Lent 2
Hello Blog Friends!
Week two of Lent and I have finally made a start on my Pysanky, a process that always helps to centre me in this season.
It has been a full week, as the assembling of the AGM documents took several sessions before I was satisfied with the layout of the reports. They have to be sent, one month before the meeting, to all those who have donated to CTM during the previous year and the AGM will be happening on April 27th. We have tried to make the reports more interesting by adding a few photos but it takes time to track down photos from the other ministries, (although I have plenty from Day Camps!), then to format them and turn the whole thing into a pdf file. I’m three quarters done and should see the task completed early next week, yay!
Other work has included sending out more reminders about the upcoming Alumni Lenten Mini Retreat and, of course, some prep for Episode #2 of the Cook-Along, happening this afternoon. There will be a special “Wednesday Words” post about the Cook-Along, but suffice it to say that Episode #1 went well, despite the fact that only one family logged in, and they were a tad late; however all’s well that ends well, and the small chefs had a super time, especially separating raw eggs in their bare hands, EEK!!!
The Extended Day Manual content has all been assembled and that document now only requires a close proofread before it can be uploaded and published. The next big task will be the Backyard Program, as we have now heard, definitely, that one community intends to purchase that resource.
Outside of office time, I have had to devote most of my evenings to meetings and typing up the minutes of meetings, most notably an extraordinarily long session of Diocesan Council but I shall draw veil over that one and over the fallout on subsequent days. Sigh.
Last Sunday afternoon I had a call from my close friend ,Victoria, (mother of three of my Godsons) asking if we could arrange a short visit this week as the boys were on their spring break and so an excursion was being made from Ottawa to Montreal so they could attend a performance of the Lakeshore Light Opera. Before her marriage, Victoria sang in this amateur operatic society and, despite now living in Ottawa, usually manages to attend one of their annual Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.
Thursday evening, I welcomed them for dinner. Sadly traffic from Ottawa proved very congested so our visit was curtailed but everyone enjoyed a meal of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup & individual loaves of bread, followed my caramelised pineapple with whipped cream and shortbread. Somehow, in between everything, else I ended up hand sewing a birthday crown for my youngest Godson. Andrew will be turning 10 at the beginning of April, and I knew I would not be seeing him again before then so, after some hurried consultations with his Mum about colour choices and appliqués, I managed, by pulling a few late nights to have it ready to give to Victoria for safe keeping, so he can be presented with it on his birthday morning.After our quick meal they rushed off to see The Pirates of Penzance and I tackled a rather large pile of dishes! It is always wonderful to see the boys and I truly enjoyed the many hugs and “we love yous” as I bundled them out to their car.
It being Lent, I am still committed to the discipline of setting aside at least one hour a day in which I “write” my pysanky while praying, listening to Christian podcasts and/or Liturgies. As of today, the first dozen is well underway and, this coming Monday, Jillian will be joining me as she has requested a tutorial on the mysteries of pysanky-crafting. Jillian is an excellent calligrapher, so I’m sure she will soon catch on to writing with a kistka instead of a pen!
There has been very little time for knitting so progress has been slow on my spring pullover “Fern & Feather” but, as I have now completed the patterned yoke I expect the body to go much faster and I may actually get to wear it before the temperatures rise above freezing.
Last evening, the Theological Student, whom I mentor, joined me for supper.When he comes to visit, I usually prepare a High Tea but somehow felt that fish was more suitable for a Friday evening in Lent, so this time I made a Kimchi and White Fish Stew and served it with Fluffy Bao. For dessert we had Hojicha Lattés with oranges and Peanut Miso Cookies.
As it is now almost time for the Cook-Along episode I will close off here with a recipe for :-
Fluffy Bao
- 1 tsp. active dry yeast
- 3 tsps. raw cane sugar
- 200 ml warm milk or water
- 255 gr all-purpose flour
- 45 gr tapioca starch
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
Place 1 tsp. sugar, yeast, and warm milk in a bowl. Give it a stir and let it sit for 10 minutes. Stir in the flour, rest of the sugar, tapioca starch and oil. Mix well, adding a little warm water, if dough seems too dry. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough is very smooth. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Turn out on a floured surface and divide the dough in half. Cut each half into 8 equal pieces and form into small round buns. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes. At this point you can place half the Bao on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and freeze until solid, then wrap tightly and freeze for later steaming OR steam all 16 buns. For steaming, line a bamboo steamer tray with a circle of parchment (you will need 2 trays if you steam all the buns) Place 8 buns on each tray, making sure they are well spaced apart as they will expand more when steamed. Place the covered steamer over gently boiling water and steam for 5 mins. (Frozen Bao may be steamed from the frozen state but will take 10 minutes). Remove from the heat but leave covered for a few minutes to allow water droplets to evaporate and not fall on the buns. Makes 16 Bao.