Hello Blog Friends!
Here we are at the end of the Lenten Season, in the liminal space, before the Day of Resurrection.
Of course this has been a packed week. Last Saturday’s Mini-Retreat was so amazing (check out the Wednesday Words post, also published today) and has kept me uplifted throughout the highs and lows of Holy Week. That same afternoon news arrived of the hospitalisation of a close relative of one of the DC committee members, (obviously a “low”!).
Palm Sunday was lovely, although I must confess that a few hours were spent window cleaning, as my hope was, before Easter, to have all the doors and windows (a total of 33!) done and all the curtains washed. Happy to report the marathon task was accomplished.
All week, several volunteers have been helping to get the first draft of the 2025 Program Manual edited, Thursday, I compiled everything into one Google Doc, prayed over it, and consigned it to Jessica, our noble layout editor, for her ministrations!
As has been frequently mentioned, the days prior to major Christian festivals are not conducive to promoting Day Camps so, this past week, correspondence has tailed off and it will be necessary to wait for a while before resuming various modes of badgering. Clergy to whom I have recently spoken have, understandably replied with “call me after Easter”.
Thankfully, there is always PLENTY to keep me busy!! Wednesday and Thursday, quite a kot of time was spent providing Miriam with various files so that, now that her university classes are over for the semester, she can come to grips with the two sets of slide presentations needed for each day of a Day Camp Week.
It has also been a week with visitors. Wednesday evening was my monthly dinner visit with Jessica, Good Friday morning Jenna came for coffee and Hot Cross Buns and Easter Monday, Eli will be coming for a Mini-Retreat debrief session. Monday-Wednesday evenings I very much appreciated the opportunity to watch, from Canterbury Cathedral, a three-part Holy Week series of reflections on the theme of “Hope”. Then there were special Maundy Thursday and Good Friday Services with, this evening, Holy Saturday Tenebrae.
Squashed in between everything else, time was carved out to wrap all my Pysanky, make a batch of date and chocolate bark, and sew a birthday dress for a 6year-old. I am very anxious to get outside into the garden but, apart from a couple of days, April has been consistently cold with snow flurries and highs of only 3º-4ºC.Yesterday morning, Thomason supervised my tidying up the the herb garden but, by the afternoon, it was raining, yet again.
Today is the Saturday Bake with Tropic Aroma Cake top of the list. Regular blog readers may recall that this was my Mum’s favourite cake and, from the time I was about 8 years old, I took over the annual ritual of making it for her. Her birthday was April 18th and, since her death, I have continued to bake it, and share it with friends, as a special remembrance. I’m also making a batch of dog biscuits, a boule and some Maple Scones. You will need to wait until next week to see the cake as I plan to ice it tomorrow and have a slice for my Easter Day dessert.
Now it is time for our recipe. When Jessica was here for dinner, I made a Whitefish Tabouleh. It makes a very tasty springtime meal.
Whitefish Tabouleh
- 10oz. whitefish filets
- 1 cup bulghur wheat
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 4 Lebanese cucumbers, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 lemon
- Small bunch, each, of fresh parsley, cilantro and mint
- 2 Tbsps. olive oil
- 2 Tbsps. red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsps. lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
Place the bulghur in a heatproof bowl, add 2 cups boiling water, stir and leave for 45 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Meanwhile place the whitefish in a lidded frying pan, add 5 peppercorns, 2 sprigs parsley and 3 slices of lemon, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Once the fish is opaque remove it to cool on a plate then flake into bite size chunks. Combine the bulghur, onions, cucumbers, fresh herbs and tomatoes in a large serving bowl. In a small jar, combine the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, the grated rind of the lemon, mustard and salt and pepper, to taste. Close the jar tightly and shake well. Pour the dressing over the bulghur mixture and toss well with a wide spatula. Add the fish chunks and toss gently so as not to break them up. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours, before serving. Serves 4.