All Saints Greek Orthodox Monastery

Getting ready to enter Pascha, how about this idea: Greek Lazarakia (Little Lazarus buns) "Lazarakia" are traditional Greek Easter breads eaten on Lazarus Saturday. They symbolise the resurrection of Lazarus and are shaped like a little man wrapped in a shroud, just like Lazarus is depicted. ... Lazarakia are made in Greece and Cyprus and are usually small, sweet breads with spices. Unlike Greek Easter bread (tsoureki) Lazarus breads are Lenten as they don’t contain any eggs or dairy products. Lazarakia dough can be made with any kind of dough you like. Use spices like ground cloves and cinnamon, and add sugar. The breads should be on the sweet side and really aromatic from the spices. If you use some mahleb it will give the Lazarakia an authentic aroma and flavor. When you add bits of fruits, nuts, or raisins be sure to chop then finely so they incorporate well into your dough. Note: Ground cloves are very spicey, so be carefull not to add too much, as the dough could become a little bitter. Our Recipe: 400 g water, lukewarm 1 tablespoon yeast 150 g granulated sugar 50 g olive oil 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon cloves or 1/4 tsp mahleb 1/2 teaspoon cardamom 1/4 teaspoon salt 800 g all-purpose flour 50 g raisins (preferably golden) 50 g walnuts, chopped 40 cloves In a mixer, add the water, yeast and sugar. Whisk until the yeast and sugar dissolve and set it aside for 10 minutes until the yeast activates. Add the olive oil, cinnamon, ground cloves/mahleb, cardamom, salt and flour. Beat with the mixer hook attachment on medium speed for 8-10 minutes, until the ingredients come together and a dough is formed. (Or by hand - kneed longer.) Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 170* C (338*F) Prepare the filling by combining the cut fruit and chopped nuts in a bowl. Shape Lazarakia breads: Traditionally Lazarakia are shaped to resemble a little man wrapped in a shroud, just like Lazarus is depicted. When the dough has rested, divide it into ~20 pieces that are ~60 g each and shape into balls. Each ball will become a little Lazarus which you will put filling into. NOTE: Reserve some dough to shape into ropes which will form arms when wrapped around the filled buns. Place 2 cloves above the arms for eyes. Transfer the little Lazarus buns onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until just golden.

"Save, O Lord, Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance...." Blessings on this 3rd Sunday of Great and Holy Lent.

Becoming Orthodox --- it's a process. "After embracing Orthodoxy many people fall into the trap of exaggerated piety, after first becoming attracted to the externals of our ancient faith. Coming out of religious traditions that have little in the way of externals, the Church’s beautiful traditions of expressing the faith with outward signs of commitment and piety are very attractive to the newly illumined. Some even become experts in canon law and liturgical rubrics, and join... themselves among the super correct. Archbishop Averky of Jordanville (of blessed memory) said of such converts, they are like envelopes that have a tendency to come unglued. None of this is meant to diminish the importance of external piety. Liturgical correctness has it’s place, for we should always avoiding sloppiness in the way we make the sign of the cross, and our decorum in the divine services should represent the best of the historic Church’s public worship. However, we must take care that our piety does not become something staged to be seen by others. If we become aware that our motivation for expressing pietism is meant for others to see, we need to remind ourselves that our pious external acts of worship should give honor to God, and not bring attention to ourselves. Externals are meant to be aids to worship, for they bring our bodies into conformity with the heart. For this to happen, we must guard the heart, making sure the externals are not temptations for pride. The way to make sure our piety takes us deeply into true worship is to express these external acts of worship in the privacy of our homes. Orthodox worship, expressed by standing before our icons, making the sign of the cross with care, and doing prostrations in the privacy of the home, instruct the heart in true worship. If we’ve established a true relationship with the Lord in our home, that which is expressed in the temple, publicly, will be be authentic." From my friend, Abbot Tryphon Vashon Island, WA

According to the monastic tradition we celebrate the Divine Liturgy on every Saturday in Great Lent...all Saturdays are Soul's Saturday. We hope you'll join us.

Salutations each Friday Beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Still having fun with soap making. It will be ready to sell/ship by Thanksgiving. We will post individual images with the fragrance in the near future.

We're busy making soap that will be ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Crafting soap is always interesting because you don't know precisely how it's going to turn out. Many times the colorants that you use will not end up the way you expect because they're going into a strong lye solution...ALL soap is: NaOH/water/oils. Making soap is science, art, and fun. The finished bars need to 'cure' for about 4 to 7 weeks, depending on the formula. Our monastery soap is high in suds and very rich in moisture. We developed our own formula to give us long lasting Heaven Sent soap!

The monastery elevator has been repaired.... -Thank God! After I was struck by a car as a pedestrian in January, I have had great difficulty climbing the 17 stairs to get to the bedrooms of the monastery. It finally got so painful & stressful that I had to just get the elevator fixed even though I didn't yet have the funds. The elevator became operational this week! Now I'm asking anyone who can to contribute any amount to the elevator fund so that I can pay this $5200 (total...) bill. Any assistance will really help. (At present we have $1800 in the fund.) Thank you for your kindness.

For your prayers today, here is a list of Orthodox who perished in the 9/11 tragedy....

What's up at the monastery now? Well.... Full basket #5. We can only eat so much ourselves and we have given so much away.... Every time I walk to the garden I come back with my hands full!!! Here is today's smattering: 3 varieties of hot peppers, 3 varieties of lettuce, green beans, 4 varieties of tomatoes, cilantro that is trying to bolt, oregano that's overrunning its space, rosemary, oh and zucchini. This doesn't represent all that is out there, just what I brought in today. [whew!]

Our Beloved Theotokos, save us.