Hello Blog Friends!
Our feet are now firmly set on the pathway to Easter. Last Sunday afternoon, I made 4 jars of Yuzu marmalade, after a friend, not knowing what to do with them, brought me a dozen, yuzu. I immediately consulted “Mr. Google” and found an excellent Japanese recipe (yes, on Monday morning, I did deliver a jar of the marmalade to my friend!)
Shrove Tuesday evening, I was blessed to be joined by a clergy friend. We shared a simple Liturgy of Prayer and the Imposition of Ashes, after which we sat down to a traditional supper of pancakes! It was very moving to share this entry into Lent in a quiet and introspective way.
Ash Wednesday, I joined the Eucharistic Service from Canterbury. It, also, included the Imposition of Ashes and, again, it was moving to see a long line of congregants of all shapes and sizes humbly going forward for “ashing”.
Of course, these liturgies were sandwiched into a very full workweek, with various committee meetings, online conversations and long hours at the computer working on everything from the slide template, for the Mini Retreat to inking in the choreographic notation for the 2026 Day Camp Program Liturgical Dance,to sending out a supply list for the first episode of the Lenten Cook-Along series.
The laptop saga continues. During the week I exchanged a number of texts with Alex (my personal IT guru), but since his “day job” is Deacon at the Cathedral, he hasn’t had much time to spare during the opening days of Lent!
There have also been a couple of tentative enquiries about the Day Camp program, leading me to feel a bit more hopeful. We are still in crisis mode regarding the need to find someone to take on the desktop publishing work of the Manual. This document is over 90 pages long and contains a number of charts and drawings as well as more straightforward text.
Setting up various apps on the “new to me” mobile has proved to be quite the learning curve, but nearly everything now seems to be functioning properly. Thursday morning Jillian and Clara visited and Jillian helped sort out more glitches in the mobile set up process. She, very kindly, brought and applied a special screen protector that should help prevent further problems with the cracked screen issues and she even humoured me by installing a “barking dog” app for incoming text messages, since that sound is no longer an option on newer iPhones. We also discussed some possible options for dealing with the Manual crisis, which made me feel a bit more optimistic.Jillian has been doing some research on desktop publishing software and has proposed a tentative plan, which, next week, I will share with the DC committee members. Baby Clara left behind her toy giraffe, but we hope to meet again next week so we can work ,together, on some Pysanky. That evening Eli joined me, after her work at a nearby church and we enjoyed Chile Crisp Linguine Alfredo together, Yum!
Yesterday, I printed off the Liturgical Dance sheets, as next Tuesday, Donna will be coming for the, much awaited, Dance tutorial. As it will be Reading Week for university students, Miriam plans to join us at 1pm and we will share a late lunch together. These two young women have very full work/study schedules and it has been several months since we were able to arrange an in-person visit, so this will be a nice treat.
Today, I am looking forward to a lunch meeting with Mae Anne, sandwiched in between the morning Bake and the first Episode of Cook-Along. Mae Anne usually arrives quite late for Saturday lunch as she comes directly from Church Worship practice but I have asked her to try and come as early as possible, since I must open the Cook-Along Meet link at 245pm.
We need to talk about lining up musicians who will record all the Day Camp Program songs and also discuss the possibility of a second cooperative Day Camp venture between her church (First Filipino Baptist) and a small house church based in the countryside, east of Montreal. I really hope we have sufficient time to unpack both topics!
This morning, after the prerequisite bout of SHOVELLING (see photos!!), I made an early start on the Bake, since I am making the very important first batch of Hot Cross Buns, a vital component of Lenten tradition! Also on the list are digestive biscuits and Matcha Peanut cookies, finishing up with the baking of 6 porcelain Poke bowls that a friend commissioned me to paint with designs of cherry blossoms, EEK!!
Due to the shovelling stint, I’m a bit behind with the Bake and lunch preparation and so will close off here with our recipe. This past week included Lunar New Year, so, one evening I made a delicious Tibetan soup that is, traditionally, served for this festival.
Tibetan Beef and Dumpling Soup
For the Bhatsa – 1 cup unbleached flour, plus more if needed
For the Soup
- 2Tbsps olive oil
- ½ medium onion, chopped
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 9oz stewing beef, cut into ¾” pieces
- 5 cups water or beef stock
- 1 medium daikon peeled and cut into 1” matchsticks
- 1 cup tomato passata
- 5cups spinach, roughly chopped
- 1cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 green onion, chopped
Start making your bhatsa: Place the flour in a medium bowl and gradually stir in 1/3cup water, a bit at a time. Using your hands, mix until the dough comes together into a ball, then turn onto a floured work surface and knead for a couple of minutes, until the dough is smooth. Roll the ball into a thick, 5” long cylinder, then cut crosswise into 5 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long, thin rope that’s ½” thick. Take one rope and pinch off a piece as big as your index fingertip. Rub this tiny piece with one finger in the palm of your other hand; this should cause the sides of the dough to curl up. Pinch your little dough ball slightly to curve those sides in further, forming a conch-like shape, then add to a floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and sprinkle the bhatsa with additional flour to prevent them from sticking together.
Make the soup: Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Sauté the onions until translucent, 3- 4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for another 30 seconds. Add the meat and 1 cup water, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until the broth is aromatic and beefy. Add the 5 cups water or beef stock, daikon and passata and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the meat is tender and the flavors of the broth have melded. Increase the heat until the broth is boiling vigorously, then add the bhatsa and cook, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes more, until they float. Add the spinach, cilantro and green onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted, about 1 more minute. Season with salt to taste and ladle into large bowls. Serves 2-3.