2 recipes, a Stuffed Broccoli and a Dabble in Carpentry....

My husband headed off for some travel with work yesterday morning, and left me with 5 Ikea boxes and a twinkle in his eyes....

            Though he lovingly told me not to worry and that he could "take care of it" when he returned, I heard the underlying challenge loud and clear.   As his car turned out of the driveway, I sipped the last of my morning coffee and walked over to the first box.  At this point I will admit I was far to cocky.  I had the rest of my day planned out - Build Desk and Filing Cabinet, vacuum room, move Chris' work items into new "office space" in spare bedroom, clear extra "stuff" from downstairs office nook, (All A.M. work....) then Walk Dog, Finish more job applications etc etc etc.....   and what did I accomplish?  A.M.  Assemble half of desk.  P.M. finish desk.... only not really because the ONE drawer that goes into the desk doesn't slide in or out.

I was cocky because faced with a box of bits and pieces and a picture-book instruction manual, I thought, "sure, I have a degree in Philosophy.... logic, analysis and reasoning are my thing."  Oh how the mighty are humbled!  To cut a long saga short, the desk is now finished.  I did indeed leave it unfinished overnight to then approach with fresh eyes and a less-frustrated mind in the morning.  The filing cabinet was a breeze in comparison... a few screws here and there and....

I hope to finish "moving" my husband's home workspace from the open-plan living room -kitchen- dining room- computer nook by the time he's home tomorrow.

Here's his new view:

So, there was my "dabble" in carpentry.  As to the other Ikea boxes... I will keep you updated...

Now to a little cooking because that IS what this blog was intended for...

Pear and Almond Tart

Serves: 6  Prep: 25 mins

Cook:  1 hr 20 mins

500g Puff Pastry

3 ripe Pears (original recipe calls for Peaches)

For the filling:

175g/6oz Ground Almonds

50g/2oz Toasted Almond Flakes

250g Tub Mascarpone 

25g/1oz Butter, softened

200g/7oz Golden Caster (regular Caster sugar also works)

2 Eggs

1.2 tsp Almond extract

METHOD

1) Heat Oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6

   Roll Out pastry on floured surface, line 23cm tart tin.  Prick pastry with fork and ensure there is an over-hang (pastry shrinks in oven!).  Place 20cm cake tin over pastry, filled with baking beans or dry rice/coffee beans - anything that adds weight.  Bake in oven for 20-25 mins.  Remove cake tin with weighted objects and then bake pastry for another 10-15 mins.

2)  Lower oven to 180 oC.

  Beat together filling ingredients... spoon into the pastry shell.  Cut pears into quarters length-ways.  Arrange with skinny necks of pears facing the centre of the tart.

3) Scatter caster sugar and a few extra almond flakes over the top and bake for a further 40 mins.

Allow tart to cool and then serve with creme fraiche or vanilla bean ice-cream... YUM!

Notes:

I made this recipe from the BBC's Good Food Magazine.  Like I said in the ingredients, the original called for peaches, but I decided on pears for the following reasons:

• Peaches were not in season (not that pears necessarily were either but they are more trusty year-round in Ireland) and the magazine was from months ago.

• I had the divine experience of tasting a real pear and almond tart in the south of France years ago and have since tried to find the perfect recipe to recreate it... and this is pretty close!!  Eat your heart out Julia Child!

It was a complete hit.  Our guests loved it and it has jumped to the top of my favourite looks-fancy-but-is-pretty-simple desert list!

I will now give you a moment to digest that recipe and tell you the story of the Stuffed Broccoli......

Chris and I spent 3 hours in Ikea this weekend.  Of all the bits and piece we collected to "organise" our lives, Chris was most excited about the stuffed broccoli. We stood for a significant period of time at the toy bins in the kids section.  

We are NOT trying to tell you something, but we do have a dog.  On our last trip to Ikea a month ago, we brought Jozy back a small stuffed kangaroo.  It was 1/5th of the price of a dog toy and it has lasted as long... success.  So, this time, we were debating which creature to bring back next.  We decided first of all to upgrade to the larger stuffed toys.  Initially we were drawn to the large stuffed Labrador, wondering how she would react to an almost-life-sized toy just like her.... and then Chris spotted the stuffed vegetables.  I realise childrens' games and toys are not what they used to be, and Ikea is known for being quirky, but really?  Large fluffy tomatoes, carrotes and broccoli the size of a small child?

Again, I am humbled.  The broccoli came home, also accompanied by my husband's twinkling eyes, and the result?  Jozy is in love....

I love that the Broccoli and the dog are smiling in this photo.... an affair to remember!

AND FINALLY.....  Recipe #2

Buttermilk Pie

(thank you to Beth and Jody Price, and his dear mother )

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

3/4 stick butter melted

3 eggs beaten

1 Tbsp flour

1 tsp Vanilla

METHOD:

1) Mix sugar, eggs, buttermilk, butter, flour and vanilla.

2) Pour mixture into shortcrust pie shell.

3) Bake at 300 F for 1 hr.

Notes:

I make this in a tart/ flan dish but as you can see, there is then extra mixture for at least 3 small pies! You will not need to bake these for the full hour, approximately 40 mins.   If you're a deep pie lover, use a regular pie dish and the mixture fills it and bakes perfectly in 1 hour.

Hope this finds you all having a lovely Tuesday!

A funny family moment...

Chris and I just had to share this with the world....

Jozy honestly just loves being vacuumed.  I can't help but laugh with the grin she has going on!

Playful Paws lead me to Bootcamp

Well folks, laugh you may, but tonight I am off to Bootcamp.  I consider this my one good turn of the day directed solely at the soon to be Mrs Baker.... and how did I end up having a friday night date with Bootcamp?  Well, I can simply thank my best 4-pawed pal Jozy.

A lot has changed this week other than the obvious new home, new surroundings.  I have been rigidly taking our sweet pup Jozy out every day.  We live on the top of a hill - like a fort.  Every which direction you look in, there presents a great excercise challenge.  Should you go down the hill once in the day on foot, you will inevitably have to climb your way back up it to get home.  Well may it last, but I have actually taken this as a challenge this week and not chosen to stay home lazily, knowing that leaving is not worth the coming back.  So, down the back of our house, you come to a river.  Over the bridge, take a right and you are at a beautifully big, dog-perfect green.  It stands side by side with the river for about a half mile, then there's a bit of forest, then a small housing estate, and then..... you reach the canal.  What's amazing about Leixlip is the amount of water.  As you walk up and down the hills, you glimpse different parts of the waterways and the best part is that they are all accessible and make for great walks.  There is one part where all three water ways meet - the canal at a slightly higher elevation running it's perfectly straight course, the river at the back of our house meeting it a little lower and then on the far side, a drop, and yet another river, joined to the canal by an off-shoot waterfall.

Now, we really couldn't have picked (though technically I had no idea how much there was here) a better spot for our water-loving Lab.  Upon returning from such great territory, swimming, running and playing with other dogs, it's off to the bath tub for a quick hose-off (since we unfortunately do not have access to an outside tap) and then straight to the preferred downward dog position - taking up 3/4 of our 3 seater couch.....typically looking in sequence like this:

As to what else has happened on walks this week, all I can say is that having a dog is a great way to make friends.  I have had some great conversations with other owners and I believe Jozy has been initiated into the 8:30 am walkers club and the 9:30am walkers club.  She has also met the others dogs in our complex and is in love with the other 2 golden labs.  As a result, I have been invited to Tuesday night soccer, Monday and Friday night bootcamps, had coffee in another dog-walkers house, and been invited to a girls night with our neighbours.  Way to go Jozy.  In specifics, Jozy has a new best friend - Maggie, who is a small terrier mix, the exact same age, and can run faster than her.... perfect for Jozy's attempted domineering.  It is maggie's owner who has me roped into Bootcamp and how could I say no... with another Baker wedding looming and a lake holiday with the Limpachs only a few months off...well, there's no time like the present.

As for now, I'd better get started on the chaos of the upstairs.  I will soon have photos and videos to share.

It's the little things that make a house a home...

Well, what a weekend! We battled 120km/hr winds and pelting rain all weekend, but we. are. moved!

It's amazing how you so easily under-estimate the amount of stuff you have.  I mean sure you calculate the size of the furniture you have to move and the TV, computer and Kitchen objects... but you forget about the stuff.  Who knew all those cupboards and shelves you haven't properly attended to for 6 months could contain so many hidden objects!  If I have learnt one thing these past 9 months, it is that leaving anything to complete on tomorrow's task list is disasterous.  Chris and I.... many I, were filled with enthusiasm to unpack wedding gifts and our amalgamated lives and find their special places in our home in Limerick but because we had a few spare rooms, we just didn't deal with any difficult decisions, you know the kind - to keep or not to keep?..childhood memories, books we read 10 years ago etc.  Of course, we didn't get rid of everything, we simply trimmed the excess weight... there's a new diet concept for the start of the year!  We can honestly recommend it to anyone moving or not moving.  De-stuff... cleanse your household.. there's nothing like feeling on top of things.

So, there we go.  Lesson one entering into 2011 is simply:  cut the stuff, be sentimental but don't squirrell...

As to our new abode, it is lovely.  Much more in tune with our lifestyle expectations.   We are close to shops, restaurants and pretty much any other life necessity. Now by close I mean we walk out of our complex, turn left or right and a 3 minute walk later, we're there...and on that note, the decision about the car? Well, I left it behind to be sold by my trusty mechanic in Limerick.  So there you have it - my personal challenge for 2011 is to get my walking shoes on.   (Any suggestions of cute and practical lines to bumff out my cute but not so practical shoe collection would be welcome...I love my trainers (sneakers) but the wearing of those is strictly limited to gymns and walking dogs in Ireland...a real fashion faux pas to attempt to wear them with anything else).

Here is a photo of the little thing that my house a home yesterday:

I realise the photo is blurry, but the camera is currently lost in the sea of bubble wrap so my phone is all I had.  Chris was trying to help me find hooks for my oven mitts and pot holders.  In true woman-stuck-in-a-D.I.Y-store fashion, I found that the hooks were either too practical looking, too large for the objects to be hung, too modern, even too hook-like and yes, my husband was despairing.... until we found this sweet set.  I love it!  What a find - it is copper and chocolate brown metal, delicate but still practical and the perfect sized hooks for the job.... 

...and put together with all the other little things that make any place a home for me, well.... here you have it:

I realise that others would rush to make sure their clothes are unpacked and perfectly hung, or organise their living room so that they can walk around without navigating the makings of the newest assalt course but me?  I rushed straight to my beloved kitchen.  I had imagined each object's place before we arrived and I was ready to create.  Sure there was clutter everywhere else in the house but I created my kitchen space and I was happy.... my house became a home.

My blog name tends to come back and bite me a little too often.  I know it is an ode to my mother's patience whilst I was growing up and my father's sanity... I know it is an ode to my husband's unconditional love for me... but what I am coming to realise is that it is far more than a summary of my actions... it is well and truly a narrative on my life.  There's clutter and there's creating.  Sometimes I'm in the clutter for a long time but somehow, I make it to the creating.... and in those moments, I look over my shoulder with a twinkle in my eye and hope that they all still love me.

The clutter is usually worth it, but as I mentioned earlier, I am aware of it... and working on improving it.

Challenge #2 for 2011? At least to speed up the process between the clutter and the creating.... starting with cutting the stuff.

Tea Break # 3

Yes it is only 12:18 in the afternoon and yes, I am on cup of tea # 3.  The study at the back of the house is quickly filling with boxes and suitcases ready to go and I'm certainly getting a good work-out in the midst of it! So, whilst the laundry is mid-cycle and the pup is napping at my feet, I'll give you a little something for the day...

It feels in many ways like you have all walked through this house several times.  I wish that were true, but it struck me today that we really are leaving our first home behind and since many of you weren't able to trek out here, I thought I'd post a video of our home.  Please keep in mind the following:

1) We are mid-packing... it's a MESS
2) I know my accent is annoyingly messed up between Ireland and the US so humor me and tell me it's cute... For whatever reason, when I'm thinking about america and my friends and family there, the american accent slips out, but the longer I talk and the more I settle into my own mind, the Northerner comes out.... I sincerely apologise..
3) I realise that my video skills are amateur at best so please also forgive the earthquake effects.

I hope it gives you a little glimpse into what life was like in Limerick for us.

{Video upload has failed several days running...now that we are back in the city, our internet should allow me to add it asap! - coming soon I promise!)....

The Moods of Monday

Two posts in one day and all before the evening? Probably looks like I'm making up for something...

After my early morning reflections upon our time here in Limerick, I got myself together to head out and run my Monday errands - Bank, food shop... you know the story.  Opened the car door, sat in the driver's seat, turned the key, and nothing... nada, not even a light acknowledging that the key was in the ignition.... The worst thing possible when you have motivated yourself to tackle your Monday with all the determination you lacked throughout Saturday and Sunday.

Before calling my mechanic, I decided that Dad's know best and called my dear Doug.  I was pleasantly surprised when my little brother answered my Dad's mobile, and was able to talk me through the A-Z of my car.  (No offense to my Father, but this was probably the better option anyhow... I just didn't think my student-partying-photographer brother would necessarily be up for a phone call before Noon.)

My brother and I weighed up all the options for repair versus selling the blessed thing, what with the move and options for public transport in a major city increasing drastically.. and then my lovely mechanic Matt came up to the house and jump-started my ford.  Matt is my only friend in Adare village itself, telling you a lot about our year here...

 So, magically, I have now managed to complete many of my Monday tasks.  I do believe just as we are about to move out of this big house, I have mastered the art of my week of systematic cleaning... downsizing should be a breeze right?

However, I thought I'd share a recipe that someday I hope to enjoy making with my kids.  There is really nothing special about this other than a moment of genius in the face of packing chaos...

Chicken Pie with Fluffy Sheep

filling...

2-4 Chicken Breasts, diced

500 mls Chicken stock

2 Tbsp Corn Flour

1/2 cup milk

Herbs & Seasoning to your own taste

4 carrots chopped to 1/2 inch sticks

2 small yellow onions, finely chopped

1 can sweetcorn/ 2-4 ears of fresh corn cut off cob

fluffy sheep...

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

2 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tarter

1/4 tps salt

1/2 cup shortening

2/3 cup milk

Method...

1) Preheat oven to 220 degrees C/ 450 degrees F

2) Pan sear diced chicken breasts in a knob of butter and approx. 2 Tbsp Oil.  Once browned but not cooked through, add 500 mls chicken stock.  Turn down heat and simmer for 5-10 mins.

3) In a separate pan, saute onions and carrots

4) Add onions and carrots to chicken, add seasoning and herbs of choice

5) In a cup, add cold milk and corn flour - mix into paste, and then add slowly to chicken.  Bring chicken back to boil until sauce thickens and then remove from stove top. Put mixture into oven dish/ caserole dish and set to one side.

6) To make fluffy sheep.... Sift together dry ingredients.  Cut in shortening.  Alternatively, use a blender or rub together shortening and dry ingredients with your hands (what fun is cooking without a little mess...)

7) One mixture looks like fine bread crumbs, slowly add milk to bring together the mix.  You should have a slightly sticky dough once finished.

8) Roll out on floury counter-top to approx 1/4 -1/2 inch thickness.  Cut into sheep!

* Now, the sheep can be substituted with any cutter you'd like.  I was trying to find my sensible biscuit/ scone cutters but they are already safely stowed ready for their move to Dublin.  I debated ripping my beautifully-taped box back open for the sole purpose of better presenting the dish than my 'option B' of making shapes with my hands, when I found my random seasonal cutters in another cupboard.  Weighing up all the options, I decided to forego the heart, easter egg, Christmas tree, stocking, and flower shapes and go with the Sheep.  Why not?  Biscuits and Sheep are both fluffy and "white."  So there you have it.  A fun, albeit slightly ridiculous alternative to a mundane Monday dish.  Get your kids to pick any of their favourite shapes and make this a true family supper... *

9) Bake in oven for 10-12 mins until Sheep have risen and are particularly fluffy.  Enjoy!

New Beginnings

Well, here we are, 2011.  Chris and I have been waiting for this week for some months.  On Friday, we move to Dublin and with that, we gain a whole host of new opportunities. 

On a morning such as this it is hard to believe we will be leaving behind the country beauty we love so much.  There is a lot to be said for watching the sun rise and fall through the trees, uninterrupted by buildings or human creation.  Still, for all the romance it offers, we discovered pretty quickly that moving to a new place and living in the deep country proved difficult for growing roots.  An American and a Northerner were forever to be "blow-ins" and always asked, "how long are you visiting for?" at the pub, no matter how many times we went in a week.. 

We will certainly miss the space for Jozy and the stunning Curraghchase National Park across the lane from our house, where Jozy and I frequently spend our afternoons.  We will miss the postman who invites himself to walk on in the back door and drop off our mail.... but we will not miss our post box with no key where our hands have to squeeze through the letter-shaped slot to reach our mail when the postman comes and we're out.  Further, we will not miss the well-water pump that cuts out half-way through a shower or late at night when you go to brush your teeth....  and yet, we will genuinely miss a few friendships we have made and know that this has been a worthwhile adventure.  There's a lot to learn when you're put in that desert place and we have grown immensely.  

So, here's a thanks to Ballinamona, Curraghchase.  Now it's off to continue packing and cleaning... 4 days till moving day, wish me luck!

I'll be seeing YOU again soon....