Hello Blog Friends!
As happens every year, the days of Advent fly by, way faster than days in, say, February!
Here we are, already, at Advent 2. Early in the week the focus was on the final push to see if our sixth, annual “Carols* Cocoa” concert could be pulled together. With not enough content and NO ONE registered to join the ZOOM event, the prospects were very bleak. But, as has been the case every year, God provided! I guess God sometimes would like to give me a good shake as I am always wailing and lamenting that we will need to cancel and then, at the eleventh hour, the flood gates open with more content being sent in and people signing up to either attend the live concert or request a link to the recorded version.
The event is going live in just a couple of hours and I am sure it will be truly special! Watch for next week’s post with all the details!
Midweek we also had the monthly Day Camp committee meeting. Sadly, two members were not able to be there, but the remaining five of us managed to get quite a lot accomplished in a record-breaking 45 minutes! Of course we talked ,at length about Carols & Cocoa but also touched on the ongoing Alumni Advent Program as well as laying out tentative dates for future committee meetings, the Candlemas online Team Gathering, and for Season 11 of the Day Camps Cook-Along, as well as looking out how everyone is doing, in completing the various parts of the 2026 Day Camp Program Manual.
All week my computer has been acting up and, yesterday, it went black!! I got in touch with Wentworth, my longtime “tech” guru who diagnosed the need for a new battery AND a problem with the adapter port. Today, I am continuing to limp along, praying that, this afternoon, it does not crash during Carols & Cocoa and also that, tomorrow, I can make it unscathed, through the second session of the Advent program. Next Tuesday there are, also, two online, Diocesan, meetings, for one of which I am secretary so the computer cannot be sent away for repairs until the middle of next week, at the earliest.Sigh.
Since I now need to finish up the Bake, I had better end off with our recipe, so I can get this published, in case of another crash.
Around here, we are now firmly in “soup” weather. Yesterday, the windchill was listed at -20ºC so my early morning walk was, certainly, shorter than usual and, for lunch, a bowl of hot soup was most welcome. This simple and tasty recipe comes from the “Soup for Syria” cookbook, an excellent book, the profits from which, all go towards aid for Syrian refugees.
Syrian Carrot Soup
- 2 onions, sliced
- 4 Tbsps. butter
- 2 ½ lbs. (1 kg) carrots, peeled and sliced
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- Salt and pepper
In a large pot, melt the butter and sauté the onions until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes. Pour in the broth and season with the thyme and salt& pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for a while, before puréeing. Reheat before serving, preferably with a homemade loaf or breadsticks, and some Cheddar. Serves 4-6.