Happy Michaelmas!
(Daniel carrying Gwen over the finish line)
Even though Daniel ran 50 miles yesterday (and came in first in his age group!!!), he didn’t forget how much I love Michaelmas and took the kids to the store to get ingredients for a big feast tonight.
Speaking of feasts, I want to officially announce that we’re writing an ebook that will launch in November! The working title is Feast!: Real Food and Simple Living for the Christian Year. We have been working hard to create it for months and I cannot wait to share it with you! If all goes as planned, it will launch before Advent (the beginning of the Christian Year).
It will have more than 20 real food recipes and a few simple living ideas and reflections for celebrating seasons and saints including Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, St. Andrew, St. Rose of Lima, St. George, St. Raymond Nonnatus, St. Thomas Aquinas, the Mexican martyrs, Sts Peter and Paul, Sts Anne and Joachim, St. Maria Goretti, Martinmas, Candlemas, and of course Michaelmas.
Basically, it’s the book we wish we could have read when we first wanted to observe the liturgical year. It explains what the seasons of the Christian year are and why they’re important, as well as offers ideas for observing them. And we’ve developed the recipes over the last few years on our journey of learning to celebrate the liturgical seasons.
We love cooking with real food ingredients from our garden that we know are wholesome and nourishing for our family. Most of the recipes are gluten-free because that’s how we cook around here since our kids have gluten allergies, but they don’t involve fancy, unfamiliar ingredients. It’s also important to us to share food from different culinary traditions with our children, so many of the recipes are inspired by the food culture of the birthplace of the saint that they celebrate or a region that holds a particular devotion to that saint.
(Pancit Bihon,a Filipino dish, for St. Rose of Lima patron saint of the Phillipines)
(Catalan Chicken Picada for St. Raymond Nonnatus, a Catalonian saint)
(Simple Pasta Pescatore for Italian martyr St. Maria Goretti)
This book is the result of so many hours Daniel and I have spent together in the garden and kitchen, celebrating the traditions of the Christian Year. I cannot wait till it’s ready and I’ll update you as the project continues to come together!
It’s also Carrots’ 4th Blogiversary! If you like, you can read about how it all began.
Gotta go! We’ve got a chicken to roast, carrots to glaze, and blackberry ice cream to make!
Ooooooh! Totally buying this!
Hip hip hooray! 🙂
That is wonderful news! There is definitely such a need for something like this. Like you, we try to enter into the celebration of feasts and the liturgical year as much as possible. Although lovely, so many of the ideas out there on sites I have researched are sweets or not consistent with the way we try to eat – also as healthy as possible and mostly gluten free. Your book will be such a gift! Thank you for all of you hard work. I can’t wait to read it and start making some of your recipes. A new reader and fan – Alison
That is just exactly why we wrote it! There’s great resources out there, but the majority of the suggestions seem to be cakes and other desserts that are decorated in honor of the feast/season (not so much an option for my family). With so many great culinary traditions out there, we wanted to provide a simple, seasonal, resource with real food! Yay! I’m so glad you’re excited about it. 🙂
Congratulations! I love the idea of using more real nourishing and special foods for our feasting! Looking forward to seeing it!
And FIFTY miles?? Wow.
I know, right?! Fifty miles is insanity!
I am a new follower of your blog. Your eBook sounds wonderful! I am looking forward to getting it!
Thanks for following, Erica! 🙂
I came across your site just now, looking for a recipe for St. Michael’s Bannock (because my Catholic Home book is hiding somewhere at the moment)
and I’m SO GLAD. What a great site you have here, and your upcoming book sounds fantastic! I’ll be buying one!
Peace be with you,
~m
Thanks so much, Melissa! The Meredith Gould Catholic Home book? Love that one!
So excited! Most definitely buying! Congrats on your book (and on your hubs’ 50 miles!!)
Yay! Thanks, Katie!
I’m so excited to order it! This book sounds like a great resource. I love the ideas for celebrating the liturgical year with food I find elsewhere, but many are based on very processed sweet food crafts, rather than real food meals. Also, my husband is an even bigger fan of your blog now that he knows Daniel runs ultras too!
Your husband runs ultras, too?! Daniel’s just gotten into them over the past year and this was the first one I got to travel with him to. So fun!
And yes to the processed sweet food crafts. I can see how they would be kid-friendly and there’s certainly a time for having fun and special treats but it just doesn’t fit with the way our family eats : /
How exciting!! Do keep us updated about the e-book, I for one will definitely buy it. 🙂
I had big plans for Michaelmas this year and it seems none of them will come to fruition … I guess that’s what happens when you move house with a one year old. Hopefully next year! (And in the meantime we do hope to light the first fire of the year in our brand new fireplace. 🙂 )
My first Michaelmas dinner was almost all store bought – including the chicken! Don’t worry if it’s just munching on some carrot sticks – it’s amazing how quickly the little things stick with you from year to year.
Aw, thanks, Rosemary! And i’m totally jealous about your lovely fire. Florida in September isn’t quite as crisp and cool as one would hope 🙂
What am amazing idea! I am so geeked about this:)
Eek! I have to admit I’m really glad you all are excited. I was nervous I would post the announcement and hear crickets, haha.
Happy Blogiversary! I found it really interesting to read about how one post changed everything for your blog. Amazing!
Those recipes look great, by the way.
It was pretty wild. Just the push I needed to turn this into something more than pictures of my kids for my mom 🙂
This is SO wonderful. When I saw your post on Instagram about today being Michaelmas, I changed my dinner plans from something or other with french fries to fish, quinoa and asparagus. It was our little feast! It looks like the next several months will be RCIA and learning to cook for the liturgical year. How exciting! Thank you for your beautiful blog and cannot wait to buy your book!
Thank you so much, Lilla! I can’t tell you how encouraging it is to hear that other people are excited about the book!
It sounds great, Haley! Congrats!
Thank you, Karen! That means a lot coming from you!
I’m so excited for this book! I’ve been trying to get our family into a rhythm with the liturgical year but I seem to get lost and feel like I’m not sure where to start….I can’t wait!
Yay! I’m so glad!
Happy blogiversary, and so excited for this big announcement!! Congratulations on four years here and the eBook too 🙂
Thanks, Lindsay ; )
Hi Haley! I just found your blog by reading your very profound and delightful article in Catholic Exchange. I love that you are young, a convert, and chronicling your journey which is such an inspiration to many young catholic women. I look forward to your ebook – celebrating feast days is one of my favorite things!! May God continue to bless you and your lovely family.
Thank you so much for stopping by the blog, Kim, and for your encouragement!
This looks like such an original ebook. I come from the land of reading many blogs (and lots of mommy blogs) who have a lot of ebooks. Yours is definitely unique! Any idea what your price point is going to be yet? I’d love to give this as a gift when it goes live!
Thanks, Bethany! We haven’t decided for sure yet. But the tentative plan is to have a sale for the first week after it launches at $4.99 and then the price will go up. We’re thinking $6.99 as the more permanent price.
This is so exciting! I can’t wait to read.
I’m so excited! I can’t wait to buy it and read through it 🙂 We love to cook overhere and it would be awesome to incorporate our faith into that a little more.
Happy blogoversary Haley! Your blog is the first Catholic blog I have ever started following and the first one ever i subscribed to (before you I didn’t even know Google Reader existed ha ha). You are an inspiration to many Catholic moms out there who fight their battles and carry their crosses in the silence of everyday lives. I see your blog as a powerful weapon of New Evangelization as well. I am looking forward to buying your book 🙂
p.s. 100 miles in November???? Is Daniel even aware of that length 🙂
Thank you SO much, Katarina!
And the 100 miles? I know, right?! Insanity.
I can’t express how happy this makes me…. and by the way… 50 miles? That’s ridonkulous.
Ha! I thought so. I couldn’t believe that he was still up and walking around after it was over!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord, for talented, energetic people who get’erdone! This is so very needed! And your timing couldn’t be better. It seems we are entering into a time of Catholic Renewal….the resources available have never been stronger. It is so exciting to see! When I became a Catholic 15 yrs ago, it was a struggle to find anything. As celebrating a liturgical year and living the liturgical life becomes more popular, I see only sugar and more sugar. (like devils food cake, apple & blacberry desserts yesterday!) I have a friend who has an autoimmune disease and shouldn’t even touch sugar, but she is struggling to give it up because she doesn’t know to celebrate the feast days without it! I was so sad for her when she said that! Because we eat similarly to you, all i could think of to do yesterday that was healthy, but still celebratory, was to serve plain blackberries with little plastic swords for my kids to stab into them to eat! It was enough, but seriously. I can’t wait to purchase your book for both my friend and myself. There’s a bit more of a blessing to be recognized here for folks who’s quality of health will be renewed in addition to living liturgically through what you are doing! Keep rockin’ those late nights you must be pulling!
Thanks for your encouragement, Lisa!
This e-book sounds stellar!!! Congrats!
Thanks! 🙂
You’re writing an ebook? Fantastic! I just know that’s going to be a good one!
Aw, thanks, Kara! I’m super excited/nervous ; )
So excited about this! And I will be telling all the Moms from our Christian Mother’s Fellowship group about it too! We’re seeking new ways to live the year in a Liturgical way. This is perfect! Congrats!
Yay! Thanks, Caitlin!
I definitely want your book. I need more ideas for meals and I like the idea of tying them to the liturgical calendar. Mairead and I even made a bannock, though I burned the bottom a little. It was okay once you peeled the burned parts off. We added cinnamon, raisins, and honey to it. Also I tried that whiskey carrot recipe, but for some odd reason we had no whiskey in the house so I used stout instead. They didn’t come out badly, actually. Have you ever read/heard of The Catholic Mosaic? I have been told that is a good resource too, although I have not checked it out yet.
Haven’t heard of the Catholic Mosaic! I’ll have to check it out. Thanks 🙂
This is really exciting! Congrats!
Thanks! 🙂
Hello! It’s my first time commenting, because I’m terrible at leaving comments on blogs I read. I have adored your blog for a long time and find it encouraging and inspiring.
We were supposed to have a Michaelmas party hosted by a friend and held in our home but at the last minute the party did not pan out. Maybe next year.
Do you have any favorite carrot recipes you could share? I never think to cook carrots, but I’d like to get a recipe for Michaelmas. Thanks!
Amy
Hi Amy! That’s so funny, because I just wrote a post about how I’m terrible about commenting on my favorite blogs, haha.
Daniel usually does a really yummy glazed carrots recipe. I’m gonna make him write it down to put in the cookbook because I don’t know it! But if you want to make something today, I’m a big fan of the Pioneer Woman’s whiskey glazed carrots 🙂
Whiskey glazed carrots? Oooh, I’m totally intrigued 🙂
I’m new to urban farming. I’m super excited to get your book. Again, a great idea to celebrate feast days without lots of dessert ideas or craft ideas.
Exactly the right thing at the right time! This will be a great help. Will it be available on Amazon?
We’re not releasing it on Amazon right now. It’s our first one so we’re trying to make the process as simple as possible, but after it launches, if there’s a lot of interest in making it available on Amazon we will do that, too! Thanks for the encouragement! We’re so excited!
I have been meaning to leave a message about this post since I read it! I am so excited about your ebook! Love the idea. I have a cookbook called “The Continual Feast” that has suggestions for celebrating the liturgical year that I really like. (My mom had it before me, so I grew up with some of the recipes.) But it’s so exciting to see new ideas!
I love your blog. It’s always nice to feel connected to other Catholic families and to hear about their ideas and practical ways of living a Catholic life. Thanks so much.
I cannot believe it has been almost a whole year since this post!