Hello Blog Friends!
Here we are firmly established in the month of August 😊. As usual it has been quite a full week around here with THREE visitors, each on a different day!
Work on the E-Book continues. The rough draft of each Gathering has been completed, although I’m sure there will be plenty of editing to do once a few friends have started reading it 😊. I have also begun sketching out some ideas for watercolour page borders, although only in pencil as I’m still without suitable paper for painting. All of that has been my main focus during office hours, with other bits and pieces of general work like paying invoices and answering emails.
Afternoons I managed to complete William’s Birthday crown. I simply cannot believe that my eldest Godson is turning TWELVE!!! Sadly this will be his last crown because I really don’t think the average teen would appreciate one 😊 I also finished sewing the patchwork tea cosy, mentioned in the previous post, which is a wedding gift for Mikaela and Adriel, now I just need to track down some organic loose teas to go with it!
We were supposed to have a DC meeting on Tuesday evening but only 3 people were free to attend so we have moved it to next Tuesday as 4 people can meet then. Pretty soon I’m planning to send out a second notice about the Cook-Along. There have been 2 enquiries about details and I’m hoping people will begin to actually sign up soon as I really don’t want to face the possibility of having to abort the project due to a lack of interest.
Tuesday Mae Anne came to lunch again as she is still working, for the summer, just a couple of blocks from my house. Although Thomason was as appalling badly behaved as usual I corralled him in the kitchen for most of her visit so she wasn’t mowed down by his effusive greetings. Fortunately he didn’t bark for too long so we were also able to have a conversation without having to shout at each other 😊. We talked about lots of topics including Day Camps, as she is a committee member and she also asked if I could suggest any projects for the art therapy studio she has set up as part of her work with at-risk teens. The next morning I sent her a list of 6 ideas and she replied that she plans to try them all, YAY!
Thursday, I “flipped” my work schedule to the afternoon since Jenna came for morning coffee, again, Mr. T. was badly behaved but did eventually calm down and we actually had our coffee and snack outside on the porch, without too much barking, jumping and licking! Jenna also has a young dog, (although Wilma is way smaller than Thomason) so she does understand about dealing with exuberant teenage pups.
Last evening I was joined for dinner by Guylaine, my former secretary, Day Camps Alum and dear friend. She and her husband have lived in Ottawa for quite a few years so I don’t see her very often but she is in town for 2 weeks staying with her parents and next week will be helping for 3 days with the JYC activities. She is leading the music portion of their program, which is taking place at a church in Ville St. Laurent, a suburb in the northern part of Montreal.
It was lovely to see her in person, although I see her once a month on Google Meet as she is also the new Communications Director for CTM and so is on the Board.
I made Israeli Couscous Salade Niçoise since I still had some really nice heirloom tomatoes from my CSA share and for dessert we had chocolate cake.
Today is a bit of Bake & Blog as I’m baking a couple of pies as well as my dinner, which will be Jerk Cauliflower with West Indian rice and peas.
This recipe is of course a riff on Jerk Chicken but is a WAY healthier option as well as being super tasty!
Jerk Cauliflower
- Batter:
- 1 medium cauliflower
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup milk or plain yoghurt
- 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ¼ tsp. turmeric
- Jerk Sauce:
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 garlic scapes (or 2 cloves), chopped
- 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
- ½ tsp. each allspice & cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp. each dried thyme and chilli powder
- ¼ cup each Tamari, tomato sauce, orange juice and raw cane sugar
- 2 Tbsps. each molasses and lime juice
- Sunflower oil for brushing
Instructions:
Preheat oven 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine batter ingredients in a bowl and whisk to form a loose batter, adding a little water if needed. Dip florets into batter one by one and place on the baking sheet, brush with oil. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and crispy, turning halfway. While cauliflower is baking, prepare the sauce: Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor and process until smooth. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Toss cauliflower florets with sauce. Delicious served with rice and peas!