This week has seen a fair amount of preparation in anticipation of both the monthly CTM Board meeting (tomorrow) and the Day Camp Committee Meeting (this coming Monday evening).
Both meetings require that I compose draft agendas. The Board agenda is then approved by our President, the Rev. Chris Belle, after which I email it, along with other documents to the rest of the Board members.
The Day Camp committee agenda is of course in my purview so I look carefully over last month’s minutes and try to decide which issues will need detailed discussion this month, plus adding in any new topics. I then email that to my fellow committee members.
There is always a bit of correspondence back and forth for both meetings as we add in additional information, comments and suggestions. Since I will be taking the Minutes at the Board meeting I also prepare a typed template ahead of the meeting. As all meetings currently take place on line I also need to jot down the template on scrap paper, as I have to write the minutes in long hand in order to also be able to see everyone on my laptop screen.😊 This isn’t so awkward for the Day Camp committee as one of the members takes minutes for that meeting. Combined with the fact that this past week also included a meeting of Diocesan Council, for which I am Lay Secretary, it has been a week with an awful lot of “Minutes”!
The world of Day Camps can be full of glitter glue craft samples and Liturgical Dance practice but likewise there are other times when much more mundane tasks seem to be the focus 😊Fortunately, once office hours are over, I can apply myself more creatively working in the garden, sewing and of course cooking & baking! In these challenging times I do sorely miss the almost daily visits from Team Members and others involved in CTM but I was blessed this week to enjoy FaceTime “visits” with 2 of the Day Camp committee members, both of whom are also Team Alumnae! Another morning my friend Jenna stopped by briefly to pick up five containers of Ratatouille that have been sitting in my freezer since last spring. They were originally intended to feed hungry Team Members during the Training Retreat, which of course never happened. I was happy to be able to sell some of the other Retreat foods to Jenna for an outdoor “volunteer appreciation” event she was holding at Innovation Jeunes and so recoup some of the grocery advance I had been given last spring before COVID struck. However no one seemed to want the Ratatouille, as people are not able to gather in large groups to eat together so Jenna offered to deliver it to a homeless shelter that serves hot lunches so it seemed best to donate it and know it was being put to good use.
Other afternoons, after completing an order for masks, I was able to make myself a pair of warm woollen overalls and also to sew 3 “Newsboy” tweed caps as Christmas gifts for my Godsons. I still have one more to make and hope to put some work into it this afternoon, once my baking is done.
I’m afraid this has been a rather boring post so perhaps it is best to add a recipe and be done with it 😊
Thursday evening I made a large pot of Tomato Basil Soup, partly in preparation for my next catering order and partly for my own dinner! It was so tasty I have decided to continue this month’s “soup theme” and share the recipe with you. 😊 I’m sure it would still be nice made with dried basil, but the fresh basil made it super tasty.
Tomato Basil Soup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsps. butter
- 2 28oz. cans fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 5 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup shredded fresh basil
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt& pepper to taste
Heat the butter in a large soup pot and sauté the onion until soft. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant then stir in the tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the shredded basil. Cool slightly then purée in batches either in a blender or food processor, until smooth. Pour back into a clean pot and stir in the cream. Heat gently then season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 8-10 servings and freezes well.