Monthly Archives: September 2013

Food Monday ~ Roasted tomato, apple and onion chutney

Chutney needs time and patience and is not for the five minute cook. Stick with it and the rewards can last for weeks or months. Chutney works well with cheese, salads, and cold meats, or as I do: I use it to line my bread in a sandwich.

We made this chutney in three stages, so I have broken up the ingredients & method for each part.

Roasted tomato, apple and onion chutney

Stage 1

1 kg tomatoes.
4-5 cloves of garlic * (optional)
Fresh thyme
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Cut the tomatoes in half end-to-end, and place cut side up on a baking tray. Slice 4-5 cloves of garlic, if using, and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Strip several sprigs of fresh thyme, and sprinkle the leaves over the tomatoes. Season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper and drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over all of the tomatoes.
Place in the oven at 200°F for about 50-60 minutes.

Stage 2

3 large onions, chopped
225g Sultanas
30mls dark brown sugar
30mls balsamic vinegar
extra-virgin olive oil

Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a frying pan over a low heat and gently soften the onions for 10 minutes. Raise the heat to medium and add in the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, stir well and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, add the sultanas and cook for five more minutes.

Stage 3

1 kg Bramley cooking (tart) apples, peeled, cored and chopped to large dice
450 ml water.
150g caster sugar

Place apples and water in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, and cook 25 minutes, or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Add more water as necessary to keep the apples simmering. Reduce heat, add the sugar and dissolve over low heat.

Stage 4

Add the roasted tomatoes, & onion and all their juices plus all the remaining ingredients.

10mls dessertspoons salt
550ml white wine vinegar
5ml mixed spice
5ml Peppercorns
Inch of root ginger, grated **
Good dash of white wine (optional)

Stir well. Bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce heat to a strong simmer for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until reduced to a thick chutney. Seal chutney in sterile containers until serving.

* My sister is not a fan of garlic, so we omitted it.
**We had no root ginger, so we added ½ a teaspoon dry ginger &1 tablespoon stem Ginger syrup.

I will make it again, changing the spices with my mood on the day.

The Onion Seller

The Onion Seller

The Onion Seller

The Onion Seller ~ Bronze
Sculptor ~ Séamus Murphy (1907-1975)

This is a monument to the women dealers in the Coal Quay, Cork City Open Market.

The Onion Seller-2

It was erected on February 27th 1986 and unveiled on February 28th 1986 by the Lord Mayor, Alderman Dan Wallace TD as a gift to the City of Cork to commemorate Cork 800 by Sunbeam Wolsey PLC.

Séamus Murphy was born at Greenhill, Burnfort, Mallow, Co Cork.

Photographing the Alphabet ~ Y

Y ~ Yellow

Daffodils in Springtime

Daffodils in Springtime

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze……
~ Daffodils by William Wordsworth

Dandelions & daisies

Dandelions & daisies

What I need is the dandelion in the spring.
The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction.
The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses.
That it can be good again.
~ Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

What is your favorite movie?

Down the years several movies left a mark on my memory. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the first film I was taken to see in the Cinema by my Granny. I came home worried that my brothers might go looking for brides in that same fashion!

High Society I remember more for the giggling incident of the black slip* than the movie itself. Oh I did like the fashion, big houses and the singing, but the story made little impact.

Some of the others through the years to remain with me include:

  • To Kill a Mocking Bird (1962)
  • Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
  • 84 Charing Cross Road(1987)
  • Shadowlands (1993)
  • The King’s Speech: A Courageous Journey(2011)
  • The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

Over the last couple of weeks, during resting spells with my foot raised I had the opportunity to watch several movies on the Big Screen with surround sound at George & Elly’s.

These movies included:

The Intouchables
Les.Misérables
Scent of a Woman
Quartet
Life of Pi
Made in Dagenham

Life of Pi made a big impact with the scenery, the animals and the story. It had not alone me, but my female companion engrossed for the duration. It was only when Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger, roared and pounced forward that my companion barked ferociously and jumped on my knee. It was not in fear but to protect me and she continued to bark at the screen until things quietened down once more, then she jumped back to her seat to watch the next part.

watching Life of Pi

Buffy watching Life of Pi.

 * The Black slip is a story for another day!

The topic What is your favorite movie? was given to us for today by Shackman. He has stepped back into the shadows for the moment, but we hope that in due course he will return to our weekly LBC party. The names of all the other members are to be found in the sidebar. I have popcorn, so are you coming on the rounds with me?

Disgusting Name for a Company LOGO

Modern waste disposal skip

Modern waste disposal skip

Very handy collapsible waste disposable skip.

Who in Holy Crap came up with the name?

With all the horrible disclosures over recent years about death and bodies of infants and young children found in unmarked graves of the Magdelane Homes across Ireland, who in their right mind could come up with a name like this!!!

Disgusting name for a company Logo

Disgusting name for a company Logo

What do you think?

Thursday Special ~ Babies

A child asked his father, “How were people born?”

His father replied, “Adam and Eve made babies, then their babies became adults and made babies, and so on.”

The child then went to his mother, asked her the same question and she told him, “We were monkeys; then we evolved to become like we are now.”

The child ran back to his father and said, “You lied to me!”

His father replied, “No; your mom was talking about her side of the family.”

#

#

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I have Tilly Bud to thank for this one.

A Tuesday surprise

I awoke yesterday morning to find that I had been nominated by craftycoup for a Liebster Award!

liebster-award

Thank you, craftycoup, it was a lovely surprise!
All these awards have rules and this time they are:

  • -Each nominee must link back the person who nominated them.
  • -Answer the 10 questions which are given to you by the nominator.
  • -Nominate up to 10 other bloggers for this award who have less than 200 followers.
  • -Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer.
  • -Let the nominees know that they have been nominated by going to their blog and notifying them.

The ten questions set for me to answer:

• Describe yourself in 140 characters (as if to tweet).
• What’s the best advice you’ve given or been given?
• What would be the one thing you’d change about yourself?
• What is your greatest accomplishment?
• If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be?
• Who is the last person you made angry or upset? What did you do?
• What is your go to favorite comfort food?
• What is your favorite line in a movie or book?
• If the zombie apocalypse were to happen tomorrow, how long do you think you’d survive and why?
• What obsolete invention do you wish were still around today?

Here goes:

Describe yourself in 140 characters (as if to tweet).

Long lean and learning to live in the moment, while seeing the wonder of the world around me through the eyes of a child happily smiling.

What’s the best advice you’ve given or been given?

To listen & learn.

What would be the one thing you’d change about yourself?

Nothing. People seem drawn to me as I am, warts and all.

What is your greatest accomplishment?

My daughter – She is a happy, healthy, intelligent and creative young lady.

If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be?

My nephew who was born and lives in Australia, although I met his sister Clare a few years ago, I have yet to meet Dan.

Who is the last person you made angry or upset? What did you do?

I have no idea. I never set out to upset people, I would rather be helpful.

What is your go to favourite comfort food?

Comfort food for me these days is a meal with family or good friends.

What is your favourite line in a movie or book?

Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.
~ The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald

If the zombie apocalypse were to happen tomorrow, how long do you think you’d survive and why?

I have been blessed with determination and patience so I see myself crawling on hands and knees to reach a safe place.

What obsolete invention do you wish were still around today?

My choice is not really an invention, but I would like to see the return of time…
Time to talk and interact with each other, without distraction or interruption. It is after all basic good manners.

These days I never select bloggers for awards, because I have no wish to offend those I leave out. Instead I leave it open for all my readers to take up the challenge if they so wish.

My ten questions for those who wish to take part are:

  1. Your day so far, tell us about it in no more than ten words.
  2. Who is your Hero?
  3. Describe yellow.
  4. I’d walk a mile for ________.
  5. Close your eyes, open a dictionary, and point to a word. Does your word mean anything special to you?
  6. A song you can’t escape.
  7. In five years, will it matter?
  8. On a Wednesday, what is your routine?
  9. For dinner tonight, what would you like to eat?
  10. Who was the last person you spoke to?

I was dumped!

Bag and baggage.

Yes, last Saturday morning I was put into nursing care.

Matron was at the door, chart in hand, to take delivery of me. She asked more questions than the Leader of the opposition does during Prime Minister’s Question Time, in any house of Government!

She even asked me about my movements. NO! Not those movements, they stopped asking that question in hospitals and places of care, many a long year ago!

I have a room over looking the gardens and the other residents are friendly and very keen to interact and involve me in their activities right throughout the day.

There are regular supervised outings – Someone has to drive as I am still banned by that Nurse Hitler wan in the other place!

The meals are plentiful and nutritious and I am encouraged to play my part in the kitchen…… Some of the ingredients were a little strange to me:

Garlic Spider

Garlic Spider

Yesterday, we gathered some tomatoes and Matron decided to set me a task of doing something with them… chutney perhaps?

Now this is where I could have fun and get my own back for all this play acting at nursing homes etc. You see, I am now ensconced with my sister for a few days. Before retirement she had a career in the world of nursing.

Now back to the chutney.

We had tomatoes from the garden, home grown onions and some large cooking apples for a start and what ever was in the store cupboard. Every house I go into, the spice stash is different, so the fun begins in trying to find the right mix to suit the palate of the kitchen owner.

Out came mammy’s old soup pot and with it her spirit seemed to invade the room. We giggled and laughed right through the process of preparing & making the chutney. There were many reminders of mammy as we chided each other to mind our fingers, while chopping the onions and the apples, through tear filled eyes of laughter. The tomatoes were put in the oven to roast.

Then began the fun part….. “Will we add a bit of this?” or “Do you have any of….?” and the occasional “Ah go on, don’t be stingy, put a good dollop of that in!”

Was it nice?

It was so good that last night we ladled it over rice for dinner. I’ll be sneaking some home to put on my sandwiches (instead of butter) and for my salads or cold cuts.

Now when I manage to get a few quiet minutes (if visitors ease off a little), I’ll sit and think of what all we put in the pot, then type up the recipe, hopefully for next week. In the meantime….. here comes lunch.

The Girls:

Click on any of the photos for a larger image

The Echo Boy

The Echo Boy

The Echo Boy

The Echo Boy ~ Bronze
Sculptor ~ Barry Moloney

This memorial is for the Echo Boys.

Poor and often homeless children who sold the newspaper The Evening Echo & on the streets in Cork City.

Evening Echo newspapers for sale

Evening Echo newspapers for sale

Barry Moloney (1935 – 1992) was principal of the Crawford School of Art. Unfortunately, I had little success in finding information about Barry Moloney.

Plaque on the wall behind the Echo Boy.

Plaque on the wall behind the Echo Boy.

“The Echo Boy”
Commemorating
150 years of
The Cork Examiner
And 100 years of the
Evening Echo

The sculpture was
Unveiled 8 December 1991 by
Councillor Denis (Dino) Cregan
Lord Mayor of Cork

Barry Moloney
Sculptor

Relocated from Cook Street to
Saint Patrick’s Street 2004

Saturday Treat

Today I have a very special treat for you.

A guest post from a wonderfully intelligent little lady, all of three years old.

It was written in Word, thus the capitalisation, and copied and pasted by me.

I hope you will enjoy reading and give your thoughts on the meaning of the message in the comment box below.

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Buufffffffffy

Will that do?

Will that do?

Buffy is fascinated with Tobias and jumps up on the chair beside me when I want to type. If I play the video clip of her playing with the ball, she goes ballistic and wants to get to the dog on the screen, once it is over she goes round the back of the laptop to find the dog! 😆