All photos are my property - taken in Donegal, Ireland
Chocolate mint cupcakes from Pickles and Cheese
Monday, March 14, 2011
Recipes To Try - St. Patrick's Day Week
Monday's Child - Bunratty Castle Ireland
Bunratty Castle
Within the grounds of Bunratty Castle is Bunratty Folk Park where 19th century life is vividly recreated. Set on 26 acres, the impressive park features over 30 buildings in a ‘living’ village and rural setting. Meet and chat with the Bean an Ti (Woman of the House) and various street characters including the Policeman and Schoolteacher who give the site its sparkle during the summer months. Enjoy the tastes, scents, sights and sounds of this enchanting place as you stroll from house to house or around the charming village complete with school, post office, doctors house, hardware shop, printers and of course the pub!
With my niece and nephew in 2005
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Week 10 - 365 Decluttering
Sunday March 6 - A towel that had pulled threads thanks to a cat that LOVES clean laundry and makes himself a cosy little sleeping spot within the towels.
I asked DH to declutter his desk and he came up with the following items for the charity bag. Three mugs, a tin and a picture frame. I made him put one thing back because I like it, a miniature golf cart from a birthday cake!
He also found the old, old satellite box under the TV so that is going out also.
Monday - 2 books on personal finance, never opened and 2 books received as a gift when renting snorkel equipment on the Big Island of Hawaii. I also threw out a book from my ESL course last fall.
Tuesday - sorted through my stuff in the mitten basket. One pair of mitts, one pair of gloves and a hat went into the charity pile.
Wednesday - more travel articles.
Thursday - went through 3 Food and Drink magazines from LCBO. I love this magazine, especially the food photography but the recipes can be found online.
Friday - some virtual decluttering, cleaning up old files on the PC.
Saturday - emptied 2 jars from the fridge that had been opened and in there for a while.
Sunday Skies - Glenveagh National Park Donegal, Ireland
Glenveagh National Park lies in the heart of the Derryveagh Mountains in the north-west of Co. Donegal. It is a remote and hauntingly beautiful wilderness of rugged mountains and pristine lakes. The Park, over 16,000 hectares in extent consists of three areas. The largest of these is the former Glenveagh Estate, including most of the Derryveagh Mountains. To the west are the quartzite hills around Crocknafarragh and to the south, the peatlands of Lough Barra bog, Meenachullion and Crockastoller.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Blogs I Found This Week
Dishfolio
http://www.budgetinginthefunstuff.com/
The Daily Dribbles is a funny, sarcastic mom of 2 boys.
The House Creative
World Turn'd Upside Down whose blog led me to A Guy Named Dave
Recipes to Try
French toast casserole sounds much easier than the usual messy way of making it.
Fat free crockpot apple cake what could be easier and no fat!
Hello dolly bars lightened up
Lemon ginger carrot soup
And in honour of St.Patrick's Day this week here are some great recipes:
Irish coleslaw from The Daily spud site - Irish of course!
Potato cups
Roasted cabbage looks yummy!
Crockpot corned beef
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Toronto Thursday
We moved to another office just down the street last week. I took these last Friday, my first day squatting there.
Looking south towards the lake in the rain
Looking north at our old location
Monday, March 7, 2011
Beef and Veggie Stir Fry
Confections of a Foodie Bride posted a recipe for a beef and veggie stir fry. I don't make stir fries very often because they just don't seem to turn out tasty. I do love them though, especially the stiry fries we had in China.
I made this recipe last night and it was delicious, in fact, I had some leftovers for lunch today. As mentioned below this is a super saucy recipe so I doubled the sauce. I also added green peppers and omitted the carrots as I had made a salad with carrots for on the side.
Beef & Veggie Stir Fry
1 lb sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 carrots, cut in 1/2 inch slices
1 broccoli crown, florets cut from stem
1/4 small onion, sliced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 green onions, sliced
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp water
Toss beef in a medium bowl with soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Let sit while preparing the vegetables.
Bring a pot of water to boil (you’ll need enough room to add the water, broccoli, and carrots without overflowing). Set a bowl of ice water next to the cook top. Add carrots to the boiling water and cook for 90 seconds. Add broccoli and cook for another 90 seconds. Remove vegetables and immediately place in the bowl of ice water. When cooled, transfer to a colander to drain, and lightly press with paper towels to get out the excess water.
Heat oil in a large skillet/wok (I don’t have a wok but I have a big non-stick skillet that makes stir fry like a rockstar). Place beef and sliced onions (not the green onions) in the pan. Cook for about a minute and then flip over. Stir in the garlic, ginger, white parts from the green onion, the carrots, and the broccoli. Stir in brown sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch slurry and cook for another minute.
Remove from heat and sprinkle over the green parts from the green onion. Serve over a bowl of brown rice.
This isn’t a super saucy dish – if you want to have extra liquid to spoon over rice, double the soy sauce and water at the end.
Serves 4
Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride
I made this recipe last night and it was delicious, in fact, I had some leftovers for lunch today. As mentioned below this is a super saucy recipe so I doubled the sauce. I also added green peppers and omitted the carrots as I had made a salad with carrots for on the side.
1 lb sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 carrots, cut in 1/2 inch slices
1 broccoli crown, florets cut from stem
1/4 small onion, sliced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 green onions, sliced
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp water
Toss beef in a medium bowl with soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Let sit while preparing the vegetables.
Bring a pot of water to boil (you’ll need enough room to add the water, broccoli, and carrots without overflowing). Set a bowl of ice water next to the cook top. Add carrots to the boiling water and cook for 90 seconds. Add broccoli and cook for another 90 seconds. Remove vegetables and immediately place in the bowl of ice water. When cooled, transfer to a colander to drain, and lightly press with paper towels to get out the excess water.
Heat oil in a large skillet/wok (I don’t have a wok but I have a big non-stick skillet that makes stir fry like a rockstar). Place beef and sliced onions (not the green onions) in the pan. Cook for about a minute and then flip over. Stir in the garlic, ginger, white parts from the green onion, the carrots, and the broccoli. Stir in brown sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch slurry and cook for another minute.
Remove from heat and sprinkle over the green parts from the green onion. Serve over a bowl of brown rice.
This isn’t a super saucy dish – if you want to have extra liquid to spoon over rice, double the soy sauce and water at the end.
Serves 4
Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride
Recipes To Try
Apple cinnamon bundt cake from Big Mama's Kitchen. I might have to make this soon.
Cabbage salads are something I've just started making this winter and they are so much better than lettuce at this time of year and definitely better for you.
Ice cream cupcakes I just put oreos on this week's grocery list even though we almost never buy cookies.
Wasabi and crystallized ginger dark chocolate brownies
Beef and veggie stirfry Made this on sunday and it was a definite hit.
Cheesecake in a glass with rhubarb syrup is a very elegant dessert for a dinner party.
Cream cheese stuffed french toast I will definitely have to make this soon.
Sour cream cinnamon streusel muffins with pecan filling
Cabbage salads are something I've just started making this winter and they are so much better than lettuce at this time of year and definitely better for you.
Ice cream cupcakes I just put oreos on this week's grocery list even though we almost never buy cookies.
Wasabi and crystallized ginger dark chocolate brownies
Beef and veggie stirfry Made this on sunday and it was a definite hit.
Cheesecake in a glass with rhubarb syrup is a very elegant dessert for a dinner party.
Cream cheese stuffed french toast I will definitely have to make this soon.
Sour cream cinnamon streusel muffins with pecan filling
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Recipes - Asian Meatball Soup
I made this today - steamy photo.
I will use pork stock instead of chicken because it is simmering on the stove right now and I may or may not add the shrimp, 1) because I would have to go out and find it and 2) I have a lot of pork for the meatballs. But I might wrap the meatballs in the cabbage the next time..
I tasted the meatballs and they were delicious. I also added some rice to the soup as I didn't have the noodles used below.
Asian Meatball Soup
Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
6 servings.
Ingredients
•2 quarts chicken stock
Pork Meatballs:
•1/4 pound ground pork
•1 tablespoon minced scallions
•1 tablespoon soy sauce
•1 teaspoon finely-minced ginger
•1 teaspoon sesame oil
Shrimp Rolls:
•1/4 pound ground shrimp
•1/2 cup cellophane noodles, cooked, cooled and roughly chopped
•1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
•1 teaspoon minced scallions
•1 teaspoon minced garlic
•6 napa cabbage leaves, blanched and cooled
•6 long scallion greens, blanched and cooled
•Chopped scallions, for garnish
Directions
In a soup pot slowly heat chicken stock to a simmer. Make meatballs: Combine ingredients and form into 1/3-inch balls. Make shrimp rolls: Combine shrimp and next 4 ingredients. Lay out cabbage leaves, heap 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling in center and fold up like an egg roll; tie securely with a scallion. Carefully drop meatballs and shrimp rolls into simmering stock. Cook at a low simmer, 15 minutes. Toss some chopped scallions into soup pot, adjust seasonings and serve.
Sunday Skies - Dublin
I seem to have Dublin, my birth city, on my mind this weekend. Perhaps because St. Patrick's Day is coming...or perhaps because I am feeling the need for a visit, it's been a while.
So I am posting some sky pictures I took on previous visits.
The Custom House (Irish: Teach an Chustaim)
18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. It is located on the north bank of the River Liffey, on Custom House Quay between Butt Bridge and Talbot Memorial Bridge
It was designed by James Gandon to act as the new custom house for Dublin Port and was his first large scale commission. For his assistants Gandon chose Irish artists such as Meath stone-cutter Henry Darley, mason John Semple and carpenter Hugh Henry. Every available mason in Dublin was engaged in the work. When it was completed and opened for business on the 7th November 1791, it cost £200,000 to build – a huge sum at the time. The four facades of the building are decorated with coats-of-arms and ornamental sculptures (by Edward Smyth) representing Ireland's rivers. Another artist, Henry Banks, was responsible for the statue on the dome and other statues.
During the Irish Civil war from 1921-1922 the building was terribly affected as it was completely engulfed by fire for 5 days, resulting in a major loss of public records. Due to the intensity of the heat the dome melted and the stone was still cracking when it began cooling five months later. The Gandon's interior section was completely destroyed.
Although burned to a shell in 1921, this building has been masterfully restored and its bright Portland stone recently cleaned.
The roof line coats of arms are not that of King George III but of the Kingdom of Ireland with a Lion and a Unicorn either side of the Irish Harp.
A lion and a unicorn also stand on the sides of the shield on the coat of arms of Canada.
So I am posting some sky pictures I took on previous visits.
The Custom House (Irish: Teach an Chustaim)
18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. It is located on the north bank of the River Liffey, on Custom House Quay between Butt Bridge and Talbot Memorial Bridge
It was designed by James Gandon to act as the new custom house for Dublin Port and was his first large scale commission. For his assistants Gandon chose Irish artists such as Meath stone-cutter Henry Darley, mason John Semple and carpenter Hugh Henry. Every available mason in Dublin was engaged in the work. When it was completed and opened for business on the 7th November 1791, it cost £200,000 to build – a huge sum at the time. The four facades of the building are decorated with coats-of-arms and ornamental sculptures (by Edward Smyth) representing Ireland's rivers. Another artist, Henry Banks, was responsible for the statue on the dome and other statues.
During the Irish Civil war from 1921-1922 the building was terribly affected as it was completely engulfed by fire for 5 days, resulting in a major loss of public records. Due to the intensity of the heat the dome melted and the stone was still cracking when it began cooling five months later. The Gandon's interior section was completely destroyed.
Although burned to a shell in 1921, this building has been masterfully restored and its bright Portland stone recently cleaned.
The roof line coats of arms are not that of King George III but of the Kingdom of Ireland with a Lion and a Unicorn either side of the Irish Harp.
A lion and a unicorn also stand on the sides of the shield on the coat of arms of Canada.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Irish Writers
All photos are my own property.
I was reading one of the blogs that I follow John, a Dublin Taxi Driver and he mentioned that the Floozie was back in town after a long absence. I've since asked him where is is located.
Ir reminded me that Dubliners cannot resist coming up with nicknames for various public works of display.
The floozie (or floosie or floozy) in the jacuzzi is the nickname of the bronze statue, properly called Anna Livia, previously in O'Connell Street, Dublin, Ireland.
The monument is a personification of the River Liffey (Abhainn na Life in Irish) which runs through the city. Anna Livia Plurabelle is the name of a character in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake who also embodies the river. The river is represented as a young woman sitting on a slope with water flowing past her.
Taken in 2001
The 'floozie', also called 'the hoor in the sewer' (hoor, pronounced who-er, is the Dublin pronunciation of whore) was removed in 2001 to make way for a tall column that was called The Spire of Dublin. The locals renamed this as the stiletto in the ghetto, the erection at the intersection, the stiffy by the Liffey, the North Pole, the nail in the Pale, the rod to God and so on.
Taken in 2007
There are many other statues and monuments in Dublin that have been renamed by the public. Any tourist taking a sight seeing tour will be regaled by the guide with the various nicknames assigned to statues and buildings. Some are:
On College Street, outside Trinity College, the traffic island that a statue to the nineteenth-century lyricist Thomas Moore shares with a public toilet has long been known as The Meeting of the Waters, thus neatly honouring both the civic facility and an eponymous work of the writer.
The 'tart with the cart', or 'the dish with the fish' - the statue of Molly Malone, the fictional character of the eponymous song, shown wheeling her wheelbarrow of fish.Molly Malone, who is shown, with ample cleavage, wheeling a cart. Also known as the Dolly with the Trolley, the Trollop with the Scollops, or the Flirt in the Skirt.
Taken in 2005
Taken in 2007
The 'quare in the square' - the statue of Oscar Wilde in Merrion Park Square (quare is a local pronunciation of queer) or the queeer with the leer, and the fag on the crag.
Personally, I've always thought it looked like Hugh Grant.
Taken in 2005
The 'prick with a stick' - James Joyce carrying a walking cane.
The 'hags with the bags' - a statue of two women with shopping bags near the Halfpenny Bridge - pronounced as Ha'Penny Bridge.
It isn't only the general public of Dublin who enjoy wordplay. The city has been associated with a huge number of major figures in the world of literature, several of them Nobel laureates, including Samuel Beckett, Brendan Behan, Seamus Heaney, James Joyce , Flann O’Brien, George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, W. B. Yeats. Many of these have a humorous and irreverent style and a wilful disregard for grammatical convention enough to make Lynne Truss weak at the knees. Here's an example from Brendan Behan (the self-confessed "drinker with writing problems") who, when asked to define the difference between prose and poetry, is reported as saying:
"There was a young fellah named Rollocks
Who worked for Ferrier Pollocks.
As he walked on the Strand
With his girl by the hand
The tide came up to his knees.
Now that’s prose. If the tide had been in, it would have been poetry."
Taken in 2007
That incident is part of Irish literary folklore and if you take one of Dublin's enjoyable literary pub-crawls you are sure to hear it repeated. Now whether Behan really said this is doubtful, but it makes a good story and that's what it's all about for Dubliners.
I was reading one of the blogs that I follow John, a Dublin Taxi Driver and he mentioned that the Floozie was back in town after a long absence. I've since asked him where is is located.
Ir reminded me that Dubliners cannot resist coming up with nicknames for various public works of display.
The floozie (or floosie or floozy) in the jacuzzi is the nickname of the bronze statue, properly called Anna Livia, previously in O'Connell Street, Dublin, Ireland.
The monument is a personification of the River Liffey (Abhainn na Life in Irish) which runs through the city. Anna Livia Plurabelle is the name of a character in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake who also embodies the river. The river is represented as a young woman sitting on a slope with water flowing past her.
Taken in 2001The 'floozie', also called 'the hoor in the sewer' (hoor, pronounced who-er, is the Dublin pronunciation of whore) was removed in 2001 to make way for a tall column that was called The Spire of Dublin. The locals renamed this as the stiletto in the ghetto, the erection at the intersection, the stiffy by the Liffey, the North Pole, the nail in the Pale, the rod to God and so on.
Taken in 2007There are many other statues and monuments in Dublin that have been renamed by the public. Any tourist taking a sight seeing tour will be regaled by the guide with the various nicknames assigned to statues and buildings. Some are:
On College Street, outside Trinity College, the traffic island that a statue to the nineteenth-century lyricist Thomas Moore shares with a public toilet has long been known as The Meeting of the Waters, thus neatly honouring both the civic facility and an eponymous work of the writer.
The 'tart with the cart', or 'the dish with the fish' - the statue of Molly Malone, the fictional character of the eponymous song, shown wheeling her wheelbarrow of fish.Molly Malone, who is shown, with ample cleavage, wheeling a cart. Also known as the Dolly with the Trolley, the Trollop with the Scollops, or the Flirt in the Skirt.
Taken in 2005
Taken in 2007The 'quare in the square' - the statue of Oscar Wilde in Merrion Park Square (quare is a local pronunciation of queer) or the queeer with the leer, and the fag on the crag.
Personally, I've always thought it looked like Hugh Grant.
Taken in 2005The 'prick with a stick' - James Joyce carrying a walking cane.
The 'hags with the bags' - a statue of two women with shopping bags near the Halfpenny Bridge - pronounced as Ha'Penny Bridge.
Halfpenny Bridge
It isn't only the general public of Dublin who enjoy wordplay. The city has been associated with a huge number of major figures in the world of literature, several of them Nobel laureates, including Samuel Beckett, Brendan Behan, Seamus Heaney, James Joyce , Flann O’Brien, George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, W. B. Yeats. Many of these have a humorous and irreverent style and a wilful disregard for grammatical convention enough to make Lynne Truss weak at the knees. Here's an example from Brendan Behan (the self-confessed "drinker with writing problems") who, when asked to define the difference between prose and poetry, is reported as saying:
"There was a young fellah named Rollocks
Who worked for Ferrier Pollocks.
As he walked on the Strand
With his girl by the hand
The tide came up to his knees.
Now that’s prose. If the tide had been in, it would have been poetry."
Taken in 2007
That incident is part of Irish literary folklore and if you take one of Dublin's enjoyable literary pub-crawls you are sure to hear it repeated. Now whether Behan really said this is doubtful, but it makes a good story and that's what it's all about for Dubliners.
Friday, March 4, 2011
My Recipe Box - Yorkshire Pudding
This is my perfect Yorkshire pudding recipe, if I am making it for just the two of us then I cut this in half.
Yorkshire Pudding
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
While beef is standing, make Yorkshire Pudding. Measure pan drippings, adding enough oil to drippings, if necessary, to measure 1/4 cup. Place hot drippings in 9-inch square pan; place pan in oven and heat until hot. Increase oven temperature to 450°F. In medium bowl, beat flour, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the eggs with wire whisk just until smooth. Pour batter into pan of drippings and oil. Bake 18 to 23 minutes or puffy and golden brown (pudding will puff during baking but will deflate shortly after being removed from oven). Cut pudding into squares; serve immediately with beef.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Wednesday's Words - Museums
All photos are my property.
http://www.googleartproject.com/
I love visiting museums when we travel, but sometimes there just isn't enough time to really visit and study the exhibitions or else it is crowded and you are being moved along in a cattle line.
Uffizi
Or when we were in Florence and it happened to be May 1st, a national holiday so the Uffizi Gallery was closed.
Imagine my excitement when I read about the Google Art Project, which brings together over 1,000 works of art by more than 400 artists. Using its Street View technology, Google has mapped 17 museums from around the world, including the Met, allowing you to take a stroll through the museum from the comfort of your own home. Each of these museums has selected one image that Google photographed using some amazingly advanced technology so that you can zoom into it in great detail – maybe greater detail than would have been possible if you were seeing it hanging on the museum wall! You “can zoom in" to see Van Gogh’s famous brushwork!
Louve
While this isn't the same as actually being at the Louvre or Sistine Chapel it is a great resource when you come home and can study in detail and comfort.
Vatican
http://www.googleartproject.com/
I love visiting museums when we travel, but sometimes there just isn't enough time to really visit and study the exhibitions or else it is crowded and you are being moved along in a cattle line.
UffiziImagine my excitement when I read about the Google Art Project, which brings together over 1,000 works of art by more than 400 artists. Using its Street View technology, Google has mapped 17 museums from around the world, including the Met, allowing you to take a stroll through the museum from the comfort of your own home. Each of these museums has selected one image that Google photographed using some amazingly advanced technology so that you can zoom into it in great detail – maybe greater detail than would have been possible if you were seeing it hanging on the museum wall! You “can zoom in" to see Van Gogh’s famous brushwork!
Louve
Vatican
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