My birthday dinner!

In a previous post I promised that I would put up here any photos I took of my Beef Wellington creations.

Well, needless to say I forgot to take photos until I've started eating, but here is what the Wellington's looked like after a few bites were taken out.

The dish actually looked a bit more appetising when I served it because it also had some green asparagus on the side.

Mind you, anything that could go wrong on the night did.  I arranged the dinner for early Sunday night - as it was a school day the next day.

So everyone came over by 5.30pm as invited.  To begin, I lost track of time and didn't even start cooking until almost 5pm.  I thought, that's plenty of time, but what I hadn't taken into account was that I also had to create a vegetarian version for my only vegetarian friend.

Dinner was finally served around, I think, 8pm and the asparagus was overcooked, the carrots were a bit undercooked and the puddings were almost as hard as rocks.  At least both types of Wellington's were beautifully done and nobody could complain about them!  The entrees of Bruschetta dressed with Balsamic Vinegar were also nice and very tasty.  Sorry I forgot to take photos. :-)

We still managed to have a good night with chatting and catching up and drinking responsibly.



http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=pinkacquarius

My Birthday Events & Menu

It was my 40th birthday on 11 February and to celebrate I decided to hold a family friendly picnic in the park during the day and a single girls dinner party at night.  Unfortunately, because my planning abilities are somewhat impaired at the moment, I accidentally booked both functions on the same day!  Luckily, the picnic is from 10-2 and the dinner doesn't start until 5.30pm.  This is really going to test my organisational skills.

The menu for the dinner party is going to consist of:

Individual beef wellingtons

Because I get heart burn from onions I exclude it from my version.

One of my friends is a vegetarian so hers will have to exclude the meat.  This is the vegetarian version:

Vegetables Wellington

• 1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. asparagus, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
• 2 medium red bell peppers, cut into thin strips
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced (1 ½ cups)
• 1 5-oz. pkg. baby spinach leaves
• 1 10-oz. log goat cheese
• 1 4-oz. jar prepared pesto sauce
• 1 large egg
• 1 17.3-oz. pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 16-oz. jar prepared tomato sauce

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Heat 1 Tbs. oil over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, bell peppers, and onion, and sauté 5 to 10 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Add spinach, remove from heat, and stir until spinach wilts. Cool.
2. Combine goat cheese and pesto in bowl. Beat egg with 2 tsp. water in separate bowl.
3. Lay 1 sheet puff pastry on well-floured work surface. Cut into 8 rectangles. Brush edges of rectangles with egg. Scoop 2 Tbs. sautéed vegetables into center of each rectangle, keeping edges clear. Top with pesto-cheese mixture. Cut remaining puff pastry sheet into 8 rectangles, and place on top of vegetables and cheese, stretching dough gently by hand to cover entire surface. Press edges firmly with fingers or fork to seal tightly. Place on prepared baking sheet, and brush tops with egg. Chill 10 minutes.
4. Bake 25 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown. Meanwhile, heat tomato sauce in saucepan until warm.
5. To serve: Spoon 1/4 cup tomato sauce onto plate and top with Wellington.

Side dishes will include possibly baby broccolini or asparagus - depending on what's in season.  Microwaved baby potatoes & bakes sweet pumpkin.

The dessert is going to be courtesy from my other friend and it's going to be a Freddo Ice-cream cake - yum!  Delicious!

As an appetiser I will make bruschetta with fresh tomato, pesto, avocado, red onions and balsamic vinegar dressing.  It's delicious served on lightly toasted bruschetta bread.  

I'll post pictures to show how my creations turned out!

The picnic menu will include a variety of finger foods including sandwiches, baguettes with a variety of fillings and some sausages for barbecuing.  The sweets will include some biscuits (store bought) and if I have time a cake!  I'll post pictures.

Now I just hope it doesn't rain!

http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=pinkacquarius

Movie Review! The Words

I went to the movies tonight with a friend.  It's been such a long time since I've been to the movies - it was nice :-)

The Words

Directors: 

Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal

Writers: 

Brian Klugman (screenplay), Lee Sternthal(screenplay)

Stars:

Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid and Olivia Wilde

Bradley Cooper, Rory Jansen, stars as a writer struggling with his inability to write along the lines of great writers like Hemingway.  On his honeymoon in Paris, with his new wife Dora, Zoe Saldana, they purchase an old briefcase and he finds a story hidden deep within its pocket.  The complications start for Rory when he succumbs to his need of publication.

The movie opens with Dennis Quaid narrating his own book about a young writer - Rory Jansen, his new wife Dora and his struggles to write a book, he looks really old by the way - Dennis that is, and slowly tells the story about how Rory Jansen, the writer, became a world famous author.  

This movie is a definite eye opener in that it makes you think about life and your own life - especially about the things that you wanted to do and haven't so far as well as the decisions you made along the way of life's journey.

The moral of the story is about living with your decisions and moving on when a bad one is made.

Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal managed to write a screenplay whereby an author has written about his own life experiences through the eyes of a third person.

My friend and I found it a little bit confusing and the ending is left somewhat open - allowing for a wide variety of interpretation.  Leaving the ending so open allows people to discuss its possibilities.

The movie over all was easy to watch, allowed individual thought as well as opened up topics of conversation after movie.  An uncomplicated, dramatic film with a great cast of stars.

I would give this movie a 6 1/2 stars out of 10.

Mental Health Wellbeing

I know I said that this last 2 weeks in October were going to be dedicated to Zombies, but since I'm going through a tough time at the moment - I thought I would just share information which may assist some readers in Australia.

Also it was Mental Health Week last week - so better late than never!

What is mental health?

Good mental health is a sense of wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem. It enables us to fully enjoy and appreciate other people, day-to-day life and our environment. When we are mentally healthy we can:

• form positive relationships

• use our abilities to reach our potential

• deal with life’s challenges

What is mental illness?

• anxiety

• schizophrenia

• bipolar mood disorder

• personality disorders

• eating disorders

• depression

What causes mental illness?

• long-term and acute stress

• biological factors such as genetics, chemistry and hormones

• use of alcohol, drugs and other substances

• cognitive patterns such as constant negative thoughts and low self esteem

• social factors such as isolation, financial problems, family breakdown or violence

A mental illness is a health problem that significantly affects how a person thinks, behaves and interacts with other people. It is diagnosed according to standardised criteria.

One in 5 Australians will suffer from a mental illness at some point in their lives. 

A mental health problem also affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, but to a lesser extent than a mental illness.

Mental illnesses are of different types and degrees of severity.  Some of the major types are:

These illnesses may also be referred to as a mental disorder, mental impairment or psychiatric disability.

Mental illness results from complex interactions between the mind, body and environment.  Factors which can contribute to mental illness are:

These factors can be minimised by a strong and supportive community environment.

The following information was taken from the Beyond Blue website:

General information

Depression and anxiety - an information booklet

Depression is more than just feeling sad or low during tough times. People with depression can have intense negative feelings for weeks, months or even years, sometimes for no good reason. Depression is relatively common, affecting more than one million Australians each year. Unfortunately, many people with depression don’t recognise it or get help. But, it is treatable and most people with depression go on to lead happy, productive lives with the right treatment for them. Understanding depression - information for adults (fact sheet)              Understanding Depression and Anxiety (Flyer)  Depression symptom checklist              What causes depression? (fact sheet 3)   Practical ways to help someone with depression (information card)     How to organise a public forum on depression and anxiety

Treatment   A Guide to What Works for Depression (booklet) - a comprehensive review of all known treatments for depression, including medical, psychological, complementary and lifestyle interventions   A Guide to What Works for Anxiety Disorders  Types of help available (fact sheet 4)      Changing your thinking - Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (fact sheet 10)     Antidepressant medication - Advice for adults (fact sheet 11)       Getting help - How much does it cost? (fact sheet 24)   Benzodiazepines (tranquillisers and sleeping pills) (fact sheet 44)   Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) (fact sheet 48)

Recovery   Reducing stress (fact sheet 6)    Sleeping well (fact sheet 7)    Keeping active (fact sheet 8)    Changing your thinking - Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (fact sheet 10)    Reducing alcohol and other drugs (including smoking) (fact sheet 9)    Recovery (fact sheet 15)    Healthy eating for people with depression, anxiety and related disorders (fact sheet 30)

Related disorders  Anxiety disorders (information card)       Anxiety Treatment Australia provides information about anxiety disorders and the treatment options available. You will also find information on psychologists around Australia who treat anxiety disorders and who offer group therapy and workshops. Anxiety disorders (fact sheet 21)      Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (fact sheet 31)   Generalised Anxiety Disorder (fact sheet 35)  Panic Disorder (fact sheet 36)  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (fact sheet 37)  Specific Phobias (fact sheet 38)  Social Phobia (fact sheet 39)  Bipolar disorder (fact sheet 16)     The Black Dog Institute is a world leader in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder. Reducing alcohol and other drugs (including smoking) (fact sheet 9)    Eating disorders and depression (fact sheet 42)  SANE Australia is a national charity working for a better life for people affected by mental illness – through campaigning, education and research. Problem gambling and depression (fact sheet 45)  I know this is information overload, but I think it's important to have the information at hand all in the one place, especially when you really need it.  By the way, if any readers have any further information they would like to add, please feel free to post it on this blog. The following organisations are available to assist with people with mental illness and their families:

• Queensland Alliance for Mental Health

• ARAFMI

• GROW

• Carers Queensland

• Mental Health Association of Queensland

• Mental Health First Aid

Please check out these sites and consider assisting if you can :-)