Israeli Couscous salad - yeah, this ain't it chief.

So last week we made this salad thing that wasn't that great. Um, the salad, yeah that was a thing we made. I was actually telling my Dad about the salad (for context my Dad's side of the family is Jewish so I've had my fair bit of food. Dad is also an Israeli citizen and lived there for roughly 3 - 5 years.) and he said that we completely messed it up with the lemon dressing and I quote "Why would you put a dressing on it? Like, a little bit of lemon yeah but dressing? Really? I'm sorry but you've totally butchered the recipe". He even said that it wasn't actually an Israeli salad and wants to know where Miss Hindson got the recipe from. Anyway on with the actual practical report thing that I'm supposed to write.

Team Aspect

We worked pretty well as a team I think. Not all of us were there and having a fourth person probably would've kept us at the same pace as the rest of the class but, we did finish in the end after speeding up the cooking of the couscous. Yeah, I mean we worked well together and we remembered everything. I did, however, get told off for not adding enough salad but the couscous was enough. 

Review

Personal

Yeah, I did not like it. It tasted bad. The dressing was not good in any way, shape, or form and I have no idea how we could make it better other than skipping it completely. 

                            Finished product                                                                              Dressing ingredients

  

 

Chop Suey

Last week in home economics we created an abbreviated version of chop suey.

Team Aspect

Last week we had two additions to our group. This is due to the fact that quite a few people were missing so a group of two was split up with one of them joining us making four. We then had one other addition meaning us and one other group had five people. I was a bit worried about how our group would work with one extra member and two new people. Luckily, my worries were put to rest as once the practical began everyone immediately took a  role and we were able to get started straight away. My job was to look after the noddles which was fairly easy, Tana prepared the vegetables, Connor, if I remember correctly, prepared the meat while Memory and Ella collected ingredients. I might've got some the roles wrong as I don't quite remember exactly. Everything went smoothly and we were able to complete everything on time. 

End Result

The end result was delicious. I've never had chop suey so I don't really have anything to compare it to but I assume that it tasted pretty similar to a chop suey made from a non-abbreviated recipe. The noodles were a bit weird but I didn't not enjoy it. I think it was quite good and quite a successful recipe and practical.

I keep forgetting to take pictures of our preparation so sorry about that.

Butter Chicken - Home Economics

Last week in home economics we created a butter chicken dish. Luckily everyone in our team was present and able to participate. However, only two of us actually wanted to eat the butter chicken so we got it all.

 Team aspect

Because everyone was here we were able to evenly spread out the tasks among everyone. Some of us did need to be given some direction and use initiative  but  we did eventually get ourselves sorted which allowed us to blaze through the later half of the practical. Memory was handling the gathering of ingredients, chopping them, and creating the sauce while Jordan was collecting various spices, Conner was slicing the chicken, and I was watching over the rice. Miss Hindson complemented Memory on the sauce she created as the ingredients had been measured exactly, allowing a wonderful sauce to be created. 

Review 

I thoroughly enjoyed the butter chicken. I don't eat butter chicken often but what little butter chicken I have eaten, ours was pretty good if I may say so myself. The sauce was probably the best bit and luckily we cooked our chicken all the way through. Some kids in the class before us claimed they felt a little sick after eating their chicken so they believed they hadn't cooked it all the way through. Lucky for us we didn't feel sick after eating ours. I thought the dish was delicious which was good as Conner and I had double of what we were suppose to have. This is probably one of my favorite dishes that we've cooked this year so far. 

Pasta - Home Economics

For our first week back of Term 4 we cooked spaghetti bolognese. We were able to choose from a variety of pasta. My group chose fettuccine. We also only had three of us so we had more pasta to share.

Teamwork aspect

Our group worked well together this time around which is really good. The hard part was telling if the pasta was al dente (pasta that's cooked correctly) as we weren't quite sure whether it was cooked or not. I think it was Memory who made the sauce which was really nicely done. The sauce was also really only the flavorful thing with the pasta as we only had pasta, sauce, and cheese. I think everyone enjoyed it the simplicity of it even though we were a little behind. We started off well but we did start to be all over the place and a bit confused. I think in the end it worked out well but we do have to work a little on staying organized throughout the practical.

Results

The pasta came out really well and it looked nice. I enjoyed it and I found the sauce really good too. I don't really know what I could add to make it better but it all came together really well. 

Everything but not actually everything I know about Japan

What I've learnt about Japan
One thing I learnt about Japan is the history of tea ceremonies. I always thought that they were a female-dominated field but, as it turns out, it actually started out as a male-only profession, was then later taken up by females, and now there is a re-accruing interest among men in the field of tea ceremonies.

I also learnt that tea ceremonies were also a social thing and would be used to welcome guests. Hosts would host a tea ceremony before a meal in a building known as a tea house which was a small building that was detached from the house. At one end of the building contained an alcove known as the tokonoma, inside a traditional scroll was on display along with some sort of flower arrangement. Tea was also a Zen ritual which is pretty cool. Zen Monks would actually drink tea after long periods of meditation in order to keep them going.

How does Japanese food and presentation compare to New Zealand?
Japanese food uses seafood and grains together more often than New Zealand. Japanese meals also taste lighter but are extremely filling. In New Zealand, we often have bigger meals, we have full roasts, have various side dishes, etc, while in Japan their meals are smaller but just as filling.

Presentation-wise, Japan varies depending on the mood they want to present or how practical it needs to be. Bentos are an easy compact way to store lots of food in one place for a long period of time, while in New Zealand we often re-use containers for lunch and various other things. Japanese food is also occasionally presented in a cute or "kawaii" way. In this case, they use various anime and cartoon characters on products or sometimes as a way to present food. In New Zealand, we just put it in there and hope it looks good. In a restaurant, it would be present nicely, but at home, we don't really put in the effort as our lunches are often pre-packed and all we're doing is putting them in a container. Maybe if you wanted the aesthetic then you would put in the effort but it's not the
most common thing to see here.

      

Three questions about Rice

1. Name three types of rice
2. Where does rice grow?
3. Name 5 countries in which rice is commonly found in dishes. 

Home Economics - Slavanka? Shlavanka? Shlovanka? I don't know

Last practical in Home Economics, we made wraps that I don't remember the name of. However, I do know that they have shredded beef and various veggies. You also put that tzatziki sauce in it and it tastes good.

Team aspect

There were only three of us in the group present but, luckily, there wasn't much to do and we could easily split the tasks. There isn't much to say except I we worked really effectively this practical and we worked well as a team. We got everything done and we all got to make our own wrap thing. We had to wrap them up in the foil which was a bit tricky as we loaded ours up, but it was definitely worth struggling through cause it tasted and looked delicious. 

         

Reviews

Personal Review

I absolutely loaded mine up with food and multiple sauces such as tzatziki, sweet chili, and this really nice bbq relish. The meat was also very good and Conner did a great job at cooking it. All in all, I really enjoyed it and found it extremely good. 

Team Review

Everyone in the team seemed to enjoy theirs too. We all had a variety of things each but everyone seemed to enjoy theirs.

Notes

Tzatziki -  We made the tzatziki sauce by using greek yogurt which had a slight tang to it. We added juice from cucumber by cutting it open and letting it sit in the air. Afterward, we squeezed the juice from the cucumbers into the sauce. We also added fresh mint leaves and fresh parsley. 

Veggies - We prepared the veggies in a variety ways, we chiffonade the lettuce, finely diced the onion, and scooped the seeds and juices from the tomatoes so it was just the flesh of the tomato. This was so the juice wouldn't make the rest of the wrap soggy. 

Home Economics - Pad Thai

The goal of last weeks practical was to create a Pad Thai and Pad Thai sauce that had the sweet yet tangy flavor that Pad Thai is known for.

Team Aspect

I forgot to take a picture of ours so here is my
friend's (Meagan).

Our group worked pretty well as a team but one person was away. Because the recipe was designed for four people to be doing their own job (i.e preparing noodles, making sauce, etc), it caused a little bit of chaos as we were trying to keep up with the class while trying to create a quality meal. Luckily, we pulled through in the end and managed to create an extremely tasty Pad Thai that apparently has a "good fragrance" which I think is a good thing.

When it came to jobs, I was tasked with preparing the ingredients and garnishes. The problem was that preparing the peanuts was a task within itself as it took nearly half the lesson to prepare. Memory was tasked with two of the shorter jobs that turned out not to be that short, preparing the noodles and creating the sauce. Realistically we probably should've gotten Jordan to create the sauce and prepare the chicken as she finished first out of all of us. 

Review

Friend Reviews

I let two of my friends try our Pad Thai and apparently it was very good. She said it smelled extremely sweet but was also tangy. 

Personal Review

Personally I absolutely loved it. I really like Pad Thai and rice noodles are my favorite type of noodles. The sauce was delicious and as I said above, it was sweet but also tangy. If I made it at home, I would probably add some more veggies but otherwise I enjoyed it greatly. 

Home Economics - Pizza

Last week in Home Economics we created mini pizzas with a three ingredient dough. This took most likely from Italian influence (because we're doing cultural foods) but we weren't explicitly. We also got to choose our toppings and each person in the group had their own mini pizza.

Team work

   This week we finally had everyone in our group present which was really cool. I think we've improved  a lot as a group and everyone is starting to take part in some way or form. It's also really fun being in a group with the people I'm with. We did accidentally grate too much cheese so we ended up dumping it all on one person pizza and it ended up spilling over. I also accidentally over-mixed the batter but Miss said it was a easy fix. In total I think we all worked pretty well together. 

 Reviews

Team 

It seems that everyone in the group enjoyed the pizza which is good. We did have a bit of confusion of whose was who but we did end up getting it sorted. At least we think we did. But, all in all, everyone in our group seemed to enjoy the pizzas which is good. 

Personal

I really enjoyed my pizza. I've made pizza before but never with a 3 ingredient base (the three ingredient's being yogurt, flour, and something else I can't remember). I also grabbed too much pineapple but I don't mind too much. I've also never had olive oil on a home-made pizza and I don't think it changed the taste that much.

Vegetarian Sushi - Home Economics

Team aspect

To start off, we had one person missing from our group which meant we only had to make 3 sushi rolls. We're getting better at working together and everyone is getting involved. Everyone played a part and we were able to get everything done in time. We did accidentally make a few too many veggies but it's better to make a little too much then a little too much. Plus one of the members in my group just ate the leftover veggies. We had to rush a little for the last two sushi rolls but they still came out looking good. One member of  our group had rolled sushi before and his came out really well.

Outcome

Team Feedback

Most of the people in our team enjoyed the sushi but one of us did accidentally over stuff the roll. Still, most of us enjoyed it or at least liked it. I don't think there is anything that we could think of that would make them much better. They weren't amazing but they weren't terrible either. 

Personal Feedback 

I really enjoyed the sushi and thought it was really good. Again there isn't much that I can think of that would improve the sushi and I thought the selection of veggies were good together. I'm also pretty proud of my sushi rolling skills as the last time I rolled sushi it didn't go as well. The paper was a little inconvenient as I almost bit the paper multiple times. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the sushi.

This sushi isn't mine by the way, it's my friend's Meagan. I was supposed to take a picture after I left the classroom but I forgot and ate my sushi before I could. On the sushi I made the rice wasn't as close to the edge of the seaweed as we were in a rush to finish. You also couldn't see the veggies either. 

Notes

There isn't much to note about this lesson as everything ran smoothly and I don't know what we could add to it. I think it would make a good meal for lunch but you do have to eat sushi the day you make it. 

Home Economics - Fish and Chips

Last Friday we made fish and chips using Nadia Lim's food bag recipe. This meant that instead of frying or deep frying them, we baked them in the oven.

Team work

One member of our team wasn't at school that Friday meaning it was only three of us. This meant that there was slightly more work that we each had to do but we did get a little more fish each. We had a few problems that were similar to last weeks, i.e: some people not taking initiative, some people starting things to early, not actually doing much to contribute. Once they were asked to do something or shown that they had to do something, then they did it and got on with it. Similar to last week though, once we got into it then things started to get going. Everyone seemed to enjoy the fish but the chips weren't as great as we were hoping but that's ok. 

Outcome

Team feedback

As stated above everyone in our team enjoyed the fish but the chips weren't as nice as we though they would be. It might be because we didn't add enough herbs and spices, we didn't cook them for long enough, we cut them too thin, etc. I don't know but if we ever make them again we will probably figure out a way to fix the problem of not liking the chips. 

Personal feedback

I personally don't really like fish cause it just tastes mushy and not very nice. However, recently I've been able to tolerate it and be able to eat it without wanting to throw up. I liked the small amount of mayonnaise and believed it added some flavor. In general, I really liked it and would make at home for me mum and dad. I believe that the cones we made out of baking paper was a nice little addition (even if it wasn't the most practical way to serve it). 

Chips that look like apples

These are uncooked by the way. 

Notes

Some notes I have are that next time we should add more herbs and flavoring to the chips as they dry up fairly easily. Along with that I might cut the chips a bit bigger because the shriveled up and I think that played a small part in why they didn't taste as good as we were hoping.

 Miss Hindson also informed us that cooking the fish in the oven is actually more healthy, as well as cooking the chips in the oven which is pretty cool.

An added bonus was we were using panko crumbs which are my favorite type of bread crumbs. They're mostly used in Japanese cooking such as tempura (which is really good).

Making Jam Drops

 Last Friday my group had our first practical together. The week before I wasn't here so they had already done their first practical. We were making jam drops as part of our Changing culture unit. 

Teamwork aspect

I believe that for our first practical as a group, I think we did a good job. There were some things that we need to improve on such as efficiency, initiative, and getting involved. We were a bit slow at the start but eventually as the lesson continued, we got into the rhythm of things. We did have one member who was hesitant and said they just wanted to do the dishes. We did force her into making the wells in the cookies for the jam to be dropped into. When there were things to do and get for the table, some people in our group would chose to just sit and wait to be told what to do. I think as a first practical we didn't do terribly and we got along well.

Outcome

Staff Feedback:

Because no group had an even amount of cookies to slip, two got donated to give to the staff. Mrs Hindson went around with a tray and gave the out to staff who then sent in reviews. Only two teachers actually sent in reviews but they were mostly positive. They said that they were very good and it was even better that they were fresh out of the oven and still warm. 

Team Feedback:

Pretty much everyone in our team were proud of the outcome and enjoyed the cookies. Some do need to remember their containers but other then that everyone enjoyed them.

Personal Feedback:

I've never had jam drops and the closest thing to them is hamantaschen. For my first time having them I enjoyed them immensely and will probably make them again at home. I throught they were really good and wish there was more jam in them. 

Timeline of NZ food (something to break up the chapter posts)

My Food Bag - Semester 1

This semester we spent two terms developing skills that would allow us to create a food bag for a made up stakeholder. We first had to decide who our stakeholder actually was and what their food requirements would be. I chose a college student who kept kosher and was preparing a meal for her and three friends. We had to take into consideration things such as time (how long it took to prepare, make, cook, etc), amount of people it would feed, what skills it would require, and if it fits the nutritional requirements. My final decision was based mostly on how much it cost and how long it took to actually make. Below is my final slide

Final practical

In the end, we chose Jakita's Thai green curry which was very nice. We as a group chose this recipe because she was the one to propose the idea and none of us objected. I think this recipe fits the dinner plate food model. We have chicken to provide the protein, spring onions, corn pieces, beans, capsicum to provide the vegetables, though I don't believe we had any starch products. I'm not sure what was in the green curry paste but I will link Jakita's blog so you can have a more in-depth view of the recipe. 

Recipe
Ingredients:

• 1/2 Broccoli head
• 250g Stir fry veggies
• 3 Spring onions
• 2 Cans of coconut milk
• 2 Chicken breasts
• 51g Green Thai paste
• 136g of rice (1 cup)
• Whole green beans

Method:

1. Cook rice (do this first as rice can take a while to cook).
2. Cube chicken and cook in a pan till white
3. Cut beans in half and prepare spring onion and capsicum.
4. Once the chicken is cooked add the veggies. Once veggies are cooked stir in coconut milk and paste. Stir and leave to simmer. Remember to stir occasionally.
5. Once the rice is cooked remove the pan from heat and serve on top of rice.
6. Garnish with either coriander or white parts of spring onions. 

Changes

The first time we did the recipe, most of the reviews from the teachers (our judges) were positive though most of them wished it had more color and was more spicey. We also had a watery sauce which was fine but we were hoping for something more thicker. This is when we decided to add corn, capsicum, and spring onion. We chopped the spring onion and mixed the green parts in and used the white bits to garnish on top. Unfortunately, we didn't figure out how to make the sauce thicker but I believe that we added too much coconut milk which caused the watery-ness. We also planned on adding coriander but forgot to add it to the shopping list. We got quite a few positives when the teachers tried our new, re-made recipe. The only problem was too little sauce and, again, not spicy enough. 

What I've learned

I've learned many things this semester which include the effort and what you need to consider when creating a meal for someone else. I also learned about various dietary needs that people have and what causes them. For example, I didn't know the gluten intolerance is caused by something in the intestine that causes gluten products to not be fully digested. 

Overall I really had fun these past two terms and I've learned a lot and I'm excited for next semester.

Jakita's blog

Yr 9 Home Economics

1st practical = Savory cases
For our first practical we made savory bread cases which are like spaghetti but my group put cream corn in replace of spaghetti. Below is the recipe we used, we did have to multiply everything by 3 so we would have enough. Ways that I showed hygiene and personal safety was wiping down tables, wearing oven mittens when needed, tying hair up.

Savory Bread Cases

Ingredients

• 2 slices of wholegrain bread
• 1t margarine
• 2T grated cheese
• 2T baked beans or creamed corn
• 1T finely diced celery or onion
• 1 slice of ham

Method

1. Trim crusts off the bread
2. Spread margarine thinly onto one side of bread
3. Press into muffin tins margarine side down
4. Fill each case with fillings (baked beans or corn, celery, onion, ham and cheese)
5. Bake in oven until lightly brown and cheese is bubbling.

2nd practical = Chicken stir fry
We cooked veges (carrots, broccoli, cabbage) and chicken. My group decided to use sweet and sour chili sauce as our sauce, there was also soy, honey and soy, and teriyaki. I actually made this for dinner and it was really good. I demonstrated personal hygiene and safety by washing my hands, holding the knife correctly, making sure the wok handle is facing towards the back of the stove, and using the correct cutting boards and knifes

Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients:

70g Chicken (1breast)

1 carrot

1 onion

3-4 pieces of broccoli

1 zucchini  

2T sesame oil

1 pkt 2min noodles

Method:

1. Chop up chicken into strips
2. Place in glass bowl with sesame oil
3. Chop up vegetables in julienne strips
4. Sauté chicken and onions together. Sauté means to brown.
5. Add broccoli and carrots and cook for five minutes.
6. Add remaining vegetables of your choice and cook for a further 5 min
7. Boil a pot of water
8. Place the broken noodles into the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes
9. Drain noodles in a colander and add to the vegetable and chicken mixture
10. Serve

What is the difference between Personal Hygiene and Personal Safety?

Personal hygiene involves looking after yourself and keeping yourself clean, eg: washing hands, tying hair back, sneezing away from food, etc. Personal Safety is keeping yourself safe whether it's by holding a knife the correct way and not flailing it around the room or making sure chicken is cooked correctly

What's somethings that we need to remember when handling chicken

1. It's white inside and out when cooked
2. You're using the correct cutting board and knife
3. You wash your hands afterwards (or wear gloves).
4. You haven't cross contaminated anything

Health and safety

What does bacteria need to survive?

- Bacteria needs warmth, moisture, good temperature (4C - 60C), neutral PH levels, food, and time (only takes 1 hour for it to grow and 20min to multiply). 

2 ways we can control conditions and avoid bacteria from growing 

1. keep food that is left out in airtight containers or just keep them covered
2. Make sure your not keeping food for too long. Things like rice and chicken should be kept only for 2 - 3 days, otherwise it should be thrown out. Read expiration dates as well, for yogurt if the lid is raised then you should probably throw it out.

What is cross contamination? 

- Cross contamination is when you mix raw meats with cooked meats/fruit and vegetables. This can be done by stacking raw meats on top of cooked meats/fruit and vegetables or cutting vegetables/fruits in the juices of raw meats. Easy ways to avoid this is by stacking them on separate shelves and cleaning your cutting board and knife before you start cutting raw meats or fruits/veges, or just using a different cutting board and knife all together.

Important temperatures:

If we are not careful with the temperature our food is at then we but ourselves in the place where we could become sick.

Reflection on last weeks work

Last week we made scones for the start of our baking and measuring unit. Unfortunately the bells to signal end of class weren't working so we were late, were going slow when adding ingredients, went over time and had to stay in for half the break. All these caused the scones to be under cooked and half the class got sick. Also pretty much everyone forgot to add the cheese/sultanas to their dough, my group's sultanas all fell off and we ended up leaving with bags full of burnt raisins. I think my group communicated well though so there's that.

Scones

Ingredients

3 cups plain flour

6 teaspoons Baking Powder

¼ teaspoon salt

75g butter

1 to 1 ½ cups milk

Method

1. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl
2. Cut butter in until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
3. Add milk and mix quickly with a knife to a soft dough
4. Knead a few times
5. Place baking paper on tray.
6. Press scone dough onto this. cut into 12 pieces.
7. brush with milk
8. Bake at 180c for  10 minutes

Variations

1. Cheese scones

Add ¾ cup grated cheese, pinch of cayenne pepper to flour.

Before baking top with a little cheese

2. Sultana scones

Add ¾ cup sultanas to flour

We also made word arts that depict words we associate with personal and food hygiene. 

Preserving

Where to preserve various foods

If you preserve something in the fridge you should chuck it 2-3 days after opening. If in the freezer than store it for 3-6 months. For Cupboards you need to keep it in a airtight container and refer to the expiration date.

What exactly is preserving?

Preventing food from decomposing and preventing bacteria from growing so we are able to keep it for longer, examples are fruits in syrup, salt on meat, etc.

Recycling

Our part in recycling

We have to put in our best efforts to make sure we are not cross contaminating recyclable materials. We can do this by rinsing tin cans, bottle, etc, before we place them in the recycling bin. Also make sure you are putting the correct materials in the correct bins.

Baking Measurements