As I have shared here before, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  And it is getting closer my friends!  So to get in the mood, I am pulling out every pumpkin recipe in my arsenal.

I normally make a big brunch for my Hubby and myself on the weekend.  Truth be told, I don’t have to wait until autumn to make these pumpkin pancakes.  They are so delicious and nutritious that I make them all year long.  They are the one flour containing pancake recipe that doesn’t leave you with the “too full tummy” feeling after you’ve devoured them.

If you can find tinned/canned pure pumpkin you are in luck.  However, some stores on this side of the pond don’t carry it.  So you could always use fresh pumpkin, roasted and then pureed.  Or substitute sweet potatoes just as easily.

You’ll find that these are so moreish that you will want to make up a larger batch and then freeze some of the pancakes so you can have them throughout the week.  With some crushed pecans and a drizzle of maple syrup I can’t think of a better way to start the day!  And with the totally cool hack (handy kitchen tip) you can make them even quicker by using a turkey baster. Yep, that’s right, just to get you in the mood for basting your turkey in a little over a month.  I mean, why should you only use that kitchen gadget once a year?!

Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (190 g)

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (if you can’t find it in the spice section of the grocery store you can combine ground 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon and ginger with 1/8 tsp each of ground nutmeg and cloves)

1 cup/8 oz whole milk (or you can substitute with soy/almond milk  if you are dairy intolerant)

6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree (100g)

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 egg

Sift and whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, stir together wet ingredients.  Once combined, fold wet mixture into dry ingredients.  Heat a large pan over medium high heat and melt a bit of butter.  Using a turkey baster squeeze up about a 1/4 cup of the batter and squirt into discs into the pan . Cook for about 2-3  minutes, until the center starts to bubble and the sides start to get firm, then flip.  Cook for an additional 2 minutes or until pancake is heated through.  Repeat with the rest of the batter. Makes approximately  10.  Serve with crushed pecans and maple syrup.

Though I don’t have anything against going to a fab brunch restaurant, by the time you get in your car, drive, park and then wait to be seated and served, you could have seriously had a smack down breakie in the comfort of your own home.  And since I have some not so great memories of going to a restaurant with my mom for a ‘not breakfast’, I kinda opt for doing the cooking myself.

The story goes that she had to meet a friend, another nefarious one like her rainbow friends that had a strange name.  His name was Bob Scheme.  And she brought my brother and me with her to the restaurant.  As per usual she had no money.  So she told us kids that we had to just sit there and be quiet.  And the only time she said we were allowed to talk was when the waitress arrived to take our order.  We were instructed to say “thanks anyway but we are not hungry”.   The truth is, we were starving!   I’m still not sure what business transaction (or scheme) went down with her friend.  But I still remember the sound of my tummy grumbling and the smell of the food coming from the restaurant kitchen.  I thought to myself, how lucky those people were who worked as chefs, as they probably got to taste some of the food that went out to the customers.  You know, quality control.  And that might have been the ‘a-ha’ moment in my soul, even if I didn’t recognize it at the time, that I would end up in the culinary industry.  Never having to be without food again and certainly never having to say, “no thanks I’m a not hungry” if in fact I was.

So I hope a few of my little stories give you an insight into why Thanksgiving is so important to me.  But the truth is every day is thanksgiving for me. And for one I am grateful you are here sharing all these YDP moments with me!  Now go ahead and make some of these amazing pumpkin pancakes!  You will be thanking me!  And today my friends, Hubby did a bit of filming for the Yankee Doodle Paddy Youtube Channel.  So before long you too can see these Weekend Wonders being demoed just for you.

Full of appreciation,

YDP

P.S here is a you tube cooking tutorial for the pumpkin pancakes. The recipe is straight forward but if you want to see some bad singing and dancing you might want to check it out! LOL!

It’s Monday…and most of what I see on social media (the little that I see) is about the dreaded start to the week.  Here we go again.  Why can’t we just make the weekend last a bit longer.  Can we call in a sickie and have a duvet day.  My head hurts from celebrating Ireland’s win over France in rugby, blah, blah, blah.

But personally I am grateful it is Monday!  Maybe because I have seen the preciousness of life before my very eyes.  To me everyday is special and I am grateful for everything, the good and the bad, because it is all part of the journey.  And when I put on this shirt today, I knew it was time I shared a little story and yes a foodie recipe too!

Those of you that know me, know I say a blessing before I eat a meal.  Lots of my friends and co workers are used to it and not bothered by it.  I don’t do it to be showy or pious.  Yes I am a Catholic Christian.  But I don’t do a blessing as an edict set out by my religion, though I know that is part of its precepts.  I say a blessing before I eat because there were times in my life when I had little or no food at all.  Only through the generosity of strangers, the church, food banks and other places would I have food to eat.

Recently I was at a restaurant by myself and said my prayer as I always do.  Just after I tucked into my delicious breakfast a lovely older man walked over to me and said, “I’m sorry to bother you but I saw you saying a blessing before you ate.  That is wonderful. You don’t see that anymore.”  I just thanked him for his kindness but didn’t get into my story of why, as I can at times do a bit of over sharing as you have learned.  But it made me realize that we are so conditioned in more affluent Western societies that food is in such abundance and we take it for granted. It is especially surprising in Ireland as it really wasn’t long ago that many of our ancestors were affected by the Great Famine.

This is not a blog post about how you should be praying, or giving to the hungry.  I am just putting a face to a phenomenon that we don’t notice because it might not look like one of us!  I remember hearing kids at school say that their parents told them to clean their plates every night at dinner because there were starving children in China.  I didn’t tell them, “well my mom doesn’t say that to us because actually, I am starving too, right here in the good old USA.”

And so I thought that today I would make a Chinese inspired dish.  For the “Starving Children in China” that I ne’r heard my mom talk about when I was a kid.   And while I might not be able to actually feed all those hungry kids, I can be grateful for the fact that I have food to eat today.  This is actually a ‘go to’ recipe that I make often as it helps to clear out my fridge of all sorts of goodies.  I hate wasting food (for obvious reason just mentioned above) and this quick meal is healthy and delicious.  I tend to make it on a Monday since I usually have left over roasted chicken from the weekend and some veg as well.  It can also be made with prawns or with just vegetables.  You don’t have to wait until a Monday to make it. You can prep all the bits and pieces separately to put this together yourself any day of the week.

The Guardian Newspaper just published a list of food dishes that every person should be able to cook by the age of 30.  And guess what?  Fried rice was on the list.  I suppose that it is quite easy to pick up a fried rice at a take way on the way home from work, but then of course it isn’t so healthy.  When you make food at home you know exactly what goes into it.  It is cheap, cheerful and non challenging for the beginner chef!

“Healthified” Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked Brown Rice (can use white rice as well if you prefer)

2 Free Range Eggs, put into a bowl and beaten a bit

1 cup cooked Chicken (or you can use prawns or pork whatever protein you desire or none at all)

1/2 of one large Onion, chopped

Soy sauce to taste (can use a gluten free variety)

Salt/pepper to taste

1 cup mixed cooked veggies (I usually use steamed peas, carrots, and broccoli)

A bit of butter or oil

Handful of mixed seeds and one spring onion (sliced) for topping

Method:

In a frying pan/skillet cook the chopped onion until soft (about 5 mins) and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Then add the chicken, rice and veg stir around until all mixed.  Move over to one side of the pan and add the beaten eggs to the other side of the pan and let them cook until loosely scrambled.  Then incorporate everything together and add soy sauce to taste.

Place on a plate or bowl and sprinkle with seeds and spring onion.

This recipe usually makes enough for two people.  Though my Hubby thinks it is enough for an army since I usually only have one helping (with a salad on the side) and he has to eat the rest.  But I love to make sure that anyone who eats at my table is fantastically full at the end of the meal!

While Pope Francis has been quoted as saying, “When you waste food you are stealing from the poor” as a person who was poor, I don’t think I would have known whether anyone was wasting or not.   But I think it was a powerful statement to make as it brings attention to an ongoing issue and his words might help turn the tide.  I love that some well known celebuchefs such as Jamie Oliver are bringing attention to the fact that much of the food that super markets throw away is in fact good and viable to use for feeding people.

So even if you don’t give this recipe a whirl, just know that I am grateful that you and I will have something to eat today whatever it may be.  We are all very blessed indeed!

Gr 8 Full LOVE!

YDP

ps. I did a tutorial of the fried rice on snapchat today (user name blissbakery) but this will vanish in 24 hours.  Subsequently I think I might do this for the youtube channel which is now semi-official.  There is one demo up there at the moment.  Of course, you know what is it is called right? YANKEEDOODLEPADDY! HELLOOOO!  So slowly, slowly its unfolding my friends!

Hubby and I had such a fun film feastival experience last night that I had to share.  I totally surprised him and planned a night in London city center for an “Edible Stories Event” and the theme was James Bond 007.  I admit I’m not the biggest Bond fan (I’ve only seen a few) but he is a massive fan and has seen all of them, some more than once.  His favorite era is the Sean Connery Bond.

While I know going back to the city on the weekend after being there all week for work might not be his idea of fun, I knew this 007 thing would be a good hook!  He loves to plan and coordinate, so to avoid him trying to investigate what I had up my sleeve, I had to give him a good line and sinker to go with the hook.  But he took the bait and it was, all and all, a success.  It was a murder mystery kind of an evening, with all the props, literature, food (and martinis) coordinated around this classic and beloved English spy series.  Mostly it was a chance to do what we love to do most, feast on films!

We’ve gotten pretty darn good at it over the years too.  Why?  Because Hubby has been blessed to serve on the juries of International film festivals all over the world, and I am lucky enough to be his plus one.  While I did miss a few out of the twelve festivals he has attended, the ones I have been able to go to I have literally gorged on the films.  Festivals such as Karlovy Vary and Zlin (both Czech Republic), Berlin (Germany), Venice (Italy), Locarno (Switzerland), Yeravan (Armenia), Mar de Plata (Argentina), Hong Kong, and twice each at Setubal (Portugal) and San Sebastian (Spain).

Besides the films, of course there is the cultural aspect of traveling to these wonderful countries and spending a week or two getting to know the area, history, food and the people.  Of course there are a plethora of stars at these festivals, Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Madonna just to name a few, which brings with it the usual paparazzi.  Rather than the photo call, I am more interested in watching the press conferences and hearing first hand their responses to some of the thought provoking and sometimes inane questions.  For instance, at the Venice Film Festival in 2011 a journalist asked Matt Damon (who was there promoting his film Contagion) about his hair (or lack thereof) and a bald Matt’s response “Dude, why do you always ask me about my hair, at every single press conference?”

Another memorable hot button press conference interview happened to be at that same festival.  Steve McQueen the director of the powerful film Shame starring Michael Fassbender was asked why the actress in the film Carey Mulligan wasn’t in attendance.  He shouted, “Because F**king Baz Luhrmann wouldn’t release her from filming his movie The Great Gatsby to be here for this important premiere.  It is ludicrous!”  Sometimes there is more drama happening in the press room than in the theaters!

But I have to say that seeing these films from all over the world gives you a glimpse into life through another lens.  Most of these films don’t get seen by the wider audience.  Sure you get typical Hollywood type films premiering at these festivals.  That brings the stars out and that brings publicity.  However, many films that never make it to wide release because they are filmed in (for instance) South Korea, on a small budget, with no name actors.  Sadly, they might only get seen by those people lucky enough to be at the festival.  And yet, they are often the movies that stick with you years after you see them.  Simple films about real people, with touching stories, and powerful themes.

One film that still haunts me and that I feel is one of the best films about forgiveness and redemption ever made is called “I’ve Loved You So Long.” It happens to star English actress Kristin Scott Thomas but the film is in French.  I never knew until this film that she is fluent in French.  The film did do fairly well, but of course not the level it might have done if it had been in English.  Reading subtitles does take a bit of getting used to, and that isn’t the first thing Americans rush to the cinema to do.  But once the hurdle has been jumped,  you open yourself up to an abundance of amazing films from all over the world like this.   I still get a lump in my throat when I think of the final scene in the movie!  I’m so grateful I had the gift of seeing it and meeting the writer/director.  Hubby’s jury awarded the film top prize, which I believe was well deserved.  And it is always at the top of the list of the films I recommend when people ask me.

Another YDP recommendation comes by way of the Locarno Film festival, a little Irish gem “Kisses” which touched hearts with its story of love and friendship.  Two kids from a rough part of Dublin decide to run away from their abusive families and their journey brings them closer together.  It shows a side of Ireland not often seen in the quintessential rolling green countryside in the “Quiet Man“ type of Irish film.  And these child actors were so believable and raw that you forgot you were actually watching a film.

Finally, a film that did get wide release in America but has also gotten a warm reception in this part of the world is “The Road Within” and stars Zoe Kravitz, Dev Patel and Irish actor Robert Sheehan. This poignant and challenging film about mental health beautifully written and directed by Gren Wells played at the Zlin Film Fest in Czech Republic.  Sometimes films heavy on dialogue don’t translate well to other languages.  Hence that is why action films tend to be more popular world wide.  But this film is enhanced by its emotional through line.  And no matter where in the world you go, people are affected by various mental health issues such as eating disorders and obsessive compulsive disorders and those human concerns translate language barriers.  People can read the body language and process the feelings portrayed on screen without needing to rely on the words. This is why Ms. Wells’ direction is so delicate and on point.

I mainly feel blessed that I can have these film feastival get aways with my Hubby/ best friend.  Though he has to be involved with the other members of the jury on film deliberation, he and I have our own banter and discuss each film at length.  We often stay up well into the night analyzing the different aspects of this amazing art form.  Even the commercial and fluff films have their place.  Like the Bond films, being entertained is indeed an important factor.  It helps people escape into another realm and sometimes is a necessary release from life’s stresses.

And I must say I am extremely proud of my Hubby and all his efforts and involvement in these juries.  He takes his responsibilities seriously and spends time after the festivals writing up articles and briefs about the films and the experience.  Though years ago I had the opportunity to attend two different Academy Awards shows, one Emmy Awards and one Grammy Awards shows, my experiences going to these festivals with my Hubby have far exceeded those memories.  For instance, at the end of each festival there is a grand red carpet closing ceremony and celebration.  And just like the 007 Bond night, being the girly girl that I am, I enjoy getting dressed up for the occasion.  But mainly I love the festivals because my Hubby makes me feel included in the process.  Furthermore, though I no longer work in the entertainment business I still have an affinity for this ever present and changing industry.   I see how important even a small budget short film from a remote country is when it can change the heart of a single person, as well as has the potential to touch the lives of many.

So since we had our Bond night, I thought I might share a recipe for, what else, a Martini!  I had my first martini a bit late in life.  I was well into my 30’s before I actually started to drink any alcohol.  When I tasted my first martini I have to be honest it was too strong for me.  I felt like I was drinking medicine (maybe some people like that) and I didn’t care for it at all.  So going to the Bond themed dinner I knew that they would be serving Martinis (shaken or stirred like in the film) and I expected to have the same reaction.  However, the ones served last night were lovely!  And the secret apparently is the use of both gin and vodka together.  It is called a Vesper  Martini and Bond fans might recall Bond requesting one in the book “Casino Royale”.  However, instead of an olive which is standard in a martini,  it has lemon peel. Very refreshing I must say!   Thank God we were only served one!  Hiccup!  That was all I could manage!

The Vesper Martini recipe

INGREDIENTS

60ml gin
20ml vodka
10ml Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano (as Kina Lillet, which Bond likes in it, is no longer avail)
METHOD
Shake all the ingredients with ice in a shaker, then pour using a strainer into a chilled martini glass or – if you have one – a champagne goblet. Add a lemon twist.

And please, if you have one, don’t drink and drive!  Luckily we live near the Thames River, so we didn’t have to drive.  We took a river bus!

Shaken and Stirred Love Feastival,

YDP

ps. Besides all the above photos from the years at the different film festivals, I wanted to share this pic of some of the “Swag Bags’ that they give out to the jury members.  Some very cool keepsakes, that’s for sure, of some great memories!  Fingers crossed there will be more to come!