Here we are approaching the mid-point of Lent! Having spent the last couple of days “Changing the Decorations” I am now happily surrounded by bowls of Pysanky, pots of hyacinths, palm branches and pussy willows.
As I’ve mentioned many times before, the arrival of spring is wonderful and of course Easter is the most moving and powerful of the Christian Feasts but as we near this new season I cannot ignore the twizzling in my tummy as I think of all that must be prepared before the start of Day Camps. AGH!!!!!
It is encouraging that two thirds of our host locations are now filled with each week bringing a couple more application forms. Sadly the same cannot be said regarding Travelling Team Members.
Although I have composed a list of potential candidates not one form has yet appeared. Sigh 😔
Although I have composed a list of potential candidates not one form has yet appeared. Sigh 😔
However I am trying to remain optimistic and to that end spent most of today baking raisin loaves and marmalade muffins for the Retreat Week. Tomorrow, after House Church, Chelsea will be staying for lunch and then we are going to begin work on this year’s Team medallions. Since our Theme “One of Us” centres around the Christmas story as told in the Gospel of Luke, we have decided to make star shaped medallions as the star is certainly a powerful symbol in pointing the first pilgrims toward Jesus.
My friend who has been in China for the past month has now returned home (she brought me a lovely Tibetan New Year decoration!) so I’m no longer making daily trips to look after her two cats but other friends have driven up to Toronto this weekend for the Baptism of their first grandchild so I’m on “cat duty” at their house, but fortunately only for 3 days this time.
As I said before, the latter part of this week has included a major upheaval with the packing of all the winter decorations and the change to Lent/Spring/Easter. Early in the week I had a couple of extra CTM meetings, one to look at some content on our website that needs updating and the other to set up the template for the next issue of our quarterly Newsletter. Involvement in those tasks is important but especially at this season, I’m always feeling the pull towards Day Camps work when I sit down at the computer.
I do hope you read our monthly Wednesday Words post, which was published a few days ago. I must remember to make a link to it from the CTM Facebook Page. Well soon it will be time to head over and feed Nico, the cat, but before I go we still need a recipe.
A couple of weeks ago a friend asked me if I had a simple bread recipe so I provided her with a copy of “Neil’s Harbour Bread” this recipe originated in one of my mother’s Mennonite cookbooks. It is amazingly versatile as the dough can be flavoured in so many ways. Today I used the basic white dough as the base for the big Raisin Loaves I made and last weekend I made a batch of it with half whole-wheat flour and turned it into large hamburger buns. My friend Michelle got the recipe from me many years ago when she was living in community with a group of Christian university students and she still makes it now she has 4 children of her own! She calls it Bionic Bread!
Whatever you call it, this bread is easy and foolproof and best of all is VERY yummy.
Neil’s Harbour Bread
- 2 Tbsps. yeast
- 3 cups warm water
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 Tbsp. salt
- Approx. 9 cups flour (white, whole-wheat or a mix)
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast with a little of the sugar, in 1 cup of warm water. Once it is foamy, add the rest of the water, oil and salt. Stir well. Gradually add the flour until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a well-floured board and knead until smooth and elastic. Let rise, covered with a tea towel, for one hour.
Grease 2 large or 3 regular-sized loaf tins. Form the dough into loaves, cover with a tea towel and allow to rise until double. Bake loaves in a preheated 400º oven for 20-25 minutes. Cool on racks. This dough can be used for cinnamon bread, cheese bread, raisin bread etc. Or baked as rolls or buns.