Hello Blog Friends!
Autumn is not yet “officially” here but, oh my goodness!!, we’ve been having some chilly weather here in Québec 😊. Happily, this is good news for the pots of chrysanthemums that were delivered last Saturday and are all doing well.
As for the world of Day Camps, we are doing pretty well too 😊. This has been a week of sending and receiving many messages on a variety of Day Camp-related subjects.Tuesday morning I hit the ground running after celebrating the Labour Day Holiday Monday, by enjoying a brunch visit with my dear friend Jillian and her toddler, Amelia. Amelia is still not sure about my large and very noisy “woof woof” but at least, despite the excessive barking, she has remained stoical and no tears were shed during the visit 😊.
Notices have been sent this week for the upcoming Harvest Thanksgiving Team Gathering and for the September Board Meeting. Last week’s requests for people willing to lead reflections during our Advent Study Program have borne some fruit and we now have a Speaker for the second session. We also have one chef in place for the “Christmas Cooking Cook-Along” that will be happening on three successive Saturdays in November. Top of my list next week is advertising that program to all our “regulars” as well as to some new faces from amongst the 2024 Day Camp Campers .
Wednesday evening we held our monthly DC committee meeting. Only 4 of us were present as one member’s Internet was down and another had family visiting. We are still one member short as Annie recently stepped down since she is starting her first full-time teaching position. Despite being a smallish group we had a productive meeting and moved ahead with plans for the various autumn activities as well as updating the running “Job Sheet” for the 2025 Day Camp program.
Of course the result of all that work was that Thursday morning my brain was exploding as I tried to follow-up on all that we had discussed and decided. I don’t think I forgot anything but fortunately, Mae Anne will soon be sending in the meeting minutes so I can double check them with my own rough notes.
Over the Labour Day holiday I finally managed to complete the “early fall”outfit I had cut out last month. It is another Tina Givens pattern, a designer first introduced to me by my friend Jill, who has also sews these designs.
The sunny, if cooler, weather has been ideal for gardening so the lawns have been mown and early yesterday I did the monthly edging of the flower beds. Apart from Jillian and Amelia’s Monday visit no one else has dropped in but the coming week will be more interesting in that department.
Next Tuesday there is to be an in-person meeting of Diocesan Council. I was in quite a twizzle trying to find a suitable person to come and dog sit but have thankfully procured the services of Eli, the acquaintance whom I have been advising regarding chasuble restoration. Eli also has a large dog with anxiety issues and is able to bike over after an afternoon class and hold the fort with Thomason. I shall be making a cold supper for both of us, but will pack mine to take down to Cathedral Place, where the meeting is held.
Next Wednesday Miriam and Donna will be joining me for lunch as we need to discuss the music for the upcoming Harvest Thanksgiving online Team Gathering. With a meeting of the Search Committee for the coadjutor bishop next Thursday, it does look like quite a full week.
Meanwhile, today has started with the Bake- 2 GF loaves, a Ginger Cake, a batch of Granola and a dozen Blueberry Oat Muffins. It is now afternoon and once I’ve pressed the “publish” button I shall be off to collect the flowers and foliage for a fresh “30-stem Challenge” arrangement, so it is now definitely time to end with a recipe.
With this week’s cooler weather, combined with the unexpected gift of a lovely fresh organic chicken, I decided to make Country-style Chicken Noodle Soup. First I cooked the chicken using this recipe. After it cooled slightly I removed all the meat from the bones and refrigerated it. I then added 10 cups of water, and the bones to the slow cooker and let it simmer overnight, making a rich bone broth. Next morning I strained it, set aside 8 cups for the soup and froze the rest. I also divided up the chicken meat, saving 3 cups for the soup and freezing the remainder. With all the prep work done it was time to proceed to making the soup, which came together really fast 😊.
Country Style Chicken Noodle Soup
- 3 cups cooked chicken, roughly diced
- 8 cups bone broth
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 Tbsps. butter
- 1 ½ cups wide egg noodles
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Hot sauce, for serving.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and sauté the onion until softened. Add the broth and carrots and simmer for 5 minutes. Bring to a boil, add the noodles and cook them until just tender (8-10 minutes). Turn off the heat, stir in the chicken pieces and parsley. Ladle into bowls and serve with hot sauce, if desired. Makes 4-6 servings. Yum.