This blog is all about me......I come here for respite in between caring for JoJo (our Daughter who has Special Needs)......I am addicted to starting new projects......I am becoming a fabric-a-holic... I love to try out recipes... take a beach walk and breathe in that salty blue air......love to have coffee...sip a glass of champagne......read a book......I am Queen of the Armchair and am inspired by all the wonderful blogs out there!!!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Well And Truly Out Of The Armchair!!!

This week certainly saw this Armchair Queen well and truly out of the Armchair since surgery (perhaps I should change my blog name?)...full swing back into my Cookery Course at TAFE (Technical and Further Education)...driving along the road this is one of the many picturesque scenes along the way... The Moruya River...
Entrance to the College...

Last night our student class cooked for the TAFE Restaurant ~The Mantle~ pictured above
We each have a turn being Head Chef...designing the Menu
Allocating Staff for each course...
Preparing Work Flow sheets...
Supervizing preparation of the meals...
Wow...and it is my turn next week along with another team member ~ Jenny~

Pictured here is the fair dinkum Head Chef, our Teacher ~Simon Brazill~
along with Silvana...one of my fellow students...

Potatoes in preparation for Lemon Potato Salad to be served with...

Roasted Fillet of Blue-eyed cod and Olive Tapenade...

One of the most popular dishes...
Glazed Duck Breast served with Herb Risotto Cake
rocket, apple and walnut salad...

Petit Four ~Glazed grapes with Strawberry~served along with tea & coffee...

Oops...photos out of order...Yoghurt Panna-cotta with Rose scented Plums...

In keeping with the food theme, one of my favourite magazines ~South Coast Style~ feautured a town not too far away from me...including The Vineyard Kitchen at Cupitt Wines...of which (co-incidentally) Simon is the Chef!!!

'Slowing down to savour great food with friends and family is a philosophy that Rosie (Cupitt) heartily embraces and promotes through Slow Food Shoalhaven'
Always a food and wine lover, Rosie's appreciation reached new heights while in Europe during the 1990's. Rosie was blown away by the passion of the French people for their food and wine...This is something Rosie was keen to replicate in the Restaurant, and she wanted people to recognize her passion about food and was determined to give them a wonderful experience!!!
mmm....reading this article, I think I can feel a trip up to the Winery and Restaurant...and to try some of Simon's cooking!!!

20 comments:

vicki archer said...

Oh to be able to cook like this Dzintra... These pics look so delicious that I might have to have a snack, a big one at that! (We don't have blue eyed cod here and whenever I am home I try and eat it as much as possible so these shots struck a chord you see)
Enjoy your cooking course and good luck as head chef, xv

Julia said...

Everything looks so yummy and lovely...
My Joe would be able to relate to your post..he would have done this many times.
Good luck for next week.
Julia ♥

ceecee said...

This is fantastic Dzintra! I am amazed at what you are doing! We would have a blast in the kitchen together, I am sure! And I am so glad that you are out of the Armchair....but still, and always, Queen to me!!
Much love,
Catherine

Micki said...

Well, I am glad that being out of the Armchair has made you so creative! The food looks great and I was gaining weight just looking at all of it. Being head chef has to be an awesome pressure, but you are doing it with style.
Micki

Natalija said...

Dzintra, the pics are wonderful and I still hadn't my breakfast :)))
I'm glad to know you are out of the armchair.
Hugs!

Jeni said...

Dzintra, the pics..Enjoy your cooking course how wonderful to be able to cook like that ......
when you have a dinner party please me me...i will wash up ....
jeni

Simone de Klerk said...

Hi Dzintra, Great to see it in picture what you are doing. It all looks very professional. And no, don't change your blog name. It sounds very 'majestic'!

Kath said...

Ooh my mouth is watering....I only cook Ping food! Enjoy your class, you must be very happy to be back!Kath x

Nat Palaskas said...

Everything looks great Ingrid. Can't wait to see more pics when it's your turn. The event reminded me of my time at TAFE on the same course. I only learned one thing from there, bacon swirls which I made quite often. Thanks for sharing - Natima

Fer said...

Mmmmmm, num nums!

Glad to hear you're back on your feet.

Millie said...

How fantastic to hear you are going at full-pace again Dzintra! I adore duck done any way, so I was drooling, & MOTH's absolute favourite fruit is plums - so you have won many hearts here!
Millie ^_^

Oma aka Meme said...

wow- and to think that we had bacon and eggs for supper- I love cod and salmon- you are blog chef now- hugs from Meme

Kimonos and Sushi(OLD BLOG) said...

All the food look truly yummy. I love panacotta, not good for the waist but oh well. Glas to see that you are up and about and enjoying your course again.
Andrea

Susan McShannon-Monteith said...

So you're up and indulging in one of life's rewarding pleasures... cooking. And not just the standard stuff either. Gourmet cooking and how delicious it looks.The desserts are my favourite and look so tempting.Thank goodness it's calorie free this way!
Have a great weekend my dear and enjoy the beginning of your autumn.
xo Susan

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

So glad you are truly 'out of the armchair,' but I don't know about changing your blog name. It did draw me in. :-) It's up to you, of course.

What wonderful work you are learning!

Thank you for your sweet words, Dear One. And I can supply you with lots of 'Twilight' links. :-) Always love to find a fellow fan, and to spread the love.

Aunt Amelia
"If not now, when?"
~~Rabbi Hillel

Fee said...

All that food looks fantastic Dzintra. I manage a function centre so I am constantly around fantastic food hence my expanding waist line. You sound very passionate about it which is fantastic. Well done....

Vicki's Bit-o-earth said...

Congratulations on being out of the armchair and doing such fun things! If only I could do the same! Wonderful. Good luck to you and Jenny next week! I know you'll do great. Can't wait to see the photos of your presentation. (:

a good yarn said...

What a delicious meal. How exciting (and nerveracking) to be Head Chef. I'm sure you'll pass with flying colours. You'll have to visit Rosie's and let us know what it was like.

Cheers...Ann :)

Annabelle said...

Wow, I shouldn’t be looking at this makes dieting so much harder…hehe!Hubby is trying to get me to start counting calories, he has already lost 14 lbs in two weeks; and I of course am having the hardest time even getting started…hehe,and this post, well…hehe!!!! Anyways, looks very yummy! To your questions about my work.The background is not mine and the clip art comes from different sources.
Clip art.com
Photos.com
Hemera.com
Getty Images.com
Comstock.com
Creative Commons.org……..free
Graphics Fairy.com
Hope this helps.

Hugs Annabelle
p.s. Glad your hubby dropped in on my blog, very much appreciated.

Sandi said...

Mmmm your dishes look delish! Glad to see you are enjoying the cooking course. Mouth-watering photos :)
When I commuted to Brisbane to do my Commercial Floristry course at Southbank TAFE, there was a wonderful tafe cafe there(and also and up-market restaurant up on the third or fourth floor)where we would often have lunch. Also next door, there was a bakery, where they sold delicious things cooked by the students (at a good price).
Looking forward to seeing more yummy food photos.

Welcome To My World

Hello, my name is Dzintra Ingrid ... have been known as Ingrid and since our Sea Change I have started to use Dzintra ... pronounced without the D ... (but still known as Ingrid, I know, it's confusing ...)

Welcome to my world ... a journal of our Sea Change ... Mum to three wonderful children ... bringing up a daughter with a disability and seeing life through her eyes ... being a new Nanna ... photos ... inspiring quotes ... taking on a cookery course ... the odd recipe ... and trying to get some stitching done amongst all this ...