Hello Blog Friends!
Another full week has passed by, in the small world of Day Camps! Great news… the instructions for “Registration Time” Creative Activities are completed plus further progress has been made on the balance of the Creative Connection chapter. Yay!
With Advent fast approaching, I am most anxious to devote more time to the Alumni Advent Study Program. The Google Slides templates need to be designed and each of the 4 sessions planned out in detail. Thankfully, interest in attending is increasing, which is hopeful.
Carols & Cocoa is still very “iffy”. We do, already, have a reasonable number of “presenters” although, to date, only 3 videos have been sent in, with 2 others promised. The biggest concern is attracting an audience. Next week, we will be publishing the Advent/Christmas issue of the Networks newsletter and I truly hope some of those subscribers will register to receive the link and/or to purchase the video recording of the concert. If anyone reading this blog would like to sign up, please email me.
Having managed to restrain myself and not yet mentioned THE WEATHER!!, I must now say it has been simply appalling and I’m in despair that, due to the amount of snow that has already accumulated, it will be impossible to do a final raking of the lawns and flowerbeds. This is not just a matter of tidiness- maple leaves are highly acidic and, if they are left under the snow all winter, the new grass and the tender shoots of plants will “burn” as the snow melts in spring, which is most upsetting. Yesterday, and today, we have had some sunshine but the temperatures are still below freezing so not much has melted away. Yesterday, in the early morning, I did work outside for an hour and had NEVER raked leaves on snow before, I guess there is a first time for everything! And this morning I put in another 90 mibnutes under much the same cpnditions. Tonight and tomorrow there is aforecast of freezing raion, whicgh means we are likely to lose power and every surface will become coated in ice. Ah! Winter in the frozen North!! (and it is still, technically, only Autumn)
Christmas gift-making is also way behind schedule although, last Sunday afternoon, I sewed a velvet waistcoat for a special friend. There are 6 small children in my acquaintance for whom I am hoping to make “stuffies” so, following this afternoon’s Cook-Along episode, I plan to cut out all the pattern pieces. Knitting of gifts is slowly coming along with just 3 more gnomes still needing to be produced, to meet my goal of 1 dozen!
Of course, this morning was an early Bake. The attempt to bake after last week’s Cook-Along was foiled as my friend needed to pick up her GF bread quite early, so I just made the planned Yorkshire Pudding and ate it as my lunch instead of supper. Today I’m going to do the same with a Veggie Enchiladas dish.
The recipe is my own adaption of one I recently saw on the NYT Food App. Today, I shall wait until after lunch, to publish, so that a photo can be included.
Veggie Enchiladas
- 2tbsps olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1red pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into ¼” pieces
- 4garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1½tsps ground cumin
- 1(15oz) can fire-roasted tomatoes, crushed
- 2tsps chili powder
- ½tsp hot sauce
- ¼cup plain, full-fat yoghurt
- 2(15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed
- 5oz.Cheddar, grated
- 8 (8inch) flour tortillas (preferably homemade)
- Fresh cilantro, for serving
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onions, pepper and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, until softened and charred in spots. Stir in the cumin and remove from heat. Transfer half the vegetable mixture to a food processor; add the tomatoes, chili powder and hot sauce and pulse until smooth. Add the black beans and ½ cup cheese to the remaining vegetables in the skillet and stir to combine.
Pour half the enchilada sauce into a medium casserole or a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and spread it to cover the bottom of the dish. Line up the filling, tortillas and casserole in a row. Place a little more than ¼ cup of the bean mixture in the center of one tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place in the casserole dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle with the remaining ¾ cup cheese. Bake at 425ºF until the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately, serves 4. ps- They were VERY tasty!