Everybody loves a long weekend when we hang out with family and close friends. And it is even better when the weather is heating up so we can spend time outside. Nothing beats playing yard games, firing up the BBQs, lighting the fire pits, listening to music, and having a fun-filled weekend.
Just make sure you apply plenty of sunscreen. The last thing you want is skin cancer!
We attempt to participate in our village’s annual Memorial Day parade as spectators or walking in the parade. Afterward, we host a family & friends BBQ or go to a friend’s place to indulge in burgers and hotdogs. Of course, there might be some alcohol involved for the adults.
Pentecost aka Pinse
The Danes celebrate a religious holiday called Pinse in the native tongue, which translates to Pentecost. You might be surprised that the Danes, a Viking and Pagan stronghold, would adopt and convert to Christianity. But, the old Viking king, Harald Bluetooth, made the switch.
The Rune symbol for King Harald Bluetooth is actual the bletooth icon we use today on all devices.
It’s in the Runes
King Harald Bluetooth’s rune stone marks the transition to Christianity at Jelling, which dates to around 965. The stone displays an inscription that declares that Harald made the Danes Christian.
Legends say that a priest called Poppo convinced Harald Bluetooth that God protected Christians and that God was real. Poppo proved this to the king by holding a scolding red hot iron glove without getting burnt.
What is Pinse (Pentecost)
Pentecost is a Jewish tradition that celebrates the harvest and occurs 50 days after Jesus, which in old Greek is called Pentecost. The event dates back to when Moses “signed” the ten commandments with God on Mt. Senai.
Pentecost became a more Christen-driven tradition and changed the event to include when the Holy Spirit came back to Earth to guide the disciplines after Jesus departed. Before Jesus left his disciples, he informed them about the coming of a messenger, the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit gave the disciples tongues of fire to grant the power to speak and understand all languages and spread God’s word better.
Pentecost is also known as the birthday of the Christian church.
The Birth of Swifties
I sometimes get offered tickets to attend concerts, which are often executive suites with food, drinks, and parking included. It is a fantastic experience, making the concert or event memorable, and we’ve had the chance recently to attend Carrie Underwood and The Eagles concerts.
Recently a vendor offered me a few tickets to attend Taylor Swift’s concert, which I could not say no to, especially as I have two teenage girls who love Taylor Swift. They are swifties.
But, I had no interest in going as it would be full of 20,000 screaming girls, with a healthy amount of mothers and some dads trying to impress their daughters.
A few days before the event, I discovered the tickets were in an executive suite. I had no words and expressed my sincere gratitude to the vendor.
My two girls and wife attended the 5-hour event and had a blast. They screamed, sang along, enjoyed the suite amenities, and even went to the venue the day before the concert to buy merchandise.
BBQ, Pork, Shrimp, and Chicken
We are not preparing or cooking anything in advance for Monday, given it is Memorial Day. So instead, we grabbed lunch when hungry, and I made a traditional BBQ spread with burgers, sausages, wings, and jalapeno poppers.
School lunches are a mix of sandwiches, some more healthy than others. I attempt to avoid eating storebought bread as it contains a lot of sugar and other ingredients that are not the best for your body. Instead, I often bake bread and know precisely what components are used.
For dinner, we will have a mix of pork, shrimp, and chicken; land, sea, and air. In all honestly, each dish this week is from the freezer.
I have almost cleared out the freezer for frozen, already-made dinners, which has been excellent. However, while you can freeze and store meals safely, I still avoid keeping anything longer than 90 days.
For each meal, we have to prepare a side which is either rice, noodles, or roasted potatoes.
Lunch & Dinner
| Lunch | Dinner | |
| Monday | Grab and Go – do-it-yourself lunch | Memorial Day BBQ part 2; wings, jalapeno poppers and burgers |
| Tuesday | Italian Job – lettuce, onions, provolone cheese, and mortadella | Pork loin in creamy garlic & mushroom sauce with boiled white rice |
| Wednesday | Pastrami and American cheese melt | Thai Shrimp Coconut Soup |
| Thursday | Bagel with egg & ham salad | Chicken Cordon Bleu with roasted potatoes |
| Friday | Memorial Day BBQ part 2; wings, jalapeno poppers, and burgers | Friday BBQ surprise – something with seafood and a nice salad |
One day, I might get so organized that I will link the meals below to my recipes. We can only live in hope!
Have a fantastic week, my friends. I hope you enjoy these meal plans. It is much easier to make food in advance, although you must invest several hours preparing meals during the weekend.
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