Christmas/New Year's dress

Posting for pure posterity the beautiful dress that my mother bought for me - which I wore on Christmas Day and today for dinner in my mother's.  She has great taste and a great eye!

Nice neighbour....

This morning our neighbour Bill Cooper photographer, dropped a beautiful surprise into our letterbox.

This is Harry staring wistfully into Billy's window.  Isn't it great?!

Cereal Killers Movie

So (obviously) over Christmas I haven't stopped eating...and still haven't stopped yet!!!!

My plan is to go on a diet on the 2nd of January.

A friend of mine sent me a link to a film which I have just finished watching.  I'd thoroughly reccomend it.  It is an hour long, but it is the best hour you can spend.  When you see what sugars do to your body it will change your way of thinking...

Watch Cereal Killers Movie from this link

Let me know what you think!  I will keep you updated how my NEW diet goes from 2nd of Jan.

Yankee Candle, Blanchardstown

I cycled over to the Blanchardstown Towncentre today.  So nice to get off the couch and out on the bike!

As my Christmas Cookie yankee candle had just burned out I decided I would treat myself to a new one.

40% off all Christmas candles!

I bought a giftset of three, normally €24 but reduced to €15

I do like Yankee :-)  This is my current collection.  

On the left is Vanilla Lime which is my absolutely favourite - reminds me of Key West (lime pie!!!)

Spice of India

 

Spice of India, on South William Street, is "ok" decorated.  This photograph probably looks better than it is in real life.  Personally I think they should play up the Indian and do darker more patterned walls.

 

 Nice poppodums and chutneys.  Nyom.

Starters of shish kebab.  

Chicken pakora.  

Which when I ordered I immediately regretted.  They were noted on the menu as "appropriate for kids" and I though "oh no, theses are just going to be chicken nuggets!!!!!!"

But they were not.  Nice light delicately spiced batter, very nice indeed.

Mains!

Chicken bhuna which was very tasty.

 

Canapes

You may recall, some time back I posted about the canapes I was planning for Christmas.

Step by step guide below to my "now famous" Deconstructed Brown Bread and Salmon.  

Sprinkle crumbled up brown bread in bottom of mini martini/schnaps glasses

Squeeze of lemon juice for flavour and moisture

Pipe salmon mousse on top of brown bread

Sprinkle more crumbled up brown bread on top

Garnish with lemon

Et voila!

Mini bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon.  

Pork belly squares.

Deconstructed salmon and brown bread.

Coquilles St Jacques!

Moi.  Tres happy with my work :-)

Candy!

In a supermarket near my work they have recently stocked a shelf full of American sweets and products.

(Here in Ireland what Americans call "candy", we call "sweets".)

Over on the cereal aisle they have Lucky Charms and Reese's Puffs.  

Contrary to popular opinion Lucky Charms are not indigenous to Ireland!!!!  Seriously!

Both of these boxes were priced at €7.99!!!!  That's about 11 dollars!

To compare - the All Bran beside the Reeces are priced at €3.99

Nelson Mandela 1918 - 2013

RIP Nelson Mandela

Go well great man

Butterflies are Free

You know those great little films that you come across by pure chance on a tv channel of a Saturday afternoon?

Well Butterflies are Free is one of those gems!

It stars a young and absolutely adorable Goldie Hawn who's new next door neighbour turns out to be a blind boy seeking independence from his overbearing mother.

It's a beautiful and quirky film that I would recommend you watch if you ever come across it.

Now, is it just me or does the the actor Zac Ephron look very like Albert Edward????

It is hard to see in these photographs but I think when you see them on film it is their eyes that makes the similarity.

Sunday Funday

I had a lovely Sunday today.

I got out on my bike and cycled to the Towncentre at about 11.30.

I was craving scrambled egg for some strange reason so I went to what I call Kay's Kitchen but which has apparently changed name to Kay's Foodhall.  I guess it sounds a bit posher or something!

€4.95 for this - good value I think.

The scrambled eggs were okay.  Not as buttery as I was dreaming they would be, but they hit the spot.

Then I went to Starbucks and just chilled out on their free wifi for a couple of hours.

Kris Kindle - for work colleague

We do Kris Kindle in work and I always find it difficult to know what to buy.

I think I bought something fun this year.  It's an "Air Mail Catapult".

Apparently it is "like email, but more fun"

:-)

Nando's, Blanchardstown

My first time going to Nando's and I liked it a lot.

1/4 chicken, corn and mash potato. Plus bottomless soda.

Good value I think.

Mao, Chatham Row

I popped into Mao (asian food chain) on Chatham Row for a spot of lunch during the week.

I ordered a thai green curry and while I don't think it was very green (see pic) it was certainly very delicious.  And hot!  I love hot!

They also have free wifi which was great.  

I was on my own so I browsed on my ipad while enjoying my hot curry.

Christmas preparation planning meeting

Mary and Kasey held a Christmas planning meeting on Friday.

It was very serious business as you can see - the Christmas china and coasters were out, and mince pies served - so that we were all in the mood and Christmas focussed.

A good plan is now in place and hooray I am on canapes.  

If you recall I posted about my plans for my canapes previously.  I am excited about them.

Cease and Desist - a very short book review

I had a spare hour in the library so I quickly read this book - it's very small.

It's a great story, and a thoroughly entertaining account of an Irishwoman's battle with the Disney corporation.

It tells the story of the creation, by Denise Fitzpatrick, of an old seanchai pig called Piggley Pooh and his adventures as a young pig with his farmland friends. Denise and her husband Francis were busy selling the concept of Piggley as an animated series, around Europe, when Disney got wind of it and started a Cease & Desist action against the couple - based on an apparent likeness to the Disney owned character Winnie the Pooh.

What Disney have in money they obviously lack in common sense. Aside from the name Pooh I can't fathom any other similarity between the bear called Winnie and the pig called Piggley. And that may well be why, in the end, the Fitzpatrick's won over Disney.

All in all an entertaining little read but I did find the author's supercillious and egotistical tone grating at times.

Christmas Canape planning

I am planning some canapes for Christmas.

This year I am going to really focus on the presentation.

I am thinking of serving all the food as little mini bites or in little mini glasses.

These are schnaps glasses from Ikea.  I was preferably looking for mini martini glasses but they are quite expensive so this is a nice budget alternative.

An Irish staple at Christmas is brown bread and smoked salmon - I am thinking of doing a "deconstructed" version in these glasses!

I think these will be perfect for a cold soup/gazpacho (Ikea again)

And finally! I bought these small cute kiln jars today,

I will use these for hummous dips with veg crudites.

Aren't they adorable!

I've put them beside a carton of juice below to show you their scale

The Red Cups are here!!

Hooray!

The red cups are here!  Christmas season has started :-)

Myself, Enid and Lydia enjoyed a Toffee Nut latte, Eggnog latte, and a regular coffee.

Newbridge Museum of Style Icons

Yesterday myself, Enid & Lydia went out to Newbridge to see the Museum of Style Icons.  It was very enjoyable but one (small) critcism is it is more of an exhibition than a museum.  Or definitely it is a "small" museum.

They have tonnes of costumes and artefacts from the likes of Angelina Joli, Grace Kelly, Princess Diana, Audrey Hepburn, The Beatles, The rat pack, The Jackson Five, Michael Flatley, Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Streisand and many more!

There is also many many black and white photographs of style icons throughout the years.

As I said, enjoyable...and FREE which is great.

There is also a large store and showroom of all the beautiful Irish Newbridge Silver.  Lydia bought some gifts for her friends back in Oman.

I have a selection of photographs below - enjoy!

Lord of the Dance Michael Flatley

A Catherine Walker dress for Princess Diana

Beautiful dress designed by the famous Irish designer Sybil Connolly.

Silver corsetted mini dress/outfit worn by Yasmin Le Bon (the "face of Newbridge Silver in 2006 & 2007)

I remember this ad well!

To me, it represents and epitomises the strength of a woman.

Audrey Hepburn dresses.  She was TINY!!!!

The white dress was worn for her daughters christening (I think it is Givenchy) it is the size of an eleven year old's dress in my opinion. Beautiful on her - see photo of her wearing in down at the bottom of the skirt on the left.

No blurb needed here for the King of Pop!

New (travelling) exhibition of props from the Lord of the Rings films.