A delicious Italian lunch…

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It was a heartwarming day at Benedict House on Sunday 6th May with Rosa Pauletto, Marilena Felizzi and their families. They made their own pasta for lasagna, used their own sauces for chicken caccitorie, made tirimasu, crostili and biscotti.

The radiccio salad was made with home made red wine. Marilena’s husband Bill, selected the wines and made the polenta. Rosa’s husband looked after everyone’s drinks and her son Nicolas helped the waiters. Then we had demonstration on simple pasta and gnocci making skills!

It was wonderful to have these ladies, former students of Benedict House, to show us generosity and hospitality the Italian way.

Polymer Clay Play

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We are starting a brand new workshop at Benedict House next week. Ever wanted to learn how to make and create with polymer clay?

Fun, surprise and colour in the palm of your hands! Learn foundational techniques using a highly versatile synthetic modelling material that remains soft and malleable until baked. These techniques will enable and inspire you to experiment with confidence.

Teaching the class will be Natalie Maras from Findi Flooshki [whose creations we sell here at Benedict House or see her website at http://findiflooshki.com].

Class 1 techniques: conditioning clay; cutting and slicing; making sheets; mixing colours (including twisting, chopping, smearing and Skinner Blends); Jelly Rolls and stacks. No prerequisites or former experience necessary.

Class 2 techniques: making moulds; inlay; appliqué; mokume gane; mica shift. Prerequisite: Class 1

Class 3: faux techniques: Marble; Jade; Lapis Lazuli; Leather; Onyx; Agate.
Prerequisite: Class 1

Some of Natalie’s gorgeous creations. Call Benedict House on 6284 2868 to book in!

A Long Italian Lunch

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Rosa Pauletto and Marilena Felizzi, are first generation Italio-Australians who have been friends since their school days at St Benedict’s Convent in Queanbeyan. On Sunday 6th May they will return to their former school to be guest cooks, creating food defined by traditions and passion.

They grew up in families that “didn’t eat to live, but lived to eat. Food was central to everything and the table was a place where the family came together every day.” To this day Pomodori day/week is given the same importance as a birth date or Christmas.

The 5 course feast will be informal and friendly. You will ‘feel the love’ in every dish. The lunch will be followed by gnocchi and pasta making demonstrations and opportunity to discuss cooking styles and experiences.

Gather friends together and book a table for this very special day – a five course meal followed by demonstrations.

Sunday 6 May : 12-3pm

Bookings are essential $68 pp

Call 62842868

Learn to Crochet

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by Roxanne Tulk

Hi all,

Kate has asked me to let you all know a bit about what we’ve been up to on Wednesday nights at Benedict House. So first I’ll put it briefly – it’s been a jolly hive of creativity and learning! Now read on if you want to know more.

I have been teaching a small group of ladies to crochet all sorts of goodies. We started with the classic (but very important!) Granny Square. It was the first crochet pattern I was taught four years ago when a good friend showed me how. My eager students picked it up easily, just as I had.

We went on to learn flowers, covered wooden bangles and wrist warmers which the ladies also picked up quickly. There are three main stitches to learn in crochet and once you’ve mastered them you can easily do hundreds of different patterns. After our four weeks ended the class was so keen to keep learning that we have been meeting every Wednesday since and attempting more patterns.

Last week we did this basic V-Stitch scarf that is very quick to learn and super snuggly for Canberra winters.

I will be beginning a new 4 week course from the 2nd through to 23rd May and would love to introduce more people to this super fun, totes cool and very awesome craft! Join me in the ‘crafting revolution’. The course is tailored for beginners but I am happy to take students of all levels. Maybe you learnt at school, or from your Nan and now you just need to brush up? Or you want to know how to read a pattern? Come and join me.

Call 6284 2868 to book in. $110 for 4 weeks or $35 per night.

Support Fair Trade with Nku 1 Shea Butter

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We are thrilled to be supporting a small project from Ghana where the local people directly  benefit when we buy this very simple, natural product. My friend Lydia Mensah has been dealing with the local women to bring shea butter to us in Canberra. Here is some more info from her about the project.

“What is Shea butter? Shea butter is a slightly yellowish fat extracted from the nuts of the African shea tree. The extract is known to contain a number of ingredients (including vitamin A, E and F) that promotes healthy and beautiful skin. In Ghana,  shea butter is used as body cream to protection the skin during the extreme dry season.

Nku 1 Project is an Australian-Ghanian project aiming at raising funds to improve the living standards of the shea nut farmers in Northern Ghana.  By giving the farmers a fair price for their shea butter, it will improve their living standard in the long  term.

Nku 1 shea butter is 100% unrefined virgin shea butter (Grade A) from Ghana with no added chemicals. Our shea butter is produced from carefully selected nuts from a village in the Northern region of Ghana.

Ideal for: Dry & itchy skin, stretch marks, restoring skin elasticity, cracked & dry heels, elbow, knee & cuticle beds.

By buying the shea butter products from Nku 1, you have kindly contributed to the pride of our farmers and the welfare of women and young children.  THANK YOU!”

 

Bake with Kate

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I have had many requests for cooking classes after publishing the book. I think baking and icing cakes etc in the evenings in a ‘class’ situation is impractical, so I’m inviting interested persons to come and ‘Bake with Kate” in the early mornings on Fridays or Saturdays from 7am – 9am. Guests can enjoy a kick start espresso, don an apron and get their hands dirty before going off to earn a living. You can see the disasters as well as the ‘picture perfect’, also multitask and see frugality in the kitchen. Numbers are limited. $30 pp. Call us at Benedict House on 02 6284 2868 to book you place.

 

Venetian Glass Beads

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Recently I have spent some time making up necklaces with the beautiful hand blown glass beads from Venice. It is a delight to feel the smooth yet organic texture of these beads all made by a single artisan. I do like to support these old traditions from ancient cultures rather than the cheap copies. They are not cheap but are exquisite pieces of true wearable art.

Venetian Glass necklaces by Kate Shelton