Yup … it’s the kind of day to stay cosy and warm inside.
Unfortunately I had to go into town [sounds like a bleedin' trek across the himalayas ... it's only 5 minutes in non icy weather] to pay the rent and get some more books from the library.
My good friends Miriam and Jimmy are staying with me for a few days [as they wait and try to get up the icy back mountain roads to their home] so we walked carefully in convoy into town.
As we walked down the road from the estate the army drove up to grit the roads … better late than never lads.
It’s slippy in town but it felt great to be out and walking even if the windchill factor is minus 5.
Dropped in and had a chat with Maggie … then off to say hi to the fab women in the Credit Union … then to the bank to pay the rent … then library to get books and say hi to the lovely women there … then Hi to Maggies Mum and Dad who have had no running water for weeks and still look neater and dapper than me!
Was about to slide my way home when I was hailed by Sharon Sweeny [Cannaboe Confectionery entrepreneur and wicked witch baker of my favourite carrot cake ... no Liz ... it is not a health food!] who offered me a lift back to my home.
Lovely to see her and I want to sent my best wishes to her mother who had a wee fall [like thousands and thousands of others around the country] on the ice and broke a few bones. It could be any of us no matter how careful we are.
Thanks Sharon for the lift and I have to give you a jar of honey that the wonderful Anne sent us from the Liz Biz beehive in America. The honey is delicious and I want to send a big hello and happy new decade to Anne. May you, your husband and bees all flourish and prosper.
Home now and enjoying the swedish cinnamon buns I made for the first time yesterday. They were delicious and I was very pleased to serve them to Jimmy and Miriam.
notice carrot cake in background?
I bought the best cook book ever last week and have been making stuff from it ever since. It’s a book that was commissioned by the Irish publishers Mercier Press from a food blogger … a young Irish lad called Donal Skehan. He writes a blog called Good Mood Food and I’m loving the cook book.
Tonight I’m cooking his recipe for Thai Green Chicken Curry and later on in the week I’m making big batches of 2 soups to freeze – Red Pepper and Tomato soup & Pea and Mint Soup.
And just in case you think I’m lolling around cooking … I am!
I’ve also sorted my office and have already booked Koh restaurant for a new round of Blog Design workshops in Dublin on Feb 6 and 7.
The workshops I did in November were a great success and I am really looking forward to doing more this year. The people I get to meet are really interesting.
The cost of the workshop is 80 euro and runs for 5 hours. People leave with a fully designed blog site and the skills to insert content and vids and photos and heaps of other stuff. People also get a 60 page info pack, chocolates and a fun learning time with me.
What’s not to love?
Someone sent me an email from an organisation [who will remain nameless] who is offering a 6 hour workshop in Dublin on setting up a blog and writing content … and they are charging 295 euro!!!
So I feel like I’m offering a quality bargain.
Coco and I are now ensconsed warmly inside and I’ve just put out heaps of bread for the birds.
All is well in my world.
Slan
Liz
p.s If anyone around town [or family in Oz and Singapore] has a Wii console they want to sell … I’d love to buy it. I really want to get the console, buy the EA Sports Challenge and just go for it in the privacy of my own home. You can email me – focusedsolutions1st@gmail.com
If there are none going I’ll buy one with the profits from my blog workshops in February.
When it comes to being physically fit I realised that I needed some new solutions to a very entrenched old problem. I decided to bring the exercise into my own home and make it varied and interesting with clear goals and feedback along the way … so that’s why I want a Wii.
Love Donal’s site… and check out those recipes! Peanut butter snickers squares. Now that’s my idea of good mood food.
And he takes his own extremely gorgeous food photos. I’m insanely jealous.
I think I might try that Avocado, Parmesan & Rocket Pasta tonight.
=) xx M
Isn’t it a lovely site and his recipes are fab. I think a friend of his takes a lot of the photos.
The Thai Green Curry worked really well and I got a lovely recipe for caramalised red onions of his site.
He’s also in a band … don’t you love all the parallel careers.
xx sis
Liz and Coco,
Great foodie post. I will have to swing by that website. Patrick makes a wonderful veg curry and is always interested in other curry recipe ideas. I will check it out and pass it along to him… It’s my way of keeping him busy and my belly full. LOL!!
Anne’s honey is fab! I bet the honey from the lizbiz bees is even more wonderful
Speaking of which, I think I will have a cup of tea with the honey she sent.
Keep safe and warm, Kimme
HI Kimme
If the Thai Green Curry recipe isn’t on the site then let me know and I’ll type it from my recipe book and send it over to you.
I cooked it for my houseguests this week and it was really tasty and very easy to make.
The funny part was that I thought I had bought the basmati rice and found out I didn’t have any rice in the house
Ended up cooking whole wheat fusilli … so it was a whole new cooking fusion … Thai/Italian!! Still very tasty.
His cook book is really a delight.
Freezing fog here so I’m staying inside in the warm.
Have a really lovely day Kimme.
xxLiz