Awards and Apologies
Once more I find myself apologizing for my absence around here lately. It has been a bit crazy trying to organize the move for September 1. I was also in Dublin most of the day Thursday for a makeover for the Daily Mail! I was contacted to be part of a feature on women bloggers which then turned into a makeover of women bloggers! It was an interesting experience. I loved getting my hair done by a sweet Italian stylist from Aveda and I learned a lot about applying make-up from Bobbi Brown stylist Dave. It was very fun. I was not wild about the clothes chosen for me, but I suspect it's hard for a wee skinny girl to go shopping for someone more... uh... big boned! ;-)
I had the opportunity to meet Feebee of The Waiting Game, the infamous Annie Rhiannon and Arsheen from Fashion Filosofy. ladies were all lovely and great fun! I now know how to pronounce Annie's boyfriends name! So there! ;-) The feature will be sometime next week and I'm terrified I said something stupid in the interview and that I'll look ridiculous beside all these skinny girls in my jacket 4 sizes too big! ;-)
Back to business here. The very sweet Beccy over at Peppermint Tea has kindly awarded me the Creative Blogger Award. It's similar to the last award in that I have to pick five more deserving bloggers.
First and foremost would have to be Dan and Rebecca at Irish Sally Gardens. Not only are they booth accomplished artists, Rebecca with felt and many other mediums and Dan with his incredible hobby horses, they are running their own smallholding in the West of Ireland. Their blog goes through their adventures from rearing their own pigs all the way through making the resulting sausage to building their organic polytunnel to the current harvest and so much more. Goats, chickens and now bees, nothing is too much for these two and that's all while being parents to two young children! It's absolutely phenomenal what they are doing and I am blown over with admiration.
Second would have to be Anna at Pleasant View Schoolhouse. I am a lurker over there, so she might wonder who on earth I am, but I have to share her blog with you. She is constantly creating beautiful things from clothes to floral arrangements to purses to meals. She writes so simply and has one of the most refreshing blogs I've seen in a long time.
Third I have to pick RedMum. Her photography is so wonderful and her subjects know no bound. From her recent adventures in Turkey to random shots around Dublin to election photos she does it all and always so well. Her blog is also very entertaining as she shares her adventures of being a single Mum to "the young wan."
Next would have to be Roz at Stay at Home Mummy & D Bizness who runs her own cake business out of her home. Her cakes are out of this world and look absolutely phenomenal. The detail is extraordinary and I so wish she lived next door! ;-)
Last and certainly not least is fellow foodie Sarah at Stuff Yer Bake. Sarah makes incredible food and has also started making her own cakes which look incredible. She just finished her first wedding cake which looks absolutely delicious.
Those are my picks and I stand by them, I would love to nominate some of my crafty friends, but they've all already received said award!!! So thanks Beccy, really appreciate it and love that I get to highlight some other top notch creative bloggers!
Now for a quick announcement. I started a side blog for future reviews, as I don't want to bore my non-Irish readers with inaccessible products or restaurants. If you are interested in my reviews, which include restaurants, wine and other Mom relevant things, you can click on the Reviews button above to be redirected.
And finally... a recipe!
Toulouse Sausages with Lentils and Red Wine
Chris referred me to her daughter and well-known food blogger Sam for ideas for what to do with the Toulouse sausages I'd gotten at the Farmers market. Sam's original recipe is here, but I took some inspiration and then did my own thing! This was different, but quite yummy and the kids even enjoyed it!
Ingredients:
- 2 diced carrots
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 1 red onion, diced
- olive oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 cup passata/tomato sauce
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 lb Toulouse Sausages
- 100g bacon lardons
- 1/2 cup chopped in-season tomatoes (I used a lovely yellow kind)
- salt and pepper to season
- chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish
Method:
Saute the carrots, celery and onion in the olive oil until onions are opaque. Add the garlic until fragrant.
Toss in the lentils and saute for a few minutes then add the stock, tomato sauce and red wine. Add the bay leaf and thyme. Allow to simmer over a medium heat.
Meanwhile fry up the bacon and sausages in a separate pan. I left the sausages whole, but you could cut them if you like. When they are done, throw them in the pot with the lentils.
Cook for about an hour until it is a nice thick mixture. Check the seasoning and season accordingly. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and parsley, reserving some for final garnish. Serve with a crusty rustic bread for dunking!
Easy and delicious! Thanks Sam for the inspiration! ;-)
Have a great week everyone. Hopefully I won't be MIA for too long!
|