Oh my goodness, November already! And this evening is the Day Camps Fall Coffeehouse (sadly, the last one to be held at Isaiah 40 😔), so of necessity this will be a short post. Watch for a special “Coffeehouse post” in the coming week. Chelsea is booked as our official photographer and I shall be asking her to forward me her pics, ASAP!
The week has flown by, as usual. Work continues apace on the 2019 Program; I’m trying to get some content pulled together as soon as possible so Arnee can begin typing. Committee member, Christopher, is analysing the current manual layout and will be sending in his recommendations for changes so I have held off giving Arnee any copy until we are sure of the direction we want to take in formatting.
The revised Prayer & Share Package is almost done, thanks to Jillian’s hard work. We had lunch together Thursday and she has generously offered to also prepare our 2019 promo bookmark. Fortunately she has the bookmark template so it is mostly a case of simply inserting this year’s Theme info and dates but even so, for a busy schoolteacher it is extra work.
I should stop and say just how grateful I am for all the amazing members of the Day Camp Planning Committee. EVERYONE on the committee really works hard and without them Day Camps would be dead in the water. Yay Day Camp Committee!!😊
Tuesday evening Jessica and I tried to have a Skype meeting but were defeated by technology and had to go old school simply talking on the phone. Ha! how boring. She is unable to make our next meeting and so we did a bit of behind the scenes planning ahead of time. Jessica is responsible for Supplies and so will be involved as we begin the agonising process of emptying the Supply Room. We really want to achieve a zero waste result so deciding the eventual destination for every item is going to be tedious. Fortunately we have kept on top of the supplies, they are already well organised in tubs and boxes, but there will still be a ton of decisions to make. AGH!!!! Next Wednesday Mikaela and I are going to make a start and then, God willing, the following Thursday Jessica and I will do more work. It may be overly optimistic but I think 4 or 5 sessions should get the job done.
Yesterday I bought all the ingredients for tonight’s hot beverages-(Chai Lattés, Spiced Apple Cider and Mochachinos), and stashed them in the fridge at Isaiah 40. This morning I’ve already been over to meet Jill who was delivering her wonderful patchwork quilts that she generously lends for us to sit on at Coffeehouse! It is pouring rain now and I’m praying it will let up by this evening or we will have to deal with lots of umbrellas and wet shoes etc.
Steven is home for lunch today so I soon need to slosh over to the CO-OP to get a fresh baguette for the traditional Saturday lunch of Lattés, a fruit platter and fresh bread or toast.
But before I head out, I’ll close off with a recipe. This week I did some more catering for Jenna, she had requested a main course quinoa salad.
Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad - 3 cups Butternut Squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 1 cup Quinoa
- 2 cups Vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
- 1/3 cup chopped Cilantro
- 1/3 cup sliced Scallions
- 1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds
- 1/2 cup crumbled Feta Cheese
- 1/2 cup Fresh Pomegranate Seeds
- 4 Tbsps. Balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. Agave Syrup
- Pepper and salt
Spread the squash cubes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with 2 Tbsps. olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes in the preheated 375º oven. Meanwhile toast the quinoa in a medium saucepan until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for approximately 30 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Transfer the quinoa to a large serving bowl and toss with the roasted squash. Add the next 5 ingredients and toss gently to combine. In a small jar combine the rest of the olive oil with the vinegar, agave and pepper & salt to taste. Shake well. Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving. The salad (without dressing) will keep for several days, covered, in the fridge. Bring to room temperature and add dressing just before serving. Serves 4-6