It’s been a quiet week in the little world of Day Camps.
Hunkered down between the end of one calendar year and the start of the next, it has been delightful to snuggle in my cocoon, drinking cocoa and even indulging in the New York Times Crossword Puzzle!
There have been a few surprises. Two people actually met the December 31st submissions deadline for Program Manual Chapters, of course at least eight did not, but hey, that’s pretty good with Christmas and everything. Receiving those first chapters is always exciting, seeing them is a sign of hope and promise, sort of like the first crocus in Spring. There will be a 2015 Program Manual, Day Camps is going to happen!!
During the week I have also undertaken the annual task of designing the Retreat Week Menus. People laugh when I tell them that I always make that chart during this particular week, but my feeling is that there is SO much that has to be done as we progress into spring and (eek!) summer, that this job is something, which can be undertaken well ahead, and God willing, the Team Members who will be eating these carefully planned meals, will follow in due course.
Needless to say there has also been shovelling (ugh) at 4 houses plus mine, bits and pieces of sewing (I finished 2 dresses commissioned by a female cleric, YAY!), and the crafting of a special birthday gift of (shh!) a set of dominoes for Seren, older sister of my Godson Tighe, whose birthday falls on Epiphany ( Seren=Star in Erse). New Year’s Eve I prepared a small High Tea and then tried to find a Watch Night Service on YouTube but sadly could not source anything conventional, as everyone knows there is some pretty weird stuff out there in cyberspace!!! I did find a decent choir concert and settled for that. Today is “baking & blogging”- cornmeal muffins (lots of muffins!) since it is my turn to serve lunch a Church tomorrow, roasted root veggies for a soup, apple crumble and a Yorkshire Pudding for dinner. At present there is a freezing rain/storm warning in effect so it is possible, if it turns really bad, that church might be cancelled but I guess I’ll be the first one to know because Pastor Nick is coming to pick me up with my various pots of soup etc. and he will be the one to make the call if it is necessary to cancel.
Meanwhile baking those muffins is still on the agenda. Hmm, I hope the power doesn’t go off, another frequent result of freezing rain.
For New Year’s Day I made a favourite Scandinavian Christmas dish of Danish Meatballs. They are VERY yummy and make a great dinner any time over the Winter months; I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do!
Mormor’s Meatballs
- ½ pound each ground beef and pork
- 1 small onion, finely minced
- ½ cup dry breadcrumbs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ tsp. each allspice and ginger
- 1 egg
- ½ cup concentrated beef stock
- 6 Tbsps. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsps. butter
- 2 tsps. salt
In a large bowl soak the breadcrumbs in the milk until the liquid is absorbed. Add the meat, onion, egg and spices. Mix well and form into 1-inch balls. Bring 2 quarts of water to the boil in a large pot. Add the salt and stir to dissolve. Carefully add all the meatballs, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 mins. Drain the meatballs and place in a 9×13 casserole dish. In a small saucepan melt the butter and add the stock and brown sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the glaze over the meatballs and bake for 30 minutes in a 350° oven, shaking the pan every ten minutes to distribute the glaze evenly. Serves 4.
Traditionally these are served with mashed potatoes, a green vegetable and Lingonberry Sauce, cranberry sauce makes a good substitute!