Here we are at the end of another lockdown week. There are rumours flying around that restrictions will soon be eased but it is hard to understand what that is going to look like. Wherever you are I hope you are hanging in there in this strange new reality. Stay safe 😊
It has been a full week around here. After a marathon 3½ hour long AGM last Sunday afternoon it was necessary for me to spend a good part of Monday and Tuesday typing up the 9 pages of notes I had taken, trying to piece them into something resembling proper Minutes 😊
With that mammoth task behind me I also contacted the new CTM President, the Rev. Chris Belle, to see if he wanted me to send out a Doodle poll for the next Board meeting. Fortunately that will not take place until later in May but we needed to choose a date. Most members have now responded and I think it is looking as if May 17th will be the most promising choice.
There have also been more bits and pieces to deal with relative to the cancellation of Day Camps. A couple of communities have asked to receive the emergency package I put together with resources from an older program as they hope to use it for some sort of Day Camp later in the summer.
Outside of morning office hours I decided (despite cold weather and forecasts of snow squalls!) to move ahead with the plan of cleaning all the windows and washing all the curtains. At last count there are 27 curtain panels to wash along with 8 doors and 25 windows to clean as well as a glass panelled front entry, which contains some quite large panes. After 4 afternoons of work, including a couple of aborted attempts outside due to snow, everything is now clean and shiny.
During the week I also cut out a birthday gift for my friends Alexander and Sarah’s baby Serena who will turn 1-year-old at the end of this month. I began sewing yesterday afternoon but have no elastic and of course there are no stores open where one can purchase any. Hmmm not quite sure how to proceed 😊
Today has warmed up slightly and I hope to get some garden work done, especially the dividing of daylily tubers, which have a habit of taking over in the flowerbeds!
There is also some extra baking to do since Sue asked for Gluten Free Baguettes, her usual GF loaves plus some cookies (NOT GF 😊) for her family to eat.
Once a month I tackle mopping the whole basement floor (it is painted concrete and gets swept daily but need to be kept shiny 😊) so first of all I’m heading down there to work on that task.
I’ve never shared the GF Baguettes recipe on the blog so here it is! The original was found online and has been tweaked a few times. It is rather tricky to make but worth the effort if you need GF baked goods.
Gluten Free Baguettes
480 ml all purpose GF flour flour- 240 ml potato starch
- 3 tsps. xanthan gum
- 1 ½tsps. salt
- 2 Tbsps. sugar
- 2 Tbsps. yeast
- 2 whole organic eggs plus 2 egg white
- 350 ml warm water
- 2 Tbsps. melted butter (or dairy-free alternative)
- 1 tsp. vinegar
Mix flour, potato starch, and xanthan gum, salt. Blend well using an electric mixer. Add the yeast to the warm water and sugar, mix well, and let the mixture foam up. Pour into the dry ingredients, and set electric mixer to low speed.
Add butter, eggs and vinegar to the mix, and turn mixer to medium for 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through if need be.
Grease a 3-loaf French bread tray with the leftover butter, and sprinkle a little flour over it. Fill the trays using a spoon. The dough will not be as firm as regular dough. Make sure not to over-fill the bread trays, as the baguettes will rise quite a bit. Shape the baguettes with wet hands, and lastly cut diagonal lines into the loaves, using a sharp knife. Place in a warm spot to rise.
Preheat your oven to 355ºF, sprinkle risen loaves with a little more flour and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Serve while still warm. Do not wrap in plastic or they will lose their crust. They can be wrapped and frozen. Reheat briefly in a low oven before serving,