She discovered she could have her cake and eat it too.. she just needed to put on her apron and bake it :)

by Ms.Mills

5a34b8d1cf303fe966b8d12191262853photo_1photo_6photo_7photo_2photo_3  

Today was quite eventful in the Home Economics kitchen in St Dominic’s Secondary School! The 3rd years were busy practicing for their mock cookery practical and showed excellent time management, organisation and cooperation. The ladies cooked delicious banana and blueberry muffins and golden crisp sausage rolls. Take a look at a simple step by step instruction handout on how to make sausage rolls at home.

713194520ee0f87d85d341ef30b02217photo_4photo_5

After school the 5th years ransacked the kitchen with their wooden spoons to complete the final stage of their 3-R trail for the Fine Dine At Mine cookery competition. Judging by the dishes that they served this evening it is clear that the ladies belong in the kitchen and impressed each other with their decorative touches. I suppose it is safe to say girls that the expert in cooking was once a beginner .. Maith sibh! 

©http://bit.ly/1frl48C ©http://bit.ly/1fir5q7

Give yourself enough time to study- Don’t be leaving it to the last minute!

by Ms.Mills

let the study begin8070affdf268eb5fe70a2abbaab6d204

If you want the grades girls it is going to require your time and your commitment. You need to designate a place in your house to study, organise it and establish a routine. You should aim to complete three hours study each evening and at least 3+ hours study a day at the weekend but be sure to take a break for the “Voice of Ireland”, the Late Late Show and to practice your solo run for St Dominic’s Ladies GAA team! Your commitment will shine through your grades girls. You don’t want to look back on this year and think you could have done better! 6th years your homework can be accessed under your elective study tab(bits and bobs-social studies-work attainment and attitudes) and take a quick look at the paper layout and the timing of the paper for the mocks here Exam layout and timing LC 2014 (Click it).

3rd years your homework for the weekend can be found under the food studies tab. Do your best, attempt all questions and make sure you are studying the language of the paper. Don’t forget your ingredients for Monday’s practical class! 

©http://bit.ly/1aPKUQL ©http://bit.ly/1hPw9T4

“If you don’t try, there’s no opportunity to succeed”

by Ms.Mills

milkit-logo-sm-astudent-brief 2013Letter from NDCKeep trying head up!

Everyone deserves to sparkle- The Oscar for the best actresses goes to – The Calcium Cailíní agus báinne blásta! The second year Home Economics class entered into the National Dairy Council’s Milk it Awards http://milkitawards.ie/ before Christmas. The girls had to decide how to promote the importance of dairy to their peers and to brainstorm how to communicate that message creatively to everyone in the school as well as the wider community. We decided to take a modern take on the whole campaign and we decided to get on trend with what young people are interested in therefore we designed a milk campaign based on instagram and snapchat. The aims of our campaign were..

  • To develop the intake of milk in the diet of the Ballyfermot community (Everyone can COWculate how much milk they drink and where to find it they just need to get MOOving)
  • To help the Ballyfermot community to make the link between milk and the real food we eat everyday.
  • To build people’s confidence in knowing their body and what they need in their diet and to have a better understanding of the impact of their actions and decisions in their life.
  • To build a positive image of milk.

Unfortunately this time around we were unsuccessful but watch this space, we will be back! Take a look at our video and be sure to let us know what you think http://youtu.be/l2M2bveUiRI

If at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again 🙂 

St Dominic’s exciting 3-R-Trail to Fine Dine at Mine- Cookery Competition

by Ms.Mills

Fine Dine At Mine59653_473142999457304_1738493778_n

The young ladies in St Dominic’s have eagerly started on their 3-R-trail for the Fine Dine At Mine – Cookery Competition. RESEARCH- RESTAURANT  – RECIPE! The students are required to enter their favourite restaurant dish suitable for two people, main course only! The competition gives students an opportunity to create tasty, healthy and affordable restaurant meals at home (RAI, 2014).  More information is available at www.rai.ie/finedineatmine

Here in St. Dominic’s we will focus on buying local fresh organic, authentic food produce to promote the Ballyfermot community and what is available on our doorstep. There are a few guidelines that must be ticked first of all ladies if you want your entry to be successful.

  • You must select your favourite restaurant meal and make sure it is a healthy version girls (Going to require a bit of clever thinking)
  • Cook the dish and record on the entry form the: Quantity of each ingredient, list the ingredients, explain the cooking method, including cooking times and temperatures.
  • Tell them how you’ve made the dish healthier.
  • Take a photo, print it out and attach to the entry form
  • Post or email your entry to arrive before 5pm on Friday, 7th February 2014.Take the “whisk” do your best and cook up a storm ladies.

Take the “whisk” ladies, do your best, enjoy it and cook up a storm.

Adh mór libh girseacha 🙂

Let your sun shine the brightest girls and remember to brush the clouds away.

by Ms.Mills

Preventative Bullying Policy

Today in St Dominic’s the preventative Bullying policy workshop took place for all 3rd, 5th and 6th year students. Sr. Liz spent a session with the classes discussing different forms of bullying, with particular emphasis on cyberbullying. Cyberbullying can be detrimental to a person’s mental and physical wellbeing. “In Ireland an estimated 31% of primary students and 16% of secondary school students experience bullying, putting over 200,000 children at risk from the damaging effects of this growing problem”(IEPA , 2013). The 3rd year Home Economics classes got actively involved in the workshop and hopefully the girls will reflect on what they have learned today and to take action in their lives. Take a look at this short video girls  Cyberbullying: there is a way out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkG00Czb4ho.

Preventative Bullying Policy Preventative Bullying Policy

© http://www.pinterest.com/pin/268175352781434662/

Want to maximise your marks in Home Economics? Go confidently in the direction of your dreams girls and live the life you’ve imagined

by Ms.Mills

After school study for 6th years began today and will continue every Thursday from 3.30-5.00. These classes will concentrate on specific topics, exam advice and guidelines on how to enhance your exam results in Home Economics. After school classes for 3rd years will continue every Monday from 3.50-4.30.  It is important that you attend all classes and give it 100%,  it seems impossible at the minute girls but all this effort will be worth it in June!

Camera analogy

 

©http://bit.ly/1aU2Qxk

Keeping the balance in many ways in St Dominic’s- we have come so far don’t give up!

by Ms.Mills

SeesawThe mocks are fast approaching and the 3rd and 6th years are feeling the pressure however it is important that we take a break from our studies and take part in extra curricular activities to give the brain a break! The girls are not only eager in the kitchen but eager on the pitch as well. Gaelic football has encouraged the girls to not only  be as good as Rachel Allen in the kitchen but Sinéad Goldrick on the pitch! Could GAA be the recipe for success for the girls?

photo_5photo_9photo_11 photo_7photo_8

©http://www.pinterest.com/pin/220465344228775170/

“No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing” Introducing St Dominic’s baking club and Cool Dudes programme’

by Ms.Mills

Today in St Dominic’s we had a very active evening as the 1st and 2nd years armed themselves with their wooden spoons and tackled the kitchen. The cooking club was launched along with the Cool Dudes programme and many students demonstrated their cooking skills and enthusiasm about affordable healthy eating, baking and Home Economics. I think it is fair to say that the baking club discovered  that you do not need to cook fancy and complicated masterpieces- just good food from fresh ingredients. photophoto_2photo_3 photo_4

Cooking up a storm

©http://www.pinterest.com/pin/67413325645089457/

A light lunch that is affordable, full of flavour and suitable for everyone, teenagers and even pollo vegetarians!

by Ms.Mills

Today the second years were busy cooking a tasty affordable light lunch that is rich in high biological protein (Chicken), Vitamin C (Peppers) and the tortilla wraps contained high amounts of carbohydrates however whole grain wraps would have provided a healthier alternative. We also looked at different ways that you can ‘wrap and roll’ the chicken fajitas.

The key elements of today’s class were, good time management, preparing and cooking chicken correctly, chopping the different vegetables, hygiene and safety practices, cross contamination, balanced healthy meals, improving knife skills, being resourceful and evaluating the finished dish. We evaluated the dish by looking at the taste, colour, appearance, texture and overall presentation. To help evaluate the chicken fajitas correctly this Evaluation Wordbank will help you out! Take a look!

Santa came late to St Dominic’s this year and delivered three new cookers today. The girls tried and tested the cookers and took great pride in keeping the cookers clean!

Chicken FajitasNew cookers

Recipe

Tea scones with a whole lot of smiles

by Ms.Mills

The third years worked very well in today’s kitchen 13/01/2014 showing great teamwork skills, time management and paying attention to the key steps in the recipe. The students  are getting all ready for the mock cookery practicals that are just around the corner! Today’s tasty bites were classic Tea Scones- 450g self- raising flour, 100g margarine, 50g caster sugar, 1 egg and 150ml milk baked at 200 degrees celsius for 15 minutes.  Here are a few key equipment in today’s practical class 1. Baking sheet 2. sieve 3.mixing bowl 4. 3 plate system 5. pastry brush for glazing 6. scone cutter 7. rolling pin 8. wire rack 9. tea towel and not forgetting our “Wooden Spoon“! Here are a few key terms from today’s class to revise, glazing, kneading, hygiene and safety precautions and the rubbing in method which is captured in this short video by Odlums http://www.odlums.ie/videos/rubbing-in-method/, Take a look!

All the girls worked very well in class, excellent effort and commitment shown by all! Maith sibh cailíní! Evaluation on the finished scones must be well detailed and give your honest critique don’t forget use the Evaluation Wordbank! How would you rate them on Come Dine with Me, would they  be a 10/10?

Questions that are to be answered girls are :

  1. Why is sieving flour necessary?
  2. Explain what the term ‘glaze’ means.
  3. Is it important that all scones are the one shape? Why?
  4. What is a raising agent?
  5. Name two other raising agents.

Fresh yummy Tea Scones

“As long as you know how to bake life is sure to be sweet ”