Pascha Gifts List

Thank you, Lord

#20: A fun time naturally coloring eggs inspired by Martha, using beets, onion skins, blueberries, and saffron to create different colors.


#21: beautiful eggs for home and for our Pascha basket


#22: Little Builder and I learning Christos Anesti (our first Pascha in a Greek parish) using YouTube.

#23: Kulich loaves standing guard on the counter, beautiful to my heart even if I ran out of coffee cans and had to make some short, fat ones.


#24: My mother and sister helping with all those eggs and kulich, shared experiences with ones I love.

#25: Teenagers undeterred by muddy grass, still creating an egg hunt for the little ones...


#26: muscular little legs, setting off in excitement with baskets in tow


#27: Baby born on the Tuesday after Pascha last year, protected by God "from every danger, illness, and grief" despite a multiply-wrapped umbilical chord threatening her neck... now walking with the big kids and finding an egg of her own... we are so grateful she is with us.


#28: Our God-baby, shyly smiling.

#29: Hollow emtpy-tomb cookie recipe from Elizabeth; shared stories and time with my son making them.

#30: Spontaneously singing Christ is Risen in any of the three languages we now know and Little Builder breaking out in a series of multilingual *Christos Anesti!* call-outs, prompting my smiling replies, *Alethos Anesti!*

*Christos Voskresi!* *Al Massiah Kam!* *Christ is Risen!*

The Paschal Stichera - Fifth Tone

Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered!

A sacred Pascha today hath been shown unto us:
a Pascha new and holy,
a Pascha mystical,
a Pascha all venerable,
a Pascha that is Christ the Redeemer;
a Pascha immaculate, a great Pascha;
a Pascha of the faithful;
a Pascha that hath opened the gates of Paradise unto us;
a Pascha that doth sanctify all the faithful.

As smoke vanisheth so let them vanish!

Come from the vision, O ye women, bearers of good tidings, and say ye unto Sion:
receive from us the good tidings of the Resurrection of Christ; adorn thyself, exult, and rejoice, O Jerusalem, for thou hast seen Christ the King come forth from the tomb like a bridegroom in procession.

So let sinners perish at the presence of God and let the righteous be glad!

The myrrh-bearing women in the deep dawn stood before the tomb of the Giver of life;
they found an angel sitting upon the stone, and he, speaking to them, said thus: Why
seek ye the living among the dead? Why mourn ye the incorruptible amid corruption?
Go, proclaim unto His disciples.

This is the day which the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad therein!

Pascha the beautiful, Pascha, the Lord's Pascha, the Pascha all-venerable hath dawned
upon us. Pascha, with joy let us embrace one another. O Pascha! Ransom from sorrow,
for from the tomb today, as from a bridal chamber hath Christ shone forth, and hath
filled the women with joy, saying: proclaim unto the apostles.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Both now and
ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

It is the day of Resurrection, let us be radiant for the feast, and let us embrace one another. Let us say: Brethren, even to them that hate us, let us forgive all things on the Resurrection, and thus let us cry out:

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, And on those in the tombs bestowing life.

Learning New Liturgical Skills

Our parish bulletin directions for today after the Vesperal Liturgy:

Light lunch, then the men will die eggs and the ladies will decorate the Tomb

I've never done this before, and it was nice to be a part.

First, the MEN:


What patience required to take them out one by one!



After drying on paper towels, they are polished with olive oil, to lessen the fading in the refridgerator.

Egg Dying Tip of the Day: brown eggs take the color better than white ones!

Meanwhile, the women trimmed the ferns and flowers to decorate the Tomb.


Here's the wooden base before it was decorated:


Getting there...


Some MacGyvering of the cross was required...


Finally, a beautiful finished Epitaphios


Little Builder helped clean up:


Epitaphios decorating tip of the day:
If you're trying to cover a blank spot, aim the end of the stem 4 inches below the blank spot. Then the leaves/flowers will end up in the right place. Took me a while of trying and the advice of an experienced Orthodox gal to learn this one!

Gifts List #51: Getting the day off so I could spend it with my family at Church!

Cheese Paska

This recipe is a combination of 3 recipes. I use cottage cheese because "Farmer's Cheese" was $9/lb the first time I tried Matushka's recipe, which called for 3 lbs! I tasted it plain and decided that it tasted like cottage cheese, and being frugal, decided that if I ever attempted this again cottage cheese would have to suffice. Vanilla beans were going to be $13, so I used vanilla extract. By all means, spring for the vanilla beans, if you can.

Also, I decreased the portions by 1/3, as I didn't need to make 3 large Cheese Paska's. The original recipe called for pushing boiled egg yolks through a sieve. After doing this once, I decided I wouldn't be making Cheese Paska again. Then I came across a recipe in a parish cookbook that used cream cheese and cooked the egg yolks in warmed cream. Aha! Now that, I could try. It's not exactly authentic, but it's what I can do.

Ingredients:
1 lb of cottage cheese, drained overnight in cheese cloth, whirred in blender until smooth (like Farmer's Cheese, wink)
4 egg yolks (save egg whites for Resrrection Cookies)
2&2/3 sticks of butter
scant 3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 pint of whipping cream, whipped
2 tsp vanilla
1 block of cream cheese, at room temperature

What to Do:
1. Mix cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sugar together (add more sugar if you want it sweeter).

2. In saucepan, melt butter, vanilla, and cream. In a coffee cup, mix 2 TBS of warmed cream with egg yolks, then slowly pour egg yolks back in, stirring. Do this instead of pouring the egg yolks straight in, so they won't scramble in your cream. Stir until it thickens a little.

3. Take off the heat and stir in cream cheese mixture until smooth.

4. Line the inside of a clay flower pot or colander with cheesecloth. Put the cheese mixture in this and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

5. Spread thickly on sliced Kulich and enjoy!

Some folks have a special Paska mold, with crosses and other decoration, which are beautiful. Others put fruit and nuts in their Paska. We like to decorate ours with chocolate chips in the shape of a cross.

Help Wanted!

Our 1 year old is very mobile; she's been walking for two months. She does NOT want to stay in my arms during church.

She's so fussy that our priest asked if we feed her before church, making sure we weren't trying to make her fast! (yes, we feed her)

Holy Week wasn't so hard with My Little Builder as a baby. Wait - Maybe that's because when he was 1, I didn't bring him to Holy Week (except of course we did Pascha!). When he was 2 years old, his Papa made him a little silent censer and he would walk up and down the side isle, over and over, sensing. For 2 hours!

But this precious little girl will not stay in one area to walk - she waits until my attention is turned on her brother, then starts sprinting toward the alter! Sometimes she turns around to look at me and laugh, as I try to reach her before she starts climbing the steps.

Then I struggle with her for the rest of the service, trying to force her to stay in my arms.

I've considered asking other parishioners to corale her, but don't want to disrupt their worship by giving them baby-guard-duty. I figured they would already be stopping her if they cared to take up that duty. Maybe they don't think they have permission to swoop her up. I take that for granted, coming from a previous parish in which any number of people would deal a swift thump on the head to any kids getting out of line.

My dear baby's God mother suggested that I try holding her hand and walking with her near the back - which I plan on trying tonight.

So, you other experienced mothers out there: ANY SUGGESTIONS OF WHAT'S WORKED FOR YOU?

Thanks, in advance!

Crockpot Ideas for Holy Week

Roasted Potatoes recipe from the Lipton package
Throw in 1/3 cup of oil, a packet of onion soup seasoning, and 6 skinned and chopped potatoes. Stir every now and then on high for 1-2 hours or low 4-6 hours (sorry about the times; my crockpot will cook these on "keep warm" in 4-6 hours, so I'm never sure what others will do.)



Taco Soup
Throw in & simmer until you need to eat, juice and all:



1 can tomatoes
1 can tomato soup
1 can corn
2 cans of beans
1 can of hominy

then, either use packets if you're in a rush or measure to your taste cumin, oregeno & chili powder

if you use packets:
1 pack of ranch seasoning
1 pack of taco seasoning
Additional water, if things are too salty or not soupy enough
Optional: soy crumbles or tvp


Sloppy Joes
2 Lg. Onions, Chopped
1 Head Fresh Garlic, Peeled and Minced
2 Med. Zucchini Squash, Chopped (if you don't like zucchini, do bell pepper)
2 Tbsps. +/- Olive Oil or other oil
1 Can. Diced Tomatoes
1 Can Tomato Sauce
Either: 1 Pkg. Taco Seasoning
Or: 1 Tsp. Chili Powder + 1 Tsp. Ground Red Chiles + 1 Tsp. Paprika, or to taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste
2 Pkgs. Ground Meatless (frozen type) or Dehydrated TVP Chunks, moistened
¼ C. Fresh Parsley, Minced
Optional -for that sweet barbeque flavor, add 1/2 cup of brown sugar

Chop the vegetables and sauté them in the olive or other oil, adding first the onions, then the garlic, then the zucchini. Cook until well done. Add saute pan and rest of ingredients (except ground soy) to crockpot. Cook until flavors have blended. Add the ground meatless (meat substitute) and fresh parsley. Cook until blended. Serve on buns or over rice. If you want the one in the picture, instead of the sub-standard Lenten version, visit pbs for the recipe.


And finally... visit here for a Honey & Orange Tofu crockpot recipe.

Expectations

My Pascha expectations, as a new convert:
Mostly, I hoped that I would "Experience" it as strongly/intensely/spiritually as I was supposed to. Sigh.

What actually happened:
I should have napped Saturday afternoon instead of making Kulich. The service started off beautifully and I was in awe. I felt, there is no better way to sink into our thick skulls that Christ is Risen than to sing it one-thousand times! A blessed time.

But then... I started to crack. After St. John Chrysotom's sermon, I thought things were winding up. It was the moment the priest chanted "Blessed is the Kingdom" that I realized there was an entire Divine Liturgy to go. I whispered to my Godmother, the service is how much longer? I started to cry. I wasn't going to make it as a good, faithful Orthodox person. I wasn't even going to make it that morning, standing up much longer, which a Subdeacon noticed. He gestured toward the bench. But I wasn't infirm - or pregnant! I was supposed to be strong! I crumbled to the bench in failure.

I laugh now, looking back.

I hardly have such high expectations these days that I'm more aware of my sin.

I've always been a people-pleaser and wanted to look good & right. My challenge is to try to care more about actually being good, before God.

Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

For any upcoming converts out there - it is a marathon, not a sprint. Take a nap on Saturday!

Still Counting...

Thank you, Lord, for many gifts!

#11: sticky hands smearing 1-year old birthday cake on naked tummy

#12: half eaten cake, forgotten on the counter... evidence of a celebration of a year of life

#13: double-beared Irises, blooming outside the front porch



#14: rose bushes my grandparents planted


#15: love of grandparents, lifting up little ones

#16: stuffed puppies and doll to comfort little arms, taking a break on the window sill



#17: telling the story of Lazarus to my Little Builder as we make monkey bread for breakfast

#18: peas climbing their wire

#19: prayers whispered in ears while rocking to sleep:

Lord Jesus Christ, who did receive the children who came to You, recieve also the prayers of me Thy Child. Shelter us under the shadow of your wings, that we may fall peacefully asleep. And awaken us in due time, that we may glorify You, for You alone are righteous and merciful. Amen.

Angel Guardian, please keep us from every evil, sickness, and grief.

Help us oh Lord, to be good, obedient, and kind. Thank you for all the good things You've given us this past day. Please help us spend this night in peace and protect us from all harm. Amen.

Kulich

Russian Pascha Bread

Symbolic of Christ, who is our True Bread

Don't have pics from last year, but this one is from Mt. Holyoke's website:


Here's one from Russians in Australia:



And a shorter, fatter variation from Finnish Cloudberry Quark resting next to a beautiful Cheese Paska.



I made this recipe our first Pascha - we had officially been chrismated into the Orthodox Church for a few hours, that Holy Saturday afternoon when I took to the kitchen.

We didn't think we'd like candied peel, so we replaced it with dried cherries when we changed up a recipe from Cakes & Cake Decorating.

Pots
I've used new clay flower pots, coffee tins, and even a 2-cup and 4-cup glass mixing cup before. Whatever you use - grease it well and line the bottoms with waxed paper and flour the sides. If you want a really tall dome, folllow the directions on the My House and Garden recipe.

Ingredients

1 TBS yeast
6 TBS tepid milk
6 TBS sugar (divided into 2TBS and 4 TBS)
4&1/2 cup all-purpose flour (divided into 1/2 cup and 4 cup)
pinch of saffron strands
2 TBS dark rum
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cumin
4 TBS butter
2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup or so of dried cherries
1/2 to 1 cup of slivered almonds

1: Blend & Sit
bowl one - yeast, milk, 2 TBS sugar, and 1/2 cup flour.
bowl two - saffron and rum
Let sit about 15 minutes.

2: Bread Dough
Sift remaining flour into a bowl and rub in butter and remaining sugar. Make a well and work in yeast mixture, saffron mixture, and everything else to make dough.

3: Knead & Rise
Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes, until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 1&1/2 hours or until doubled.

4: Ready, Set, Bake
Preheat oven to 375 F. Knock back the dough, divide it (this recipe makes one 4c. glass measuring cup and 1 small coffee tin) and form into round lumps. Press the lump into the bottom of the pot, cover and rise for another 1/2 hour. Bake for 35-50minutes, depending on your pot. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

5: Decorate
Mix 3/4 cup powdered sugar with 2 tsp warm water and 1 tsp amlmod extract until smooth. Pour over the dome so that the glaze drips down the sides a little. Decorate with nuts & cherries, leaving room for a candle in the middle.

At our Russian parish, everyone had one of these and lit the candles and Father blessed them all along with the Pascha baskets. At other parishes, we've been the only ones with Kulich, but usually everyone enjoys it.

Kulich is the very best sliced and spread with Cheese Paska. My version of Cheese Paska coming soon...

For Pascha bread recipes from different cultures, visit here.

And remember, let me know (orthodoxmother@gmail.com) your Pascha recipes and I'll host a Pascha Food Carnival.

Lent... Rolling By Quickly!

So glad the Skating Rink had these "starter" skates at the Birthday Party we went to. Little Builder could practically run in them and not fall too painfully.

Coming soon... a recipe for Kulich (Russian Easter Bread)

I propose that we all post our favorite Pascha recipes next week! I'm new to Blogging policies and procedures, but I think this is called a "CARNIVAL" - when many people all post on the same theme. If you decide to do it, let me know the link and I'll arrange all of the links in one special post.

Memorial Wheat

Last Sunday we prayed a short Memorial Service for loved ones who have passed away. Our little church has quite a few parishenrs who have died and we do this service almost once a month.

Someone volunteers to make the Koliva (Memorial Wheat). Often this is someone related to whoever is being remembered that month.



After the prayers and blessings, we all join in sharing the sweet and spicy wheat, nuts, and dried fruit.



May Their Memory Be Eternal!

Revised Menu for this Week

Let's just say that the China Wok has crept in a couple of days...

Which defeats any point in spending less money on food during Lent.