Hello Blog Friends!
It is hard to believe that we are already at the last weekend on January. In some ways it seems that Christmas was only a few days ago but when I reflect on all that has happened this month suddenly Advent and Christmas do seem far in the past 😊.
There has been plenty to keep me busy this week. Everything from new procedures for CTM’s Police Records Checks protocol, to registration payments arriving for both Junior Youth Camp Winter Camp Day and the Day Camps Cook-Along, work on preparing the Day Camp Acceptance Package, the minutes of our Board meeting to transcribe, three online meetings, etc., etc., etc.
There is nothing new about multi-tasking when one is the only person in a small office but this week there just seemed to be such a very wide variety of tasks, all clamouring for my attention; never a dull moment, anyway 😊.
It is encouraging to see progress being made in various areas, especially around the resources that need to be assembled for the 2024 Day Camp Program. With the Community Planner now off to Jessica for layout, I was able to finalise the comprehensive Supply List and that has been sent on to Jillian, who has kindly agreed to format and upload it to the Acceptance Package folder. I also took time to complete templates for a registration form and a poster, both of which can be personalised by host communities with all their own information. Those, too, were uploaded to the Acceptance Package.
After a bit of kerfuffle, I think we now have 3 chefs lined up for the Cook-Along so my attention can focus on inviting families to register for the 3 sessions. Also, the Team Gathering is only 1 week away and it would be good to see more Alumni signing up for that. We do have about 10-12 names but had hoped for a few more. Committee member, Mikaela, has been helping with badgering but she has just as much difficulty as I have in getting responses!
Outside of office time I have been dealing with more horrendous weather as we have had a couple of bouts of intense freezing rain that leave every exterior surface encased in thick ice. Wednesday evening the Internet went down, which often happens when there is a build up of ice on the lines, but thankfully it was restored by the time I logged in on Thursday morning
There has been precious little time for crafting although I did do some mending for a friend and also did some patching of Thomason’s dog bed. The bed belonged to his predecessor, Wil, and was a Christmas gift from my Godsons’ family. It comes from L.L.Bean (a well known catalogue shop base in the State of Maine) and I think I might be able to get a replacement cover as it is obvious the fabric is beginning to rot from much washing and hard wear! Evenings I continue knitting my Swedish sock pattern, but it is slow going on very small needles and with a complicated series of charts and I also sewed a furoshiki in which to wrap the Anniversary gift for today’s lunch party😊.
Today, I am soon going to be welcoming Jillian, Victor and baby Amelia for their visit, which, two weeks ago, was postponed due to foul weather. At present the Three Cheeses Macaroni and Cheese is bubbling in the oven and they should be arriving in twenty minutes so I guess I had better wrap up this post and put the final touches on the lunch table.
This week I tried another Asian/Italian fusion recipe and found it a quick and tasty weeknight supper.
Here you go…
Ramen Carbonara
- 3 slices bacon, cut into ½” strips
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 Tbsp butter, plus more for frying egg
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 1 package ramen noodles
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1 egg for frying
- black pepper
Fry the bacon in a skillet until crisp and remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add the butter, boiling water and half the cheese and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the ramen block and keep simmering, while gently separating the strands as the noodles cook for 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the whisked egg, bacon and remaining cheeses stirring to make a smooth sauce keep the egg from scrambling.
Transfer to a serving bowl and keep warm. In the same skillet, melt another tsp. of butter and fry the second egg until the yolk is just set and the edges are golden. Slide into the serving bowl and add a good quantity of freshly ground black pepper. Serves 1 but can easily be multiplied.