Hello Blog Friends and Thanksgiving Blessings to all my Canadian Readers!
It has been another full week around here and I’m looking forward to playing “catch up” over the long weekend!
The week began with finalising the email to alumni and friends of Day Camps letting them know about the funding campaign we are putting in place for 2025. The text had been discussed and approved by the DC committee but actually formatting the email was pretty stressful. I sought some advice from one of the committee members and I think it looked pretty good in the end, but I kept fritzing around with it until satisfied and didn’t manage to press the “send” button until Thursday morning. Sigh.
Of course there have also been several rounds of badgering as, besides the work on various aspects of the 2025 Day Camp Program, there are quite a few upcoming activities and events. People seem to need A LOT of reminders to sign up for things and it can be very hard to do detailed planning when one doesn’t have a sense of who will be participating.
Tuesday, after work, I launched into a LONG session of Diocesan Council. This was the meeting at which the Chair of the Search Committee for the Coadjutor Bishop was to present the draft Profile that we have been working on all summer. It was hard to be there in two capacities since, as Lay Secretary, I was taking the minutes and thus not always able to add comments as did the other members of the small delegation who came from the Search Committee. Since Tuesday, most of my evenings have been spent transcribing the many pages of notes into the 8 typed pages of minutes. By yesterday I was able to “come up for air” and tomorrow even plan to do some sewing of Christmas furoshiki!
The weather has turned quite chilly so, when it wasn’t raining, I nipped out early each morning to continue the long task of cutting back flowerbeds and harvesting herbs. The plan is to continue, (until it snows!!) making weekly “30-Stem Challenges” so yesterday morning I put together one small and one big arrangement (see above).This morning it was drizzling so not much happened in the garden but, as I was pulling up some Vinca I found, hiding coyly among the greenery, a few Autumn Croci, so exciting! Can you find one in the photo above?
Right now, the last of the morning Bake items are in the oven. I wasn’t supposed to be making GF loaves this week, but had a panic message, last evening, from Sue to say her son had accidentally squashed the 2 loaves he was taking up to their cabin ,so could I possibly make 2 more today? Of course I agreed to help and so they were added to the list! In the coming week there will be one lunchtime visitor and also one for dinner so a few items are earmarked for those meals and of course there are regular things like a batch of granola and some sourdough sandwich loaves. For the lunch visit I’ve made some cheese biscuits and, for the dinner, Pennsylvania Dutch Chocolate cookies, as part of our dessert.
This year I shall be alone on Thanksgiving Day so there is no fancy meal but I’m VERY thankful at all times, for this old house and for many kind friends. Tonight the plan is to make some eggplant burgers for supper. Do try this easy recipe. Yum!
Mediterranean Eggplant Burgers
- 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch thick circles
- ½ tsp. each-sea salt, pepper, thyme & oregano
- 2 Tbsps. olive oil
- 4 burger buns
- 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- 1 red onion, cut into thin strips
- 4 large leaves lettuce
- ½ cup plain Greek yoghurt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. dried dill
Season the eggplant with salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the eggplant and cook, on each side, about 3 minutes or until eggplant is soft golden. Remove from the pan and set aside. Brush the inside of each burger bun with the remaining olive oil, place them in the pan, oiled side down and cook until golden brown. Remove to a plate and top the bun with 2 slices of the eggplant followed by feta, tomato, red onion, and lettuce. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, and dill and stir well. Drizzle over the top of the eggplant. Place the top on the bun and serve.Serves 4