Hello Blog Friends!
Welcome to July! It has been another unusual week around here, as Wednesday was Canada Day so, once again, there was no mail delivered and most stores and businesses were closed, but let us first rewind back to last Sunday.
Sunday was a lovely peaceful day. I was delighted to wake up to a long text message report from Krissel, the young woman who had been in charge of the helpers from FFBCM for their time assisting at the Day Camp in the Eastern Townships. It was great to read about their adventures and also see a few photos (see above!)
That morning was filled with, firstly, our little Pod Gathering and then the online Eucharist from Canterbury. In the afternoon, I was pleased to finally complete the 1000piece “Tropical Fish” jigsaw puzzle, brought, last summer, by Anna, when she and her boys came to stay with me. The puzzle is from the Natural History Museum and is very lovely (photo, also, above!)
Monday, much time was spent in prayer, as a close friend was undergoing surgery that morning but, that evening, news came from a family member of hers to say that she had come through well, which was such a blessing. Meanwhile, I was occupied by collating some of the MANY files for the Cook-Along Cookbook, which we are creating, as small fundraising initiative as well as marking TWELVE “seasons” of Cook-Alongs. Jeff, a valuable member of the Day Camp Committee, will be assembling the files using the Canva platform and we hope to launch the book in November, in time for purchase as a Christmas gift. Work on the files has taken me most of the rest of this week, including a big chunk of the “so-called” Canada Day holiday! But all of them are now uploaded to a Drive folder, ready for Jeff when he returns from a conference in Munich, followed by a family vacation on Prince Edward Island. Watch this spot for further updates, as the project unfolds!
Part of Tuesday was occupied by a Bishop’s Commission on Ministry meeting. This committee does not meet over the summer, so the Chair squeezed in a session on the last day of June. I am not the regular scribe for this group, as minutes are usually taken by our Bishop’s secretary but, as she had already gone on vacation, the task fell to me so, of course, that also meant typing up the minutes. Fortunately, there were only 5 pages, quite short compared to the 12 pages from the recent Synod!
Thursday, it was back to dealing with the files but with two pleasant diversions as Jillan, with both her little girls, came for a late morning “snack” visit and Eli came, after work , also for a snack and to help with my Moomin jigsaw puzzle, as we are both quite passionate about all things “Moomin”. We made some good progress while drnking peach iced tea and munching on Brownie Brittle!
Yesterday, a bit of time was spent prepping for the evening’s online Team Gathering. Donna, who was to run the slideshow (and who is also one of the two musicians who prepare the song selections for TGs) came for lunch and we had a very nice visit. In the afternoon, I did some prepping for today’s Bake as I wanted to make an early start this morning, since Jenna is popping by around 3pm for either a cup of tea (if the weather has cooled off) or iced tea (if we are still clocking +40C Humidex readings). Every day this week, there have been severe thunderstorm warnings although, thankfully, the evening and night time thunderstorms have not been too torrential.
Since Jenna will be turning up in less than an hour, I had better get this morning’s Bake wrapped, and in the freezer, and then set a Tea tray!
With the extreme heat, I have been enjoying a number of cold dishes for my dinners. One evening I made as real favourite-Potsticker and Tomato Salad. I started by making my own Shanghai Dumplings, but frozen, pre-made ones can be substituted.
Potsticker Tomato Salad
- 2lbs fresh, ripe tomatoes (preferably heirloom variety)
- 1 clove grated garlic
- Sea salt &black pepper
- 24 fresh homemade or frozen potstickers
- 2Tbsps olive oil
- 3Tbsps Korean Chile Crisp
- 2Tbsps rice vinegar
- 1Tbsp Tamari
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Roughly cut up the tomatoes and place on a shallow serving dish, season with salt and pepper and toss gently with half the cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk together the chile crisp, vinegar and Tamari. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil on medium high. Add the dumplings and fry 2-3 minutes, until the bottoms start to brown. Quickly add ¼ cup water and cover with a lid. Steam for 4-6 minutes, depending on if the dumplings are fresh or frozen (if they contain meat, be sure they are thoroughly cooked through). Place the cooked dumplings over the tomatoes and toss gently. , drizzle with the chile crisp dressing, toss gently and garnish with more cilantro. Serves 3-4