Festivus Food: NYE Finale

 I hope you cleaned your abode yesterday, or at least swept

under your front door mat.

It's good luck.

Hello, 2015.

In between chores, I fashioned up a NYE dinner for deux.
Inspired by some notes I found in my travel diary from 2008.

I love nothing better than to relive old memories.
I go to Paris in my mind's eye quite a bit.
I don't mind living in the past.
The notes were about dinner at restaurant 1728 in Paris.
The restaurant has many rooms, each different.

My home décor is a little different.

In my restaurant in my own home I made confit vegetables.

Slowly cooked in duck fat and olive oil.



 

Made a brioche in a Bundt tin.

Later served with pate.

Set the table.

Dressed up.

Wrote myself out a cook's guide so I wouldn't forget which course I was doing.

I researched a few recipes here and there.

Then winged it. No-one was checking.

Cooking has been a wonderful feature in my life, it is a lot of work and I

have spent many hours cooking for others, and teaching others.

I use it as a way to express myself, and I hope my students see this affective objective.



Amuse bouche

Crispy pastry shells, aubergine and avocado mousse.

Enoki mushrooms and others.

Getting ready to add in to the soup made stock from reduced Swiss browns and

field mushrooms.

NYE Champagne.

Entrée 1

Brioche, fruit jelly, pate.

Entree 2

Mushroom soup.

Mushrooms, shallots, seasoning.

Black pepper to finish.



My friend S brought me these little soup bowls back in

her suitcase after she lived in the United Kingdom for a year.

I mean, who does that?

She is a keeper.



Steel yourself.

Entrée 3

Beef Carpaccio!

Served with olive oil drizzle, watercress and parmesan crisp.

Main meal

Steamed fish and confit vegetables.

A couple of NYE text messages  being sent.

And, the bonus was there was leftovers for breakfast!

Happy New Year!!

Do you reassess and make any resolutions?

I plan to exercise more.

Eat better.

And, spend my time only with those who deserve me, and

treat me accordingly.

No need for any people-pleasing, here.

What about you?



Winter: Cat in the Hat

 I am hunkered down in the lounge room fashioning frippery if anyone has been wondering, 'where on earth I have been?'

Sorry. I know it's been an while.

I am remiss.

Winter's here in tropical Brisbane.

We are all wearing shorts and long sleeves and complaining, 'It's freezing'.

According to Mr Fascinata, I look a bit like Dr Suess' cat-in-the-hat with my striped socks.

Well, I never.

 Even the dogs have their derrieres facing against the drafty breeze.

 I have started making delicate, lacy petals out of gold embroidered mesh.

Bought from The Fabric Store in New Farm, Brisbane.

Stretched and sized.

Stitched individually on to a wire frame.

 With a generous bunch of matte gold stamens for the centre.

 Here's the work in progress.

 I am en vacances.

For two lovely weeks.

I've already had time to obsess about my eyebrows at the beautician's.

I highly recommend it.

It can wind back the years if you are so inclined.

And, get the house-muse to the poodle-parlour.

 Eat Mr Fascinata's home-made white corn tortillas and pulled pork.

 I took marks off Mr Fascinata's overall result for leaving the sour cream in the plastic container.

A-.

Don't worry.

 I will keep you in the loop and show you when it's finished.

The chalkface term ended nicely.

Thank you for asking.

In an unprecedented moment.

I turned up at the chalkface and found this bouquet outside the workers' classroom door.

A colourful thank-you.

Quite frankly, for helping to sizzle countless sausages over the last few months.

For student welfare through the National Schools Chaplaincy program.

A contentious issue at the moment that's for sure.

Stay appreciative.