making ravioli

I really liked the home made pasta, but next time I will make it a little thicker, some of the ravioli split while cooking.... I also need to come up with a better dressing for the artichoke ravioli, I dont like the one from the book.

I also nearly sprayed my dessert molds with olive oil spray infused with garlic! Really glad I didn't as I don't imagine garlic meringue would be all that pleasant!

Last nights dinner

After the cheese platter we began dinner with Borscht


Then a salad of baby asparagus, tomato tartare and clive oil

The artichoke ravioli wasn't pretty enough for a photo, but I thought the basil oil in the barigoule vinaigrette looked pretty.


And the roulade of duck breast with creamed sweet corn and mushroom sauce was definitely worth a photo

As was the dessert, ile flottante

It was a lovely night, although the service was a little slow - I really need someone else to assemble the dishes for me so there is less time between courses. It probably didn't help that I wanted to photograph the meals and I forgot to photograph the guests! And I would like to thank my guests for not only their company but for being my guinea pigs in this experimental dinner, Thanks so much Ellie and Kate (Paul and Rich, too)!

I washed up dishes 4 times today. That's the part I don't like so much about cooking.

I now have the majority of the meal ready for tomorrow night, but still lots to do tomorrow...

I have been a little quiet as I have been out socialising. This is very exciting for me! I have spent far too much time at the vineyard so am now in Sydney making up for it.

I cooked a 6 course meal for my mother and aunt, I put my aunt on the plane bound for Europe, I have spent time with my grandparents, the above photo was on the fridge, not a bad days fishing! This was before my grandfather became ill, but hopefully he will be fighting-fit again soon. And I have caught up with various friends.

I am really enjoying both the social side and the relaxation side. Unfortunately Dad has told me there is more work to be done before much longer so when the weather improves - hopefully next week - I will head back to the vineyard for hopefully just a week. But before that happens I will be cooking another meal. It will be on Thursday night, but I think I will start preparation today.

It seems I can not add photos at the moment.

I will try to deal with this tomorrow

I took Boo for a walk yesterday, I had been feeling guilty as she hasn't received much attention because I have been working at one of the other vineyards and it is too cold to be outside when I return, however yesterday it was raining intermittently, until I gave up and went home at which point the clouds cleared... so I took her for a walk, well that's what I tried to do. But once we got to the winery she assumed I was going in to do some work so sniffed around. I called her to keep going but she sprinted home, obviously wanting to beat me there... I tried a second time, but again she gave up at the winery....

This is what is left of my broccoli after the geese found it

Yesterday was lovely, the sky was (mostly) blue and the sun shone, not warmly, but at least it was out. Boo even visited me in the vineyard and was very affectionate.

I am a little trouble however as to what I am now going to do with my lunch breaks. The swimming has finished! I guess I should look at other sports in which Australia is competing. But well swimming is more my thing. And didn't the girls do an amazing job. But that was nothing compared to the superstar that is Michael Phelps. Unbelievable. However my personal moment of the swimming was the way Libby Trickett congratulated Britta Steffen after the 100 m freestyle. That showed class.

Well I guess I had better get back to the Riesling.

As I said before, my olive oil was solid and this was a warm day!

Tonights menu has been revised....

the olive oil has frozen.

Onya Girls

4 gold to the girls in the pool, 3 Bronze for the boys....

ummm..... keep trying boys.

Oh it got to 5 degrees at midnight....

how does that work?

So this is cold

I was checking the temperature today (as I do frequently these days) and waiting for it to raise above the 1.5 degrees it was - ok it was 4.5 but with the wind-chill it was officially 1.5. I waited until 2 pm, it got to 1.7 degrees. There was work that had to be done in the vineyard before 8 am tomorrow, so I sucked it up and headed out. Lets just say, that even with my 15 layers, IT WAS BLOODY COLD. But I got the work done.

I'm really not used to this weather. It is freezing. No quite literally. I was driving home from grocery shopping - there is not other type in this neck of the woods..... and it snowed on my windscreen. This was exciting as I don't think I have ever been in the drivers seat when it has been snowing before. However the fact that it didn't settle and was just pain COLD diminished the excitement factor immensely and immediately. I lite a fire when I got home, but thanks to a cold chimney and bloody cold weather I could only get the (ONE!) room I was trying to heat, up to 10 degrees. But once you start on the fire option over the heater option you have to stick with it....

So I can quiet easily say I have been cold. Maybe - one average for 3 days - as cold as I have ever been. Everywhere else has decent insulation, but Dad's getting plans for the new house, so this one... well lets just say it isn't Thailand.

I remember why I try to avoid winters.

the vineyard kangaroos

a little cuddle?
doing the waltz?
no it's a fight
then a post-fight scratch
then relaxing with the rest of the mob

I think I should hook my alarm clock up to the thermometer, have it wake me when the temperature gets to single, positive temperatures...

Training vines lesson 1

Ensure the truck is straight.