Hello Blog Friends!
The Lenten Journey has begun and this week seems to have flown by.
Monday I was so happy to have Jillian come for lunch, to celebrate her birthday, which was on Thursday. I made a big skillet of Nachos followed by chocolate cake with peppermint icing and a pot of coffee. We enjoyed catching up and talking about all things “Day Camps” and Thomason was no more badly behaved than usual so all in all the visit was a success 😊.
Shrove Tuesday I prepared a batch of wholegrain pancake mix and made myself blueberry pancakes for supper then that evening we held our monthly Day Camp committee meeting with everyone present, which was great. We talked about the upcoming Lenten activities- the Day Camps Cook Along for campers and their families and the Team Alumnae study program.
We also discussed the 2022 Program- ”Follow the Leader” and Jillian shared with us the possibility of having a Day Camp at a church in Ottawa. This camp would be held in conjunction with Camp Connections, a ministry with which Jillian and her husband are involved. It is hopeful to have at least one potential Day Camp for this coming summer.
There is always lots of follow up to do after a committee meeting so Ash Wednesday included sending off a number of emails as well as pausing to participate online in a service with Ashing. The day before I had made a tiny bowl of ashes using a dried palm cross and so was able to impose them on myself, which was quite a moving experience. Starting on Ash Wednesday I also began the “Changing of the Decorations” to the Lent/Spring/Easter theme (with an emphasis on the first two points 😊). Over the next couple of days I beavered away and now everything indoors is looking fresh and spring-like despite the mountains of snow outside!
The first few days of March are always a difficult time for me since my Mum died on March 2nd. It seems incredible to me that it is now 22 years since her death but it was the sort of pivotal event that sears itself into one’s brain. I am proud that my Mum died at home, which was her wish and in her final days I changed the decorations for Lent/Spring/Easter as these seasonal rituals had been a part of family tradition all my life. Now that I am alone, this change of decorations is done in memory of her.
This morning I hurried to do my baking before noon since at 245pm I will be logging into the first episode of the Cook-Along. So right now I’m going to include this week’s recipe then, once the Google Meet ends I’ll add a short coda, letting you know how it went😊.
As I said right at the beginning, I made a skillet of Nachos when Jillian joined me for lunch. This can easily be adapted to suit everyone’s tastes, but here is my recipe 😊.
- 4 cups blue corn tortilla chips with flax
- 1 cup cooked black beans
- ½ cup corn kernels
- 2 spicy Italian Sausages, cooked and crumbled
- ½ cup medium salsa
- 1 cup sharp cheddar, grated
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced and sprinkled with lime juice
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 cup sliced olives (optional)
Assemble the Nachos in a large cast iron skillet or similar ovenproof dish. Layer ingredients in the following order:- tortilla chips, black beans, corn, sausage, salsa, cheese. Broil the Nachos on Low setting until heated through, then increase to High and broil until cheese is bubbling, Remove from the oven and garnish with avocado, cilantro and olives. Serve immediately. Serves 2-3
The Cook-Along Episode 1 has just finished up for the day and we had a super time.Chef Victor did a super job presenting his Chocolate Lava Cakes with families from 3 provinces participating 😊
