Hello Blog Friends!
I trust your Christmastide festivities have continued to be special! It has been a fairly quiet week around here. Despite the office being “closed” there have been emails to answer and I have also spent time filling out a grant application in the continued hunt for funding of the Day Camps Ministry.
The agenda for our next committee meeting also needed to be circulated. We usually meet on the first Wednesday of the month but, with that falling on the January 1st holiday, we moved it to January 8th. The next online Team Gathering is scheduled for February 1st. I’m having trouble finding an alumnus to speak that evening. The theme is Candlemas, which is a lesser church festival and thus not recognised by many Christian denominations so finding a knowledgeable speaker amongst the pool of alums is proving tricky! A message has gone out to our stalwart music team in the hopes that they, at least, will be available to lead worship that evening and a flyer is in the works to be circulated to lists of past team members.
Progress has also been made on crafting an anniversary gift for some close friends. I have created a copper and clay candle holder, rolled beeswax tapers to go with it snd sewn a pair of matching napkins with crocheted, woolen napkins rings; all this to fill the 6th Anniversary brief of “copper & wool”!
Thankfully, on Thursday morning, Jessica & Tyler were able to pick up some groceries for me as the local organic store is not doing deliveries for the foreseeable future due to the owner’s husband (who does the delivering) having recently had shoulder surgery. I was touched that the owner told me that, as I am one of their original customers, she would try and bring me some herself, however, as Tyler (who is on holiday until next Monday and has a car!) and Jessica (who works from home), offered to come to the rescue, such kind friends!
I was most thankful to receive an infusion of groceries as Eli (my friend who I have been advising on chasuble restoration) came for High Tea yesterday and midweek, word came that my three Godsons and their Mum would like to come for a visit, before the boys’ school holidays end and so Saturday lunch was the best option!
Sadly, it is almost time to change the Advent/Christmas décor to that for Epiphany/Winter. Plans were in place to blitz the house today but with 4 hungry guests arriving soon, the blitz had to be sidelined. It is not my usual practice to spend Sunday on the rather intense task of “Changing the Decorations” but it looks as if at least part of tomorrow’s “Sabbath rest” will have to be sacrificed as, on Monday, the office work will need to take precedence.
Monday will also be the Feast of Epiphany and a dear friend has sent me a ticket to an online concert so I would like to make time to celebrate the feast in a small way by watching it. For many years our family always had a special meal for Epiphany, frequently with guests joining us, and my task was to bake the Galette des Rois (Kings’ Cake). Well do I remember the year of the epic ice storm here in Québec, when I had soaked a large quantity of dried apricots in preparation for making the cake filling the following day. As we were without power for the ensuing two weeks, my parents and I gloomily ate cold soaked apricots for “dessert” on several occasions during the icy days when our only heat and cooking source was the living room fireplace!
And so, with an influx of growing bays about to descend we had better close off with our recipe. For lunch I have made a hearty lentil and sausage soup and, this morning, baked a rustic wholegrain loaf to have with it. Here is the bread recipe:-
Dutch Oven Loaf
- ¼ tsp. active dry yeast
- 1½ cups warm water
- 3 cups unbleached flour, plus more for dusting (white, whole wheat or a combination)
- 1½ tsps. salt
- Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. Cover bowl and let dough rest at least 8 hours at room temp. Lightly flour the work surface and place dough on it, sprinkle with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely and let rest for about 15 mins. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface, gently shape into a ball. Generously coat a clean dishtowel with flour, bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover and let rise for 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 450ºF degrees. Put a 6-8 quart heavy, covered Dutch oven in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover and bake for 30 mins. Remove lid and bake another 15 to 20 mins., until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. Adapted from The New York Times.