Oh my goodness! Lent starts in just 4 days, it seems that we only just settled into Epiphany and here we are thinking about Easter…AGH!!!!
Of course, in this climate, Lent in February certainly does not bring with it any connotations of spring. This week we have had so much more snow that everyone is running out of places to put it, including the city snow crews. Our Borough uses a designated snow dump in the area, but it has already been full for the past month and so the city officials are scrambling to find another location.
But enough of snow! This has been a pretty fruitful week in terms of the world of Day Camps. Slots are slowly filling up on our Schedule. I have held off publishing it on the Blog yet because so much is still in a state of flux, but generally there is a healthy amount of interest so I’m not too stressed about our ability to see it completely filled as it was last year. I’m not ready to predict we will need to expand again to 7 Teams but it would be fantastic if that happens.😊
The Liturgical Dance has been choreographed, which is exciting, the down side being that for the next few weeks I know the song will be irrevocably stuck in my brain, oh dear! The Community Supply list is almost ready to distribute although I’m still waiting for the Manual Chapters that deal with Scramblers (the youngest Campers) so that means the list cannot be finalised since Scramblers require lots of craft activities to keep them happy and thus lots of supplies!
I’ve also published a couple of ads in our Diocesan Newsletter hoping to generate a bit of interest in our Program at the local level. Sadly there has been very little involvement in recent years but on the flip side we now have a much broader ecumenical outreach both in terms of host locations and also in recruiting of Team Members. Happily churches and communities in other provinces are excited about what we have to offer, which is a real source of encouragement.
Outside of office hours (and the constant need to shovel) I’ve managed to complete refurbishing the living room floor stencil and also squeezed in a bit of time at my sewing machine working on some gifts for friends whose birthdays take place in the next few weeks. As of Ash Wednesday I shall be starting my annual Pysanky crafting and have already chosen the patterns for this year’s collection. Quite soon I shall need to be sewing some more birthday crowns because two of my Godsons have spring birthdays, one in late March and the other in early April.
Next month I’m planning to begin the advance baking for the Day Camp Retreat week. In the past I haven’t begun this task until May or even June and all that quantity baking and cooking in hot weather can be pretty challenging. So last year I decided to begin in the cooler late winter/early spring and that made the job much less onerous. On the down side, one has less of an idea exactly how many Team Members to prepare for, but we do aim for between 18 and 21 volunteers and, with the 5 or 6 on site staff most meals are served to about 24 people. With a group of hungry teens and “twenty-somethings”, no matter how much food I make there are rarely any leftovers so I need consider making larger quantities if the budget allows.
Today has been a Bake, Blog and Shovel day and as I write in the late afternoon, snow is still falling outside. Sigh. But before I check on the Hot Cross Bun dough to see if it is risen, we need a recipe.
One evening this week I enjoyed Corn Fritters for dinner. Some recipes for fritters require deep-frying, which I try to avoid at all costs. This is a lighter version but still super tasty. It makes a quick supper, with a salad or can even be eaten with bacon and maple syrup for breakfast or brunch 😊.
Corn Fritters
- ½ cup whole-wheat flour (I use pastry flour)
- ½ tsp. each baking powder and salt 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tbsps. milk
- 2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
Whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Combine and beat to make a smooth batter. Fold in corn. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat the bottom with oil. If the corn is still frozen you will need to cook the fritters longer (up to 10 minutes per side) and you will also need to form the patties with your hands so they hold together. If the corn is at room temperature you can scoop large spoonfuls of the mixture and shape them into discs right in the frying pan. Fry for about 6 minutes per side until golden brown.
Serve with a ham salad or for breakfast with bacon and maple syrup. Makes 7-8 fritters and can easily be doubled.