Hello Blog Friends!
It has been another wintery week around here, with many forays outside for shovelling! As people are now returning to school and work, I have been sending out lots of messages (emails, texts, Insta, FB etc.) informing alumni about the upcoming Candlemas Team Gathering, Church communities about the 2025 Day Camp Programs, and a long list of Day Camps Friends about this year’s funding campaign.
The last message did result in a generous donation from an alumnus, but the first and second, sadly, elicited emails from two communities asking to be removed from our contact list as they are no longer in a position to host Day Camps and one text from an alumnus explaining why she could not attend the upcoming TG. Sigh, the ups and downs of the little world of Day Camps.
However one needs to stay positive and forge ahead so I have started to compile the Supply List for the “On Fire!” program and have had some good discussions with Mae Anne, who is in charge of selecting all the music, about the choice of a Theme Song. The communications person at the Synod Office has also approached me to ask if I would be willing to be interviewed for her podcast. The interview would be an opportunity to promote Day Camps but I LOATHE being interviewed and usually run, screaming, away from this sort of request. In the end, I supposed I’ll just have to suck it up as I hate to leave any stones unturned when attempting to promote the ministry (maybe she will forget she asked me ??)
Outside of office time there has been quite a lot of activity on the “visitor” front. Monday I had a call from Randy, (a long time team alumnus, former committee member and friend). He lives in an outlying suburb of the city but had come into town for a doctor’s appointment and wondered if he could drop by for a coffee. Of course I said “yes” and immediately flung myself into catching Thomason and settling him on his bed; this being especially necessary as Randy is waiting for spinal surgery and I sure didn’t want him to be knocked over by my overly exuberant pup!! We had a very nice catch up visit, punctuated by barking on the part of Mr. T.
Wednesday evening was Jessica’s scheduled monthly visit and dinner. I had offered a choice of white fish or lamb for the main course and as Jessica’s husband Tyler does not like fish and thus it is rarely on the menu at their home; that was what we went with! I made a yummy dish based on a recipe from the New York Times app. and we both flagged it as a “keeper”.
Yesterday afternoon another friend, for whom I had done some mending, came by to pick up her garment and stayed for cake and coffee, while I multi-tasked for today’s Bake and for this afternoon’s High Tea visitors. Right now, I’m frantically trying to complete those preparations while also finishing up the 6 pages of notes from Thursday evening’s Search Committee Meeting. AGH!!! Robert and Gabe will not be arriving until 5pm but there is still quite a lot to do, so I had better type up the weekly recipe and hare back to the kitchen.
As mentioned above, Jessica and I really enjoyed this white fish dish that I adapted from the NYT app.
Smoky Fish with Pearl Couscous
- ¼cup olive oil
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 white fish fillets
- salt and black pepper
- 1½Tbsps. minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp. Asian fish sauce
- 1tsp. smoked paprika
- Pinch of ground cayenne
- 1½cups chicken stock
- 1 14oz. tin tomato sauce
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
- ¾cup pearl couscous
- 2tsps. red wine vinegar
In a large (12-inch) skillet (use one with a tight-fitting lid), heat the olive oil over medium. Add the red pepper and onion. Cook, tossing occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, fish sauce, paprika and cayenne to the skillet and cook for 1 minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add a small amount of water and stir to scrape up any brown bits from the pan, then add the chicken stock, tomatoes, olives, 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. black pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the couscous, stir, then add the fish fillets, wiggling them lightly to submerge in the sauce. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Carefully transfer the fish to a plate. Simmer the couscous, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it’s tender and the liquid in the pan has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the vinegar and gently return the fish to the skillet to warm, being careful to keep it intact. Serve hot in shallow bowls. Serves 4