Here we are on the brink of Holy Week. Tomorrow begins the roller coaster of events preceding the great Festival ofEaster.
My Pysanky are completed and I have been painting flowerpots in which to place my Easter gifts. (As I usually do) I decided a couple of days ago to knit 5 “Chubby Chirps” birds as gifts for some of the special children in my life, I think I’ll get them done in time!
Amazingly, the past week has seen a fair amount of Day Camp activity with calls from some interested Churches and the arrival of the first TEAM APPLICATION form!! It would be great to see more action on that front but at least there is now a glimmer of hope for the coming summer.
The Program Manual is receiving a final once over this weekend and soon will be sent to Henry at our local copy centre and Jillian has designed a lovely poster to advertise our Spring Coffeehouse, coming up in early May. But first we have our Spring Team Gathering, 2 weeks today. As we often do, we will share in a House Eucharist that evening and are really pleased to have one of the Padres from the Armed Forces Base, Richelieu, as our Speaker and Celebrant.
As always, the week has included unexpected turns and twists. Each day, when I set up my agenda book I always write “God Willing” above my list of proposed items, knowing that the path I lay out, rarely matches the one I will look back on that evening. There have been some unexpected visitors, some bringing happy news, others in need of prayer and encouragement, all important and worthy of the setting aside of my daily “list”.
But, somehow, the Team Crosses were made, the winter quilt completed and I even managed to knit a pair of pink legwarmers!
Today is a big Blog & Bake marathon, as Steven, from MCF is coming for dinner, and he has good appetite. We are having Greek food because Holy Week always draws me to explore Middle Eastern foods. I have even tracked down a recipe for Greek-style Pita, which is on my baking list. More Hot Cross Buns are needed and there is a big pile of local apples from my fruit box, which must be turned into Apple-Raspberry Crisp and… well you get the idea!
I’m off to put the Chicken Gyros filling in the slow cooker (you can find this excellent recipe here), set the dinner table, put the dough to rise for ciabatta and the buns, grate cucumber for Tzatziki etc. Wil is very happy to be of assistance with the cooking jobs, so I shall have company as I work.
This evening Senior Youth Camp is holding it’s annual “Soiree” fundraiser over at Isaiah 40 so, later this afternoon, Alexander will be passing by for the keys and I understand Guylaine will be down again from Ottawa and is dropping off my Godson’s knitted penguin who has lost a wing and is in need of mending! Jillian will also be coming to pick up a reference letter, which I have written for her and which will accompany a scholarship application she is about to submit.
So I really should not be sitting typing but cannot close off without a recipe.For dessert this evening I have made some orange cupcakes from an old Mennonite recipe, they look pretty and “Springlike” topped with orange icing and edible flower petals so here is the recipe…
Golden Orange Cupcakes
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1½ cups flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- 3 tsps. baking powder
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Cream the butter and gradually add the sugar beating until fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks. Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and the liquids in a cup. Beat the dry and liquid ingredients alternately into the eggs, marg. and sugar mixture to make a thick batter.Fill lined muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 15-20 minutes. Makes approx. 18 cupcakes. Ice with orange frosting and decorate as desired.