynus the Cook and Apples from Heaven
Saint Euphrosynus : An Ordinary Cook in Paradise
Saint Euphrosynus the Cook of Alexandria
Eating Apples with Saint Euphrosynus
Lemons and Olives : Saint Euphrosynus the Cook
“Love Christ and put nothing before His Love. He is joy, He is life, He is light. Christ is Everything. He is the ultimate desire, He is everything. Everything beautiful is in Christ.”
Saint Porphyrios : Wounded By Love
These super easy cookies are a tangy delicious treat, and a great addition to the kids lunch. Gluten-free and and naturally sweetened, they are a cinch to make and can be enjoyed baked or raw. The basic cookie dough is a riff off of my lemon zest cookies.
Ingredients
Preparation
Mix all ingredients in food processor and blend until a paste forms. Scoop out dough and shape into balls about one inch in diameter. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake in 250F oven for twenty minutes. Take cookies out and let cool about 20 minutes. Place chocolate chips in a double boiler and melt. Drizzle over cookies. Makes about 30 little cookies.
gladsomelife.com 