Hello Blog friends!
Thanksgiving Blessings to those of you who are Canadians as we celebrate this weekend.🍁🍁🍁
It is hard to believe we have already hit this milestone in the year as the next holiday after Thanksgiving is Christmas, EEK!! I’m certainly not yet ready to think about that 😊. But today, my mind is firmly fixed on Harvest/Thanksgiving as our Team Gathering with that theme is happening this evening. Yesterday, I had a lovely lunch visit with our music team, Miriam and Donna, and we discussed the songs we will be singing as well as many other Day Camp-related topics.
This has been a week with plenty of meetings and several more informal “visits”.
Sunday afternoon we held the CTM Board meeting so, of course, Monday I spent a good chunk of office time typing up the minutes and sending the draft off to our President for his approval before circulating them. yesterday, to the other Board members.
Tuesday my day started super early with an 8am breakfast visit with Jenna after which I launched right into office work without having to take a lunch break as we had enjoyed a hearty meal of cheese and pepper omelette, Bundt cake, melon slices and a big pot of coffee. That day I had to stay close to home (much to the disgust of Thomason who had to wait until 4pm for his usual “after lunch” walk!!) as I was expecting an UPS delivery of my fall rain boots. Thankfully they did arrive around 330pm and I am very pleased with them. Finding eco-friendly, sustainably sourced boots that are also fairly priced is not an easy task and I finally had to settle for a pair manufactured in Sweden after being unable to find any made in Canada that ticked all my boxes. I do regret the additional fossil fuel used in shipping them from Sweden but it was way better than settling for a pair made in China by people who do not receive fair wages. Sigh. As I had to stay at home anyway that afternoon I was also able to fit in a FaceTime session with the postulant for ordination whom I mentor. We arranged an in-person visit later this month during which I am going to teach him how to make, from scratch, Pot Sticker Dumplings 😊.
Wednesday was the last crazy warm day of the week with a whopping high of 27ºC, another sad reminder of global warming. So, once again I made an early start by taking Thomason for a long walk while it was still cool, doing a quick whiffle around the garden, where the plants were looking decidedly crispy due to a long dry spell and then, before 9am, sitting down to a day of office work, which culminated in our monthly Day Camp Committee meeting at 7pm.
There was A LOT to talk about at the meeting including the Team Gathering, the upcoming Season 6 of the Cook-Along, plans for the Alumni Advent Study Program and Carols & Cocoa fundraiser and, of course, much discussion about all the preparation underway for the 2024 Day Camp Program as well as updates on progress for the grant application. Whew! it was a full and productive meeting.
Thursday I had “second breakfast” visitors in the persons of my dear friend Jillian along with her husband, Victor, and baby, Amelia. It was the first time Jillian had come for a proper meal since the baby was born in July so it was high time to rectify that situation. That day work did start later in the morning but, since Wednesday had been such along day, I did not fall behind much with my ongoing “to-do” list. During the afternoon it was also great to catch up with former committee member and friend, Brenda. She and her three “littles” live in Halifax and it is very hard to fit in FaceTime calls around toddler schedules and the one-hour time difference. Brenda &Co. are hoping to join in the next Cook-Along series, fingers crossed😊 .
As mentioned above, Friday included an in-person lunch meeting with Miriam and Donna, which successfully put all of us on track for tonight’s Team Gathering.
Squeezed into the small cracks between work and visitors there has also been some progress made on the illustrations for the Psalms book, completion of a bunch of mending for 2 Clergywomen and the turning of the heel on the second Christmas sock.
Right now I am desperately trying to complete the Saturday Bake as well as preparing a large pot of Acorn Squash Chilli as tomorrow Emmanuel and Kelvin are coming to join me for lunch after their morning church service at First Filipino Baptist Church so we had better quickly wrap things up with our recipe.
Chilli isn’t exactly soup but hopefully it is close enough to be included in October Soup Month 😊.
Acorn Squash Chilli
- 2 acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
- 4 cups dried beans (kidney, black, pinto, adjuki) soaked overnight
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 Tbsps. olive oil
- 1 red onion chopped
- 2 green peppers, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp. each, Chipotle powder, cumin and coriander
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 1 cup millet
- 1 28oz, can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 bottle tomato purée
- 3 cups water
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet and brown the beef, breaking up any large chunks. Place the beef in a 12-cup slow cooker. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and brown the onions, green peppers and squash cubes for 10 minutes, adding the garlic in he last minute. Transfer the vegetables to the slow- cooker. Drain the beans and add to the slow cooker along with all the other ingredients. Stir well and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours until the beans and squash are tender. Serve with a variety of garnishes, e.g.-grated cheddar, fresh cilantro, diced oranges and plain yoghurt. Serves 6-8 and freezes well.