Tagine

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Rebecca Goulding

My family totally spoiled me for mothers day. I’m lucky just to have them, but they gave me a special day and some special gifts! In this post I commented about Monte giving me a lovely gift.

Monte gave me a tagine. And a coffee maker. The tagine is a very pretty thing and I like it very much. Apparently I have been raving about my father’s cooking and his tagine since I returned from Adelaide. Dad cooks with some sensational moroccan spices. Yum!

Tonight I cooked with my tagine for the first time. I based my cooking on Jamie Oliver’s recipe, which can be found here.

I did sway a bit from Oliver’s recipe because I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand. For example, I didn’t use fresh coriander, which would’ve picked up the dish a bit.

It was really delicious though. Here’s what I did:

Beef Tagine based on Jamie Oliver’s recipe
Ingredients
::600g diced stewing steak (Ernie)
::1/4 tsp each of: ground coriander seeds; ground cumin: sweet paprika; ground ginger; garam marsala; cardamom; cinnamon.
:: 1 diced onion
:: 1 can chickpeas, drained
:: 1 400g diced tomatoes
:: 2/3 cup pitted dates, chopped coarsely and soaked in water for 10 minutes.

Method
:: 3-24 hours before cooking, mix the spices and toss meat through. Leave meat in spice mixture in the fridge, wrapped in cling wrap.
:: in the base of the tagine, brown the meat in olive oil on the cooktop.
:: add onions and cook until softened
:: add chickpeas and tomatoes. Place the lid on the tagine and simmer on low-medium heat for 2-3 hours.
:: add dates and simmer for 30-60 minutes or until dish has thickened. If it’s too runny, you can take the lid off the tagine and simmer gently.

Traditionally you would serve a tagine with Cous Cous. We served ours with: surprise! Cabbage. The children also had rice with theirs.

Jamie Oliver adds fresh coriander and almonds. He also cooks the dish in vegetable stock. Mine had enough liquid without stock but a bit of stock powder mixed in with the juice of the tomatoes would’ve lifted the flavours. I don’t tend to cook with much salt.

Another idea is to cook this one the night before and reheat it. I think it would be even yummier after sitting around in the fridge for a day.

I also think the spices used can be varied. Moroccan flavours include several spices so you can’t really get it too wrong. You can buy Moroccan spice mixes around the traps and that’s probably work well too.

I found the tagine great to cook with! Thank you to my lovely family for spoiling me. I love the owls and the coffee machine and the tagine and I look forward to cooking many meals for you all.

Naplan (part 2)

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Rebecca Goulding

As a teacher of students sitting the Naplan tests, I feel under pressure!

Since the beginning of the year I have done Naplan related schoolwork with my students. I suppose you could say I have been ‘teaching to the test’ – to a minor degree. I’ve made it part of our daily routine. We’ve done practice Literacy questions in Literacy time, and the same for Numeracy. We’ve done practice tests and we’ve done many practice persuasive writing tasks.

Sigh.

There’s only so much a class teacher can do on the few months before Naplan in May. And by the time I see the results of my little darlings (which won’t come as a surprise because I know their skills already), the year will begin drawing to a close.

I’ll have to field questions from parents. I’m ok with that. I’m good with parents… Honest but kind. Informative but not jargon-stuffed rant-raving. I can give suggestions for improvement but I never want parents to think they should be trying to teach their kids at home as well… Parents need to spend time with their kids, without the pressure of spelling and Maths. But that’s another story.

I think too much stress revolves around Naplan. I’m aware that the Naplan test isn’t the most reliable because it is easy for teachers to help their students doing the test. It’s not really carried out in a very controlled way. Teachers could (although we’re not supposed to) help students in a variety of ways: encouraging, spelling, describing, explaining, helping. Teachers can also give extra time. I know I gave students extra time if they needed. Kids are entitled to an extra 5 minutes, plus an extra 15 minutes per 30 minutes. That’s not in the descriptives on the front page!

I think the information I get from Naplan will be interesting. I do not think, however, that it should carry too much weight. It is, afterall, just one test on one day (or, rather, 4 tests over 3 days). To make real decisions based on tests, the tests need to be more reliable – carried out in the same environments – and they should be validated by making reference to other tests that the student has done.

Should teachers be judged cording to their students’ results? It seems unfair to judge a teacher based on Naplan. If we are going to assess teachers based on the test, we are putting the reliability of the test at even more risk because teachers will thwart the system by helping their students so they get better results so the teacher looks better. Another reason why teachers shouldn’t be assessed according to Naplan is that it takes more than one teacher to educate a child. Are we only going to assess teachers of grade 3, 5, 7 and 9? What about all the wonderful teachers who put work into students in the other years?

Should schools be judged from Naplan results? Well, to me it seems unfair because students move schools a lot. Schools are situated in different socio-economic areas, which will impact performance and results. Schools have different budgets, which will impact the resources that go into Naplan preparation.

The Naplan probably should just be an unrehearsed test of basic skill (when i started teaching it was called the Basic Skills Test). It is not though, because we are teaching to the test and parents are buying Naplan kits for their kindergarten offspring.

It’s going too far, I tell you.

Let kids be kids. Let education be inspiring and fun. Let the students of different backgrounds and financial statuses be different. We are all different. We need to be different. We don’t need tests to show that kids are all different, with different gifts and skills and talents.

Another sigh. I’m thinking about how I will prepare for Naplan for my grade 4s now. Their test is next year. Better get onto it.

Naplan

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Rebecca Goulding

Today, millions of school kids in grades 3,5,7 and 9 will be sitting the first of the Naplan tests.

There are 4 tests: language, writing, reading and numeracy. Each test is 40-45 minutes. I think there are several aims of the test. Firstly, it measures where a student lies according to national standards. Secondly, it measures where a class or school lies according to national standards. Thirdly, it shows areas of strengths and weaknesses for a student or class or school. Finally, and I hate to say it, but it measures a teacher’s performance – to a degree. There are other purposes of the test, I’m sure.

As a parent of a child sitting her first ever Naplan test today, I must say that I’m not excited by the idea of putting my daughter through the stressful process of testing. I’m not impressed that she’s so stressed about it. Kids should not be getting stressed about tests at the tender age of eight. Or ten. Or twelve. Or fifteen. Or ever, in my opinion. It’s totally unnecessary to feel stressed about it, in my opinion. We place too much strain on our youth and then wonder why mental health is at such critical levels. We place our kids in stressful situation and then wonder why we are so stressed as adults.

I know my Georgia is a good student. I don’t really need a test to see that. I know she can read well and her literacy and numeracy skills are good. I know that she is happy and confident at school and for me, for my 8 year old, that is enough to know.

I know that the test is measuring more about what she learned last year than this year. I know that by the time we get the results of the test, it will be closer to Christmas than May, and there won’t be much scope for making changes that would enhance her performance in this year’s test. Moreover, the results will be so out of date by the time we get them; she will probably know the things she didn’t know in May, making the results redundant – and too late to be informative or reliable.

When I come to think of it, however, I am interested to see where she lies on the national spectrum of standards, but I must remember that this is justone test and it is not the only test.

Tomorrow I’ll talk about how I feel about Naplan from a teacher’s perspective.

Mothers day highlights

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Rebecca Goulding

Knitting. Such a precious thing to have time to sit and just be, in peace and quiet. I’m a busy working mother of three. I’m exhausted. This time for myself was a precious gift.

Going for a walk outside with Elora. She is divine. She’s growing up so quickly. I like to drink her in and enjoy these fleeting moments of her toddlerhood. Realizing she is no longer a baby took me aback for a brief moment; now I am enjoying her leap forward in life and grow and develop. She has a great sense of humor and she’s a clever little duck.

Kisses with my old girl, d’Artagnan. I wondered if she’ll be around next mothers day, and I hugged her and gave her extra pats and scratches.

Lunch. Yesterday’s minestrone. So very delicious.

Just hanging out with the cows, looking at how much Bessie has grown, and wondering how cows feel when it’s so cold and wet. Cold and wet, I presume.

Loving where we live, and not wanting to be anywhere else but here.

Bath with the baby. I mean, ‘toddler!’

The children gave me some nice gifts, including owls. Monte gave me a cool present but I’m going to write about that later. It’s something to do with cooking and it’s something I’m keen to try and then share about it.

I haven’t included the lounge room that was so nicely tidied by Georgia and Matthew. Nor do I have a photo of Georgia and Matt playing so nicely together, giggling quietly and chatting about their game. I have a photo of monte shovelling cow poo but otherwise I don’t have a photo of him being so lovely all day.

I don’t have a photo of me going a bit mental over messy rooms and children refusing to clean up. There’s no photo of me feeling tired and exasperated, like any other mother. I fell asleep on the couch before dinner. I hope there’s no photo of that.

Well, happy mothers day to all you mums out there. Especially my darling Nana in heaven. And my mum, of course.

7/5/12-13/5/12:

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Rebecca Goulding

13/5/12: Mothers Day. I sat under a blanket in the sun, knitting, while Elora slept and the others played quietly. Monte read next to me. I had a cup of tea beside me and Lindt chocolates on my lap. What a blissful moment or three.

12/5/12: nothing beats staying home on a blustery, cold, wet, soggy day and standing by the wood stove for several hours, cooking. We made soups and corned beef for dinner. Georgia made this banana cake and we ate some for dessert! Yum! Clever girl!

11/5/12: sipping sav blanc in the kitchen whilst my lovely husband cooks beer battered fish for our dinner, with his trusty companion Jacopo at his feet. A lovely way to end a busy week.

10/5/12: I purchased this Sportscraft dress online. I can’t wait to get it in the post.

9/5/12: cross country at school. I had the pleasure of standing in the sun, cheering on the students. I love my job.

8/5/12: My cleaner cleaned my house whilst I was at work and I came home to a lovely clean and tidy home. She even ran the kettle so it was warm on my return.

7/5/12: Monte and his daughters. One is quietly and calmly listening to the story. The other one is wriggling and chatting away merrily. In fact, she never stops chatting. I’ll leave you wondering who’s who. I’m sure you’ll work it out!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Rebecca Goulding

When the weather outside is frightful,
and the fire is so delightful,
since there’s no place to go
let me cook let me cook let me cook!

I love spending wet, windy weekends in the kitchen. There’s something beautiful about preparing delicious, healthy meals for my family during a weekend of being stuck indoors.

This Saturday was spent lazily pottering about whilst soups simmered on the stove, filling the house with tasty aromas. We cooked soups, corned beef – and Georgie cooked cake! The few hours spent cooking was actually enough time to prepare meals for the entire weekend, plus a bit extra! How easy is that?!

First on the menu was chicken noodle soup. When I was feeling unwell recently I found myself craving chicken soup. I love this filling soup. You could add extra vegetables but I like the balance of flavours in this soup, especially with the sweetness of the corn and the saltiness of the stock (I use Massel).

Chicken Noodle Soup
ingredients
::2-3 onions, diced
::2-3 carrots, diced
::2 stalks celery, sliced (I always use celery leaves!)
::1 litre chicken stock
::1 large chicken breast, diced
::1 cup soup noodles eg vermicelli (optional – when I don’t use noodles I use another can of corn for thickening)
::1 can creamed corn

method
:: bring vegetables to the boil in the stock
::simmer vegetables for 30 minutes
::add chicken, corn and noodles
::simmer for another 30 minutes

This soup is tasty and nutritious. This is delicious and will feed 6 people.

soup cooking on the stove

tasty!

Minestrone

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Rebecca Goulding

What better lunch on a cold Autumn day than a nutritious minestrone? I like to make a big pot of soup on the weekend so we can have soups for lunch throughout the week. A hot bowl of soup warms your bones when the weather is bleak outside.

This is my basic minestrone recipe, but you might want to add macaroni or vermicelli to make it more authentic.

Minestrone
serves 6-8

ingredients
::1 litre beef stock
::1 Tbsp oil
::3 onions, diced
::3 rashers of bacon, diced
::2 stalks celery, sliced
::3 carrots, diced
::2 cups cabbage, sliced thinly
::1 400g tin diced tomatoes (or use your own, peeled and diced – 2 cups)
::1 tin lentils (or 1 cup dry lentils, soaked overnight)
::1 tin cannellini beans (or 1 cup dry beans, soaked overnight)

method
::sautée bacon and onion in 1 Tbsp oil until onion is tender and bacon has browned slightly
::add beef stock and remaining ingredients
::bring to the boil
::leave to simmer on the stove for several hours.
::serve with Parmesan and cracked pepper.

Mother’s Day crafts for kids

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Rebecca Goulding

mother’s day bookmarks

I love teaching primary students. I teach 8-10 year olds and they are fun! I’d have to say that, over the past 3+ years, I have been enjoying working with younger children more than teenagers.

One reason why I like primary teaching is that it gives me more opportunities to do crafty activities with children. With mothers day around the corner, we made some things for our mothers/grandmothers. We made these bookmarks. They look so cute.

We took photos of the students in a variety of poses. The main objective was to have the hands in the air so the bookmark looks like the student hanging from the tassel.

Students trimmed around their photo and pasted it into card, which they also cut out. We had the bookmarks laminated and we punched holes near the hands.

I worked with small groups of students to make tassels. After a while, the kids were helping eachother make tassels, which were attached to the bookmark with a loop knot through the hole.

Some students wrote notes to mum on the back of their bookmarks.

We also made cards using the computer. Students also made coupon booklets for mum. Students wrote and edited a list of things they wanted to for or with mum (eg one hour of sewing; one free haircut; a foot massage; clean the car; do the dishes; one hour of peace and quiet etc). They made little booklets for mum, decorated and presented nicely, matching the bookmark.

Mother’s Day can be tricky when you have a class. Sometimes students have not got mothers. They might be foster kids or their mums might have died. They might not live with their mums. Their mothers might be in prison or they might be sick. As a teacher, you need to tread carefully around the notion of parents. It’s always important to know what your students’ situations are. You don’t want to ask a kid about their mum, only to he told that mum died last year.

Fabric Friday: ikea love

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Rebecca Goulding

One of the things I love about ikea (and sorry, but there’s not a lot I love about Ikea these days) is the textile section. I often enjoy looking at their fabrics when I visit ikea during my trips to Adelaide. This particular one caught my eye on my most recent visit. I saw it as I walked towards the fabric selections. It was the only one I really liked because I am drawn to red and pinks and I like the combination of colours in this piece.

I couldn’t be bothered cutting the fabric myself so when I rummaged through the remnants bin I was happy to find a metre of this fabric already cut and labelled.

It cost me $12.95. It’s decorator weight and will make a couple of nice size 20 (50cm) cushions. If I had a longer piece (eg 2m) I could’ve made a table cloth but I think the flower pattern is too bold (the flowers are about 7-10cm).

So there we go. More fabric to sit in my fabric drawers and wait to be sewn up!

Mushrooms: cooking for kids

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Rebecca Goulding

BBQ chicken breast with salad and mushrooms á la Georgia, made with Nina’s fresh cream

Georgia is totally keen to help in the kitchen (especially when it’s a fun job like cooking, instead of washing dishes). We’re keen to have her help too! We’ve started to get her to do small cooking jobs (eg cook rice and pasta). She prepares vegetables with care. She prepares breakfasts (cereal, toast). She makes cups of tea and enjoys baking.

I like it that she is confident in the kitchen. I like the way she stands tall (like, nearly my height) with her apron on and hair pulled back. She seems happy and confident when she is cooking. She likes to listen to music and she sings along merrily. It’s fantastic, come to think of it, that she loves cooking so much.

So monte and I have decided to teach her more cooking. Next on the list is Bolognese. We think she is totally ready for the challenge. We’ll help her, of course. She’s only eight. A lot of kids can’t even prepare their own cereal at this age. Maybe we ask too much of our firstborn, but she loves the independence of being able to prepare her own breakfast of a morning.

Anyway, we recently taught G a dish that my dad taught me to make when I was about Georgia’s age. Mushrooms and spring onions, sautéed in butter. I used to love making this for my family. I used to ask if I could make it all the time! I have many fond memories of cooking with my father!

Mushrooms
::Thinly slice about 10 mushrooms.
::Thinly slice 2 spring onions.
::Melt butter (1-2 Tbsp) in a frying pan
::Place mushrooms and onions in hot frying pan.
::Do not overcook. Vegetables should not lose their colour.
::When the mushrooms and onions are tender, add 1/2 cup cream.
::Heat cream with vegetables just before serving.
::Add salt and pepper to taste.

This is a great dish to learn a bit about cooking. The mushrooms Georgia made this evening were the nicest mushrooms I’ve ever had. I began thinking how nice a creamy mushroom soup would be. I thought that it’d be marvelous to grow mushrooms and spring onions again. How fabulous for the children to go and pick the food (and milk the cow) and prepare part of the dinner!

What are your thoughts? How much should children be involved with cooking? The more the better, in my opinion.

fangornfarm.com

Fangorn Farm Blog

Tagine

Naplan (part 2)

Naplan

Mothers day highlights

7/5/12-13/5/12:

Chicken Noodle Soup

Minestrone

Mother’s Day crafts for kids

Fabric Friday: ikea love

Mushrooms: cooking for kids