Today’s post will likely be shorter than the usual as yesterday Montreal was hit by a severe winter storm so all my time today is taken up with trying to shovel out😊.
Kelvin, one of our Day Camp Training Leaders, kindly volunteered to come and help for a while last evening, which was great, however we have had a total of over 50cms of snow since Thursday with high winds that have caused a lot of drifting and the city is practically at a standstill. I am so thankful we have not lost power as that often happens when there are high winds. All the schools were closed yesterday so today a massive dig-out is happening everywhere. I hope to do a bit of baking later on but even that may be postponed since shovelling has to take priority.
After last weekend’s Retreat meeting much of my work during this week has been around contacting the many people who we need to lead workshops, speak at evening worship, billet etc. It was also decided that I make some enquiries about church hall rentals that are just a bit closer to my home as the Teams found the 40 minute walk here at the end of each day to be a bit overwhelming particularly in +30ºC heat. I have made contact with another church that is a 26 minute walk away and they are very open to renting to us but I’d like to run the plan by the Day Camp Committee before coming to a final decision.
It looks as if finding billets for the Teams during the Retreat week will be the hardest task. Last year we ended up with 5 billets (we needed 6 but one family took 2 Teams-thanks Jillian and Victor!!!). So far I have contacted 4 of last years’ billets only to discover they are ALL going to be out of town the week of the Retreat. Sigh. I also tried one other household who said they cannot manage it this year. So things are looking pretty bleak. I have sent emails to several other possibilities, no answers yet.
On a brighter note 2 people have agreed to be evening speakers, which is encouraging.
I guess I need to pull on my parka and boots and head out to deal with the huge pile of snow on my deck.
Before I go let’s have a recipe…
One evening this week I made a Banh Mi Bowl. It was really yummy and came together surprisingly quickly. If you like Vietnamese food do give it a try 😊
Banh Mi Bowls
Pickled Carrots
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup turbinado sugar
- 1Tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 6 carrots, cut into thin ribbons (I used a peeler to make the curls)
Meatballs
1 lb. ground beef or pork- 1 Tbsp. finly grated lemon zest
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp. Sriracha
- 1 Tbsp. Asian fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp. turbinado sugar
- 2 tsps. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. salt
Bowls
- 2 cups cooked Jasmine rice
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup crushed peanuts
- ½ cup spicy veganaise (mix plain veganaise or mayonnaise with 1 tsp. sriracha)
Pickled Carrots: Whisk the rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and salt together. Soak the carrots in the mixture for one hour.
Meatballs: Mix all ingredients. Roll into small meatballs with your hands (place in the fridge for a few minutes to get them to hold their shape a bit better). Heat a little bit of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the meatballs and fry until golden brown on the outside and fully cooked (not pink) inside, approx. 5 minutes each side.
Bowls: Layer the carrots and meatballs over rice. Top with cilantro, peanuts and spicy mayo. Serves 4