This week we celebrated autumn with a fancy lunch dish featuring fennel and beetroot.

We made a very yummy dish of roasted fennel and whiting, which was topped with a raw beetroot relish. We sprinkled some fennel fronds on top, with a wedge of lemon and some roasted potatoes (with rosemary and smoked paprika) on the side … it was a delicious and nutritious lunch. And simple to make. We had lots of time to chat and hear about what everyone had done in the holidays as we waited for it to cook!

If you’d like to join in our seasonal cooking adventures (and then eat the food that is made) please book in on Mondays for Garden to Plate, running from 11.30am-1pm here the in ACC kitchen.

Lovely to see everyone on Friday!

It was a glorious morning in the garden. We sat outside and enjoyed the autumn sunshine.

Enjoying the sunshine!

Then, we had ‘better than Subway’ (as Sarah said) focaccia for lunch - thinly sliced roast beef and roast capsicum with a yummy horseradish and chive cream cheese, along with swiss cheese and lettuce accompanied by 3 salads. And … for the vegos, a swap out to Yotam Ottolenghi’s portobello ‘steak’ mushrooms (recipe here. Such a winner - I use it all the time).

To top it all off Margaret from the CWA kept us up to speed with the latest cooking controversy (Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats v Brooke from Booki Bakehouse) and ‘their’ caramel slice. Yum! Thanks so much Margaret.

So great to be back with the crew.

Are you interested in joining us for dinner?

We’re starting up our Thursday Supper Club this term. For $5 you can come along for a two course family meal.

Join us from 5pm. Dinner will be ready for you - you will need to help set the table and serve up … and then pack up at the end - just like a family meal at home!

You can book in weekly. Our first dinner will be on Thursday 8 May.

Here is the booking link

https://alphington.square.site/product/thursday-supper-club/126?cs=true&cst=custom

We had a great but crazy community lunch on Friday … people who hasn’t been since before COVID came, and Yarra Deputy Mayor Sarah McKenzie came with Kathy who is our colleague on staff at Yarra Council … and there were also some new faces and friends of friends … and we ran out of food temporarily (yikes that never happens) … but it was fun.

And, in the morning the lovely crew from GenU Thornbury came to craft (first time back for the year) and because I was sitting down with them I made some little Valentine’s Day cards - that I then gave out to everyone at lunch - with a Ferrero Rocher chocolate (donated by Margaret - thanks Margaret).

And then, in the afternoon we ran the first session of AAA Arts for the year - it was lovely to see everyone - we had some newbies there as well!

This coming week we have lunch on Monday - Garden to Plate where we’re preparing and eating Asian food - smashed cucumber salad, garlic chicken with coriander and capsicum, rice and then fruit with coconut ice cream.

On Tuesday we’re cooking up a storm in the kitchen with Preserves Group. Zucchini Pickles and Tomato Relish are on our radar.

On Thursday night at 7.30pm we have our first Alphington Arts for the year - where Rob will be sharing how he draws and paints birds - and bringing along his parrot for some life drawing/painting. If you love being arty and want to make arty friends in the neighbourhood this is for you. Book in online.

Or come along at Thursday lunchtime for Crunch - our creative lunch. 12.30pm.

My Our Thursday Supper Club has 4 or 5 people interested now. Call us if you are keen to share a weekly dinner on Thursdays around 5.30pm … we’ll get started when we get 6-8 people signed up.

Also … book into our op shop tours. They’ll be fun. First one is early March - on a Saturday. Great for those working … and students etc.

See you soon.

Leanne

Week 3 has arrived quickly and it is always exciting … as it is the week that lots of our programs start up. This term we have:

• Garden to Plate (seasonal cooking and lunch) on Monday from 11.30am - we still have places if you’d like to join in this week… it’s free but you need to book so we know the numbers

• Beginners Ukulele on Monday from 7pm, $5 weekly

• Active Adults (exercise with Jess from Phase1Performance) on Tuesday from 11am, $15 weekly (pay by the 8 week term)

• AAA Bowls on Wednesday from 10am, free but please let us know you are coming

• Crunch (lunch and an art activity) on Thursday from 12.30pm, $15 weekly or book by the term

• AAA Arts on Friday from 1pm, $5 weekly

Please note that our Community Yoga classes will start next week and our Thursday Supper Club will start up next term. These are both $5 weekly.

We also have our first Thrift Seekers Op Shop Tour coming up on Saturday 8 March, $5 to book in - but we’ll shout you a coffee along the way - so you’ll get a return on your investment! We’ll meet at the station and head off on a train adventure to the op shops in Abbotsford and North Richmond. It will be lots of fun!

You can book in to all our programs on our website here.

Also, please read the post below … we’re asking anyone so inclined to contact the Yarra Councillors (contact details in the post) to ask them to support option 4 (or at least option 2) in relation to the Yarra Neighbourhood House funding decision that is going to a vote this Tuesday evening at Council - although we’ve already done lots of lobbying to Councillors we’d love you - our community - to also add your voice to our call for 3.5% funding increases (or CPI whichever is greater) to ensure that we don’t go backwards …or in other words to ensure that funding matches our projected costs over the next 4 years. Read on to find out more …

And after that pitch, a lighter note! Put the Alphington Show in your diary, Saturday 29 March -11am-2pm, we’ve got the pony rides coming back, we’re sourcing a lolly jar for guess the lollies, we’re looking forward to the crazy Alphington Dog Show at 1pm (start teaching your pooch some tricks!) and of course all the entries into the Show itself - start brushing up your cooking - homemade bread, chocolate cakes, biscuits, jams, preserves, and your gardening - garden produce, flowers, floral arrangements and your art and craft - knitting, crochet, sewing … and more! Such a lovely community event!!! We hope you can be part of it.

And I hope you have a lovely week. See you soon.

Cheers Leanne