THE FIRST FLUSH

 

CASTLE GARDEN IS IN FULL BLOOM ...

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PASTA AND NOODLE .

PASTA ...Is made from strong flour using durum wheat .
NOODLES ....can be made from any starchy product eg rice, pulse flour or a mixture of grain and pulse flour ...
The main difference is in the shapes , noodles are usually long and thin , crisp or soft , whereas pasta comes in a variety of shapes , eg risoni a rice shaped pasta  through to the lasagne sheet .
Pasta is commonly used in European cuisines and noodles are similarly paired with Asian cuisines .

CHICKEN NOODLE PHO

Place in a pot ......
1 and 1/2 litres of chicken stock
1 tsp of sea salt
1 trbs of sugar
2 tbs of fish sauce
Mix well and bring to the boil , then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer .
Add 2 thinly sliced skinless chicken fillets
Continue to cook through on a gentle simmer .
Add 1 tsp of coriander seeds
1 tsp of white pepper
! tsp of dried onion mix
1 small carrot grated .

Bring a large pot of water to the boil
Place  (a handful of pasta per person ) fettuccini or papadelle in the boiling water until el dente .
Place strained pasta into warmed bowls and ladle chicken and broth over .

WEEK 4 COOKING CLASS

 JAVANESE STEAK
Place in a large bowl..
2 tbs of ground coriander
1 dsp of cracked black pepper
3 tbs of minced garlic
6 tbs of soy sauce
4 tbs of rice wine vinegar
Slice a green and red capsicum thinly
Peel and thinly slice 2 red onions
1/2 tsp of salt
Place your meat Ikg of thinly sliced ...lamb or beef strips
Mix well to combine , cover and refrigerate .

Let marinate for 1 hour or longer .
When you are readyto cook
Preheat a large frypan , over a high heat , coated with peanut oil .
Then add the meat , vegies and marinade .
Use a wooden spoon to keep the mix moving
Cook for 8 - 10 minutes .
Serve with rice or steamed new potatoes .


 CHERRY CRISP

Spray a rectangular tray with cooking oil / coconut oil .

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C

Drain a jar of morello pitted cherries ( 680 gm )

1 packet of glace cherries ( 200gm )

Place over the base of your tray .

Sprinkle over the contents of 1 packet of  vanilla cake mix  

Even the dry mix with the back of a spoon

Dot with 120gm of margarine .

Cover the top with 2 cups of chopped walnuts or slivered almonds .

Bake uncovered on the middle rack of your oven for 45 minutes .

 (if the nut topping starts to colour to quickly , place a sheet of baking paper loosely over the top.)

Serve with yoghurt , cream or custard  .

 

DINNER FOR ONE

 

I used new charisma potatoes cut into quarters and steamed them over a low heat till just tender .

Friday night in my house is when prawns are usually served , but things always change , so tonight for my meal I prepared a salmon fillet ( my favourite fish ) ....but against all the rules I coated the salmon fillet with flour , dipped it in egg and coated it with panko crumbs ...pan fried it over a medium heat till golden on all sides ....served the fillets with spinach leaves , finely grated carrots  with Greek yoghurt flavoured with freshly squeezed lemon .

Easey peasey and yummo !

THE DISH RACK IS COMPLETE ....

IT TOOK AN ENGINEER !

NICOLE HAS A NOSE RING ....

In the land where the desert grass grows
There in the red sand
Nicole stands
With a ring in the side of her nose ...
Her nose
Her nose
With a ring in the side of her nose !

The poem makes no sense nor does Nicole`s nose ring .
( I changed the words to Edward Lear`s nonsensical poem )

NUTELLA SLICE

Add to a saucepan 1 cup of nutella spread , with a 1/4of a cup of honey , 2 tsp of vanilla extract and 2/3rds of a cup of coconut oil .
Melt over a low heat stirring all the time .
When melted and well combined , pour the mixture into a lightly grease small pan lined with baking paper .
Place tray in refrigerator until the mixture has set about 3 hours , remove and cut into slices .
The nutella slice will keep for 2 weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator .

TAHINI PASTE FUDGE

This is what I love about cooking .....take a recipe and experiment ..
 Place 1 jar of tahini paste  along with 2/3rds of  coconut oil , 1/4 cup of honey  and 2 tsp of vanilla extract .
heat over a low heat till melted and well combined .
Now pour this mix into a lightly greased small  pan  lined with baking paper .
Refrigerate till set at least 3 hours , then slice and place in an airtight container in the refrigerator .

This is also great with dry wine .

IT`S A DISH RACK BUT A , B & C DON`T FIT

 I bought a double storey dish rack for my son`s kitchen , got it home, opened the box and looked at the 4 easy steps to put it together .
2 part A`s
Now these are to be fitted into part B.
The diagram on the directions shows part B on level 2 of part A ....but it doesn`t fit ......it kind of fits on level 1 , but it just falls over .....
Now part C goes above part B.....again it doesn`t fit .....
It may fit on the lower level but as I was born with only one pair of hands , it keeps falling down .
I`m not making any progress and there are cutlery holders to be added to the second storey which keeps falling down
The diagram looks so easy ......rubbish nothing fits .
Now this puzzle comes with a tray , I have left parts A, B , C  and cutlery holders on the tray with the useless directions.
It needs an engineer to construct , welcome home Dale .

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

Donna  Hay........Fresh and Light Power Foods ...

 

Place 280 gm of crunchy peanut butter in a small saucepan along with 2/3rds of a cup of coconut oil , 1/3 rd of a cup of honey and 2 tsp of vanilla extract .

Heat over a low heat for 3 minutes till melted .

Pour the mixture into a  slice pan lightly sprayed and lined with baking paper .

Refrigerate till set about 3 hours .

Then remove from pan and slice .

Keep refrigerated in an airtight container .

Will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge ...they won`t last that long .

14/10/2015

Ken made no fuss of birthday`s .
Today there will be no fuss just our thoughts on what would have been his 63rd birthday .
Noelene , Nicole , Dale  , Marc , Shaun , Dee , Paul , Ella , Max and Jack .
 

TUESDAY`S CLASS....... CORNISH PASTIES

This is my version of a  Jamie Oliver recipe ....

A Cornish pastie with a hint of Indian flavours .

Peel deseed and cut into small dice 3 tomatoes ...
Drain 1 can of chickpeas and add to diced tomatoes ....set aside

Cut 1/2 small head of cauliflower into florets .......

Slice and cut 200gm of chicken into small dice ...
Add to the cauliflower florets
Peel and thinly slice 1 onion place in bowl with chicken dice .
Add to the chicken 1 dsp of minced garlic , 1 dsp of minced ginger . 1/2 tsp of fenugreek  and 1 tsp of mustard seeds .

Heat a skillet over a med heat with 1 dsp of oil
Then add the chicken , cauliflower and spice mix ...
Keep the mixture turning till the chicken is sealed and onion softens .
Remove cool slightly .
Then add these to the tomatoes and chickpeas....
Mix thoroughly and add salt and pepper to taste .

Set aside ........

PASTRY

Sift 500gm of plain flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt .
Now rub 250 gm of shortening into the flour with your fingertips .
Pour in 150 ml of water and mix with your hands until the pastry comes together .
Do not overwork the dough .
Divide the pastry into eight ball shapes .
Dust your rolling pin and bench with a little more flour .
Roll each piece of pastry to a thickness of a 50 cent piece , turning and rolling each side .
Repeat till you have 8 equal rounds

Drain off any excess moisture from the filling mixture .

Now place equal amounts of the pastie filling n the middle of each round
Gather the sides up and press together .

Refrigerate till you are ready to cook .
Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper
Cook on the middle shelf of a well heated oven 200deg C 30- 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden in colour .


CHOCOLATE AVOCADO

3 Avocado peeled and deseeded
1/2 cup of honey
1/2 cup of cacao
Beat with an electric mixture till smooth....
Serve spooned or piped into serving dishes
Sprinkle sparingly with sea salt.....
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container .


 

HOSPITAL CONCERN ....BEING ADDRESSED

The Latrobe Regional Hospital has  made contact  re my blog posted on Facebook .
A meeting is being organised .
What is sad is it took someone with connections to the hospital  to read my blog .....for attention to be directed to a system that fails terminally ill people .
From the correspondence I have received Ken`s end of life experience was not that  different  to others who went before him .
Let`s hope for change .
Noelene Marchwicki

COURT BOUILLON A LA CREOLE

It`s what we are having for tea tonight .....
Prepare the marinade , place 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice in a bowl along with 2 tsp of salt .
Stir until the salt dissolves .
Add 1 dsp of turmeric and cracked black pepper , mix well .
Place 4 fillets of barramundi in the lemon mixture , add more lemon juice to just cover the fillets .
Cover and let marinate in the fridge .
When you are ready to prepare your meal .
Heat a pan over a med heat with 3 tbs of  rice bran oil .
Add 2  peeled and sliced red onions  , 2 finely chopped spring onions , 1 dsp of minced garlic , 1 finely sliced small red chilli , 3 medium sized tomatoes peeled ,deseeded and finely chopped , a handful of fresh parsley finely chopped , 1 tsp of fresh thyme .
Now place the barra fillets in the pan baste with a little of the marinade .
Bring to the boil over a high heat , reduce heat to a simmer , turn the fillets add a little more of the marinade and cover continuing to simmer for 5 minutes .
Do not overcook.
Serve fillets over red rice and drizzle with the sauce from the pan .

CLASS WAS BACK TODAY

We made Dublin Bay Prawns
And a deconstructed pavlova trifle .
The marinade was flavoursome and the pavlova trifle was perfect not too tart , not too sweet and visually lovely
It was a huge success , a 2 course meal all ready to go for tea tonight.
Next week we are making Cornish Pasties and chocolate avocado pots .

Thursday
I have been invited to  demonstrate at Bunnings Morwell ..It`s Ladies Day ...
With assistance from 2 of the ladies from cooking class the demonstration will go ahead thanks  to Jan Street and Jenny Jones
Making scones in the pizza oven and serving them with jam and cream
Cooking a whole studded pumpkin .
Preparing a strawberry and fennel salad
A  barbequed fruit and bacon  wrap .
Come along and join in the fun .

I had an invite to the VSK camp in Somers this weekend
and an invite to the Oakleigh Greek Glendi  on the 30th Oct , which unfortunately I had to cancel due
to a bereavement in the family .
Hopefully I will be invited back next year .

PEAR ,STILTON AND HONEY SALAD

Slice 2 beurre boc pears into thin wedges ..( unpeeled )
Drizzle the pear wedges with a freshly squeezed lemon to prevent discolouration .
Thinly slice 80 gm of stilton cheese and add to the pear wedges .
Drizzle 3 tbs of  clear honey over the cheese and pear .
This is a great topping for a pizza , as a salad  with any pork meat or serve with lavosh and a chilled glass of reisling .

HOSPITAL CONCERN

Jenny and Luke

 As palliative care nurses, you were kind to Ken if not always understanding or able to control his vomiting. Ken  wasn`t  articulate , he would tell you as he saw it . Ken`s world was black and white .

Ken never knew what is was to be sick .

In the 20 years I spent with Ken I never knew him to vomit .

When he was diagnosed with cancer , it was a word  not a sentence to him , he had never experienced being sick .

Ken`s life never changed he just got weaker and he continued to vomit , along with bleeding and dehydration and I`m not sure anyone believed Kens` vomiting was involuntary .

When Ken`s pain was increasing in hospital  he had to argue for pain relief .

Ken had a psychiatrist come and evaluate him prior to his release on the afternoon of the 18^th   …re his vomiting .

The psychiatrist spoke to me after seeing and interviewing Ken and gave ken the all clear .

Ken`s vomiting was not related to anything in his mind .

So again Ken was sent home vomiting ….

Ken asked me why  they were sending him home when the vomiting had not ceased …. they never  answered my questions and just plain ignored Ken ...The intern  Harry was  arrogant , Bernard was friendlier but offered no answers .

At the end of the day a senior medical person presented himself and said it was the weekend and they could`nt do anymore for Ken …his words  were` we  are discharging Ken ….he may settle at home , but if he does`nt you can bring him back …`…….I was speechless they were discharging Ken for the same reasons he was admitted …..we had nobody to turn to …..You and jenny were unavailable . I requested palliative care I knew we were in trouble , the doctors told us it was too late to book in palliative care for the weekend .

I was really scared …Ken was so weak , but all he had was me …..Then some woman from pharmacy came in to room 154 with an invoice and morphine medication to be injected .

I said I could`nt do it …but they told me how sick my husband was and paliative  care could`nt come to us over the weekend , while they still proceeded to discharge him .

So they got a facecloth and a syringe and other things for me to practice injecting my husband with morphine for pain relief …. And then forced me to write the steps to be taken …I was so full of fear but  I was all Ken had ….. We were on our own .

They sent us home with no support …. Nothing , there was no duty of care .

Ken was buggered just getting  from his bed to the car with his stroller .

On arrival at home Ken said he didn’t think he could make it up the stairs ….he was so weak …he refused to sleep downstairs…. it took awhile but with my support he made it to bed .

I turned back the doona and llifted his legs up on the bed , Ken layed on his back and sighed ….he never moved again his breathing was laboured as it had been lately …I thought he was so tired ……but that was it , he never moved again and the next morning when I looked at him he was frothing at the mouth , he hadn`t moved at all……and there  was nobody to help us ….I was desperate when Ken couldn`t be woken up.

I rang palliative care Sharna said she  would come to me as soon as the meds were done .

I was frantic , I rang my daughter Nicole in Alice Springs and she told me to ring 000 for an ambulance .

Sharna arrived before the ambulance  , she took control , consoled  Dale and I with understanding and honesty of what was to come . Sharna was very good .The hospital  placed Ken in cubicle 7 in the emergency ward to die . Neil, the nurse assigned to us explained the dying process and what to expect ……

The hospital registrar appeared apologising for the difficult time we had had …. I was so upset and angry I never spoke ……..that man said among many things that the reason Ken had been sent home was because Ken had asked to go home ………….I was with Ken for most of Friday ,he was too sick to want to come home …….he knew he was dying …we didn`t know why they were sending him home .

I had to request a room so my husband could die surrounded by his family  who were taking it in turns to wait out in the emergency waiting room with their grief on display.

Dale who witnessed his dad lying in the distressed state at home in bed is suffering nightmares .

Even though I knew Ken was going to die nothing prepared me for the treatment that Ken received in the hospital there was no duty of care shown or acted upon.

I just wish the system had supported  Ken in the end , please pass my sincere appreciation on to Sharna .

This message is not meant as a personal affront but the hospital system dealing with terminally ill people is flawed.

Please accept my heartfelt respect for the demanding job you do .

Noelene Marchwicki

 

 

DECONSTRUCTED PAVLOVA

 

Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature , you will need a 250gm tub.

Slice 2 bananas thickly and squeeze the juice of 2 lemons over the bananas to prevent discolouration . (set aside ).

Slice 250 gm of strawberries into wedges length ways .

Peel and chop 3 kiwi fruit into rough cubes . Set aside .

Add lemon juice and sliced bananas to the strawberries .Set aside .

In an electric mixer beat 200ml of thickened cream with 3 tbs of icing sugar or stevia  until soft peaks form .

Add softened cream cheese in batches . Set aside .

Set out 4 serving glasses .

Divide the banana and strawberry mix between the glasses .

Top with 1/2 a tin of passionfruit pulp

Divide the cream cheese mix between the glasses

Now top with a few pieces of broken  meringue and top with kiwi chunks

Finish off with the remaining passionfruit pulp .

Refrigerate till you are ready to serve .

To serve scatter remaining chunks of pavlova at base of glass.

Enjoy.

 

KATERFISCH.......Hangover Fish

Preheat the oven to 190 deg C..
Place in a bowl and sprinkle  barramundi fillets  (250gm each ) with the juice of 2 lemons , a throw of sea salt , set aside to marinate .
Prepare an ovenproof  pan with dobs of ghee and heat till the bubbles subside .
Place the fillets and marinade  in the pan , skin side down
In a small bowl beat together 3 tbs of tomato paste , 3 tbs of apple cider vinegar , 1 dsp of freshly grated radish .
Now spread this mix  over the fillets .
Slice 2 peeled red onions thinly and place these on top of the fillets .
Place small dobs of ghee over the top .
Slice  2 medium dill pickles into medium sized chunks .
Place into the well heated oven and bake till the fish flake easily when pulled with a fork .
Do not over cook  ... 15 to 20 minutes max .
Serve directly from the pan .
..............Whiting or salmon fillets can be used in place of barramundi ........