Recipe: I Think I Can Cope with Copenhagen!

December 14, 2015October 23, 2017 ~ Harper220

Okay, wow that was some trip I’ll say! I even received loads of messages from my snapchat followers commenting on how amazing it all looked! It is going to take some time to digest it all (literally and figuratively). There is no way I can flesh it all out in one post. So I have decide to break it up into two. Haha! Two! Which, come to think of it was the theme for the whole trip. I’ll explain that part later. But first up, as you can see from the pic, there are two salads. Yep, that is how I’m gonna cope with Copenhagen. Because I don’t believe in deprivation on holidays, Hubby and I went all out. Mind you, without an ounce of regret. However, as I have said on this blog before, it’s okay to splurge, so long as you try to “right the ship” again. So we are going to do just that and be super healthy for dinner tonight!

The last I posted was on Friday, just before the secret destination Foodie Fieldtrip. I included a recipe for Brussels Sprout Salad but no pics. I’ve now made the salad as you can see, and you can find the recipe here. But I also decided to throw together another salad based on what I had on hand in the house. I love cooking that way actually. Gets the creative juices flowing. And after the mega foodie adventure I had, there is loads of inspo to work from on this one. With the weather being so cold now, and the days so short, a warm salad is apropos. So I put together a Roasted Sweet Potato and Chorizo Salad that I know Hubby will like even though he isn’t the biggest salad person. But when it is all “jazzed up” like this he can’t resist. Plus we need all the nutrients we can get these days as so many people around us on the plane were hacking away! The best way to protect your immunity is to eat healthy!

Sweet Potato and Chorizo Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 Sweet Potatoes, washed and cut into wedges (leave the skin on)

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

salt and pepper to taste

½ tsp cinnamon

2-3 scallions (green onions) sliced

100 g chopped chorizo

2 Tbsp Hard Goat Cheese (sometimes called Gouda Goats Cheese), grated

2 Tbsp toasted mixed seeds or nuts (I used flaked almonds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds)

A few mixed organic baby leaves

Put the sweet potato wedges in a large roasting tray. Toss with olive oil, cinnamon and salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated oven (200C/400F) for 50 mins-one hour until flesh is soft and the skin is crispy.

When the sweet potatoes are nearly done, sauté the spring onions in a frying pan with a little olive oil for two minutes then add the chopped chorizo and cook for another few minutes until the onions are done and the chorizo is cooked through.

Put the leaves on a platter, using tongs, put the sweet potato wedges on top then pour the chorizo/onion mixture all over. Sprinkle with the toasted seeds and grated cheese.

Now for the story of things coming in pairs. Maybe I should have titled this post “The Tale of Two Sit Tease” because just when we thought one thing might happen, a second one was around the corner saying, HELLO, #2 it is! Starting with our arrival into Copenhagen. We thought we’d take the metro train into city center (Hubby loves to take trains in every city we visit) but the line for the tickets was a mile long and it was pretty late at that juncture. So we settled for another option, a taxi, which was grand. We stayed at the lovely Hotel Alexandra (on Hans Christian Andersen Blvd) just walking distance to Tivoli Gardens. It is a boutique mid-priced hotel that prides itself on its Danish Design. And the slogan is “feels like you are staying with a friend.” Indeed on the first night when we were in the lobby enjoying complimentary glasses of wine, I saw an old vinyl L.P. record player and what was there but a record by my dear friend, Quincy Jones!

Continuing on with the double pairs story, on Saturday we had two options for our foodie heaven mega meal. I will share all about that in the next post. But suffice it to say, our #2 option dining experience was likely the best we’ve ever had. The bucket list was seriously ticked off with gold stars! Nordic cuisine is sublime! We were so full from the four hour lunch we had that we went back to the hotel and fell into a food coma. By the time we awakened, we were too tired to go anywhere else and just stayed in and enjoyed each other’s company. We weren’t that hungry, so instead of going out for dinner, we literally only ate peanuts and drank some wine while watching the Frank Sinatra 100th birthday celebration on television. We are both major fans of “Old Blue Eyes” so it was a nice treat. And who was on the show, but Quincy Jones! Yep he popped up twice!

Sunday we had breakfast in the hotel again. It was included in the price which was great since Copenhagen is uber expensive! Hubby did extensive research as to where we could find a Sunday Mass, and we were led to a church not far from the hotel for an 11:30 mass. Only there wasn’t one there after all! Just a tease! As I said, “Tale of Two Sit Tease”! So we ended up walking the city from top to bottom exploring the amazing Christmas Markets and enjoying the beautiful architecture.

We had some hot Gluhwein (spiced mulled wine) of course since it was so cold we needed to warm up. And we discovered a fab cafe called “The Living Room” with a roaring fire and an amazing hot elderflower cider with minced fresh ginger. I didn’t get a pic of the elderflower cider but I did get one of the fire (and of Hubby’s iPhone, which was always on our pretty pit Stella’s doggie cam).

We eventually did find a Mass at 5pm and had just enough time afterwards to make it to the airport for our flight.

We had boarded our flight and Hubby and I were chatting on about the wonderful weekend when the pilot announced that our plane was not allowed to fly due to some switch not working. After waiting over an hour and failing to fix the switch, all the passengers had to get off plane #1 and wait for a second plane!

All the delays meant we got back to London extremely late. So our normal means of getting home, public transport, was closed. Option #2 was a lovely Uber driver and a cruise through London. Even though it was dark, it was cool to drive through the city as there was literally no traffic. With taking so many tubes underground you can lose your sense of direction. It is helpful every now and again to see things above ground and enjoy the beauty of the city. So it was actually a nice way to end our trip with a final second best (which in our case they all ended up being first best!).

Tomorrow, I will go into detail about our amazing four hour gastronomic experience we had at one of the best restaurants in the world. But all and all, the trip to Copenhagen was a treat for each of the senses. The Danish people are gorgeous inside and out, so kind and very relaxed. I see now why they are always ranked so high on the World Happiness Report. The country itself is very clean, and they seem to be a family oriented culture and from what I saw, it is very dog friendly as well. I hope to go again, as Hubby and I were saying that two nights goes by so fast. But I am feeling so grateful to have been able to go at all. I am also happy I was able to share it with snapchat and this blog. Two ways to keep the memory alive!

And here is one last close up of the delicious Sweet Potato Chorizo Salad to keep your memory alive until you make it yourself! You’ll see if you read this link here that sweet potatoes are so packed with nutrients you too will be able to cope with a little over indulgence, even if it isn’t in Copenhagen!

Med kærlighed,

YDP

Recipe: Foodie Fieldtrip Friday Recap

December 11, 2015November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220

While I haven’t done a Foodie Fieldtrip Friday the last couple of weeks due to dealing with some medical stuff, I realize that I haven’t actually shared with you a couple of cool foodie outings I have done recently. Though I’ve taken along my snapchat (username: blissbakery) friends, I suspect many of you don’t use that form of social media, yet…cuz once you start it’s pretty fun! As well, with the stories vanishing after 24 hours, it is easy to miss out on some of the snaps.

This weekend promises to be a massive foodie surprise, but before I go into that I just want to say that one of my secret hobbies is studying supermarkets around the world and analyzing what items and products are sold in them. A whole post devoted to that topic another time though. I think what is sold/bought in a region says a lot about a culture. I don’t have a Phd in Food Anthropology, but since I am a Dr. of “People Watching” (haha) this falls into a similar category. I believe that food is one of the oldest and most powerful forms of communication. Higher education is catching on to that and you are seeing more academic institutions creating degree programs around food writing, food security, food sociology etc. Here is a link that has compiled a list of schools around the globe devoted to various food studies. My fav is the University of Gastronomy in Italy which is defo on the bucket list. This is the place that I mentioned Clodagh McKenna (our most recent #womancrushwednesday) and I were meant to discuss.

My philosophy is that you don’t have to have a degree on paper saying you are an expert to actually become one. Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers says it takes 10,000 hours to become a master at something. I tend to agree with that. Broken down that is hard work, study, practice and most of all curiosity. Trust me, when I went to university at a mature age, I saw lots of young students literally wasting money on an education when they were all about the recreation. You have to want an education (formal or not) and take initiative to find things out about the world around you. Yet, I think school is great! I love to be challenged intellectually and love to be in a classroom environment. And I feel that you are never too old to learn!

That is why I adore the Foodie Fieldtrip Fridays so much! It’s like being an explorer! Here are the links to the ones I’ve done so far in case you want to go back and salivate! I’ve done two food tours, one in the East End and one in the Soho areas of London, one at the Chocolate Show at the Olympia, another at the BBC Good Food Show and the greatest was the trifecta of FFF (Foodie Fieldtrip Fri-YAY!). But I wanted to share a few pics I took while I was on a recent trip to Nashville, Tennessee visiting my son for his military event. I mean, our whole family is foodie related, so there will always be something good to eat around us! And there might be some good stuff to drink too! My son does have Irish blood, so I mean, who can blame him for this collection of Jameson’s?

In order for me to arrive all the way to the U.S. of course I had to take a plane, duh? But I have never photographed my airline meal until this trip. It actually wasn’t too bad. I know they serve special call ahead request meals, but I did that once and it backfired on me. It was when my kids were small and I thought a healthier option would be a good idea. But when my son was served a fruit platter he was so upset! He has always liked airplane food. I kid you not! He said that when he grew up he wanted to open a restaurant in the shape of an airplane that only served airplane food. Well, in his current job, he does eat small meals out of packets when he is deployed, and he does jump out of planes. So kinda close, no? Oh and by the way, we found someone on that infamous flight that was delighted to swap their mystery meat meal for my son’s fruit platter. So happy campers all the way around.

But I wasn’t such a happy camper when the morning after I arrived at my son’s from London I mistakenly poured cereal in my coffee instead of putting milk in it. Blame it on jet lag! But after that, the weekend was very delicious!

My son is a captain in the U.S. Army as I have shared before, and was having a change of command ceremony. His wife was in charge of providing food for a lunch afterwards for all the soldiers. They were delighted with the chicken lunch she served, and I was in sugar heaven with this giant sheet cake she special ordered. One half was chocolate and the other vanilla! OMG!

That evening we went to a restaurant in Franklin (just outside of Nashville) called Gray’s on Main and it was fabulous. I treated my son and his wife to a dinner there for his 30th birthday and he really wanted to go back. It was very dark inside so I didn’t take pictures but suffice it to say, the Lobster Mac n Cheese, Whiskey Salmon, Bacon Wrapped Figs, Charred Brussels, Grilled Pear Pizza, Stuffed Trout and Short Ribs are just some of the items we ordered for the table. And we all had tastes of everything. SSSSOOOOOO amazing! Then my family gave me a special cupcake (a belated birthday treat) in my fav flavor, red velvet! So thoughtful! Not the best pic here, but I just love the heart sprinkles on top! It was a pretty close version of my recipe, which I have shared on here before.

We also did some cooking at my son and daughter in law’s home. My son is a master bbq guy so he grilled up some chicken and steaks, my daughter in law made a pasta bake, and I made some salads. I’ve already shared on here the gorgeous cauliflower salad which I served, but I also made a Brussels Sprout Salad that was a big hit as well. It is super simple to make and a great alternative to the usual cooked Brussels sprouts this time of year. It is also very versatile as you can add almonds instead of hazelnuts, or if you want you can add some cooked and diced bacon. Mmmm it is making me hungry just thinking about it!

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Serves 4

3 dozen Brussels sprouts, shaved thin

2 scallions (green onions) sliced

1 Tbsp chopped basil

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp Pecorino Cheese, grated

2 Tbsp toasted Hazelnuts, chopped

2 Tbsp Olive Oil or Hazelnut oil if available

Put shaved Brussels sprouts in a large bowl and add scallions, basil and the hazelnuts. Toss all together with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, mix together the lemon juice, zest and oil.

Toss the dressing with the sprouts and the grated cheese and serve.

Finally, after a great weekend we said our goodbyes to my son and his wife and took my daughter and granddaughter to the airport for their flight back home that Sunday morning. Then my aunt and uncle and I had time before our flights departed. So we did some food touring around downtown Nashville and landed on a very typical Southern BBQ joint called Jacks. We shared a combo plate of beef brisket, bbq pork ribs, and chicken with sides of creamed corn, potato salad, mac n cheese, green beans and corn bread. Let’s just say that I didn’t eat a thing on the plane ride back to London! Stuffed with a capital S folks!

I just love Southern food and the unapologetic dietetic aspect. It is what it is. I don’t think they go in for the picky people asking for gluten free this and dairy free that. But I figure when you are in their territory you just have to go for it! Like I said, that is part of the whole FIELDTRIP of the Foodie Fieldtrip Fridays. I did some snaps of it that day (which was on a Sunday) and wanted to share a snippet on here too! In case you are ever in that area, you now have the foodie hook-up!

Nevertheless, I plan on doing loads of snapchatting this weekend for the surprise mega fieldtrip and will write a post all about it. And I will make the Brussels Sprout Salad and put up a pic of that on this post on Monday. So check back if you are curious how it looks. Or, since I have given you the recipe, you can even make it yourself and send me a pic of your creation! Brilliant idea!

Love from Dr. People Watcher (and your Foodie Fieldtrip Friday guide),

YDP

P.S. As promised, here is the final result…looks like the Matterhorn Mountain of Salads. It is really tasty folks, hope you give it a go!

Recipe: That’s the Way the Cookie (hopefully won’t) Crumble

December 10, 2015November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220 ~ 1 Comment

Monday was probably one of the most fun days of my life. I had the Mancrush Monday with my all time fav Marty Whelan and baked some special mustache cookies. Then I was like a little kid decorating them in all different designs. He was so very kind and actually surprised me by reading out my email and recipe, whilst I was in the middle of doing the snapchat tutorial! Here is the link to his radio program. Just click on that day (Monday the 7th of Dec). if you want to hear his utter astonishment at being chosen as a #mancrush (you just have fast forward about 1 hour and 40 mins into his program). But his programs are so good, I think you will enjoy a listen of the whole show! So then, get this, he even posted before and after photos of the cookies and a link to my blog on his website. Wowza! Forget crush, I love this man!

Yikes! Now I felt the pressure to get them packed up safely so they wouldn’t arrive a crumbled mess. Then they might look like whiskers instead of an actual mustache! However, it was a race against time as I wanted to get the dozen mustaches posted out to him as soon as possible! If you know me, you know I prefer to have people enjoy my baked treats fresh out of the oven. So as it is, I knew it will be a few days before he received them. So I opted to decorate them with water icing and sprinkles instead of royal icing due to time constraints. Concerned at how they would look when they arrived I decide to come up with a back up plan. I packed up another dozen mustache cookies, but plain undecorated ones. And I included a “decorate it yourself” kit with tubes of colored icing, sprinkles and icing sugar in a tub along with a wooden stick and instructions of how to mix it with water.

Because I got a massive amount of new snapchat followers as I’ve mentioned, due to his radio announcement and some other followers giving shout outs, I decided to do a give away of the rest of the cookies. I posted a written notice on snapchat, since the bloody video aspect was on the fritz Tuesday. I was amazed and overwhelmed at the response! So many fabulous requests and I wish I could have given away cookies to all the folks who entered. But the lady who won was literally over the moon with excitement. So I mailed that lot as well, bubble wrapped and all.

The folks in the post office have started calling me the “cookie lady” because every time I show up there, that is what I am sending. I’ve done cookie give aways before now. Last week I sent off some of the Lemon Ricotta Cookies I made on the #womancrushwednesday to a lovely winner. And I did another cookie giveaway after my Tuesday Treat field trip to Biscuiteers where I made some pretty elaborate cookies with royal icing, and took those in to post to the winners. I’ve promised the staff at the post office I’ll bring some in for them before Christmas arrives. Otherwise they have threatened to rip open one of my packages.

Yet, I am still in the cookie mode. Next Wednesday the 16th will be the big reveal of the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap where I get to share photos and the recipe of the cookies I made and sent, and also show pics of the ones I received. As well, the bloggers I sent my cookies to will be posting photos of them. So hopefully those arrived in one piece. And I have an important person I will be seeing this weekend and I wanted to bake cookies for them as well. The only good thing in this situation is that they will be hand delivered, so no worry about cookies crumbling!

So time to break out the mixer…oh that’s right, I never put it away. Always there at the ready! Ah I have to give props to my sturdy Kitchen Aid mixer!!! By the way, I actually have two. One, which is still in America, and the other one I bought when we moved to Ireland. I couldn’t bring the American one because of the different electric plug! Big splurge to have not only one but two, but for someone who bakes as often as I do, it is a necessity!

So on to these amazing cookies I have baking today. They are a Spiced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookie with a Maple Glaze and the recipe is from Chowhound! I know I’ve shared a lot of pumpkin recipes with you already, but if you’re not a pumpkin fan, this might be the recipe to help you see the light. They are chewy, flavorful and dare I say healthy? Okay, they have butter and sugar, but the pumpkin and oats make this one a better choice than say a package of Jammie Dodgers! And the oats help reduce cholesterol and the pumpkin helps aid in weight loss so it pretty much balances it all out! Tee hee!

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups rolled oats (not instant nor steal cut)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pie filling; about 1 3/4 cups)
For the glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon milk (not nonfat), plus more as needed
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions:

For the cookies:
1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange the racks to divide the oven into thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside.
3. Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until lightened in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
4. Add the egg and vanilla, return the mixer to medium speed, and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the paddle and the sides of the bowl.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the reserved flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add half of the pumpkin and mix until just incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and pumpkin.
6. Drop 8 dough rounds per baking sheet by the scant 1/4 cup, staggering them 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.. Place the remaining dough in the refrigerator.
7. Place both sheets in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back and continue baking until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and around the edges, about 12 minutes more.
8. Place the baking sheets on wire racks and let the cookies cool on the sheets for 3 minutes. Using a flat spatula, transfer the cookies to the wire racks to cool completely. Let the baking sheets cool to room temperature and then repeat with the remaining dough (you can use the same parchment paper). When all of the cookies are baked, set the pieces of parchment paper aside.
For the glaze:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until evenly combined. (You may need to add more milk by the 1/2 teaspoon if the glaze is too thick to drizzle.)
2. Place all of the cooled cookies on the reserved parchment sheets. Dip a fork into the glaze and drizzle it over the cookies in a zigzag pattern. Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the glaze has set, about 20 minutes.

I posted a video to my instagram page of applying the maple glaze on the cookies to the song, “Pour Your Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard. Yeah, I defo have fun!

If you noticed the photo of the ingredients you might have seen that the two stars of the show are representing my Yankee Doodle Paddy moniker. Libby’s Pure Pumpkin Puree is the number one seller in America. And thankfully I can find it over on this side of the world (ahem, at a much higher price but worth it). The Flahavan’s Organic Porridge Oats are also available in a local supermarket and it is the number one selling oatmeal in Ireland! So this cookie could end up being a YDP signature snack! Hmm, looks like from the photo I already tucked into one there. But all in the name of quality control! LOL!

Did you know that the phrase, “That’s how the cookie crumbles” has absolutely no concrete origin? Sure, it can be translated into a few common idioms such as “that’s life” etc. But there is no unified opinion on when it came into use and who first said it. So many phrases we use in everyday vernacular can be traced to different forms of literature such as the Bible, Shakespeare etc. But I tell you one thing, with all my cookies being shipped here there and everywhere, I’m coming up with a new version of the phrase. On this day anyway, it’s gonna be “that’s how the cookie hopefully won’t crumble!” Fingers crossed, I just want Marty Whelan, the winner of the give away, and the three foodie bloggers to all share photos of cookies, not crumbles!

Love from the biggest cookie monster of them all,

YDP

Recipe: Woman Crush Wednesday

December 9, 2015November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220

You need this Woman Crush Wednesday today. I can just feel it! The cold and wet weather is getting to you and the busy shopping malls with stressed out people have left you drained. But that is about to change. Because today is your tonic! Today we are crushing on one of the lovely ladies of the culinary world, and it happens to be the amazing Irish chef Clodagh McKenna! Between her beautiful smile and her amazing Spiced Butternut Squash and Coconut Soup recipe you will be warmed up in a flash! If you’re so inclined you can follow along on snapchat (username: blissbakery) and join in the lovefest! The video story only lasts 24 hours, but the crush on Clodagh will last long beyond that!

Last week we were on the west coast of America for our #WCW and as we skip back across the Atlantic to my soul home, I felt it was time I let you in on a little secret. I’ve met Clodagh on several occasions and she is one of the nicest people in the world. Then again, maybe it isn’t such a secret. If you’ve followed her at all on social media or on television (she has hosted numerous programs about Irish food) you’ve probably felt her essence. Her openness and massive heart shine through. I suppose what I find most incredible about her is her generosity and philanthropy. She is involved in numerous charities even with her busy schedule of chef, restaurateur, cookbook writer, cookery teacher and television star.

Though I am now living in London, I used to live in Dublin and worked near one of her restaurants. I would stop in from time to time and then one day I finally introduced myself to her. We are both Ballymaloe Cookery School graduates and when I realized that she was going to be speaking at the Ballymaloe Lit Fest (which I was also attending), I decided to take off my shy hat and say hello. She put me at ease right away, and said she would be delighted to see me down in Cork that May of 2014. I wasn’t able to attend her particular cooking demo (sold out) but she was so kind when we bumped into each other down there as we chatted away about the wonderful foodie weekend. Whenever I saw her out and about in Dublin or in her restaurant she was absolutely divine, making me feel like I was the only one in the room. One time in particular when I was treating a co-worker to lunch Clodagh herself served us our food, sat down in the booth and visited for a bit.

The reason I point out her super special personality is simple. There are loads of chefs, male and female, in this world who are all making great food. But when you have someone like Clodagh who not only makes great food and but also makes you (the patron) feel great too, why then you understand her success. Her career trajectory is literally flying ! She is now creating the menu for Aer Lingus (the Irish airline) and has been well received in America, having been featured on many television programs there. My fav was the Guinness Cake she made on Rachel Ray’s popular show. The sky really is the limit for Clodagh. Her food is fresh, tasty, seasonal and sustainable. In fact, I decided to do a recipe that covers all aspects of those adjectives! And what better time to make it than now, with all the cold weather we have been having. Knowing Clodagh, if you make this and send her a pic on Instagram, she will likely give you a thumbs up. For she is, at the heart, a fantabulous person who is out there promoting passion for cooking!

INGREDIENTS
20g butter
1kg butternut squash,
skinned, deseeded and cut
into 2.5cm pieces
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 garlic cloves, crushed
200g onions, chopped
700ml hot vegetable stock
300ml coconut milk
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper

METHOD
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan,add the squash, spices, garlic and onions and season with salt and pepper.
Cover and leave to simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes.
Stir in the stock and coconut milk and bring the soup to the boil. When the squash is tender the soup is ready to be blended using a food-processor or hand blender. Serve hot.

FullSizeRender-10 — This is my finished version. I whipped up some of the coconut cream (it’s on the very top when you open the can of coconut milk) and whirled it around with some seeds and flat leaf parsley for garnish. Also served with some Naan Bread! Yummy!

If you’ve read The ABCs of YDP you’ll see why I apologize for my lack of food styling photography. Hence the pic at the top of this page comes from Clodagh’s website. But I am all about the taste, and this soup hits it out of the park! Super delish! There are three things I love about this soup. One is that is is so quick and easy, two it is super economical, and three is that it is adaptable. If you don’t like coconut, leave it out and replace with more broth. If you are feeling like you need a bit of “sumpin, sumpin” you can add chorizo (which Clodagh suggests). This recipe is also gluten free, dairy free (if you use oil instead of butter) and vegetarian! Whoop whoop! It ticks all the nutritional boxes! For those of you not aware, butternut squash is like the superfood of super foods! So between the spices and the butternut squash, this soup will help ward off all those nasty Winter bugs going around!

Clodagh and I were meant to have a conversation about a well known food university in Italy that she attended. We never had the chance as Hubby’s and my move to London happened so quickly. I never even had a chance to say goodbye. But all of the staff at her restaurant knew me and I said my goodbyes to them. They too were always fantastic when I went in and I think their warmth was kindled by her spirit. Like the saying, “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” She walks the walk and talks the talk. And best of all she is honest about the hard times too. In a recent article she reveals that there have been struggles. Often people in the limelight make the rest of us feel like they have everything just so. And that isn’t the case in reality. But Clodagh, as I said already, is an open person. I think I need to add brave to the list of kudos as well.

Thanks Clodagh for being such an inspiration, foodie wise and otherwise. You are an amazing lady through and through. I’m sorry I couldn’t say goodbye in person, but just know I am still basking in your glorious glow over on this side of the Irish Sea.

Love from the self appointed president of your infatuation nation,

YDP

P.S. If you are looking for a Christmas gift for any foodies in your life, Clodagh has a line of gorgeous aprons. They even come in a chic boutique looking wrapping! I have one on my Santa list 🙂 Click here for a peek…

Holy Mary Mother of God!

December 8, 2015November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220

That’s right, that is the title of this post. “Holy Mary Mother of God” there I said it. I’m sure you have heard people make this exclamation before. Or maybe the other one that is in popular use, “Jesus, Mary and Joesph!” I bet there was a lot of that flying around today, as the social media world was literally paralyzed. Why? Because of all things Snapchat was on the fritz. Not all of snapchat’s abilities (you could still send a photo) were crippled the whole day. But the video aspect was completely down. Like, all day long! As I write this, it is still down with no explanation, even after numerous messages to customer support. The topic was trending on twitter: #snapchatdown. While some were going through withdrawals, I experienced frustration myself, which is actually ludicrous. I am the most non tech person you’d ever meet. It’s true, it wasn’t that long ago my son had to give me an emergency tutorial over the phone of how to send an email with an attachment! So here’s me now, doing a blog, instagram, twitter and SNAPCHAT! And then I get a head wreck when snapchat doesn’t work?! I mean I had important things to say on there today!

The truth is that yesterday was a massive day in my little snapchat land. After the super fun Mancrush Monday for Marty Whelan, between his on air reading of my email and fellow snap chatters giving me a shout out, I had a phenomenal amount of new subscribers (not sure that is even how you say it). So of course today when I went on to do a video about a free give away I’m hosting, it wasn’t working. I just assumed it was me and my inability to navigate the thing. Come to find out there is a system error, glitch whatever you want to call it. The “could not send, please try again” notice that kept appearing was not my friend today! So, I hope it is up and running tomorrow is all I can say, or else you will see a grown woman cry! Cuz tomorrow is Woman Crush Wednesday my fav day of the week!

But then, as I do when I get a little worked up, I had a think and decided to regroup. It’s not the end of the world, right?! So I went to midday mass, which as fate would have it is a feast day in the Catholic Church for Our Lady. That’s right, the Holy Mary Mother of God one! I also discovered that a short recorded interview (click here) that I did a while ago about Mary, was posted online today, on this feast day. So I thought, well, maybe I could do a Tuesday Crush day on The Blessed Virgin Mary! Seriously, I’m not trying to be sacrilegious here.

I mean, the whole time we lived in Ireland, I remember how empty the churches would often be on Sunday mass, apart from any days dedicated to Mary. Those were always packed! As well, one of the few Marian Shrines in the world is located in the West of Ireland in Knock, Co. Mayo. I’ve been several times myself. It is actually located half way between my relations on my Grandpa’s side in Galway, and the others on my Grandma’s side in Sligo. I do think the Irish have a fondness for Mary. It could be because it is a wonderful family oriented culture that is centered around the Irish Mammy. And we know that the most popular Irish girls’ name is in fact Mary!

Outside of Catholicism, a devotion (we don’t call it a worship) to the Virgin Mary is unheard of really. But I think it is a lovely aspect of the church. Especially if you listen to my interview you’ll see that for many people, especially those that have had no mothers, abusive, or neglectful mothers like I did, Our Lady offers a maternal hope and comfort.

In Ireland on many street corners and in housing estates, you see Mary statues. I don’t see them in America, except maybe inside a Catholic church. And they aren’t anywhere around in the U.K either, except funny enough, there is one outside our little parish church here in London. I thought it looked so pretty one evening I had to take a picture. I remember my husband saying, you’re not going to put that on your snapchat are you? I hadn’t planned on it. But I think what he meant was maybe some who watch my snaps might be offended. It is so funny, but coming from America, we have been very sensitized not to offend anyone, to be politically correct at all times. Don’t discuss politics, religion or money in mixed company we are taught. Yet, I could tell you about some of the things I have seen on snapchat and you just might think they lie smack dab in the “offensive” column. But a picture of Mary? Maybe, it might offend some.

I am not posting this story today to offend anyone in any way. If you’ve been reading along with me thus far you know all I want to do is spread love. That is my purpose in life. I happen to be blessed with a talent and passion for food and use my chef skills to pour love into my cooking. But I am also a very authentic person. I am who I am. And you are who you are. I would never attempt to put my beliefs on anyone. But when people discover the atrocities I survived in my life, they wonder how did I do it. And it is simple, my faith. For some people they need to hear that. Otherwise they walk around thinking I had a magic wand and poof!

This past summer I stayed with my daughter and her family as she was about to give birth to her second child. I adore my four year old granddaughter and we were inseparable while I was there. When I would put her to bed at night she wanted to say prayers together. I would say the “Hail Mary” prayer as it is one of the ones I like to say. Then one night when my daughter was putting her to bed Harper said, “Mommy, aren’t we gonna pray to Mary” and my daughter said, “We don’t pray to Mary.” Though my daughter was christened as a Catholic, she attends a Christian church. And why I bring this up is that I am delighted she has faith in her life. But it is her own relationship with God not mine. I don’t judge it. How she chooses to raise her daughter as well is her choice. And there are no hard feelings. My daughter nor I are offended by any of this. Yet, we as human beings in this world, become offended by others’ religions or even a mention of their church family. However, we are numb to people discussing their bedroom habits with whomever or whatever to strangers?

So, bottom line is, chill out folks! Snapchat will be working again. And I am still the same person I was before. With my bad singing, bad dancing and great recipes on offer. I just want to have fun and spread some love. Only I may have a slightly different take on the whole phrase, “Holy Mary Mother of God”.

With Christmas just 17 sleeps away, I want to share a little “funny” with you. My son said to me one day when he was about 5 years old, “Hey mom, guess what? I know what Jesus’ last name is.” I said, “Really, what is it Hun?” Then enthusiastically he said, “It’s CHRISTMAS, cuz his mom’s name is Merry CHRISTMAS!”

I love you guys, and thank you for letting me be me! No offense!

YDP

P.S. If you do fancy a listen to my short interview (it’s about 2 mins) click on the link and scroll down a bit where you will see “Today’s Something About Mary” and there is a little arrow you click on to hear it. Or else, you can read a short written synopsis there as it has my name “Karen” by it.

Recipe: Mancrush Monday in the Morning

December 7, 2015September 25, 2018 ~ Harper220 ~ 1 Comment

Today is the first time, and most likely last, that I will be posting a Mancrush Monday. Though I’ve been doing the super popular Woman Crush Wednesdays giving props to my female foodie infatuations, I have no inclination of doing one for the men in the culinary world. No offense, it is just that they get enough attention as it is. Besides, I am so in love with my Hubby that I literally don’t notice other men in general so there wasn’t a need to talk about any other males, be it in the food business or otherwise. However, today, we are making an exception. Because quite literally I have always had and always will have a massive crush on my man Marty Whelan. I’m not talking about the romantic or frivolous type of crush, but a genuine admiration and respectful kind of crush. And truth be told, my Hubby feels the same way. Even after moving from Dublin to London, we still listen to Marty’s program everyday. Along with his great musical selections, he effortlessly brings sunshine into the world through his humor and wit. And he is by far the most accessible media personality out there. He takes time to read out birthday messages, tweets from fans, and email comments from listeners across the globe (yep we aren’t the only ones who stream his show live).

For those of you not familiar with Marty, HELLO people! Where have you been? He is a national treasure in Ireland. His morning radio program on RTE is the jolly jolt one needs for the cold and rainy Irish mornings. He combines a wonderful musical selection of classical, jazz and popular standards and interjects his wealth of knowledge about each. His 7-10 am five day a week slot is coveted in the ratings and it isn’t any wonder. This man is an institution! Not only a radio personality, he also hosts the popular television show Winning Streak. And our dear friend is also a best selling author. His book, That’s Life was recently short listed as one of the best books of 2015 in the Irish Book Awards. If you too want to live stream in the morning you can click here. Sometimes, Hubby and I even listen back in the evening while we are eating dinner.

Okay, so how do we do a crush on Marty? For our #womancrushwednesdays (which we have showered love on the fabulous Irish chefs Susan Jane White, Rachel Allen and Trish Deseine among others) we take a recipe by our honoree and recreate it for snapchat (username: blissbakery) as well as post on instagram, twitter and indeed this blog. Since Marty is a radio and television personality we have a dilemma. But I do know Marty loves his food and is very enthusiastic when he hosts the great Irish chef Neven Maguire every Friday. Furthermore, I want to make something in the kitchen that I can send him in the post. A little Christmas pressie. A small token of thanks for all the goodness he brings to the lives of others. So what is Marty most known for besides his great talent? Why that classic mustache! Yes folks! I have it! I will make mustache cookies! Step by step! With some musical accompaniment of course. Take it away Mart!

Marty’s Mustache Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups (310 g) plain flour

¼ tsp salt

3/4 cup ( 172 g) salted butter, softened

3/4 cup caster sugar (160g)

1 egg

1 tps vanilla extract

sprinkles and other decorations

Preheat oven to 170 C/325F/Gas mark 3. In a medium bowl combine flour, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and the sugar until creamy, light and fluffy, about 3 mins. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating until well incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then add the flour mixture. Beat on low to combine but do not overmix.

Gather the dough into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap (cling film). Refrigerate for one hour until firm.

On a floured surface, roll out dough to a ¼ in thickness. With mustache cookie cutters, cut dough and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Bake for 13-15 mins, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer with a spatula to a cool flat surface.

Decorate the cookies with icing and sprinkles and enjoy while listening to Marty in the Morn!

Hubby and I became acquainted with Marty even before we got hooked on his morning radio program. Marty is a commentator for the infamous EuroVision Song Contest. While we didn’t know a thing about it before we moved to Ireland, you can’t help but get swept up in the kitsch of it all. And the fact that Ireland has won it more than any other country (seven times) helps with the hoopla around the big event in May. However, it is Marty’s sharp tongue in cheek quips during the show that literally have us glued to the tele. He says what we are all thinking! For sheer entertainment, I could just listen to his commentary and skip the often bizarre performances and ludicrous voting blocks.

While living in Dublin and working for a gourmet fresh food company I would listen to Marty in the morning while setting up the shop each day. I would often send Marty emails/texts/cards and indeed treats over to his office at RTE. And he would kindly read out a thing or two and make mention of the freshly baked goodie that arrived. But one time, which had me endeared to him for life, I sent him a copy of my daughter’s CD. She teaches music to children and made a CD with kids’ songs. One song in particular on it has a symbolic significance: The Rainbow Connection. Since she lives in America, I would often think that all the rainbows in Ireland are a metaphoric link to her since we are living so far apart and dearly miss each other . The song highlights that. I had no idea he would do this, but Marty played the song on the air one day. I was not only shocked but in tears of joy. And that my folks is the essence of Marty Whelan. As great as his accomplishments are and the notoriety he has achieved, he is really a man of the people. He engages, connects, encourages and uplifts all of us who follow him.

A wonderful husband, father and ambassador for Ireland itself, I can’t think of a better man to take the humble honor of one and only Mancrush Monday than the incredible Marty Whelan. I do hope someday to meet him in person. I feel somehow as though I have, even though I have never even so much as spoken to him on the phone. But maybe when we do eventually move back to Dublin, perchance we will meet. And it will likely be one of those moments when you meet someone and you feel like you’ve known them your whole life. As I suspect any of you might feel if you met him. He just has that gift of making people feel so comfortable and at ease and welcomed.

One thing besides a love of music that Marty and I share, is the fact that we were both photographed by the amazingly talented Barry McCall. Mine wasn’t for a book cover as was Marty’s, but nevertheless, it is a funny coincidence indeed. It was back in 2011 for myself, ah but feels like yesterday!

God love you Marty. Thank you for being not only our Mancrush Monday, but Mancrush everyday. You’ve helped this Yankee Doodle Paddy survive a move away from her Soul Land by bringing me a bit of the Emerald Isle each day. Wishing you and your beautiful family a most wonderful Christmas time and all the best in the New Year!

Mustache Love,

YDP

aka Karen, the American lady

ps. Marty I also wanted to share this photo from 2012 out in Los Angeles. I took Barry McCall and Tony Fenton (God rest his soul) to meet my dear friend Quincy Jones. How precious this is to me now that Tony has left us. It is just a reminder that we need to keep spreading the LOVE. So thank you for always doing that!

YDP’s “Best Of” Short List

December 5, 2015November 18, 2016 ~ Harper220

Sunset over the Thames River just outside our home

Last Saturday in lieu of a recipe or a story, I decided to start a ongoing series with my ‘best of’ short list from various cities I have experienced. I figured it is only fair to first cover places I’ve actually lived, before going on about places I have holidayed. So I started with Los Angeles since it was my last port of call before moving abroad. Now that I am currently living in London, an interesting mix of old and new, I thought I would share my tips and secrets about this incredible city I now call home.

It sounds strange to me to actually say London is my home. I guess I still haven’t gotten used to it. I have always loved London and enjoyed numerous visits here dating back to 1981. In fact I was here when Charles and Diana got married. Wow, so long ago and so much has happened since then! But I actually never thought I would live here. It is such a great place to explore and lots to soak up because it has much to offer. But even the many times we came for a long weekend while living in Dublin (handy that it is only an hour plane ride across the Irish Sea), I figured, sure I’ll come again for another whirlwind stay. And now the stay is more than 48 hours!

With Hubby in front of the amazing St. Paul’s Cathedral

While Hubby and I are still finding our way, and likely will for a long time to come given the expanse and diversity of London, I have a current great ‘best of’ short list for you. Where to sleep would be the first order of business I suppose, unless you have a friend or rele living here (which helps with the pocketbook since London is so expensive). Mind you, this list is by no means comprehensive. But I am only giving advice on places I’ve been and things I have done (unless otherwise noted). I am not getting paid or compensated by anything I say here. I just happened to feel passionately about each of these items for various reasons. And as I mentioned in the first ‘best of’ list, I won’t be going anywhere near negatives, or downers, as I am not gonna rain on anyone’s parade. This is a happy, carefree piece for anyone interested in traveling here, or simply going on a virtual tour of this cool and complex city.

Places to stay:

Though the place to stay at the moment is the amazing architectural achievement called The Shard, since I haven’t stayed there, I can’t tell you what it is like. Sure I have seen it (it is very visible no matter where you are in the city), but haven’t yet taken the journey up top. One could always go to the viewing tower (for which you need to pre-book and pay upwards of 30 GBP) if so inclined. The building is home to offices and the Shangri-La Hotel and its service is meant to be impeccable. However the most pricey place to stay is none other than The Lanesborough. Also, hasn’t made my short list, because for one night at this price, I could fly back to the States and see my family! But for a special occasion like a wedding night, I suppose it would be a total splurge. Here are my recommendations:

Pricey: The Mayfair is not only a beautifully decorated hotel, it is beautifully located! Very convenient to the Green Park Tube station and walking distance to Buckingham Palace. It is also close to some very posh boutiques in Mayfair for those of you who like to shop. As you already know if you’ve been reading this, I am not a shopper. But I did wear a Jenny Packham dress for my wedding and so I just had to have a pic taken out in front when Hubby and I stayed at the Mayfair back in 2011. A little Hollywood trivia, the hotel was featured in the film Hereafter starring Matt Damon.

Mid: The Arch or The Dorset Square are equally amazing boutique hotels and with their occasional special deals, you might luck out and get something even more affordable than mid-range. Hubby loves The Arch so much that he says it is on his ‘best of’ short list of all time places we’ve stayed. What is great about both these hotels is the special care that the staff take towards the guests. You don’t get lost in the shuffle of a big hotel chain, and they treat you like one of the family. Special amenities such as a Nespresso coffee maker or thick bathrobes add a touch of an at home feeling when you are away from your creature comforts. Speaking of which, a stay at The Arch over the Bank Holiday weekend in May 2014 led to a funny robe situation. I couldn’t find the robes in the room and called the front desk. They sent up two robes, and the attendant politely showed me where the other two were located in the room. Oops I missed that! But he was so kind about it. Anyway, Hubby joked that maybe I should wear all four robes so that none would go to waste. And me being me, I took him up on his challenge. Michelin (Wo)Man London style!

Budget hotels do exist here despite London’s reputation for being outlandishly expensive. But I have to admit we haven’t stayed in any of them. To be quite frank, accommodations on holidays was an issue Hubby and I worked on early in our relationship, as we are both avid travelers. But since he likes to spend as little time in the room as possible because of the great sightseeing in a new place, he would normally go budget. But I like my creature comforts such as a nice bathroom and comfy bed. So the sweet guy that he is, he has adapted. And the mid range/boutique is usually our go to compromise. But I do see his point, and so the list here looks darn good. Cheap and cheerful, yet still leaving money in your pocket to spend on a nice meal out or some epic shopping.

To Eat:

If you read yesterday’s sad face, poor me I’m hungry post, then you will know, food is my world. So of course I could go on and on with this category of ‘best of’. Especially since London is one of the most amazing foodie destinations in the world. While some people might be snickering under their breath thinking of the fish and chips, bangers and mash British food reputation, let me tell you something, it is far more than that. What has greatly influenced the revolution are Brits such as Gordon Ramsey, Heston Blumenthal, Jamie Oliver, and the female foodies behind The River Cafe. As well, The Great British Bake Off has seen enormous success and proves that there is more to English pastries than the humble scone. And fabulous supper clubs and pop up restaurants are cropping up everywhere giving diners alternatives to posh establishments yet still having delicious food prepared by hand. One of our favs of course is Sabrina Gayhour whose Persian food fest is out of this world! And of course the fab Nigella Lawson brought a whole new dimension to British food with her best selling cookery books and wildly popular food shows. Though we have been lucky enough to dine at some out of this world, highly rated restaurants, here is my ‘best of’ short list of foodie places I absolutely adore and share with anyone that comes visiting me.

Ottolenghi is a food goal in life for anyone who appreciates a good meal. It is fresh, wholesome, delicious and made with the utmost love and integrity. These group of gourmet delis and restaurants are some of the best food dining experiences I have ever had in my life. Started by chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, they combined their Middle Eastern background and styles of cooking to bring a whole new genre of food. I was lucky enough to meet them last year at the Ballymaloe Lit Fest and they are as nice in person as you could ever imagine. Their cookbooks are literally a feast for the eyes and make you want to lock yourself in the kitchen for days recreating all their fabulous recipes. I especially love their restaurant NOPI as the ‘small plates’ style of eating is right up my alley. I love to taste a lot of different things and share my food with Hubby or with whomever I am dining. As well, they recently opened a healthy “fast food” restaurant in Covent Garden called Sesame. It is an amalgam of various street foods from the Mediterranean region and has items such as Hummus, Chicken in Pita, Cauliflower salads etc… Much better for you than chain restaurants. Upshot, please go to one or all of their establishments if you are ever in London, you will thank me for it!

Honey and Co is also in the Middle Eastern food family. It is a trend that I hope never ends as the food is much better for our bodies than heavily fried or processed foods. This place was my choice of restaurants when Hubby and I celebrated our wedding anniversary in June. It is owned and operated by a husband and wife team. They are gloriously cute, and while I didn’t meet them when we went (as they were at The Ballymaloe Cookery School, my alma mater, doing a demonstration) I could feel their essence in every bite of food I tasted. I ordered the Pomegranate Molasses Chicken and let’s just say that Hubby wished he had ordered it too when he had a bite. OMG so amazing! The place is quite small, and not real fancy, but I love the coziness as it feels you are in someone’s home. Bottom line, the food does the talking and it says, “You will love your honey when he/she brings you here!”

Eating London Foodie Tour might seem to fall under the “to do” list and yes, I suppose you could say that. But since you are getting a tour of the city, loads of history AND also getting the most amazing food experience of your life, I had to put it on this list. I have been on two of their tours now and each is as good as the other. The first one, which you can read about here, was in the East End part of London near the Old Spitalfields Market. The tour was professional, fun and informative with our outstanding guide Harry. The second one I went on was in the Soho area of London led by the talented Joe and you can read about my experience here. Just make sure to go hungry cuz there is a lot of eating on these tours. It is well worth the price, and all the walking makes you feel less guilty about all the calories. I for one am so eager to go on another tour I am busting!

To Do:

Do I look excited to visit Buckingham Palace or what?

The Queen and The Royal Family are really what makes London so unique in my opinion. Maybe because I am from America or lived in Ireland, but since there are so few royals left in this world I find it quite intriguing. You’d think that by the 21st century it might not be a necessity for a country to have such a thing when there are so many other priorities the national treasury could spend money on, but yet it is still part of society. I suppose that it offers tradition and comfort.

I took this pic of a sign in a shop window, one of many I saw around London.

When you see the outpouring of love that happened this Spring when The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcomed their baby Charlotte, you gain better insight into the British mentality towards the Royal Family. So I think a trip to London wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Buckingham Palace or even the Tower of London, where the Royal Crown Jewels are kept. However, if you aren’t inclined to support the House of Windsor, may I suggest visiting the former home of some literary royalty? The Charles Dickens Museum which Hubby and I visited on one of our trips while living in Dublin, was such a wonderful experience! It was fascinating to learn more about the history of one of the great British literary treasures and someone whom we both admire

Greenwich’s Royal Observatory is by far my best tourist experience here in London. Yet I never went until I actually moved here. It is a bit out of city center so many people overlook it. But it is so worth the trip and very easy to get to by train, bus or the river boat called the Thames Clipper. The ride out to Greenwich by boat is more fun and scenic, and then when you dock you see none other than the infamous Cutty Sark. A lovely walk through the village and up the hill to the top is actually breathtaking, and I’m not talking about OUT of breath. I mean the park is stunning, and the view from the top will make your heart skip a beat. You can see London in the distance and Canary Warf in the foreground.

Then the tour in the Observatory will literally stop you in your tracks. You will learn how and why we have the time keeping capacity we do now. It is because of the incredibly intelligent and diligent British men who spent years designing a way to record time using the stars and navigation along with specially designed clocks that would work on boats. So when you see GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) after having stood atop the Prime Meridian, you will have a greater appreciation for the old clock!

The West End is the original Broadway. It is theater that is considered popular and accessible. Hubby and I love our Shakespeare but I know it isn’t for anyone. Case in point when my cousin recently came to visit us from Ireland and I pointed out Shakespeare’s Old Globe Theater not far from Hubby’s work. I asked if she’d like to see a play there and she politely said no. But she said she’d love to see a West End play. So Hubby booked three tickets to see The Audience with Kristen Scott Thomas (one of my fav actresses and whom we have seen perform before). It was a fantastic play and my cousin was over the moon! Before we moved to London, we never came for a visit without attending at least one West End show. Sometimes we saw three or more. In fact, on one occasion we even saw two in a day! And now that we live here we still attend, having seen four so far. As fate would have it, tonight we were in the West End to see Hangmen, Martin McDonagh’s new play. Years ago we saw his play here called The Lieutenant of Inishmore, a dark yet delightful comedy. I expected more of that tonight and wasn’t disappointed. This is the same guy who wrote In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths. Prolific and talented! We were lucky enough to chat with him tonight during intermission. What a coincidence as Hubby and I were just talking about how we first met him at a private screening of In Bruges at the Director’s Guild in L.A. just before we moved to Dublin. It was a great surprise to see him again! Though it appeared that most everyone else was ogling the actor Jude Law who happened to be in the audience as well.

Admittedly though it took me a while to warm up to it, I am really settling into life here in London. I know it isn’t forever, so I am trying to enjoy it as much as possible. I might have been reluctant to move here, as I have shared before, since I didn’t want to leave Ireland. But I can see so many benefits to living here that I hadn’t appreciated in the beginning. Someday we will leave, but we will continue to come back for visits because there will always be so much to do and see here as it is a constantly changing environment. Yet what I really love about London is that it retains all the rich history. If you haven’t been, all I can say is, what are you waiting for people?

Lovin’ London,

YDP

Yankee Doodle Paddy

America + Ireland = LOVE

Author: Harper220

Recipe: I Think I Can Cope with Copenhagen!

Recipe: Foodie Fieldtrip Friday Recap

Recipe: That’s the Way the Cookie (hopefully won’t) Crumble

Recipe: Woman Crush Wednesday

Holy Mary Mother of God!

Recipe: Mancrush Monday in the Morning

YDP’s “Best Of” Short List