Biking on the Train

March 2, 2011

Very late today, very late. It”s been a busy few days – filled with work and so much baking and cooking. Mexican lasagna and scones on Monday, two kinds of soup and banana muffins yesterday. And now my brain is spinning with ideas for a little competition I”m planning on slotmachines entering later this month.

But now onto today”s countdown with another mini fun fact about Dublin – you can bring your bike on the train between 10am and 3pm, after 7pm and on the weekends. Doesn”t that just sound tempting? Now where should we go??

Back tomorrow with the start of some great Irish recipes!

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Paddy’s Day Countdown

March 1, 2011

Today is March 1st. Can you even believe it? 2011 is flying by so quickly.

Since March 17th and St. Patrick’s Day will be on us in a flash, I thought I’d spend the March days leading up to it with some Irish themed posts. I’ll share some very Irish recipes, travel tidbits and little odds and ends I love about Dublin. How does that sound?

So, here’s one of Dublin’s big train stations – Connolly Station. Last week when I had a meeting in the city centre I decided to throw my camera in my bag on my way out the door. And of course, credit to my buddy Picnik for making the top photo even cooler.

And this one of Connolly Station’s front entrance. Check out that blue sky, baby!

If you’re visiting Dublin, Connolly Station is one of the two train stations in the city where you’d get trains to the rest of the country. Connolly Station will put you on trains to the north, and Heuston Station across town will put you on trains to the south and west. Connolly is also a station you’ll pass through or stop off at if you’re using the Dart commuter train from elsewhere around the city. I pass through it every morning on my way to work. It’s a gorgeous and huge old building.

Isn’t it amazing the things you catch when you remember to bring the camera? (Or in my case, when you stop hating the current camera and wishing you’d already upgraded it!)

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Life Detox

February 28, 2011

And I’ve been contributing to the suicide of books lately. Way too much to admit.

I’ve found since starting my new job I turn my brain off on the train ride home and have a hard time turning it back on. I have a huge tendency to zone out and watch episodes of those soul-crushing Kardashian reality shows while I *attempt* to clean the house.

So I’m making some changes and doing a bit of a total life detox for the next 2 weeks.  I’m hoping to tame my addiction to sugar (it’s the end of day 2 as I write this and it is HARD!) as well as my addiction to the internet and American television on the internet. Doesn’t mean I won’t still be baking some sweet stuff, just means for two weeks I won’t be inhaling any of it!

And for those two weeks, I’m going to limit myself to only an hour of computer a day when I get home from work. I am gonna get productive.

So instead of zoning out and eating junk, I’ve got big plans. The list of craftiness I’ve been planning on doing is so long and I’m heading out to my studio to tackle some of it. Very excited, Etsy shop, here I come!

What about you guys, do you ever feel the need to reign in your life a little? Spending, watching, eating? I’d love to hear I’m not the only one who can lose direction every once in a while!

{image from here}

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Date Night

February 25, 2011

The one and only thing that’s proving a little difficult about my job is that I hardly ever see my husband. Well, really, I think it’s his collection of jobs and playing for two basketball teams that make it so I never see him, not so much mine, but either way.

Most days, he leaves while I’m getting ready for work and he doesn’t get back until I’m already asleep.

So tonight, we’re having a little date night and I tried out a new recipe.  We’ll grill, so I thought sliders would be fun. I made these easy slider buns last night and they came out great. I stopped on the way home yesterday and picked up some blue cheese and we’ll do some caramelized onions. Doesn’t that sound delish?

(I’ve eaten about six of these without anything inside them- they’d make great dinner rolls!)

We might rent a movie and sit by a cosy fire. Any good movie suggestions? Nothing too new, Ireland’s a little slow to get new releases.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend! And if you’re in Ireland and a resident and a citizen, don’t forget to vote!

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Studio Tour!

February 24, 2011

Remember a long, long time ago when I claimed I was creating an art studio in our back garden shed? It took me a little longer than I anticipated, and the winter was a whole lot colder than I anticipated, but it’s finally done!

At the moment it’s a little cluttered because I keep collecting stuff I think will be great to fix up, and then there’s really nowhere in our house to put it. But it’s got power and lights and all my arts and crafts stuff. I’m psyched.

So here’s a little tour.

Michael got some big old school desks from the high school where he works. They’re great because I won’t ever worry about getting them dirty!

This is the cabinet right above my sewing machine. See that canning jar with the pin cushion on top? My mother in law made it for me for Christmas. Such a neat idea! And the little red book on the top right? A gift from a dear friend – a Cath Kidston Little Book of Pins. So cute and each pin has a colored ball on the end so they’re easy to pull in and out.

Nothing is as neat-and-put-away as I’d like it to be yet, so I’m thinking I might try to make little curtains to cover the front of the shelves. Even off-white fabric might make it seem a bit more calm.

But overall, I love it and I’m so glad it’s finished and I can get crafting!

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Febgiving Leftovers

February 23, 2011

Last night I was on a roll. It’s getting springy here, and the sun seemed to stay up way longer than usual, so I thought I’d use up some leftover ingredients from the weekend’s Febgiving.

I love this recipe for pumpkin bread, but it’s almost impossible to find canned pumpkin in Dublin, so I always substitute roasted butternut squash. It’s still gorgeous.

Pumpkin Bread

Adapted from 17 and Baking

3 1/2 cups (450 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 cups (400 grams) granulated white sugar
1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
15 ounces roasted and mashed butternut squash
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Slice a butternut squash down the middle and roast it until it’s soft all the way through, about 45 minutes at 350 F. Let it cool and scoop out the insides and mash it with a fork. You don’t want any big chunks, and you can puree it if you want, but I never bother.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl and set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs until lightly beaten. Whisk in the sugar and melted butter, then stir in the pumpkin, water, vanilla extract.

Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and mix until combined. Now you can either divide the mixture and bake it in two loaf pans, or you can do what I do and pour it all into one big bundt pan. Bake at 350 F/ 180 C for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

The great thing about this recipe is that it makes loads. A bundt cake can easily be cut into 20 pieces. Talk about great option for a party!

And see that pretty dish the pumpkin bread is in? My lovely aunt sent it to me from Christmas and it’s from this awesome Etsy shop. Love it!

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Febgiving and a Chocolate Tour

February 22, 2011

Good morning everyone!

I took a bit of a long weekend – we hosted Febgiving on Sunday afternoon and it was a giant success, but it totally wore me out. We managed to have an almost proper Thanksgiving:  18 adults and 2 kids, 3 chickens, loads of stuffing, endless potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes and dinner rolls. Even apple crumble and pumpkin cake with fresh cream for dessert! And I figure since it’s Febgiving we can make the rules, so chicken was a great substitute and way easier to find. 

It was a first for a whole bunch of our Irish friends but I think they are all converts. It might have to be an annual holiday from now on!

The sweet potatoes were a surprise hit, so I thought I’d share my recipe.

Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes

1 large sweet potato (the ones I find over here are about the size of a softball – enormous – and one feeds 4 people as a side dish)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
Peel the sweet potato with a sharp peeler and wrap it in tin foil so the juices won’t leak out when it starts to roast. Roast it at 180 C/350 F for about 45 minutes or until it’s soft through the middle. Just jab it with a fork to make sure it’s mushy.
Peel it out of the tin foil into a bowl and add the cinnamon, salt and butter. Mash it all up and serve! Dead easy.

***

Now, in other news, a new Butler’s chocolate museum opened yesterday right around the corner from my house here in Dublin and I can’t wait to take the tour!

You get to see how the famous Butler’s Chocolates are made, and you even get to decorate your own little chocolate figure to take home. How much fun, huh?

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Home Again

February 16, 2011

Have you checked out LL Bean lately? They”re from my home state and they make possibly the most comfortable slippers ever. Michael and I both have them and they are heavenly. Here”s my current model. I”ve got them on my feet right now. But that”s not what I want to tell you all about right now. LL Bean has got a cute new Signature line with some really great pieces. Loving that they make me feel casino poland like home, but way more stylish than the old LL Bean!

{Cotton silk ruffled dress}
{Leather ankle boot}
{Castine cord jacket}
{Heritage Nubuck Tote}

And two giant congratulations today – my sister in law just got a grant to spend next year in Africa, and a dear friend gave birth to a new baby boy! Happy Wednesday!

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Affirmations

February 15, 2011

Happy belated Valentine’s Day, friends!

It is miserable and windy and rainy here. I keep telling myself good for the flowers, good for the flowers. It also helps to watch this great clip. I think Jessica is onto something (or was onto something, considering she’s at least 15 now!).

Watch out, it’ll get stuck in your head! All last week I was walking around the house saying, I love my job, I love my husband, I love my cat, I love my bike, I love my crafts, I love my chocolate.

But this morning I was singing a different version: I hate the rain, I hate the wind, I hate the wind when it mixes with the rain, I hate the cold, I wish it was summer, I wish Ireland had summer…. See? Wonderful narration for my life at any given moment!

What’s your daily affirmation sound like?

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Sticks

February 11, 2011

Happy Friday, everyone!

It’s rainy and dreary here in Dublin today, but I think the February showers will hopefully bring March flowers. Or maybe even end-of-February flowers!

Now, down to business. Sticks. I’ve got an odd love for all things I could make with sticks, branches, driftwood. At the moment, we’ve only one big branch in our house, draped with fairy lights, but I’m thinking some of these ideas might have to happen soon!

Check these out:

Wouldn’t that be a beautiful Easter centerpiece painted in a springy color?

This headboard is so simple and I’m sure it would be really easy to make. Might be neat if you painted the twigs white or cream and tacked them to a white wall.

I’m not sure how this one is suspended from the ceiling, but wouldn’t that be neat for a party?! Drama, drama.

This might be a nice year-round wreath for the front door, no?

And this next one is my absolute favorite. I wish, wish, wish I could find a piece of driftwood like this….and that I had a house big enough to hold it!

{I’m struggling with where I found these images – if you recognize where they’re from, please let me know so I can give proper credit! Last image from here.}

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