tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15597962511740629602024-03-28T22:42:23.199-07:00A Mouthful ApartYour tastebuds should travel.amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-62835277415869082562015-07-29T11:23:00.001-07:002015-07-29T11:23:12.256-07:00Pickled Pink. <div dir="ltr">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5zvFS-xQ_blJSJThy3ScdMiANwYDkC7_6hi3bUZeJkWSUaIzC61OnRMlVU04LcG_XQFo41Bd7OdLjPPMIAz7-59eYqLY_2pIGDKNffK0kaCRbDsSMrWYF_iIAPkAVeK38avZb7r2tLal/s1600/IMG_20150727_224117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE5zvFS-xQ_blJSJThy3ScdMiANwYDkC7_6hi3bUZeJkWSUaIzC61OnRMlVU04LcG_XQFo41Bd7OdLjPPMIAz7-59eYqLY_2pIGDKNffK0kaCRbDsSMrWYF_iIAPkAVeK38avZb7r2tLal/s400/IMG_20150727_224117.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i>Location</i>: Brooklyn.<span id="goog_814825958"></span><br />
<i>Precipitation</i>: 0%<br />
<i>Humidity</i>: 196%<br />
<i>Wind</i>: 7mph<br />
<i>Number of pants I've hacked into shorts</i>: 5<br />
<i>Number of times I've had icecream as a meal this week</i>: also 5...</div>
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It is, without a shadow of a doubt, the season they once entitled summer and unless I'm in a well-ventilated, air-conditioned ice box, I will not be attempting to scoff a hot meal anytime soon. Its so gosh darn hot up in here. That, combined with the fact that I'm an absolute sucker for all things picnic related was the inspiration for this post. I also really enjoy life-lessons so we're gonna delve into some right here, right now. Ready? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVI7paYXx2krtmcmxl3-pPKmbTWhX88NBo_zMEQATElqEI_7EQDmiol7QLZtgHNSeya-ERUGzgSbSIvbintAFqABq1F1UsVfjEDhQ3GBCEhGsLNRV4cJO3ertt6WO71wFY4cyX4fLpCJL/s1600/UGLY+APPLES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVI7paYXx2krtmcmxl3-pPKmbTWhX88NBo_zMEQATElqEI_7EQDmiol7QLZtgHNSeya-ERUGzgSbSIvbintAFqABq1F1UsVfjEDhQ3GBCEhGsLNRV4cJO3ertt6WO71wFY4cyX4fLpCJL/s320/UGLY+APPLES.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Life lesson 1:</b></div>
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<i>Ugly Apples Taste Better. </i><br />
Here's the instagram post which got double likes thus proving said therom.</div>
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<b>Life lesson 2:</b></div>
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If you go straight from your bar at 5am to queue for tickets to Shakespeare in the Park and don't sleep all day, you WILL fall into a deep slumber in Act II, much to the disgust of all theatre buffs attending. Whatevz. Great experience nonetheless. Magical. Outdoors. Fireflies. Drifting in and out of dreams<br />
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<b>Life lesson 3:</b><br />
Donuts have magical qualities that can cure the darkest of days, soothe the most broken of souls and ease the most painful of sorrows. I'm totally fine, you guys. I just ate a life altering donut and thought I should share how delightful it was. Guess I could've done it in a less depressing way? Peter Pan- go there if you can. Myself and my pals, Holly and Ben go there to eat donuts and talk about life.<br />
<a href="https://instagram.com/p/5H9OA1RFSu/?taken-by=philippa_lane">Another shameless Instagram plug</a></div>
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<b>Life lesson 4:</b><br />
You're officially a grown up when you've honed your egg skills, right? Well, I can now reveal, on record, that I can boil an egg to complete perfection. Without fail. Every. Single. Time. No big deal. It's a fool proof technique. Also top secret. Come over, I'll show you. <br />
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<b>Life lesson 5:</b><br />
Learning southern slang is hella fun and finer than a frog hair split four ways especially when the devils beatin' his wife. Bless your heart and order more grits.<br />
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<b>Life lesson 6:</b><br />
Yes. <br />
Say yes to everything (in a safe environment).<br />
Talk to complete strangers (in a safe environment). <br />
'Keep asking questions, stay curious, stay hungry'.<br />
Stay <a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090818091700AAUbIme">(w)reckless</a> (in a safe environment).<br />
I told you at the beginning, I'm a sucker for inspirational life lessons. You got yourself into this mess. You can't stop reading now just cause I'm being a sap. Embrace it, we're almost at the end.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUo6Pye0iW2yClY14Y6oba7iKzMMf9a_fLghtBCxs5LhwYDMYCabQS2oRhJW1HXQRXwZkN-hpXjwsB8CTMd4krFQFI3YbeE4FPv3I7qwpWNJn7kjvK1QO9AM7cdniW5eLKourXFfd4748_/s1600/IMG_4502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUo6Pye0iW2yClY14Y6oba7iKzMMf9a_fLghtBCxs5LhwYDMYCabQS2oRhJW1HXQRXwZkN-hpXjwsB8CTMd4krFQFI3YbeE4FPv3I7qwpWNJn7kjvK1QO9AM7cdniW5eLKourXFfd4748_/s400/IMG_4502.JPG" width="400" /></a><b>Life lesson 7:</b><br />
Ok, so here's the big bombshell. I need you to promise to stay friends with me after I've told you this. After years and years and YEARS of eating pickles, only now have I realized that they were, at one point in their illustrious career... cucumbers. I'm being 100% serious when I reveal this little nugget of naivety. I honestly just thought they were a vegetable unto themselves. Til one day, lo and behold, I was having a conversation with a friend and they mentioned something about cucumbers and pickles and the penny that had been weighing down my purse for all this time, dramatically (a little bit like this sentence) thudded to the floor, along with my jaw. I couldn't conceal my shock and astonishment. I had been found out. My cover was blown. What followed was a lengthy bombardment of questions, an inquisition into the dereliction of my education and an in depth lesson about pickling. I couldn't just let this crucial information wash over me so I tenaciously took up a mason jar (or six) and decided to revel in the wonders of fermentation. Below is the evidence of said foray. Get amongst it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0s6P8Asf1oguz2CNmyk1txOetmX4NFG4zeKjuOW_uQ9ZxML1ApP8jlGHnNlfPqpQN7mfV5D4_ODstEmwAk2bPeD2ELNzzD4H5k8wg2s7E0vQ0tEal5xbStS1SQEEqkW_lYLtpw6KJ_QhG/s1600/IMG_20150723_145101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0s6P8Asf1oguz2CNmyk1txOetmX4NFG4zeKjuOW_uQ9ZxML1ApP8jlGHnNlfPqpQN7mfV5D4_ODstEmwAk2bPeD2ELNzzD4H5k8wg2s7E0vQ0tEal5xbStS1SQEEqkW_lYLtpw6KJ_QhG/s400/IMG_20150723_145101.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Ingredients</i></b>:<br />
6 cucumbers<br />
A bunch of asparagus<br />
1 Red Onion<br />
1 Bunch of Rainbow Chard<br />
1 bunch of dill<br />
8 cloves of Garlic<br />
Mustard seeds<br />
Black Peppercorns<br />
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Brine:<br />
3/4 cup of Champagne Vinegar (ooooh so faaaancy)<br />
2 cups of White Wine Vinegar<br />
8 cups of water<br />
3 tablespoons of brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup of salt<br />
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<i><b>Method</b></i>:<br />
Sterilize Mason Jars in hot water.<br />
Bring the brine ingredients to boil, turn off and set aside.<br />
Slice the cucumbers into spears.<br />
Cut off the woody ends of the asparagus. Bring a half inch of water to boiling point. Turn off. Pop asparagus into the water. Switch back on and turn off when it reaches boiling again. Rinse under cold water.<br />
Chop the leafy part of the Rainbow Chard off. (Don't throw away- they can be boiled as a delicious spinachy snack. How healthy!)<br />
Slice the Red Onion into lengthy strips.<br />
Place a clump of dill in the bottom of the mason jars that you will use for the cucumbers.<br />
Put a couple of garlic cloves, some mustard and black peppercorn seeds into each jar.<br />
Tightly pack the veggies into the jars.<br />
Ladle the brine, covering the veggies.<br />
Twist the tops onto the mason jars.<br />
Place the jars in a pot of water and bring to just before boiling point to seal. This should take about 15 minutes.<br />
Remove from the pot and leave for 2-3 hours to cool down.<br />
Your pickled pals will be ready for consumption 24 hours later. The longer you leave 'em the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCLHCzNztgMcCFUJ4PgodY-wCqQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.funscrape.com%2FPicture%2F26356%2FKellie%2BPicklier.html&ei=Rgy5VbGHMMLw-QHj2IvICg&bvm=bv.99028883,bs.1,d.dmo&psig=AFQjCNG6s3qHqpj2o5uBn7iZMbYpzpBxHg&ust=1438277051678929">picklier</a> they'll get.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPyBjSMbLa3cSuYUk2KCSBkBYZA23s8oJZKko27hsrcN7x4wWayzQ3YHa4D0nApoU2hLIr3hD-dmUBvPKySg2nfuZrbCin9bfIY4HxZd95Qwx5Pj4og9q6D8eVgtJsxv5wkeRdoji8a2Ed/s1600/IMG_4490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPyBjSMbLa3cSuYUk2KCSBkBYZA23s8oJZKko27hsrcN7x4wWayzQ3YHa4D0nApoU2hLIr3hD-dmUBvPKySg2nfuZrbCin9bfIY4HxZd95Qwx5Pj4og9q6D8eVgtJsxv5wkeRdoji8a2Ed/s320/IMG_4490.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green is the new black. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfUHb4nuM7J2runo6iPhco5voZs3F5UI-Kw2Mi_k_dBOuyYZheO7E5ODXpgHaTHjY4YZe6j_c20QXOYSha7aRLZUrUD4ZSgpTLKg0_TEih49rnzYs9W39BksNAwvMcCqTEqhxKCOqM9Id/s1600/IMG_4498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfUHb4nuM7J2runo6iPhco5voZs3F5UI-Kw2Mi_k_dBOuyYZheO7E5ODXpgHaTHjY4YZe6j_c20QXOYSha7aRLZUrUD4ZSgpTLKg0_TEih49rnzYs9W39BksNAwvMcCqTEqhxKCOqM9Id/s320/IMG_4498.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pink is the new black.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfhuKTeab1BlqeafbH7kV2cKaM4V_svSKEw04YyoOqAza6RoR1Lt1g0veR8ZaHDvstCSP6F4GY6vxIdlXZQTPSAEAwxtWA_2ziUMdcXhXUORyBMYdfIBHVm0FtpMg5bL0gDhVBvsmSF8Q/s1600/IMG_4508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfhuKTeab1BlqeafbH7kV2cKaM4V_svSKEw04YyoOqAza6RoR1Lt1g0veR8ZaHDvstCSP6F4GY6vxIdlXZQTPSAEAwxtWA_2ziUMdcXhXUORyBMYdfIBHVm0FtpMg5bL0gDhVBvsmSF8Q/s320/IMG_4508.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow is the new black. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JsV7Qk5kKqGsMJprpT-R4jE58gOzlnWGfZCcPLNRnKM3fS6hHTy4AtwXh99opoPlWhcryikSeDsDodhyphenhyphenSkShPRdHuKztvqd5unFpQUzwcwXbLNgHMl80FwS0cQ8eT4Bg76tniBbPG1wJ/s1600/IMG_4518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JsV7Qk5kKqGsMJprpT-R4jE58gOzlnWGfZCcPLNRnKM3fS6hHTy4AtwXh99opoPlWhcryikSeDsDodhyphenhyphenSkShPRdHuKztvqd5unFpQUzwcwXbLNgHMl80FwS0cQ8eT4Bg76tniBbPG1wJ/s320/IMG_4518.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ooooh steamy</td></tr>
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<b>FRY 'EM!</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGv9D-2X8yvcftrB9kxGYwLBQ8b-m2N4UJCJkmCjynhL7pXNIDjn-V5Ew9QCmJDxQ8vHCoxnInAl4UN7m4dYkIe96oqid4M656Uxy-PeyZjORMaAklAop0NLXb8TcQwju-ViKSrwrqelJR/s1600/IMG_4526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGv9D-2X8yvcftrB9kxGYwLBQ8b-m2N4UJCJkmCjynhL7pXNIDjn-V5Ew9QCmJDxQ8vHCoxnInAl4UN7m4dYkIe96oqid4M656Uxy-PeyZjORMaAklAop0NLXb8TcQwju-ViKSrwrqelJR/s320/IMG_4526.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><b>Ingredients</b></i><br />
Your pickled delights.<br />
2 eggs<br />
Enough breadcrumbs to coat your pickles.<br />
Extra Virgin Olive Oil.<br />
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<i><b>Method</b></i>:<br />
Whisk the eggs in one bowl.<br />
Have the breadcrumbs in another.<br />
Heat some oil in a pan.<br />
Dunk the pickles in the eggs, then in the breadcrumbs.<br />
Fry in the oil til crispy!<br />
<br />For a slightly healthier option just fry in some oil without the egg and breadcrumbs.<br />
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amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-82186436929520272732015-07-27T05:40:00.000-07:002015-07-27T05:40:27.204-07:00And Now for a Very Important Announcement.....it's Philippa's birthday!<br />
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Our little chicken is turning 24 and everyone knows what that means, right?<br />
It means she was born 24 years ago.<br />
To celebrate this important milestone, here's a list of things that make our Pips such an incredible person.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItLm84WHvKEl28hu7dfDOlAYIo6hLrVnOH_BH4uqSkveiJoA5UI9yz7AXd9V98LDX8neih6r2CAz-T3xtGx0spnm5a4oXhxzOSv94HgCuNQGwzOc8D_Y5fEC3vTjIlnQDLLwkvEyOzzUD/s1600/image1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItLm84WHvKEl28hu7dfDOlAYIo6hLrVnOH_BH4uqSkveiJoA5UI9yz7AXd9V98LDX8neih6r2CAz-T3xtGx0spnm5a4oXhxzOSv94HgCuNQGwzOc8D_Y5fEC3vTjIlnQDLLwkvEyOzzUD/s320/image1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>P</b> is for Partners in Crime - no one is better company for illegal activities than Philippa.<br />
<b>H</b> is for <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRYFKcMa_Ek">Hall and Oates - Maneater</a></i> - she only comes out at night. Whatch out boys, she will chew you up.<br />
<b>I</b> is for Idaho - one of the many states Philippa would like to visit one day.<br />
<b>L</b> is for Ladies Loving Ladies - sometimes all you need is loving yourself.<br />
<b>I</b> is for I don't know why we love her so much - I'm just kidding, she's fantastic and pretty and smart and a great friend.<br />
<b>P</b> is for Partially Jewish - a secret only revealed now.<br />
<b>P</b> is for Party animal - amongst other things.<br />
<b>A</b> is for Ahhhhhhhhhh - words that come out of my mouth everytime we meet in person and hug.<br />
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<b>M</b> is for more - Pippa's favourite word and the cause of much trouble.<br />
<b>O</b> is for Omnipresent - she may be in the other side of the ocean at the moment, but her presence is felt everywhere. Specially in our hearts.<br />
<b>O </b>is for Omnipresent - seriously, she won't leave you alone.<br />
<b>R</b> is for Red Wine - Philippa's weapon of choice<br />
<b>E</b> is for Enigmatic - cheesemonger by day, sexy vulture by night. When you think you've seen everything...think again.<br />
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And now, let's all raise our immaginary glasses and toast this very good lady.<br />
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PIPS!<br />
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<br />amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0Dublin, Ireland53.3498053 -6.260309699999993453.0463133 -6.9057566999999933 53.6532973 -5.6148626999999935tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-3885751503656113272015-07-26T16:39:00.000-07:002015-07-26T16:39:48.213-07:00Oh hello.<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">W</span>ell well well dear old friends! How have you all been since we last met here many moons ago? We think its only right and proper that we give you an explanation for our EXTREME absence and severe lack of recipes on the blog. The past few months have been, for all three of us, a truly formative period that shall go down in the annals of time as a point in our lives which held much change, opportunity and travel. Without further ado, let us attempt to catch you up on the escapades of this travelling trio. All three of us moved house which is the main reason you haven't heard a peep from us. It wasn't planned that we would all move at the same time but what beautiful symmetry, eh?! Ale and Emma are both back in Dublin for now and Pip moved reaaallllllllllly far away from where she was (3 blocks down the road). Bold moves. We've been travelling, hiking, camping, having visitors, being visitors, earning money, spending money, falling in love, falling out of love, makin' mates and eating ham. Basically, we've been caught up in the unpredictable lifestyle that is your 20s and yeah, WE'VE BEEN REALLY ENJOYING IT. Life, oh life, ooooooh life, oh life (to be sung obviously). We shall divulge more specific information in a timely and organised manner over the next few weeks. And by timely and organised, we mean, wild and unruly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We have also decided to throw our original template out the window and wander on with more sporadic posts whenever the mood takes our fancy. That's not to say we won't be posting as much (lol), we will just be looking further afield for inspiration and posting freely, without the restrictions of a monthly theme or challenge. The template boded well for us for the first few months but we found that it was unrealistic to try fit three different personalities into one set theme and make it in any way interesting for you lovely folk. So here we are, growing with our blog and expanding our horizons. Check back in in a couple of days for what promises to be the most incredible blog post ever (mmmmmm hyperbole).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Until then, just know we're alive.</span></div>
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amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-6606758200608738772015-04-12T17:00:00.000-07:002015-04-13T06:43:20.721-07:00Boxty With Smoked Salmon, Caper Ricotta and Kale.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP8EvB2RGFM-l2_Kuuh82XbWfhKomUunrdGc8kFsEmejgD1snImMbjLYlVK4v4FXjoUB_yJYcJ89iyQ7o-9GLiaUwYMCxt0Y2J7yn1tEnPYK8CUaD9o-OsJGBpsORTsillZ_VefLfzWlj/s1600/IMG_4314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBP8EvB2RGFM-l2_Kuuh82XbWfhKomUunrdGc8kFsEmejgD1snImMbjLYlVK4v4FXjoUB_yJYcJ89iyQ7o-9GLiaUwYMCxt0Y2J7yn1tEnPYK8CUaD9o-OsJGBpsORTsillZ_VefLfzWlj/s1600/IMG_4314.JPG" height="272" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I have always felt an affinity towards water. All of my favourite memories take place on/in/beside a body of water. I know, I know, 70% of the earth's surface is made up of water so it's pretty much 70% unavoidable but nevertheless, I feel the need to proclaim my undying love for this viscous element. I also think fire is swell but hey, I'll save that for another post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My earliest memory is spending my 3rd birthday on Silver Strand beach in Co. Wicklow. When I was learning to ride my bike I somehow managed to slide down an extremely steep bank into the river at Enniskerry, Co.Wicklow. I honed my rounders (baseball to any Americans out there) skills shadowed by the mist of Powerscourt Waterfall. I once spent a weekend in Sligo at my friend Suzanne's aunt's cottage by a lakeside surrounded by lush green trees, eating <b>boxty</b> and listening to traditional Irish music. Give me a view of the stunning bridges of Porto or the tranquil splendour of Lake Windermere and I guarantee you, I could gaze upon them for hours. The spell-bounding rhythm of the ocean, the overwhelming crash of a wave, the magical depths of a lake, the curious meander of a river, the diving grace of a waterfall all fascinate me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This post, however, is about a perilous incident involving some washing detergent, h2o and my dirty laundry. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Before I embark on the epic tale of my undergarment escapades let me just say that I've done my own washing countless times. I guarantee you, it's a whole other ball game when not in the comfort of your own home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So below is a blow by blow account of an incident I am hereby calling 'Washer-woman Wednesday'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">To say that I made it painstakingly obvious that it was my first time doing laundry would be an understatement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I walk in, donning my laundry day rig-out which is a pair of trackie bees, odd socks and a striking yellow sweater with the words 'worlds greatest grandad to be' plastered across the front- conspicuous is not how I would describe this look.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I go up to the lady carefully folding some undies and asks how 'the system' works, naively thinking that she works there. She doesn't, in fact, work there but explains it to me regardless with complicated and confusing hand gestures.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Having topped up my new laundry card, teaming with excitement and anticipation, I begin my mission.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I separate my clothes into whites and colours, which I realise I could've done at home with a helluva lot more ease.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I successfully get my whitewash goin'. Ah sure, it's all plain sailing from here on out....you'd think. Turns out I had used a 60lb machine instead of a 10lb machine. That's a solid $6.50 per machine as opposed to $2.50. At this point, I'm beginning to wonder if I've ever owned 60lb of clothes. Maybe if you add up all of the clothes I've ever owned?... But as you can see from the photo of me on the beach, it seems I had an aversion to pants as a child.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Card topped up for a second time, I realise I've already put the detergent into the second 60lb machine so I may as well swipe through another $6.50.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Garments removed from the washer, I then lovingly toss them into the tumble dryer only to find that my brand new card won't read in the slot anymore. Stressed out to the nines at this stage, seriously questioning all my life choices, I not so lovingly throw the sopping wet clothes in my laundry bag so I could get the hell out and get back to the safety of my own home as quickly as possible. As I crossed the threshold I decided that after hanging my clothes off every nook in my apartment I was going to make suman' delish to soothe my bruised domestic-goddess ego. And so I rustled up some Boxty with smoked salmon, caper ricotta and kale. Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake which is both easy to make and a great way of utilising any leftover mash. There's a rhyme associated with boxty that claims if you can't make it you'll never get a man...classic old wives tale from the old country. Antiquated as it is, I've never actully made boxty before which may explains my single status. Let's hope that this starch spell works and that my future beau won't ask me to wash his clothes. Boxty, yes. Boxers, no.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients:</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Makes 12 cakes</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">8 regular sized spuds (I also chose some purple ones cause thought the colour was fun!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Half grated, half mashed and cooled.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3 eggs beaten</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup of milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup of flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">250g of smoked salmon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">250g ricotta</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Extra virgin olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Capers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt and Pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Kale</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A Wedg(i)e of Lemon to garnish</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Method (to my madness)</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Grate the uncooked potatoes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix together the flour, eggs, milk, mashed potato and grated potato until it resembles a goupy mixture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Heat olive oil in a pan and the dollop the batter in and fry for 4-5 minutes on both sides.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix the ricotta with a generous shlurp of olive oil and as many capers as your heart desires (I used 150g)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Shred the smoked salmon and layer atop the boxty with a dollop of the ricotta and a handful of kale.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Grubs up, kids!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Mmmmmmm fried spudz</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #333333;">Boxty on the griddle,</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #333333;"> Boxty in the pan,</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #333333;">If you can't make boxty,</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #333333;"><i>You'll never get your man.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #333333;"><b>LOL</b></span></span><br />
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After some serious and stealthy planning on Ale's part, the three of us returned to our natural habitat - drinking coffee in a café together, almost... Clever Ale managed to buy both myself and Philly Willy (apologies for the nick name Philippa) a coffee in the countries he knew we would be in; Philippa's in NYC of course, and mine in beautiful Oslo, where I missed my dearest Ale by the skin of his teeth (roughly two days in non metaphorical terms). Ale is currently enjoying the cultural and foodie delights of Vietnam on his travels, but only after popping to America and Norway to fix his friends up with a caffeine hit - some serious competition now for the next grand gesture of friendship within this threesome...<br />
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Below is each of our personal accounts of the country-spanning-coffee-rendez-vous! <br />
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<em><strong>Ale</strong></em><br />
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Oh Norway, home of beautiful fjords, Vikings, reindeers, the midnight sun and (allegedly) trolls. Norway, Norway, Norway, you beautiful, overly expensive Scandinavian country.<br />
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I recently spent 20h in its capital, Oslo, and I somehow made sure to miss every single one of the things mentioned above. The reason why my trip there was so short? I flew there from Dublin to catch a flight to Thailand. Super random, right? Well, it turns out that besides selling falafels for NOK100 (around €12), Norway is also home of Norwegian Airlines and its super cheap flights to the rest of the world.<br />
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I booked my flight to Oslo without knowing that, coincidentally, Emma was also going there on a skiing trip. Unfortunately she would only arrive a day after I had already left. It didn't seem fair that we would be on the same city and miss each other by a matter of only a couple of days. To compensate, I decided to prepare a little surprise.<br />
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I spent most of my time there snapping pictures of every building that I could (gotta please my Instagram followers) and searching for places to have a decent bite and a cup of coffee that wouldn't break the bank. After walking for one and a half minutes (I'm the worst person when I'm hungry, I completely loose my ability to make good decisions and literally will stop in the first place that serves food without coriander in it), I managed to find a cute little place to put in practice the second part of my plan before I headed to the Far East. You can read all about it in the girl's tales about how great of a friend I am!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ale's current position in Kuang Si Waterfall - I'll take a coffee instead thanks..<br />
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<strong><em>Emma</em></strong><br />
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Shlurp, shlurp, shluuurp. That was the sound of me drinking my delicious (and free!) coffee in one of the darn right coolest cafes in Oslo (have bought beans and a book from the coffee owner to testify to this fact.) All thanks to the wonderful, bearded and Brazilian beauty that is our Ale. </div>
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Now, not only is consuming free beverages a delightful pastime, but consuming a free beverage in Oslo is a little bit more special. Why, you may ask. Well, let me tell you a little Norwegian secret. Norway is BLOODY EXPENSIVE. A free coffee saved me approximately half of my college fees. Well, sliiight exaggeration, but the point needs to be taken seriously. Norway is not a place for the euro-saver youths of today. Sure, whilst trying to steal free wifi in Mcds over there, the cheapest thing on the menu was 35NOK, that's a <em>mere</em> €4 for half an hour of wifi. Sign me up! Not. </div>
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Besides the expense of the trip, which I realise I have harped on about for half of this post (feelings are feelings, and if I feel strongly about something you must read about it.) Norway is b-e-a-u-tiful! I spent about 4 days there travelling from the west coast of Bergen (original capital of the country, there ya go now) to Oslo (current capital, but sure you knew that..). I biked, boated, trained and hiked from coast to coast all in the pouring rain so common to the Scandinavian Isles, only to fall madly in love with the country and with its people. They speak better English than me! Intelligent folk up there. Seriously though, if anyone ever wants to go to Norway, pleeease let me know as I will sell everything I own just to afford the weekend over there. I love it! </div>
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Also, a quick end note and correction to Ale's post - I was not in fact skiing in Norway, that was for my next trip to the Czech Republic which my boyfriend planned as a 'surprise' for my birthday. Some fun facts about the Czech Republic before I leave you:</div>
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1) The Czech Republic is about a gazillion times cheaper than Norway, we lived like kings</div>
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2) The people of the Czech Republic do not have as high a proficiency of English speaking as the Norwegians</div>
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3) Taken both former points into consideration, I spent my 22nd birthday, in the middle of nowhere on a snowy mountain in the Czech Republic (the more 'middle-of-nowhere' you go, the cheaper it gets) attempting to learn to snowboard, with an instructor that didn't speak English surrounded by about 1000 inhabitants of the town, who also spoke no word of English. One word, hilarious.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ale's present #1</td></tr>
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<strong><em>Philippa</em></strong><br />
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Not only did Ale prepare a surprise for Emma but the thoughtful and chivalrous stede did the same for his NY counterpart (me).<br />
On the day of his departure from New York, with tears in his eyes (and yeah, tears in mine too, I guess) he handed me an envelope with a short message scribed on the front : don't open until the 27th of February. It took all my willpower not to tear it open on the spot. The date came around and alas, inside I found another cryptic message : go to your favourite coffee shop where you will find a coffee waiting for you which is on me. You're right,this one is pretty self explanatory. One thing troubled my mind however : how did he pull off this elaborate ruse when I was with him every waking second of his trip here? Or so I thought. Some of you may be aware, and some not so much, of the fact that I need to pee approximately 90% of the time. So Ale aka Mr. Stealth waited until the inevitable opportunity arose and set up this glorious surprise so that all three of us could share a cup of coffee in three completely different places on earth, yet again proving two theorems:<br />
1) He is the world's greatest (sorry, R Kelly)<br />
2) We are always only ever...A Mouthful Apart. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ale's present #2</td></tr>
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<strong><em></em></strong>amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-44863092141993369152015-02-10T14:53:00.000-08:002015-02-10T15:13:56.292-08:00The Biggest Apple<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">not so funny pizza</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">funny pizza </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This post is brought to you with tiredness in our bones, pizza in our tums and the dregs of a hangover seeping from our pores.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What should you take from that sentence? Pizza. Always take pizza.<br />Please excuse the momentary lapse in our blogging over the past week. ALE CAME TO NEW YORK so we've been caught up in each others company and the spontaneity of this city. Ah bless. Let us give you a brief rundown on what's been happnan, what we've discovered,who we've met, and obviously what we've been eating!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What we've discovered:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1) People can be rude:<br />We went to a coffee shop in bushwick and asked, what turned out to be an absolute feckin' bitch, if we could use the seat she had her tacky bag on and she point blank refused to hand it over saying that her bag was actually really cosy on it. Shocked, appalled and without somewhere to put our bum bums so we were.<br />2) Sometimes it is ok to laugh at people:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Like people who don't give you chairs in busy coffee shops. You're not cool. You're rude. We've got it out of our system now and we're back to our friendly, loving, non-grudge-holding-stand-up-<wbr></wbr>citizen selves. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3) When going to a museum don't show up 15 minutes before it's closing time. You cannot whizz around the MET in 15 minutes. Tried and tested by yours truly.<br />4) Ice is slippy. Ale's arse has the bruises to prove it.<br />5) Canadian Bacon is hilarious. Especially at 4am in the morning.<br />6) Many/most of you probably know what the term 'All day' means when used in a restaurant. We didn't. So when the barista in a coffee shop said 4 coffees all day we naturally thought it meant we had free refills all day. Such silly billys.<br />If you don't know what it means you should Google it. We're still unsure how to explain it lucidly even though it is a very simple concept and one that we should have grasped after the third time it was explained to us.<br />7) Carrie Bradshaw's, Will and Grace's and Monica Geller's apartments are all very underwhelming in the dark.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8) How much does a pood weigh? Asked at Trivia night. No surprise that we didn't know the answer and that we didn't win.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">9) Always double check the name of your subway stop before getting on to avoid finding yourself in the middle of Harlem instead of the Guggenheim Museum.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">10) The Lorimer stop on the subway sounds suspiciously similar to Laura Moore (Philippa's sister)...which we obviously brought up everytime we passed it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">11) It's NOT okay to scream loudly at your friend at the bar for refusing a 6th shot of vodka, as one New Yorker will remind you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">12) Being served pancakes with whipped cream AND a side of bacon in a 50's looking diner by a real sassy waitress after a night out is everything Ale imagined it would be and more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">13) Always tip. Even if there's no chicken in your Chicken Taco.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">14) Eggs on pizza. Always and forever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Who we've met (more like who we haven't met):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1) HONY. Anyday now, he's BOUND to track us down, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2) Karen Walker (I've only just learned she's not a real human being)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What we've been eating:<br />1) An extravagant lobster roll at The Chelsea Market.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2) A pastrami, cheddar and apricot jam sandwich at The Chelsea Market.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3) Falafel Sandwiches with extra hummus- so cheap and oh so cheerful!<br />4) Guanciale and Egg Pizza at <a href="http://www.robertaspizza.com/">Roberta's</a>.<br />5) Tallegio and Mashed Potato Pizza at <a href="http://www.robertaspizza.com/">Roberta's</a>.<br />6) Lil Stinker Pizza with added capers and egg at <a href="http://www.robertaspizza.com/">Roberta's</a><br />7) Burritos, burritos, and more burritos.<br />7) Egg's Neptune with hash browns at <a href="http://kelloggsdinerwilliamsburg.com/">Kellogg's diner</a>.<br />8) Egg's Benedict with sweet potato fries at Kellogg's diner.<br />9) Portobello Mushroom burger with goat cheese and sweet potato fries at...Kellogg's diner.<br />10) Stacks and more stacks of the most delicious pancakes smothered in Maple Syrup at...(you can probably guess it at this point) Kellogg's diner.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">YES, we went to Kellogg's diner 4 times in 36 hours. And YES, we would do it all again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What we've been drinking:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1) Delicious coffee at <a href="http://www.littleskips.com/">Little Skips</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2) Amazing coffee at <a href="https://bluebottlecoffee.com/">Blue Bottle</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3) Buckets of coffee at Kellogg's diner</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4) Beer, beer, beer at various locations (Ale's favourite was one that tasted like palm hearts after a shot of whiskey - if you've never had palm hearts or don't even know what they are: please go <a href="https://www.google.ie/search?q=heart+of+palms&es_sm=91&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=XUjaVOHcI8PoUuyggwg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=633">find out</a>, life will be better)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">always ask your server for a blurry picture</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">friendship is always more beautiful in New York</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">that's apparently what you do here</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLK26SR5p18GmZp_8ck82vcCAs8P9-I0EBiwQz2CeWRhbt7Rwrj5zYzZXusv35B9Kt2EfiJJg5NJxEgAm1W6Oi6ltaMfdqjyy2HoAXuUx05uVxYJer2sxvOb7DBCjkb9S7AIzHROQpStA/s1600/image1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXLK26SR5p18GmZp_8ck82vcCAs8P9-I0EBiwQz2CeWRhbt7Rwrj5zYzZXusv35B9Kt2EfiJJg5NJxEgAm1W6Oi6ltaMfdqjyy2HoAXuUx05uVxYJer2sxvOb7DBCjkb9S7AIzHROQpStA/s1600/image1.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Harlem, New York</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYFhIuhXRJ7N6vgq0WMmHX-U9-T3t2LkEBvDl7P7K0BTWz3ltIc1QyaCWvLavD7-4x9cvdOTQjcEAvzEnGBAhwgr9ASVHnT6ZvH3mkrDg9VxQZf46xfu_ViFAwHY9gc9VM3Q3U7WjK8Bw/s1600/image2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYFhIuhXRJ7N6vgq0WMmHX-U9-T3t2LkEBvDl7P7K0BTWz3ltIc1QyaCWvLavD7-4x9cvdOTQjcEAvzEnGBAhwgr9ASVHnT6ZvH3mkrDg9VxQZf46xfu_ViFAwHY9gc9VM3Q3U7WjK8Bw/s1600/image2.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">burger on face > burger in mouth</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBSR3yflDR_AZcRSJssDGSsZbXI4NmSgmG09NADJTpAAABkot-EvmFuLHqxZ4FKihj7qnVYilu6TDWVACe9wjb8up3hQbuN2q0Lqb0kAQHs9Cy1xJOxDVqwuqANC2MINwwbDMvIln_505/s1600/image3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBSR3yflDR_AZcRSJssDGSsZbXI4NmSgmG09NADJTpAAABkot-EvmFuLHqxZ4FKihj7qnVYilu6TDWVACe9wjb8up3hQbuN2q0Lqb0kAQHs9Cy1xJOxDVqwuqANC2MINwwbDMvIln_505/s1600/image3.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"this is not what I ordered"</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrig1g-f0zq6n6USHaRmWnTll6UHpXACacAVePXvA0NNw14d7huHvR82vKNz3eJ-GTlyxrovKYCebJMxQkrtyCV6efznzoZM2gAbPmdmsyDw8B57KVm1rj1wrrYIW-OYTzR8GlEcsrijVC/s1600/image4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrig1g-f0zq6n6USHaRmWnTll6UHpXACacAVePXvA0NNw14d7huHvR82vKNz3eJ-GTlyxrovKYCebJMxQkrtyCV6efznzoZM2gAbPmdmsyDw8B57KVm1rj1wrrYIW-OYTzR8GlEcsrijVC/s1600/image4.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">immediatly after this picture Ale fell on the ice</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJWCD1js64xmYi_84WQQFbTDqpTFfSdhOZz8QQAttUOyMtPEvhofR-iHX1shhUxU3GvznYCXOvdhHiwBg0L9LViH_IkYE0LZTQwQX6e5cWPML7BH97KylZgYxuYz-vUQbsp1-9ELBbt2i/s1600/image3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJWCD1js64xmYi_84WQQFbTDqpTFfSdhOZz8QQAttUOyMtPEvhofR-iHX1shhUxU3GvznYCXOvdhHiwBg0L9LViH_IkYE0LZTQwQX6e5cWPML7BH97KylZgYxuYz-vUQbsp1-9ELBbt2i/s1600/image3.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. building</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grace Adler Design's</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">our best shot</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBguObpiUcfqJS-TDIy81IT3uSRwlFZNk4vA5-vCa2pOFlqPmQT-mw9EGewLBCRGa3fcdwfzTBcuJU-dM9nCZgbcWlTCfb5Or6JKWdokW56b_Jz6IuzEezu4K0gI4QSugfI3ze1eUnVol_/s1600/image6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBguObpiUcfqJS-TDIy81IT3uSRwlFZNk4vA5-vCa2pOFlqPmQT-mw9EGewLBCRGa3fcdwfzTBcuJU-dM9nCZgbcWlTCfb5Or6JKWdokW56b_Jz6IuzEezu4K0gI4QSugfI3ze1eUnVol_/s1600/image6.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">not in the picture: side of bacon and toast</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After a week of walking this WONDERFUL city we are EXHAUSTED and satiated and full of plans for the future. Central Park, The Guggenheim, The Met</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, MoMa, Grand Central Station, New York City Public Library,</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Washington Square Park, The High Line and especially Kellogg's Diner- YOU'VE ALL BEEN FABULOUS. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />The next chapter in our journey: OLSO AND SOUTHEAST ASIA.<br />Belt on, table up, windows open aaaaaand we have lift off!<br />Pip, Ale and Emma </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(Collectively known as Palema)</span></div>
amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7127837 -74.00594130000001840.3275822 -74.651388300000022 41.097985200000004 -73.360494300000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-3212680678604901722015-01-28T11:16:00.000-08:002015-01-28T11:16:02.809-08:00Goodbye processed yumminess, It was a good ride...<span style="color: black;">So it's the end of January and I have been the most stereotypical version of any female in the New Year - I went on a <em>health kick. </em>All I am now is a January cliché.... AND I LOVE IT. Unlike my fun-loving counterpart Philippa, who is living up the New Year partay shtyle with her January Juice containing Champagne, I have chosen to be clean and boring (but it doesn't have to be is what I'm slowly discovering). My new roommate from Budapest (woohoo, free apartment when I visit) is a real slave to the clean eating trade. She has introduced me to so much. I thought that because I was going clean in the New Year that it would only be for a short period of time to shed those xmas fatty blues and put my love of cooking and food aside with it. This is just not, not and NOT the case. There are so many amazing clean eating blogs out there to get inspired from! So many new ideas to work with<em>. </em>And soooo many new ingredients to shovel into your face. My new favourite, almond butter!!!! (4 exclamation marks because this thing is OHMYDEARHOLYMOLYFANTASTIC!)</span> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">who needs friends </td></tr>
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<span style="color: black;">So I know I sound all preachy and holier than thou with my new clean eating lifestyle, but let me tell you, I have struggled. Oh have I. This guy I know (i.e. my boyfriend) came to visit me in the land of the Riviera recently and I was all "I only eat this now" and "Do you even know what you're putting into your body right now" etc. etc. During my self affirming rants about the goodness of coconut oil in your food AND on your face I decided to take him to have the best croissant in Nice. Now, as I write that sentence I understand IT MAKES NO SENSE. Why did I choose to do that? Nevertheless, I did. And so I began to fully understand what it would feel like to be in Hell. The interaction after be bought the croissant went a little like this:</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Boyfriend: </strong>Jesus, this is feckin' delicious </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Crying on the inside Emma: </strong>Haha, oh yeah, looks class, yeah, I might have a handful of berries</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Boyfriend: </strong>It's like crunchy on the outside and soooo buttery on the inside</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Dying on the inside Emma: </strong>BUTTER? Can I smell it...?</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">It went on like this for a little while, it was painful. But I prevailed (okay...I had the end of the croissant...literally smaller than my thumb so it was fiiine...) Anyway, moving on from my shortcomings when it comes to buttery pastries.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">This month is <em>Juicin' and Jammin' It in January </em>and I am making a yummmmy smoothie pudding clean dessert type of thing. It was originally meant to be a green smoothie, but as only two supermarkets in Nice have fresh spinach and I had no spare change to get the tram to either of these, I improvised...well not so much as improvising, rather I just left the spinach out. Sure look. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">As I said, it was meant to be a green smoothie...which changed to a normal clean smoothie...and then when the final product came out I decided this would be a lovely pudding like dessert also. So, digest it as you wish, as a smoothie or a pudding... doesn't matter it's still deliiish and everything in it is clean clean clean. </span><br />
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<em><u><strong><span style="color: black;">Smoothie/Pudding Ingredients</span></strong></u></em></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Now, what we have here is a handful or two of frozen berries, a tablespoon of almond butter, chia seeds, bee pollen (new to this one...but heard it just really good for you, right so!), 3 medjool dates, 1 pot of non fat plain yogurt and a realllly ripe brown banana (freeze the banana beforehand for extra creaminess...probs better for the pudding option.)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">how brown is your banana?</td></tr>
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<strong><em><u><span style="color: black;">Smoothie/Pudding Steps</span></u></em></strong></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Step 1: </strong>Throw everything in a blender, and blend</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><strong>Step 2: </strong>There are no more steps</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">I lied... <strong>Step 3: </strong>Pour in fancy glasses and sprinkle with chia seeds and pollen (careful on the pollen though, it does weird things to your tummy if you're not used to it I'm told, I guess I'll keep ya'll posted on this....)</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">***CAUTION*** If you do not invest in a good blender, it will crack under the pressure (literally) and look like it pooed out your delicious smoothie.</span> <br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Good luck to all of you on your clean eating ventures, should you choose to join us folk. If not, good luck to you and please eat extra butter for me. I'm off to eat a stick of celery now.</span> <br />
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amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-28363151523101228042015-01-17T22:25:00.001-08:002015-01-17T22:34:39.410-08:00Delusional Dusk<p dir="ltr">Hi gang!</p>
<p dir="ltr">With 2015 in full swing we reignite our blogging torch with a fresh theme and culinary challenge for this month. We call it <i>Juicin' and Jammin' in January</i>. Our challenge is going to be to find the most bizarrre/strangest shaped fruit or vegetable and make juice or a preserve from it AND pick a song (or jam, if you will) that best describes said juice/preserve. Philippa is kickstarting this month with her post and her sincerest apologies for the amount of time it has taken her to gather her thoughts and actually string a few simple sentences together. Feast your eyes on her post below. <br></p>
<p dir="ltr">Ah January, we meet again, old buddy old pal. January, January, January. Christmas day seems like many moons ago at this stage, a distant cry, a hazy memory. It was a low key day here in New York. A light breakfast of poached eggs and salmon and buckets of coffee (top tip: give me coffee in the morning or I will die). We watched movies and cooked food (accidentally left it so late to order a turkey that we ended up with a 14lb bird...which I should point out we quickly finished cause we're animals), nattered (house full of 4 girls), skyped home to see just how much they were missing us (surprised they got through the day if I'm being honest...not really though. They were probably thankful the resident klutz wasn't there- I once broke a guitar that Santa left for my sister Paige a mere 2 hours after she had opened it. Soz.) Before hitting the hay we went down to our 'stoop' and asked an innocent passerby to take a picture of us so we could remember our first Christmas away from home. Say cheese. <br>
Speaking of cheese, I am learning a shit ton in my job. It's great. The cheese is great. The people I work with are great. <i>You're</i> great for having read this far. Please do continue. Where was I? <br>
Ah yes, January. January, January, January. Typically a time marked with hopeful promises of change, a chance for new beginnings, an opportunity to drastically reform one's life with resolutions such as hittin' the gymnasium on a regular basis, avoiding those devilish carbohydrates or givin' up the auld gargle. Well, I say NAY TO THAT. So instead of a healthy cleansing, vile-tasting vessel of mush, I present you instead with an alcohol fuelled cocktail that will fog all of your judgement and cleanse you in other ways. I picked ingredients inspired by different aspects of my life ( I didn't intend for that sentence to sound as obnoxious as it did ..lol?) Here they are along with the tantalizing tale behind each one:</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Champagne-</b> Flash back a few weeks to the eve of the New Year (also known as New Year's Eve). We had made grand plans to go out for dinner, have a few cocktails and polish off a bottle of bubbly. Glam, I know. But with work being so hectic and having spent the last few weeks burning the candle at both ends (wahey!), it seemed like a golden opportunity for a quiet night in (WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH PHILIPPA? I hear you ask). So, snuggled up in my jimjams (that's the jammin part of this post), armed with an ice cold beer and a delectable cheese board (see photo), I rang in the New Year in the borough of Brooklyn, far from the bright lights and commotion of the city. Shortly after midnight, I lay my head to rest on my fluffly pillow to awake early(ish) the next morning fully refreshed and ready for the year ahead. It took a solid two days for us to realise that the cork on the bottle of champers had not been popped. So, it rears it's fizzy head in this recipe.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Rhubarb bitters:</b> I cannot describe just how cold it is here in any sort of magical way.<i> 'Tis unmercifully bitter, as the fella says. </i>I walked the highline a few days ago (cause yanno, it's always a good idea to go to higher altitudes when its cold) and I thought my face would fall off BUT New York did look mighty fine from up there (again photographic evidence provided below). I have started to wear socks above my ankles (an unprecedented yet necessary move). I have taken to wearing two coats and have contemplated buying a balaclava to protect my face from the <b>bitter</b> wind. I should add- I'm probably exaggerating. Apparently last year was worse but coming from a fairly mild climate, this weather makes me feel like Jack Dawson (when the ship went down...and he was floating in the icy water...and his lips were blue...) SO the rhubarb part of this beverage is an homage to watching Titanic whilst eating a warm rhubarb crumble with a mountain of whipped cream and a cup of tea in front of a roaring fire with my dogs (ma bishes if you will). You thought the tangled web of words I created wouldn’t make any sense, didn't you? Fear not, ramblings my game. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Raspberry Juice:</b> I played a game with a gentleman in a bar recently (STRANGER DANGER) where we had to ask each other what your favourite such-and-such was and you had to answer straight away or you lost (yes, this is my idea of flirting). Anyway, he asked me what my favourite fruit was and I immediately screamed raspberry. I panicked. It's not my favourite fruit. Rhubarb is. Nevertheless, add raspberry.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Mint & Rosemary:</b> Americans pronounce most things differently to us Celts. Like calling coriander cilantro and rocket arugula and pronouncing basil like baaayzil and droping the h when saying herbs BUT at least we can all agree on rosemary and mint.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Salt:</b> for the rim of the glass- yes, a rim job. </p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Gin:</b> The End. <br>
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<b>Method:</b> make it a double, barkeep! </p>
<p dir="ltr">And so the cocktail 'Delusional Dusk' is born/presented/poured/chugged/gracefully sipped.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Tune in next week for more shenanigans and remember kids, hashtag never ever drink and text. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Pip <u>x</u></p>
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margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_WIOSOGBeEs/VLtTdE99YrI/AAAAAAAAAQo/s640/IMG_20141225_182758.jpg"> </a> </div>amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-81484875591955315252014-12-28T15:12:00.000-08:002015-02-10T15:14:33.307-08:00Challenge #02 - This Little Piggy Went to the Market...and got lost<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yo yo yo!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is, in fact, yo' girl Philippa. I'm posting this...post... on Ale's behalf because he is ALLEGEDLY on a 12 hour bus journey to Uruguay where he will have zero internet access for the next six days. So we're all up to speed and here's the dish:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My (this is Ale now) last 4 weeks have been so chaotic, I barely had time to eat. That was a lie, I ate loads, probably more than usual, but it's been chaotic nonetheless between each meal (I usually have 6 or 7 a day). I was doing my last days in both of my jobs, our landlord had strongly suggested that we vacated the apartment as soon as possible due to the massive leaking in the roof (we've been living with inside rain for a few weeks now- fun) and I had to do shit loads of Christmas shopping, because the first thing my sisters asked when I got home were less along the lines of "how was your flight?" and more like "where's my present?".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I did have time, though, to visit the Christmas Market in Dublin and I was fortunate enough to have been to the one in Paris, a few weeks prior. So, logically this post was supposed to be all about that and I was planning to do a comparison between a dish in both markets and it was going to be great. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I must declare, however, that I'm not a big fan of Christmas Market food. There, I said it. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I don't see the appeal of mulled wine, or even the point of it. I wouldn't choose anything that's sold in any of the stalls as part of my last meal.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Hence, there was nothing much to choose from and I ended up having waffles in both places. Don't get me wrong, waffles are delicious and ALWAYS the right choice, but there was not much I could say about my love for Nutella and sugary stuff (spoiler alert: I will be talking loads about my love for nutella and sugary stuff in the future). Instead, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I would much prefer to use my space here to tell you all about the past 4 weeks and my plans, both food and travel related for next year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A few months ago I decided I was going to spend Christmas at home. In addition to that, one of my best friends from home was turning 30 around the same time and my sister will be graduating the end of january. In order to do all of that, I was going to need to spend a lot of time in Brazil and not the kind of time you can get off from your job, specially if you have two. Apart from that, my boyfriend James and I were talking about moving to Spain in the new year. After a bit of deliberation (or the amount of time it takes from one's brain to decide between yes or yes), I decided I was going to leave both my jobs and spend a lot of time home and then move to Spain with James. Not entirely satisfied we decided to add a little stoppover in New York City AND a backpacking trip around Southeast Asia to top it all off. More on that later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jump to 10 days ago when I was boarding my plane in Dublin heading towards Rio de Janeiro, with a 8h hour layover in New York City. Philippa and I had already decided that she was going to pick me up (physically and emotionally) at the airport and we were going to spend a few hours together (most likely eating) before I headed to Brazil. To my surprise, though, Philippa was not there when I landed and my phone was flooded with messages from her saying she was in work and that she thought I was only arriving the next day (because I had told her I was.) Tragedy. I remebered that she had once posted in our <a href="http://instagram.com/amouthfulapart">instagram</a> a picture of her work place, so I decided to come to her. I found it, but two results came up, one in Brooklyn, one in Manhattan. Easy, Philippa lives in Brooklyn so it must be the one there. I ran to the subway to catch the next train and 1h later I was in the shop. For the second time in that day, Philippa was not there. F%$K! I got another message from Philippa saying that she worked in the Mnahattan shop, which was 3 stops away from where I was. At that point it was already 6 and my flight was leaving at 8. I couldn't just give up and go back to the airport frustated. So, I ran back to the subway and three stops later I found myself wifiless, lost in the middle of Manhattan's Christmas Market in Union Square. It took me 5 minutes and the help of two cops and the wifi in Starbucks </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(see, you can always count on food and food related things)</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> to locate Philippa's shop. And this time, there she was in all her wondrous glory. We hugged for 2 minutes, laughed at how ridiculous it all was, bought some olives from her in a sheer panic and jumped on the next train back to the airport. We didn't spend all the hours we had planned to spend together, but we made those 3 minutes count. And lo ans behold, I managed to arrive at the airport in time. A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">With our next addition to the blog being published in the New Year we would like to take a brief moment to thank all of you beautiful folk for the time you've taken to read this. Although it is in it's early days, this blog excites us, inspires us and encourages us. It is our baby. And we intend to raise it in 2015 with integrity, a light heart and a compass pointing due north to our next meal. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From the bottom of our hearts...and stomachs (or something that sounds more poetic)... we hope you have a fulfilling, delightful, successful and truly WILD 2015. Although we won't be together promise us this: when the clock chimes midnight on the 31st, raise a glass of your chosen beverage, be it bubbly or buckfast, take a gulp and remember that we are all only ever...A Mouthful Apart.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Your pals,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Philippa, Emma and Ale. </span></div>
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amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com1Brazil-14.235004 -51.925279999999987-67.751949 -134.5424675 39.281941 30.691907500000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-20768355371553787422014-12-20T09:21:00.002-08:002014-12-20T09:21:44.921-08:00A French Christmas <span style="color: black;">I am back on the beautiful shores of Dublin for this post. This was not the plan. I repeat; NOT the plan. The following paragraph is a low down of how Emma had hoped things would pan out for this week.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">After a moonlit walk on the rocky shores of Nice with my oh so chic (...and then there's me) friends, followed by tea and hella lota meringue in a cute little bistro a few weeks ago, something wonderful happened. My friend Marie (pronounced that seductive French way) said she would share her grandmothers treasured Christmas recipe of Coquilles Saint-Jacques with me, and, annnnd, help me to cook it also. This was the perfect night for me; good friends, good food and exciting prospects of real French cooking in the looming future. We set the date, 17/12/2014, the day before my departure. Of course this was cutting it close should anything have gone wrong, which, of course, it did. But I didn't give it a second thought! What could go wrong!? - wondered naïve Emma of Christmas past. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Well, this is what went wrong:</span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Cizr-NTlz2RbBd9lcFkEsm23ATrJU31HCTpk0swY3-zmc_LpnGLnMS8YlLrSMea0VZIWhGZ-4iPjfcZkIWIAaNEA6sCKs1UoQY3ocH6Kv3CAUalxJ24rEf0yUj0x5IU4ENIG72AdCvhP/s1600/ski.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Cizr-NTlz2RbBd9lcFkEsm23ATrJU31HCTpk0swY3-zmc_LpnGLnMS8YlLrSMea0VZIWhGZ-4iPjfcZkIWIAaNEA6sCKs1UoQY3ocH6Kv3CAUalxJ24rEf0yUj0x5IU4ENIG72AdCvhP/s1600/ski.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma + Snowboard = WRONG<br />
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<span style="color: black;">Yes, I went snowboarding! It was amazing....well, it became amazing after numerous tantrums, a few regretful tears and many, many (cannot stress this enough), <em>many</em> falls. Why did this affect my cooking plans? You see the way I'm not standing in the picture above? Yeah, that is a very accurate portrayal of how my day went. I was parallel to the ground for nearly the entire thing. When I did stand though, it was the best feeling ever!! Even if only for 3-7 seconds at a time, give or take. As this was my first slope venture, I didn't bring any extra clothes to change in to. So I spent the 2 and a half hour bus journey back in freezing and soaking wet jeans and jacket. The wetness seeped into my bones slowly, I actually felt this on the bus journey, it was most displeasing, and left me voiceless, achy and unable to move for the better part of 3 days. Cooking plans ruined. Bed and hot tea for Emma instead.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">I did manage to get the recipe though, and got to cook the whole thing with my little sister in a fully stocked and decorated kitchen in Dublin. Things aint so bad like.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">So what do French people cook for Christmas dins? Well this is what one northern French granny makes for starters: Coquilles Saint-Jacques avec Champignons (and wine and whiskey and cheese and butter and butter and butter). Eh, yum.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Coquilles Saint-Jacques or scallops as we call them are a very typical French Christmas staple. I was nervous about cooking the scallops as I know how easy it is to make them rubbery, but after watching many youtube tutorials on the subject and downloading an online timer for the occasion, everything I am pleased to say, turned out deliiiightfully. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">So here's the lowdown on the awl coquille wockies. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><strong><u>Les Ingraydayants</u></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">30g flour</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">a hayp of salt</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">pinch of curry powder</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">teeny pinch of cayenne</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">40g butter</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">2 tbs of melted butter</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">20g truffle butter</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">200g of crimini/shiitake mushrooms (sliced)</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">25g of dried wild mushrooms (soak these in warm water NOW for 25 mins)</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">1 chopped onion</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">160ml of dry white wine (pino grigio is gouda - food pun)</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">2 tbs of good whiskey</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">35g of grated comté cheese</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">quarter of lemon ready to squeeze</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">ALMOST FORGOT - SCALLOPS! v important here, about 1 - 1 1/2 pounds</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: black;">C'est tout!</span></em></div>
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<strong><u>What to do</u></strong><br />
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<span style="color: black;">1) Mix all zee dry ingredients together (flour, salt, curry and cayenne) in a bowl </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">2) Throw in the scallops and coat them in the dry stuff</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">3) Heat your pan (not too hot, but hot enough...) add the butter and truffle butter. When melted, add the scallops. IMPORTANT - 1 minute 30 seconds for each side of scallop then off the heat, rubberiness is not our friend</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">you can't sit with us rubber!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black;">4) In the same pan add the onion and fresh mushrooms (add more butter if you dare, and you do.)</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">5) Drain the dried mushrooms and keep the yummy water, chop shrooms and add to pan (add little bit of the water too, just cos)</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">6) After about 5/6 minutes of frying, add the white wine and reduce the sauce till it looks like this:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">errbody wanna look like me</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black;">7) Take off the heat, add the good stuff (i.e whiskey) and the stars of the show (i.e scallops)</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">8) Scoop the mixture into 6 ramekins (if you have the scallop shells, scoop them into these instead, if you're into pretty thangs)</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">9) Mix together the bread crumbs, melted goodness and cheese and sprinkle on top of pots, they should look a lil something like this</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnew5rqukVrZMfISLIc3kLgxpddWEw3PoXeT-6OyK2vUOTHMEFoiznTWTHd594v9bsMC6hdGivM_54H_q6-a5g6I-sThcG0VGV26yNCx-9XTCG9QAepQuXG46xsdEhvMXPEl-6DblYL6H/s1600/image+(26).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnew5rqukVrZMfISLIc3kLgxpddWEw3PoXeT-6OyK2vUOTHMEFoiznTWTHd594v9bsMC6hdGivM_54H_q6-a5g6I-sThcG0VGV26yNCx-9XTCG9QAepQuXG46xsdEhvMXPEl-6DblYL6H/s1600/image+(26).jpeg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">perfection! (self proclaimed..)<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black;">10) Put your oven on the highest broiler setting and stick them in until they're all bubbly and the cheese gets nice and brown (brown cheese.... surprisingly delicious)</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweTaFeG8DtPziItW0EpszCKjFS5YOkO49za6SSOddW1tfM132bFfxiEMw1ZEmgbNZI2hE_zzkjDewzP1DuZrmScpZ76ZThSIZTdMDXm9BtOxoi7nR0VZPs9nVxTzuEsk0zLVFMne12Mp2/s1600/image+(27).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweTaFeG8DtPziItW0EpszCKjFS5YOkO49za6SSOddW1tfM132bFfxiEMw1ZEmgbNZI2hE_zzkjDewzP1DuZrmScpZ76ZThSIZTdMDXm9BtOxoi7nR0VZPs9nVxTzuEsk0zLVFMne12Mp2/s1600/image+(27).jpeg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">in the oven, like a boss</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black;">11) Remove from oven. DISCLAIMER, wear protective hand-wear such as gloves cos they're hot little feckers, drizzle with lemon and bob's your uncle!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SACjV252AC7egGZYVP6Eb1jK9dgNeEzK-Qj3lxar5ftYsmzGJEGv1zQuKQt5a-Ul4WM2qwbJyPx4OKBQ50ORqda-dqLNIDZM-IKD7CEDSjBozTCegUtJ8kYpb3I0SO3q9sn1ejMdOm1N/s1600/image+(28).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SACjV252AC7egGZYVP6Eb1jK9dgNeEzK-Qj3lxar5ftYsmzGJEGv1zQuKQt5a-Ul4WM2qwbJyPx4OKBQ50ORqda-dqLNIDZM-IKD7CEDSjBozTCegUtJ8kYpb3I0SO3q9sn1ejMdOm1N/s1600/image+(28).jpeg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">eaten, like a boss</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black;">Even though I didn't get to make these in the setting of a real French kitchen with a real French madam, I did not despair. All clouds have a silver lining, as the saying goes and I got to share this beautiful occasion with my little sister (who took all the photos). We sang Christmas songs and laughed a bunch. The spirit of Christmas was alive in our kitchen and our hearts today. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Yes, I did cringe writing the above paragraph. I hope you did too. MERRY XMAS xoxoxo</span><br />
<br />
amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-80104129502037241712014-12-13T21:42:00.001-08:002015-01-10T20:38:17.562-08:00Challenge #02- This Little Piggy Went to Market- Philippa's Quest.<p dir="ltr">Temperatures have plummeted here in the Gotham City, a light dusting of crystal white snow has covered the parks and avenues and revelry is peeking it's mischievous little head around every corner. There is no doubt about it- Christmas is in full swing in New York with fairy lights, tacky (in a good way obviously) decorations, silver firs and mulled wine adorning every inch of the city. What better way to spend a day than galavanting from stall to stall and feasting on festive foods at The Union Square Holiday Market.<br>
I ate my way from start to finish as if I was in a food maze looking for the centre where I would find my reward. I tried a feta and olive pretzel but in a cruel twist (yes, this is a pretzel pun) it wasn't heated the entire way through (and I was kinda still hungry) so I continued my quest and tried my hand (and mouth) at a crabmeat empanada washed down with a (non alcoholic *sigh*) hot cider which was a tasty little number but something inside told me that if I continued on my pilgrimage my path ahead would be paved with roasted garlic. And lo and behold, I found a lovely little Persian stall selling the perfect treat for a cold winters day- SOUP! Chicken, lentil and roasted garlic soup to be precise- a fusion of flavours; a gastronomic gem; a cup of comfort from the land of the Persian empire.<br>
It was piping hot, soothing, thick and gloupy (yes, that's a word), nourishing and incredibly tasty. It warmed both the cockles of my heart and my numb fingers. On top of that, the man who served me (yes, the one who caught me taking a photo of the stall) was incredibly friendly and polite. Proof: he gladly topped up my roasted garlic when I asked him to. What a gentleman. I cannot stress enough how much I love garlic. I love the smell of wild garlic in woodlands. I am obsessed with garlicky cheeses. I get a kick out of cracking cloves apart and crushing them. I go absolutely nuts for roast garlic. I am a fiend for doubling, nay, tripling quantities of garlic in recipes. I am fascinated by its odd appearance. You know when people avoid eating garlic if they're going out somewhere? Yeah, I just don't get that. In fact, I have been known to profess my undying love for strangers if I so much as get a hint of the sweet smell of garlic in the air. True story. Forget mistletoe this Christmas (not that it ever works anyway) I am aaaaall about reelin' them in with garlic. I would insert some sort of pun here about garlic and g spot but that would be highly inappropriate. So yeah to sum up- I think garlic is ok. </p><p dir="ltr">Below is the photographic evidence to support the above statement as well as a snapshot of a resident squirrel at Union Square. I have also included a photo of myself and my friend Holly... on the subway...with a Christmas tree... at 4am cause tis the season to make jolly choices, right? (If you're reading this Mum, NO I was not in any way even slightly drunk. Nor do I associate with anyone who steals champagne...) </p>
<p dir="ltr">I raise my metaphorical cup of soup to you lovely folk at this magical time of year. Warm wishes. Merry Christmas. Eat up!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicz1oDPJV6WgxWKPvC7THJ69HrPFTrSckuvc1C2wpFx30P0_D6dUxDyUdNURCf9x5yvIeELbDKZZw3WAVL72GrOyrouAIS_WnnqxiRjR84_wcsslStvxcbY5w7Gpdxz3aP-kDODXWYdNum/s1600/IMG_20141208_120853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicz1oDPJV6WgxWKPvC7THJ69HrPFTrSckuvc1C2wpFx30P0_D6dUxDyUdNURCf9x5yvIeELbDKZZw3WAVL72GrOyrouAIS_WnnqxiRjR84_wcsslStvxcbY5w7Gpdxz3aP-kDODXWYdNum/s640/IMG_20141208_120853.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfauaxgpIkezFrNexdMC6H2HcgjpSAfDv3scedpfCW_iV6vOswUBKs2eMkXslxdyBUXIYzPNY5CzUZEKQzC3Gz0bnvjhTw4uQI4xR61Fw4Y9n27mCr0ZmUvO16zIJ1yiSjzgtlfnp5so6f/s1600/IMG_20141208_121015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfauaxgpIkezFrNexdMC6H2HcgjpSAfDv3scedpfCW_iV6vOswUBKs2eMkXslxdyBUXIYzPNY5CzUZEKQzC3Gz0bnvjhTw4uQI4xR61Fw4Y9n27mCr0ZmUvO16zIJ1yiSjzgtlfnp5so6f/s640/IMG_20141208_121015.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjwgDp-7KT0JzFjd1zNHWsatOi6tbNV1Nbqzh_iXKAgxxKtT95yHy7Dhx4S7ChAQHUSNvQm6FQjX607z-6CTVSO_lENJpMNiSOvw2zDk4OuWWDTZbok69Xk_cbtli7MZpaf7U2nGT_OVI/s1600/IMG_20141129_234715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjwgDp-7KT0JzFjd1zNHWsatOi6tbNV1Nbqzh_iXKAgxxKtT95yHy7Dhx4S7ChAQHUSNvQm6FQjX607z-6CTVSO_lENJpMNiSOvw2zDk4OuWWDTZbok69Xk_cbtli7MZpaf7U2nGT_OVI/s640/IMG_20141129_234715.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRJakfXn2x4zKy-YWEoboEq0TmDMBx0J4ZFNOoaXQYOtDe5B_wRhiqSYg93IDR2EPeJjEL4WSWqSH1Foe64Jqn0tw11lnJPywD5ImWLEZ34XLZBQMUTWzhZYYd1K0qY0CMDSKNYLTDYcC/s1600/IMG_20141210_185710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRJakfXn2x4zKy-YWEoboEq0TmDMBx0J4ZFNOoaXQYOtDe5B_wRhiqSYg93IDR2EPeJjEL4WSWqSH1Foe64Jqn0tw11lnJPywD5ImWLEZ34XLZBQMUTWzhZYYd1K0qY0CMDSKNYLTDYcC/s640/IMG_20141210_185710.jpg"> </a> </div>amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-72356637161929827792014-12-12T08:19:00.000-08:002014-12-12T08:19:29.135-08:00Challenge #02 - This Little Piggy Went to the Market - Emma's Adventure<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOF6oXUF8AZWFhutFBUK4rJwb3xTI53Y_svk32jDWhUHXjB2evHvlBaa6qy3gjebJr_tr1BUnepwV_KPk4xWM1U1WdbXstrLtXOVFMFmw_8i2lwoCA3TRUtRepecIRaPnGeKbdhtxUOfKu/s1600/IMG-20141211-WA0013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOF6oXUF8AZWFhutFBUK4rJwb3xTI53Y_svk32jDWhUHXjB2evHvlBaa6qy3gjebJr_tr1BUnepwV_KPk4xWM1U1WdbXstrLtXOVFMFmw_8i2lwoCA3TRUtRepecIRaPnGeKbdhtxUOfKu/s1600/IMG-20141211-WA0013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOF6oXUF8AZWFhutFBUK4rJwb3xTI53Y_svk32jDWhUHXjB2evHvlBaa6qy3gjebJr_tr1BUnepwV_KPk4xWM1U1WdbXstrLtXOVFMFmw_8i2lwoCA3TRUtRepecIRaPnGeKbdhtxUOfKu/s1600/IMG-20141211-WA0013.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hey ho, hey ho, it's off the Marché de Noël à Nice we go! This week saw our second challenge of the blog so</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">far, and it was (as stated in the title) called "This Little Piggy Went to the Market". Each of us had to find the most delectable edible treat in our respective Christmas markets. We will be doing this challenge a little differently, instead of the usual (has only been done once, but still) collective challenge post, we will each be posting separately over the next three days. Mainly due to the fact that we all took too many photos and want to show them all, cos they're great like.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Upon my march to the marché...(I'll give you a while to let the pun settle with you), I was overwhelmed with excitement about what I would soon be digesting into my lovely belly. As I neared the market, I went into excitement overload as the sight of the ferris wheel got brighter and brighter. I was bowled over with thoughts and expectations of what scrumdiddlyumtious edibles would await me. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately, I forgot that this was a Christmas market, not a gourmet food show. I was greeted with the familiar market scent of candy floss, churros and candied apples. Was I disappointed? Heck no! I love that shiz.</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQfEbv_XFotHi-zF0eHPuIw30fE1JszmF-DvKYCSoIBgbTrjdVN0vfq6VE2HQU_yro5nD4CReczBShlHGB9mGTbyHdpwMp81DnZFjmm42yTQ3Ll-tbq649wWZvWTjdjSvM_VI0JvHv2AZ/s1600/IMG-20141211-WA0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQfEbv_XFotHi-zF0eHPuIw30fE1JszmF-DvKYCSoIBgbTrjdVN0vfq6VE2HQU_yro5nD4CReczBShlHGB9mGTbyHdpwMp81DnZFjmm42yTQ3Ll-tbq649wWZvWTjdjSvM_VI0JvHv2AZ/s1600/IMG-20141211-WA0011.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 for me and 1 for me<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdNLPX5sRWPbJjNoDhlRmXtqao4oKwxm0gBsq9BVbttZ0u0KDb5K7TzR0vMyPAJn45Ppg-JOVGgki3Asog0gLhQYZGpSe2b_XgvNIDaGlWjA99JOlFXicIeqIsMlu3r0TvEeSsVnjgWII/s1600/image+(18).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdNLPX5sRWPbJjNoDhlRmXtqao4oKwxm0gBsq9BVbttZ0u0KDb5K7TzR0vMyPAJn45Ppg-JOVGgki3Asog0gLhQYZGpSe2b_XgvNIDaGlWjA99JOlFXicIeqIsMlu3r0TvEeSsVnjgWII/s1600/image+(18).jpeg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I dropped the apple after this photo.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">What was my favourite pleasure sensation though, I hear you ask. As we are in France, this market was not all so traditional, there were a few additional yummy options that would not usually appear elsewhere in the world. One being, THE CHRISTMAS OYSTER BAR. I kid you not. I did not indulge in these little critters for two reasons: 1) Money and 2) If you follow me on instagram (@emmahartigan93 - shameless plug #noshame, while you're at it you really should be following @amouthfulapart too... again #reallynoshame) you will already know that I recently tried oysters and did not like them. Not one bit. I did sneak a photo of someone else's oysters when they weren't looking though.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUI-0yPJoQxEFv4ZJVJ9D5syudtoiD3GRPc1aGdE0YvJpRvIwJpfej7C0OZs94heU4OCrCU4MLcJVkiw4mXflTXiFiZJMqtV4zb_FDCVQLQT2bnEHO0E5ZY4ZY_ZyByXfG5GjNdgzX9F0d/s1600/image+(17).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUI-0yPJoQxEFv4ZJVJ9D5syudtoiD3GRPc1aGdE0YvJpRvIwJpfej7C0OZs94heU4OCrCU4MLcJVkiw4mXflTXiFiZJMqtV4zb_FDCVQLQT2bnEHO0E5ZY4ZY_ZyByXfG5GjNdgzX9F0d/s1600/image+(17).jpeg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Unattended oysters and bread with crusts on</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Considering the embarrassing fact that I don't like <em>les huitres </em>(french for oysters, never a bad time for learning), the question still looms, "But what was your favourite Christmas market treat Emma?" Well, dear followers, I will answer that with a simple picture and one last tale for you all. </span></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: small/18.2px arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: small/18.2px arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was a cold, dark winter's eve, Emma was poor, thirsty, and in a questionable state of mind. She saw a sign indicating that they sell champagne by the bottle for a mere €35 at the champagne bar (okay, so I'll give this market a little credit for individuality, even though I could not afford any of the things that made it original.) Emma does not have €35 to throw away will nilly. Emma saw a full champagne flute, unattended, bubbling and lonely. Before thinking, Emma's hand reached for the flute and Emma's legs ran with the flute. Emma drank the flute. And, Emma felt like she never felt before, bold, badass, like she could take</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">over the world and consequently from the speed drinking of all the champagne bubbles; very, very burpy.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJXcosiqj97vdFEttaxMprL9yHmxieCiQZaoulh6ETN7AG5hz6YX9elExRFrfmMOjhRFAro7wepaNHI7ZGwOZAhUYGAygPrmCU5ZoQ5t_lUdly92Oyj7lXaytGPoKeEzHwONagCXCzbba/s1600/image+(19).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJXcosiqj97vdFEttaxMprL9yHmxieCiQZaoulh6ETN7AG5hz6YX9elExRFrfmMOjhRFAro7wepaNHI7ZGwOZAhUYGAygPrmCU5ZoQ5t_lUdly92Oyj7lXaytGPoKeEzHwONagCXCzbba/s1600/image+(19).jpeg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">i.e. FREE CHAMPAGNE</span></td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #545454; display: inline !important; float: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: small/18.2px arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I hope this post got you in the Christmas cheer, if you aren't there already! Ale and Phillipa will be accounting their experiences from the NY and Dublin AND Paris Christmas markets tomorrow and Sunday. Woohoo! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-71053097294619176642014-12-05T09:47:00.001-08:002014-12-05T20:59:07.571-08:00Thanksgiving<p dir="ltr">Greetings brethrin!</p><p dir="ltr">
I have chosen to write about Thanksgiving as my <i>December Days</i> post despite the fact that it actually falls in November cause I'm a cheeky monkey and I think it's important to fly in the face of convention. Traditionally, as I'm sure you're all aware it is a time when people gather together in order to celebrate the harvest and give thanks for the preceeding year. I'd seen this in movies, read about it in books and heard about it from American friends but never once experienced it for myself...UNTIL NOW. Naturally enough, I got so caught up in the excitement of the day that I forgot to take any photos, save for one accidental one of the ceiling lights in the bar. (See photo below) <br>
So let me paint a picture for you using my humble words in an attempt to recreate the day that was. All aboard the turkey train? Buckle up. Gobble gobble.<br>
Twas the last Thursday of the month of November in The New World. Donning my glad rags and a mystery dessert (all shall be revealed in due course) I braved the cold air and made my way to my pal Holly's house where oozy cheese awaited my palate. Note: One must always incorporate cheese into one's daily routine. Duh. I wont bore you with <i>all</i> the details (how could cheese be boring?!) so let me tell you about one of the cheeses we had. It's called Harbison and it's from Jasper Hill Farm. He's a soft cow's milk cheese wrapped in spruce bark which imparts a sweet woodsy flavour. It is spoonable and rustic and bloody fantastic. After our fromage feast we then set out on our wayward journey through an unusually tranquil and hushed New York and reached our destination at <a href="http://www.abcbeer.co">ABC Beer Company</a> which houses a long old oak table- a necessary piece of furniture for any mountainous meal. A turkey was cooked to perfection, the carbohydrate count was high, the desserts were plentiful and the merrimemt was flowing far and wide. Plates that were piled high with turkey, cornbread, stuffing, mac'n'cheese, brussel sprouts and cranberry sauce were soon cleared, replenished and cleared again leaving just enough room for the sweet stuff. It was a pot luck dinner so I decided to bake and bring a cheese cake to the table. And here is how it was done:</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>Passion fruit and Lavander Cheesecake. </b></p>
<p dir="ltr">Ingredients:</p>
<p dir="ltr">For the pastry:<br>
225g plain flour<br>
110g butter<br>
80g caster sugar<br>
1 egg</p>
<p dir="ltr">Filling:<br>
450g cream cheese<br>
150g caster sugar<br>
1 tsp vanilla essence<br>
4 eggs</p>
<p dir="ltr">Topping:4 sprigs of lavander (2 for decoration)<br>
4 passion fruits.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Method:<br>
Butter the sides and base of a spring form cake tin. Mmmm greasy. Sift the flour and sugar together. Cube the butter and mix it in to create a breadcrumb-like mix. Whisk the egg and vanilla essence together. Now combine these to make your dough. Pastry not money. Leave to rest in the fridge for an hour. While this is happening, paint your nails/put on a facemask/have a glass of wine- LET LOOSE, TREAT YOURSELF.<br>
When adequately pampered, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).<br>
Roll out the pastry and line the pastry tin. Blind bake it for 15 minutes. While baking the pastry make the filling.Basically just beat them all together. Pour over the pastry and then bake in the oven for 40 minutes. If unsure if it's ready shake the tin and the filling should only be slightly wobbly. Stick a knife in if still unsure. Go one step further and trust your instincts. If all else fails just risk it. Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen it and carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin. Put it on a pretty plate. Scoop out the passion fruit insides and cover the top. Sprinkle the lavander like the little fairy that you are. Dust with icing sugar.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Alternative topping (because I like to incorporate meat into most things): Candied bacon and pecan-Fry the bacon and pecans in sugar until crispy. Allow to cool before putting on the top. This topping looks more autumnal and less pretty but its equally as yummy.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Two things I learned about Thanksgiving:</p>
<p dir="ltr">It is like a warmup to Christmas day. In fact, minus a few small details like the tree and gifts and trip to church, it is exactly the same.</p>
<p dir="ltr">It is frowned upon to only have one helping. Two is a minimum. Three is encouraged.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A few things I'm thankful for:</p><p dir="ltr">Beginnings: I started a new job last January where I was given the opportunity to work with food and coffee everyday and where I was blessed to meet some of the most interesting characters I've ever set eyes on. Bonds were formed, friendships blossomed, and waistbands expanded.<br>
Wanderings: the beautiful and exciting streets of Dublin, the cobbled, hillside streets of Lisbon, the magical paths of Porto, the bustling boroughs of London and the pretty parks and promenades of Paris I explored throughout the year.<br>
Family and friends: OBVIOUSLY</p>
<p dir="ltr">Til next time, folks- enjoy these December Days. Make the most of what remains of 2014. Embrace it. But more importantly, embrace each other. Winky face.<br>
Pip</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlip4umI0i980khd-tsm_e8ye1XXXtVX4R6u_Lt9Y9WZVZDGpR9R3TvlZnSHCuX0jy9QdDfhX5GEwJw7hyphenhyphenod_hepW3IjrGvDLMiflXXrQFSbmhVwrWIMg9D6HTSRlTdgJt609ys5IDgFt/s1600/IMG_20141201_104808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlip4umI0i980khd-tsm_e8ye1XXXtVX4R6u_Lt9Y9WZVZDGpR9R3TvlZnSHCuX0jy9QdDfhX5GEwJw7hyphenhyphenod_hepW3IjrGvDLMiflXXrQFSbmhVwrWIMg9D6HTSRlTdgJt609ys5IDgFt/s640/IMG_20141201_104808.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWOlT9Moy3uYVAgbT-kS29r06aBh-gXu6c_am-NBVi0ITasm_K_x50QuKC0FkV_9jCKnlrdK9fKBMPxaGvuIcTYDgemy0MJxQtZmPYlqXROJeVoLG6rzBgLHMg9-f0XfyqV6EKy_DOJxX/s1600/IMG_20140914_161438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWOlT9Moy3uYVAgbT-kS29r06aBh-gXu6c_am-NBVi0ITasm_K_x50QuKC0FkV_9jCKnlrdK9fKBMPxaGvuIcTYDgemy0MJxQtZmPYlqXROJeVoLG6rzBgLHMg9-f0XfyqV6EKy_DOJxX/s640/IMG_20140914_161438.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXNEG3KPDaIHeO1BGksF56oEElsAtLMddbA0-k4ZJMCCVnuuzgOKaWFPnH_71IbWoJKorlODLK5kqFbEjbw5KL0rIJD0RNbj-BotykAhFFJV4dzMq5hFo8TbDRXkzrrxC9CqaQwBWh_8z/s1600/IMG_20140914_161032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyXNEG3KPDaIHeO1BGksF56oEElsAtLMddbA0-k4ZJMCCVnuuzgOKaWFPnH_71IbWoJKorlODLK5kqFbEjbw5KL0rIJD0RNbj-BotykAhFFJV4dzMq5hFo8TbDRXkzrrxC9CqaQwBWh_8z/s640/IMG_20140914_161032.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWftsYImq_lzbVUwy9VKmnreYbaczBb-VSdGD3teE-FXOpWiFCr4YjxlXFWVI8dKCcSrQyNM_joFdRDOm9oIzIP73eULy8zyYRoeB1IMfZs3DbeNgjK0UcpSwte7EtnejP-w_ezXhWZF7l/s1600/IMG_20140914_181359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWftsYImq_lzbVUwy9VKmnreYbaczBb-VSdGD3teE-FXOpWiFCr4YjxlXFWVI8dKCcSrQyNM_joFdRDOm9oIzIP73eULy8zyYRoeB1IMfZs3DbeNgjK0UcpSwte7EtnejP-w_ezXhWZF7l/s640/IMG_20140914_181359.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ixeurgjle6HlfBx98WzEtOfMNwr3Y7N__tynuUVdF76ewMGp4RNF_RrghSn8IyhKwDCubmCyCxTHZd7-KNG1h-9t0O72XkYtX2scszeNXgxD2er9Cc60mqhS8BI3EIZfnk0t96_sb7sP/s1600/IMG_20140522_132110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Ixeurgjle6HlfBx98WzEtOfMNwr3Y7N__tynuUVdF76ewMGp4RNF_RrghSn8IyhKwDCubmCyCxTHZd7-KNG1h-9t0O72XkYtX2scszeNXgxD2er9Cc60mqhS8BI3EIZfnk0t96_sb7sP/s640/IMG_20140522_132110.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qnDjk8GxyWTVldbwBVGLU0SjwVcLb5y9LwwCGTblDLRZwTXEYqKyx62eE07UHE-8v1AZmMn2ojXOHc1U4RuonoQqmx9pDHJ6dcYw2tSYwlqJ7g6CHknAEWTXqfQLmHIv7rtlZ6h5WH9W/s1600/IMG_20141201_104312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qnDjk8GxyWTVldbwBVGLU0SjwVcLb5y9LwwCGTblDLRZwTXEYqKyx62eE07UHE-8v1AZmMn2ojXOHc1U4RuonoQqmx9pDHJ6dcYw2tSYwlqJ7g6CHknAEWTXqfQLmHIv7rtlZ6h5WH9W/s640/IMG_20141201_104312.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1-pnELmbg1GzZzeWRTw1IBErC-9q3IEHSJX4mnslqj3viBO-FqoeWIpW2k0_ekdduvCRYfVbhltRLyyLm3EBUvw3ATHLXFCHJBNHjXZoXDO48WvUdfmVBpH3v-ehRiNi9doyA6mly3lg/s1600/IMG_20140524_151052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1-pnELmbg1GzZzeWRTw1IBErC-9q3IEHSJX4mnslqj3viBO-FqoeWIpW2k0_ekdduvCRYfVbhltRLyyLm3EBUvw3ATHLXFCHJBNHjXZoXDO48WvUdfmVBpH3v-ehRiNi9doyA6mly3lg/s640/IMG_20140524_151052.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmX7YbyQ8qyyPPzpRYiSnF1NUB28dPK65R3IrN1jrE8QuJi3ms_Fd85xyfzMmNidOOAzTeyCCGFQXFKgtaa2YdNkUrn2Tp6C5J5mflERsApBvnOBu8nsv_c4GX5OLRp0a4njsE2fIYP5ne/s1600/IMG_20140914_184348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmX7YbyQ8qyyPPzpRYiSnF1NUB28dPK65R3IrN1jrE8QuJi3ms_Fd85xyfzMmNidOOAzTeyCCGFQXFKgtaa2YdNkUrn2Tp6C5J5mflERsApBvnOBu8nsv_c4GX5OLRp0a4njsE2fIYP5ne/s640/IMG_20140914_184348.jpg"> </a> </div>amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-67060880507741793022014-12-04T09:31:00.000-08:002014-12-04T09:32:07.312-08:00Tis the season! <div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With the holiday season already happaning we can now reveal that next month's theme is <i>December Days</i> where each blogger looks at a traditional holiday in their location and sheds light on the festivities. This months challenge will be called <i>This little </i><i>piggy went to market</i> which will involve going to a Christmas Market and finding the most tantalizing treat we can. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Week 1: Philippa</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Week 2: This little piggy went to market</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Week 3: Emma<br />
Week 4: Ale</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To tide you over until then and get you in the spirit of all things festive, here are three photos of us in all our youthful and well behaved glory!<br />
Happy holidays! </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having the time of my life</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too young for eyeliner</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If Superman and Elton John had a baby</td></tr>
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amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-83077402974984862582014-11-28T05:00:00.000-08:002015-01-10T20:56:31.099-08:00SHITACOS!<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmXjLXwVk3InG4W0X13wn08CJa4-0YUi20jDz8vOsKYgvuHHlkDPx4YiV4sPLF9OjCVOlVtCO3dK55mf0yz-NAyaP2OiD07I-Q6QaQtdrJQArsUFFBuDTALlR7f5rAe0WHtVT5OKXjQlZ/s1600/20141115_154433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #222222; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmXjLXwVk3InG4W0X13wn08CJa4-0YUi20jDz8vOsKYgvuHHlkDPx4YiV4sPLF9OjCVOlVtCO3dK55mf0yz-NAyaP2OiD07I-Q6QaQtdrJQArsUFFBuDTALlR7f5rAe0WHtVT5OKXjQlZ/s1600/20141115_154433.jpg" height="200" width="150"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC64M6BdBICxEHXZkvQNQilnvmehg3DGH64k7XtHkmwRc4d8_6hvyvNEQpqTGsQEtuwi0LHAv1NRUMgtVSF4RcHkAjC6Zw6nGoYv5T0Z5fGkyfrbG1FZNI8iijGB5Uj-v9aCbjLGmSUnOO/s1600/20141115_154318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #222222; float: left; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC64M6BdBICxEHXZkvQNQilnvmehg3DGH64k7XtHkmwRc4d8_6hvyvNEQpqTGsQEtuwi0LHAv1NRUMgtVSF4RcHkAjC6Zw6nGoYv5T0Z5fGkyfrbG1FZNI8iijGB5Uj-v9aCbjLGmSUnOO/s1600/20141115_154318.jpg" height="150" width="200"></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here is my good mate Alice chillin' on some toadstools in Central Park. She was once wisely told the following:<br>"<i>My dear, here we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that</i>".</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"</span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But I don’t want to go among mad people," </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Alice remarked</span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">."Oh, you can’t help that," </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">said the Cat</span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.""How do you know I’m mad?" </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">said Alice</span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">."You must be," </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">said the Cat</span><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">, "or you wouldn't have come here.</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhNT5rFri-fZh7vZhbNSRCLrbTUl3dGHXH5-USQy9KojBMF8s45Ticbc-dXx5TbcYMKgK1YsbQgVIFwuJeaR0kGCeX9Qx1FBfMWJpwjodmjVHRlMKwAEnw2nZLoXhsUa32dIkb6pxaP4_/s1600/Screenshot_2014-11-26-00-49-25-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhNT5rFri-fZh7vZhbNSRCLrbTUl3dGHXH5-USQy9KojBMF8s45Ticbc-dXx5TbcYMKgK1YsbQgVIFwuJeaR0kGCeX9Qx1FBfMWJpwjodmjVHRlMKwAEnw2nZLoXhsUa32dIkb6pxaP4_/s1600/Screenshot_2014-11-26-00-49-25-1.png" height="317" width="320"></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My love affair with tacos began in this magnificent city (New York) on a blistering hot summer's day in the grounds of the Old Tobbaco Warehouse, a stunning red brick ruin, in DUMBO. I was here doing a J1 and as luck would have it, I landed a job on my second day working for Choncho's Tacos at the Brooklyn Flea Market. The menu was simple and so flippin' delicious (2 fish options, 1 Chicken option, and all of the coriander!) To say that I fell hard for these little delectable pockets is an understatement. Needless to say, I have eaten my body weight in tacos since I returned 3 weeks ago. In this patchwork quilt of cultures and cuisines I found myself living a few subway stops from a taco factory who make, package, sell and eat their corn tortillas in full sight, on an assembly line, beside your table. Praise the lord! It is unassuming, kitch, dimmly lit with red lights, decorated with Virgin Mary's, incredibly cheap and altogether bizarre! The fire behind my love of tacos has been well and truly reignited. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And so, I have decided that my first recipe shall be an ode to my last summer spent here and a good way to kick start this new chapter in a city where there is always an abundance of new food, places and people to experience. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCxxi-iKJKAl_ryEHgaFnwFDgkevL0ybI9Tz1q-O-KMCNIwuquDXPFfpHVXTNzDkTbs_ykodNzw95t8rpC6qexOz0WQiFeNQBuVw8y8eEn0cboRGotpN33BgQ_NLLPMuFT-y3GUfNZxEH/s1600/20141122_125921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidCxxi-iKJKAl_ryEHgaFnwFDgkevL0ybI9Tz1q-O-KMCNIwuquDXPFfpHVXTNzDkTbs_ykodNzw95t8rpC6qexOz0WQiFeNQBuVw8y8eEn0cboRGotpN33BgQ_NLLPMuFT-y3GUfNZxEH/s1600/20141122_125921.jpg" height="320" width="240"></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ideally, I would have bought the mushrooms at the farmer's market in Union Square which I pass EVERYDAY and I would have made the short trip to the taco factory to buy the tortillas. Ideally. But alas, the past few days have been rather hectic, what with starting a new job in a cheeseshop (yay!) and coming up to Thanksgiving...and having one too many beers last night. Sooooooo, here's how I actually gathered my ingredients:<br></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyrwe2VfToso-RYlj4xgy0nB49aFSTfFRRWMUDt3PRMk2fR2XUs3HQ1e3PzqUyFggMooK_-QVheYLXd3gvpKziY9i0nyE-9hkdY0dFCZTifLnM-0kgZyworD7249KsVya8gkYycUUVAZG/s1600/20141125_121452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyrwe2VfToso-RYlj4xgy0nB49aFSTfFRRWMUDt3PRMk2fR2XUs3HQ1e3PzqUyFggMooK_-QVheYLXd3gvpKziY9i0nyE-9hkdY0dFCZTifLnM-0kgZyworD7249KsVya8gkYycUUVAZG/s1600/20141125_121452.jpg" height="320" width="240"></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) Went to nearby supermarket only to find they had only pickeld mushrooms and 1 box of tortillas which was sitting in a pool of water underneath a leak (see photo on the right also featuring my finger)<br>2) Left said supermarket and trekked to another, fully stocked, higher priced store.<br>3) Found mushrooms.<br>4) Rejoiced.<br>5) Spent 5 minutes debating whether 'spicy spanish sausage' meant chorizo.<br>6) Decided to risk it and threw said sausage into basket laden down with shitakes.<br>7) Got to checkout and remembered that my roommate, Ciara, had asked me to surprise her with 'a little savoury treat'. Cracked under the pressure and threw an energy bar amongst my purchases. Oops.<br>8) It was 12 already at this stage and was in need of coffee. So, forgetting how bad I am at multitasking (even simple things like walking whilst holding a cup are a struggle) I got a coffee en route home.<br>9) Accidentally made eye contact with a man in a truck who proceeded to roll down his window and scream 'Are you Ukrainean? Cause yo hot, girl!' which NATURALLY sent me into a fluster causing me to spill my coffee down my top. (Fun fact: I'm not Ukrainean but was most definitely hot from the scalding coffee on my skin)<br>10) Made it back to my front door and realised that there's a small shop 2 doors down that sells ALL of what I needed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After my not so successful morning, I then made some well earned Mushroom Tacos which I'm coining '<i>Shitacos'</i> cause they're made with shitake mushrooms. And plus, its fun to say.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Ingreedyents:</b><br>Splish splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil<br>Salt'n'Pepper<br>(Oooh a honey) honey<br>10 Corn Tortillas<br>15ish Shitake Mushrooms ( I chose these cause I always think their texture is kinda meaty. But obviously also add actual meat)<br>5 Chorizo Sausages<br>1 Large White Onion<br>1 large knob of Truffle butter (cause when it comes to butter I'm a princess)<br>Grated Parmesan</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And here's how this:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ORYdGswWd4UP8c_Tsfsb463A6aUsc20dlCP4YMLfGSrQT-0OqVHtBOx9vQ41tOv-3yMygMcpP9Ti82jm7iCfy0WQsy_p_R8lGU3wWCQvcvV1vEN131me1VsJTLTZT7eD7edZoJ71Qxuh/s1600/20141125_130141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ORYdGswWd4UP8c_Tsfsb463A6aUsc20dlCP4YMLfGSrQT-0OqVHtBOx9vQ41tOv-3yMygMcpP9Ti82jm7iCfy0WQsy_p_R8lGU3wWCQvcvV1vEN131me1VsJTLTZT7eD7edZoJ71Qxuh/s1600/20141125_130141.jpg" height="240" width="320"></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyf4eMAj9Dw2g1yV6m2y8NvgAgi2InlT1MJbH9qAbCHTy-3Fvpk1hGpmdqJh3JCvmYowgi-FU-fQKCGAzEk5Xg-J007AUt9-OPr5jd8loEza1sfg3LnxYnKiK9a86_7yVvlxIaMfNwdENx/s1600/IMG_20141125_160326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyf4eMAj9Dw2g1yV6m2y8NvgAgi2InlT1MJbH9qAbCHTy-3Fvpk1hGpmdqJh3JCvmYowgi-FU-fQKCGAzEk5Xg-J007AUt9-OPr5jd8loEza1sfg3LnxYnKiK9a86_7yVvlxIaMfNwdENx/s1600/IMG_20141125_160326.jpg" height="320" width="320"></span></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1)</b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> CTC (chop the chorizo)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>2)</b> FTC (fry the chorizo)<br><b>3)</b> Stop using acronyms and get back to cooking.<br><b>4) </b>Finely chop the onion. Cry a little in the process. Also chop the shitakes into slender strips. Cry here too if you're not emotionally cleansed.<br><b>5) </b>Pop the truffle butter in a pan and when that's all melty and stuff add the onions. Season with salt and pepper.<br><b>6)</b> Then add the sexy shitakes for approximately 7 minutes of heaven.<br><b>7)</b> Whilst all this madness is happening pop the tortillas in the oven to warm up.<br><b>8)</b> Drizzle a smidge of honey over the chorizo.<br><b>9)</b> When all of this is, as the wise R Kelly would say 'hot'n'fresh out tha kitchen' you can assemble the tacos and sprinkle (and by sprinkle I mean smother) with parmesan.<br><b>10)</b> Eat. </span>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">So, I have been living
in the South of France for the better part of a month now and what have I
learned? Besides how to order an</span></span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;"> Americano (with OR without a drop of milk) nearly like
a native…until they throw curve balls at me, like “milk on the side or in the coffee”
where my limitations in speaking the French language begin to slip through, I have learned a
lot about the cuisine of Nice; the niçoise cuisine if you will.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">Cuisines of the Côte d'Azur
area (the south east region of France) differ to typical French gastronomy in their excessive use of olive oil (gone
through 2 bottles already!) and the heavy Mediterranean influences in the
cooking; seafood and big vibrant vegetables often being the stars of the dish.
Oh and the herbs, the herbs!! The provençal flavours in the niçoise dishes
owe a lot to the use of specific herbs… so often used, they have their own mix “Herbs
de Provence” which typically contain thyme, marjoram, savory, rosemary and
oregano.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A speciality dish of
the region, and the one I have chosen to recreate for our mushroom challenge is
called “Farcis” or “Petit Farcis”, depending on the petiteness of said farcis.
Petits Farcis are a classic specialty of Nice, they are hollowed out
vegetables, usually tomatoes, courgettes or aubergines which are stuffed with a
delicious pork meat mixed with herbs, parmesan and breadcrumbs. I see them as a
type of street food, but as we’re in France, everything is classier and this
street food is usually accompanied with a lovely glass (or pichet if it’s a
weekend) of r<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">osé</span>.</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">Apologies, whilst enjoying our petit </span></span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">farcis we</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">opted out of the
traditional rose and instead opted in for </span></span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">a glass of “Vin Chaud” another tasty niçoise treat.
My lovely friend Chloe, who knows these parts like a local insisted we have to
</span></span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">have Vin Chaud as it only comes available this time of year. I’ll let you off
this time Chloe. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">As it is mushroom challenge,
I replaced the usual vegetables used in petit farcis with, you guessed it,
mushrooms!</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">First things first,
learning about French cuisine does not just mean being able to make the dishes.
It’s so much more than that. Every dish here starts with the morning at the
market. I live about 3 minutes away from the “Marche aux Fleurs Cours Saleya”,
which has been ranked by France’s National Council for the Culinary Arts as
being one of France’s special markets. It. Is. Amazing. Just take a look!</span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">As I fought off the
urge pick up any one of the crates of mushrooms pictured below and run away, I was faced with
a choice, what mushroom will I use? This was difficult for me, as I knew I had
to be practical in my decision. I needed a mushroom that would be quite hollow
on the inside so the stuffing could go in, but all I wanted was those gorgeous
chanterelles or shitakes in my belly. I battled with myself, and eventually my tummy and my
head reached a compromise. BUY THEM ALL. And I did. I bought the chanterelles
and shitakes for my own personal enjoyment (currently writing this whilst
eating my shitake laden ramen) and the biggest white mushrooms for stuffin’.</span> </span></span></div>
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">After the morning
market, it was afternoon butcher time (quite aware there is no ring to the
latter). I went to my local butchers around the corner from my house “Chez
Francis” where I attempted to order 4 of their finest pork sausages in French.
There were a few discrepancies during the interaction and a lot of vigorous
pointing, but he did put four pork sausages into a bag for me, so I’m seeing it
as a success.</span> </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zind22cBYyOLLJCCi4uj4k96Rx2YmBmaRk4XKDPx_8Pz4LViSppCAN4ajWEExPhxxaGuBgtLqD5TekmKd3zxTMEmnOCxr7Qihs9jN2WFV0SXL0IpROPCL1nrfr0yrrUxoy66-IOznzH7/s1600/image+(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zind22cBYyOLLJCCi4uj4k96Rx2YmBmaRk4XKDPx_8Pz4LViSppCAN4ajWEExPhxxaGuBgtLqD5TekmKd3zxTMEmnOCxr7Qihs9jN2WFV0SXL0IpROPCL1nrfr0yrrUxoy66-IOznzH7/s1600/image+(1).jpeg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Man Wearing Trackie</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">Okay, so we have the
backround on the dish and the ingredients for the dish, now let’s get cooking!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Firstly, we need alongside
our meat and mushrooms, lots of garlic, grated parmesan, bread crumbs (warning,
it is very difficult to crumb bread by hand), basil, parsley, tomato puree, onions
and copious amounts of olive oil. Add a few nice books on the region for added
pleasure. Preheat your oven to 180C and you’re all set.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Step 1:</em></span></strong> Chop the
garlic and onions. Clean all the mushrooms with a paper towel and take the
stems out of each one (or get your friends to do this part mwahaha). Place the
mushrooms on an oiled baking tray.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;"><strong><em>Step 2:</em></strong> Remove the
sausage meat from the coating, you will either enjoy this or not. I enjoyed it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;"><strong><em>Step 3:</em></strong> Throw the
onions and garlic into a hot pan, drenched in olive oil and add all the herbs
and salt and pepper. After 7 minutes, add the sausage meat making sure it’s
broken up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;"><strong><em>Step 4:</em></strong> After meat is
browned add the tomato puree and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remember to keep
tasting, adding seasonings as you please. Salt, yum.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;"><strong><em>Step 5:</em></strong> Remove from
the heat and stir in the parmesan and bread crumbs<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;"><strong><em>Step 6:</em></strong> Scoop the
mixture into the mushrooms, be generous, and then drizzle a little olive oil
around the mushrooms and pour some of the white wine in.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;"><strong><em>Step 7:</em></strong> Pop them in
the oven for 45 minutes and you’re laughing!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">Enjoy once again with
a glass of rosé (we had already opened the white wine for the drizzling so we
just kept going with that..) and some bay leaves for the photo. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">And it's as easy as that, minus the waiting for the food...that bit is hard. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">Now, as we say in France, bon appetite!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-IE;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">Up next is our lovely
NY city slicker Philippa. I’m sure she’ll make your mouths water and tummies
grumble like ferocious hungry beasts for whatever she’s a cooking!</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-36639904557447734812014-11-14T10:20:00.000-08:002014-11-26T08:29:02.683-08:00Mushrooms as...Dessert?<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first memory I have of mushrooms is not exactly food-related. Well, it's zero food-related. I was first introduced to them by my close friend Hanna-Barbera, as the place that The Smurfs called home. In Brazil, mushrooms were not a staple in every mother's kitchen and good and fresh mushrooms were expensive and hard to find. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Luckily for me, that all changed when I moved to Ireland, where I was able to try loads of different types and open my mind and heart to them. Since I arrived, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I 've enjoyed mushrooms as my starter and I've had them as as my main with every possible combination ever. In all these years, however, I've never had them as the best part of any meal served in any part of the explored universe: dessert</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. The very idea of having mushrooms as part of any kind of dessert was unthinkable. I wouldn't dare.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQm0fAhkmdJihwEHlMFA1HBeQu28Xw47VsyzjR6SLNGmFYj0VS8gbXJjCgYA0yX6hcsk8myKPrOU2F6B7CNdqcgKNrBCQdgSalpdiWVO8qLOgai1Ays1zGGsbGeahs74XXRiuV66aBLj-I/s1600/Chanterelle_Cantharellus_cibarius.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQm0fAhkmdJihwEHlMFA1HBeQu28Xw47VsyzjR6SLNGmFYj0VS8gbXJjCgYA0yX6hcsk8myKPrOU2F6B7CNdqcgKNrBCQdgSalpdiWVO8qLOgai1Ays1zGGsbGeahs74XXRiuV66aBLj-I/s1600/Chanterelle_Cantharellus_cibarius.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That was until I came across something called <i>chanterelles</i>. I saw (on my laptop screen) those beautiful, yellow, weird looking mushrooms and I felt a tingle in my mouth. Something I hadn't felt since I tried peanut butter for the first time. It was love at first sight. On my research about chanterelles (officially now my favourite mushroom name) I discovered they were in season in November <i>and</i> they could easily be found in Ireland <i>and</i> that they are </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">often used to make, believe it or not..<i>ice cream</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. It was too good to be true. I had to try it.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzWeZBmrtuYXHzpLDjlwy2gA9L-6qnZaaoiqDqRbX4el-GmkfSOd3HhYmPnJToEqCE2EMy36slOOGtj19d0041NHVWVrNtdAmMwjmzgIWhW_FaByEYTlH-JUJXMc5YYgSaG0A-ao38cVw/s1600/fb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzWeZBmrtuYXHzpLDjlwy2gA9L-6qnZaaoiqDqRbX4el-GmkfSOd3HhYmPnJToEqCE2EMy36slOOGtj19d0041NHVWVrNtdAmMwjmzgIWhW_FaByEYTlH-JUJXMc5YYgSaG0A-ao38cVw/s1600/fb.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And so I went on a quest to find these babies. I visited every single Asian market my legs could bring me to and I couldn't find them. I went to specialty shops and they we not there. I tried Marks & Spencer and nothing. I was about to give up when it came to me. It was obvious. I went back to the place Emma, Philippa and I first met: Fallon & Byrne. And there they were and in all of their glory. I brought them home and adapted a recipe I found online for Chanterelle Sorbet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) Arrange them in a paper bag and take a picture to put on your wall and show your kids one day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2) Wash and chop them roughly</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiak7iuIKQ9DxzIvVIQzUpmYs79coYD4-sxNRHnve-sq-vLy-1AZMXkqXZONPM3l7SSLsxVra__8FNv7PMCZxKdikjiI_8fesiyhINPgjgnazNPVJblVAL9dA_nswA9tPnv-1z0jICiP8yv/s1600/mushroom3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiak7iuIKQ9DxzIvVIQzUpmYs79coYD4-sxNRHnve-sq-vLy-1AZMXkqXZONPM3l7SSLsxVra__8FNv7PMCZxKdikjiI_8fesiyhINPgjgnazNPVJblVAL9dA_nswA9tPnv-1z0jICiP8yv/s1600/mushroom3.JPG" height="205" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) Blend them with the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">simple syrup (recipe below), lime juice, vanilla extract and the peanut butter</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> for 1-2 min, until smooth.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglr21sJsNbO4Z_oGVYarg9e8ZuvYIVOSe0FXVao5loPzgcTsb_oyEe0V3rc_ckggVA1AL7CUw7-JKV-FwrgBhonExNHqSBeNzhfG4SfRt2VfCh5g-yEdgNbsP2_fuJveBpP0IxEtatq-H-/s1600/mushroom4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglr21sJsNbO4Z_oGVYarg9e8ZuvYIVOSe0FXVao5loPzgcTsb_oyEe0V3rc_ckggVA1AL7CUw7-JKV-FwrgBhonExNHqSBeNzhfG4SfRt2VfCh5g-yEdgNbsP2_fuJveBpP0IxEtatq-H-/s1600/mushroom4.JPG" height="262" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4) Pour the mixture in the ice cream maker (or the freezer if you are a normal person) and wait until it becomes ice cream.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2JPkUBJ3yxxgaRWasyXx1WvicBgJHmx3h3z-Yk0m4SwrNz4UnEUKoRF_xA61nGbdcY29xmSF3oBdJwxw_jj4Wi2U4WW-Zr6bs6eRh5TpFLlDIlF5gSdxzxyBR3Jx23bZZIHnHI1tBu39/s1600/mushroom5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2JPkUBJ3yxxgaRWasyXx1WvicBgJHmx3h3z-Yk0m4SwrNz4UnEUKoRF_xA61nGbdcY29xmSF3oBdJwxw_jj4Wi2U4WW-Zr6bs6eRh5TpFLlDIlF5gSdxzxyBR3Jx23bZZIHnHI1tBu39/s1600/mushroom5.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5) Grab a spoon and experience what raw mushrooms and sugar taste like when they are blended together and frozen: INCREDIBAMAZING!</span></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6J0vr129ngTgR9tMO9kAjNTohQ-ZqX_5iaEcr_y_e2P662ohbDI8hCI4QcATxfkCUwmvaZhAUFm67FEvURhhwbkwvWqyeH2H1zBKArt0_1v7Kazysa-1w6R0pHNXN9jWA06cIwRCqWAf/s1600/ready.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6J0vr129ngTgR9tMO9kAjNTohQ-ZqX_5iaEcr_y_e2P662ohbDI8hCI4QcATxfkCUwmvaZhAUFm67FEvURhhwbkwvWqyeH2H1zBKArt0_1v7Kazysa-1w6R0pHNXN9jWA06cIwRCqWAf/s1600/ready.jpg" height="316" width="320" /></a></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> final product tastes sweet and nutty and has a lovely texture. I would definitely recommend trying it at home. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If not for all the reasons above, for the weirdness of it.</span></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Complete list of ingredients:</b></span></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 Cups of Water / 1 Cup of Sugar / 1/2 Cup of Chanterelle Mushrooms / Juice of Half a Lime / 1 Tablespoon of Peanut Butter / 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract / Patience </span></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Simple Syrup:</b></span></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">- Add water and sugar to a pan and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Let it cool before blending with mushrooms.</span></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I shall now pass the blogging batton to my beautiful Emma in Nice, who I'm sure will blow your minds with whatever she comes up with. Go, Emma!</span></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br /></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0Dublin, Ireland53.3498053 -6.260309699999993453.0463133 -6.9057566999999933 53.6532973 -5.6148626999999935tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-2916076117593392402014-11-07T05:07:00.000-08:002014-11-07T05:07:39.835-08:00Challenge #01 - Mushrooms<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So this month's challenge (which our loyal and plentiful followers will already have read about in our previous post) is mushrooms! All three of us (and several mushrooms) went to a well known land mark in each of our locations. All is revealed below! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">N</span></b>ice, Nice, Nice – so nice I say it thrice.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here I am after climbing the thigh-burning steps of the “Colline du Chateau” (hill of the castle) which, to my surprise does not play host to an actual castle, not since 1706 anyway. Was I disappointed with the lack of chateau-ness as I reached the summit? Absolutely not, the view from the top was worth every sweat particle shed. Not only are there views from this height, but also a waterfall, park and roman ruins – I like to think of it as my "Colline du Bliss". You would almost skip a meal if it meant making it up here for sunset…almost. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am so happy to say that I live a mere 5 minute walk from this breath-taking viewpoint and I feel a lot of my blogging inspiration might come this year from sitting in that very place, overlooking the beauty that is my new home.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Lut7cSHslBT9OQuDl7YHdv0pZFlJRuQ9Xx7WUBBkOxj8f-oMLpsI7vvTzYhtc0BnFc9-IJ-yfukogb0Bx5ZcMlCu-sy40M9RNenfkZ3NS1-XpPTS-N1-8HZzxJLfGVmTiO3Zk2LqVk-K/s1600/philippa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></a><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGyKLQoeZcV9fDAvgw2JtPtPNEOYBQKrrvO6vuYlRJfeDdw80uiaRkAGglKG3D_Hu5jqKyGFtSZNiW3p1wuJDBx5yJtQo0LMEzNdLiofofQBd6mJNX6AjD-IHBs-QiLbX_F4fZYHimqbJ/s1600/philippa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGyKLQoeZcV9fDAvgw2JtPtPNEOYBQKrrvO6vuYlRJfeDdw80uiaRkAGglKG3D_Hu5jqKyGFtSZNiW3p1wuJDBx5yJtQo0LMEzNdLiofofQBd6mJNX6AjD-IHBs-QiLbX_F4fZYHimqbJ/s1600/philippa.jpg" height="262" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>I</b></span><span style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"> awoke on a crisp wintery morning with mushrooms on the brain, wrapped myself in my dad's tartan scarf and wax jacket (thanks, pops!) and ventured to the nearest "bodega" (I have plenty more slang where that came from!) I chose a Portobello mushroom as a throwback to my last day spent in Dublin redeeming a free pint in a pub on the canal called "The Portobello" (the actual reason: it looked like the sturdiest of the bunch and would survive a bumpy trip stuffed into my bag on the subway). My chosen destination was Times Square. With over 360,000 visitors daily, lights that dazzle and shine and a resident Naked Cowboy nobody batted an eyelid at my humble Portobello mushroom. A stalwart and brave travel companion (and a delicious addition to my dinner later that day!)</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVotNA39TYYIF-Z2lMU2EZ9kOlv2w1yNC_xp-aK3hH05CqysH0usBduNVO_3dhPS5Sj28_jnfsBTQJiMpqzZVwYaz7N-XplrQVdcj7Ew6C7TBMzPHw7dkdgnTqgwAWCX544PrFSnssDFY/s1600/ale_mushroom_final2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVotNA39TYYIF-Z2lMU2EZ9kOlv2w1yNC_xp-aK3hH05CqysH0usBduNVO_3dhPS5Sj28_jnfsBTQJiMpqzZVwYaz7N-XplrQVdcj7Ew6C7TBMzPHw7dkdgnTqgwAWCX544PrFSnssDFY/s1600/ale_mushroom_final2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVotNA39TYYIF-Z2lMU2EZ9kOlv2w1yNC_xp-aK3hH05CqysH0usBduNVO_3dhPS5Sj28_jnfsBTQJiMpqzZVwYaz7N-XplrQVdcj7Ew6C7TBMzPHw7dkdgnTqgwAWCX544PrFSnssDFY/s1600/ale_mushroom_final2.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: large;">M</span></b><span style="color: #222222;">y inspiration for this month's challenge was the 2001 academy-award nominated film Amélie. At one point the aforementioned main character places 5 raspberries on her fingers and eats them one by one, savouring every bite. Needless to say I tried doing the same with the mushrooms and as a result I am writing this while simultaneously having to google: "can you die by eating raw mushrooms?".</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">The pretty little lady behind me goes by the name of Ha'Penny Bridge and it's Dublin's answer to the Pont des Arts in Paris. Except it's not. </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, if you are reading this while on your way there and you have a padlock in your possession, please stop immediately and turn the other way around</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. You are destroying the bridge. Love, Ale.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next week our Alpha (and only) male will showcase his individual blogging talents and write a piece on a meal he had/made containing (you guessed it!) MUSHROOMS. Emma will take to the stage the week after and Philippa will do her worst the week after that. Got it? Great!<br />Til next time, feast your eyes on these fungus based pictures!</span></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Rv0ohpcVZWY%2FVFuwAH8DN7I%2FAAAAAAAAADU%2FHbUs_7wAcDc%2Fs1600%2FIMG_20141106_140139.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-yTvGbpMxWxx-MyI3aCx2hZc_ZwCpHo_yOOtU0MSKHEm9uOzCCYtOnbgkxzMbwzHsJ2NjIbsGlCxErWXDuxiSfw3tAzlngkOo-JF6T2P8Ws3JC5wedkb3pE2sMAT6MMnUjSqCxDF4QcA/s1600/IMG_20141106_140139.jpg" -->amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559796251174062960.post-15534438011773198122014-10-30T07:24:00.001-07:002014-11-01T12:41:53.202-07:00The Inaugural Toast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here we go, kids! Emma has flown the coop, the wheels of motion are in full swing for Philippa's departure and Ale's travel adventure will commence in early December. We have staggered our departures. We shall take our blogging bull by the horns. Our legs shall wander. Our hearts shall yearn. Our tummies shall grumble. Our mouths shall chew. And our hands shall put pen to paper to record our diverse experiences and various aspirations. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Post one is upon us and we aim to start as we mean to go on: like champignons. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">November theme: Mushrooms. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Each individual blogger will write a post on a delicious meal they had containing mushrooms. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This month's challenge: Take a creative photo of a mushroom in front of an important landmark in each city.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Aaaaaaaaaand we're off!</span></div>
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amouthfulaparthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07567088346302766925noreply@blogger.com0Dublin, Ireland53.3498053 -6.260309699999993453.0463133 -6.9057566999999933 53.6532973 -5.6148626999999935