Lily's Blog

I collect ‘books to read’. They are in a pile beside my bed. The right hand side is the ‘to be read’ pile.

I usually have a rough list in my head as to the order in which I will read books, but now it’s nearly getting to be ‘last added, first read’. Case in point is the book I read this month. I just got this book now from somebody who had read it and felt I might like it.

In your face by Lia Mills is the story of ‘One woman’s encounter with cancer, doctors, nurses, machines, family, friends and a few enemies.’ It’s written in diary form. I enjoyed this book because it’s well written, humorous and gave a candid account of her journey with oral cancer. Having read this book, I felt I liked Lia. She was my type of person, positive despite all that was going on, seeing humor in very unlikely places.

I remember hearing her story in an interview on radio when the book was published in 2007.

She has had two previous books published, Another Alice (1996) was nominated for the Irish Times Irish Fiction prize and Nothing Simple (2005) was shortlisted for Irish Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards.

What really struck me about this account and from my own experience of a close friend’s cancer journey last year, is that one needs a back-up army of family and friends to help someone in their cancer journey. Little things like, someone to drive the person to and from daily radiotherapy sessions. People who will be okay no matter what goes wrong, delays at the hospital, ‘accidents’ en route etc. It’s a big ask, but a needed ask. The other thing is that this ‘journey’ goes on for quite a long time. The ‘army’ need to be able for the long haul, marathoners not sprinters.

I wonder what do people do who just aren’t as fortunate to have this back-up. I remember a few years ago being in as a day case in a Dublin hospital. Because the procedure involved a general anaesthetic, I was asked on the day, who would be bringing me home. In my case, Denis was with me. I overheard the lady in the next bed being asked the same question and she said taxi. They said no she couldn’t. She explained she didn’t know anyone she could ask, this being a work day, people were at work. That struck me as really sad. They left her to find someone or else she couldn’t have the procedure done that day. As it happened I ended up being admitted. I don’t suppose they have sufficient beds to leave that as a fall-back option.

I’ve always felt that life is is one big ‘merry-go-round’. One gives, and one receives though not necessarily involving the same person. ‘What goes around, comes around’ is so true. My attitude is that people need to be ‘good givers’, but also ‘good receivers’. Some people are good at one, but not the other. Some people are very comfortable giving but very uncomfortable receiving help.

Enough philosophising, I hear Julia and Julie calling!

Photo owned by idleman (cc)

I know that sounds a bit like an oxymoron. Farming is currently experiencing a lot of difficulties. Brian Cowan got a taste of farmers’ anger at last week’s Ploughing Championship.

Anyway despite all this, the brother is a very happy farmer at the moment. The National Dairy Council website states,

Six farmers have been short-listed as finalists in the National Dairy Council Quality Milk Awards – the national competition which sets out to identify and reward our top dairy farmer.

The brother was one of the six short-listed. The overall winner will be announced in early October.

Fingers crossed for the brother and all his good looking, sweet-tempered cows!

Last night we had an expanded tasting panel, two Hungarian visitors and four Irish friends joined us for dinner. One of the guys reads my blog so he knew of the Julia & Julia experiment.

Only problem, Hungarians are not big into salad.
I am
We are
Now at least.

Menu
Chicken Caesar Salad (Repetitious I know, but with all the rest I needed an easy starter)

Petit pois and mint soup I decided to make a soup because Hungarians like soup. This is a recipe from a different cookbook, The Avoca Cafe Cookbook, so not part of this experiment. I have had this soup at their restaurant a few times and loved it. This soup is easy to make and is a revelation if you like mint. Basically all that’s involved is to sweat an onion and potato in butter, add stock and cook until potato tender, add frozen petit pois and simmer for 2 minutes. Take from heat and add mint and milk. Season with salt and pepper and blend.

Only thing I would change is to chop the mint before adding. I had just taken the leaves off the stems. I took a short-cut thinking the blender would handle the un-chopped mint. It would have blended finer possibly had I pre-chopped the mint. Definitely will make this again.

Stuffed pork steak, Char-grilled asparagus stalks (page 70), Broccoli, cherry tomato, feta and hazelnut salad (page 68), Potatoes roasted in olive oil and rosemary

The asparagus was supposed to be cooked on a ridged cast-iron griddle pan, but I don’t have one. Julie was more faithful than I. She would have dispatched husband to find one in New York.

I know there are limits to husband dispatching!

Improvising was on the menu. I steamed the asparagus, then followed the recipe religiously, tossed it in olive oil, Maldon sea salt, balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese. This was delicious.

I’d like to line up the asparagus in that photograph! Remember though as well as testing recipes, there was a small matter of dinner to be served to nine people. I quickly took photographs before taking dish to table!

The Broccoli, cherry tomato, feta and hazelnut salad (page 68) is an old favourite. It is in this book but also the older Avoca Cafe Cookbook, so I have made it lots before. The ingredients are as listed and the dressing is Avoca French dressing from page 22.

Cheese
Barbecued nectarines (Page 67)
Apple Cake

This recipe was a revelation. Basically nectarines tablespoon of castor sugar and juice of 1 lemon. I am just after realising that I forgot the lemon juice but they were still gorgeous, maybe even nicer without!

The book says ‘Serve these as a salad to accompany barbequed meats or with mascapone or creme fraiche as a pudding. Or with ice-cream, vanilla is particularly good … You can skewer the fruit with lavender or rosemary stalks, both of which add flavour and look very good. ‘.

I suggested to Denis that we light the barbecue, to follow the recipe.
Denis suggested to me that we don’t light the barbecue, to save the planet.

The planet won.

So I covered them with tinfoil and baked them in the oven with sugar and introduced them to the lavender, immediately after I took them out of the oven. (Next time will bake them with the lavender.) I served them with Vanilla ice-cream.

Emphasised to visitors to score honestly, not to worry about trifles, like my feelings!

Scores (out of 5):

Asparagus 5
Broccoli, cherry tomato, feta and hazelnut salad 4
Nectarines 5

I enjoy cooking and having people over to eat. We had great fun with the Julia & Julie experiment last night.

Eureka moment. I’m expanding my salads repertoire through this experiment. However I need to expand my desserts. I’m too inclined to stick with apple this, apple that … Me thinks of a future experiment! Avoca Tea Time book! 43 cakes, tarts, biscuits, desserts recipes …

Me also can foresee the weight piling on!

This weekend the tasting panel will be expanded. First up two friends came for lunch today. We were having page 41, Chicken Caesar salad.

I’ve added a new rule for the experiment. Kinda like my own 10 commandments. Except I’ve only 4. Yet anyhow.

Thou shalt be obedient to Avoca’s recipes. Very.
Thou shalt put the weight of everything on thy shopping list
The whole lot of us shalt eat up (so that we get through all the recipes)

Anyway my new self-commandment is

Thou shalt not over-pepper the family.

So change of plan, I wont necessarily follow the order of recipes in the book, that’s how I hit the Day 3’s ‘pepper/bean patch’

Anyway back to today’s Chicken Caesar salad.

First up roast chicken, cool and then slice.

Make croutons, cube baguette, mix with crushed garlic and olive oil, into the oven and then cooled.

Dressing made from egg yolk, lemon juice, garlic, anchovies, Dijon mustard and olive oil. Really mayonnaise with added anchovies.

Finally the assembly process, lettuce, grated parmesan cheese and chicken into a bowl.

I then put onto plates and scattered with croutons.

I left the dressing to be added to taste.

This was served with brown scones with seeds/crusty white bread.

Afterwards we had Apple crumble with whipped cream.

I’m beginning to feel like Barefoot Contessa. First cook the meal and then eat it with those, for whom I’m cooking.

With all the chat, I forgot to get ‘formal’ ratings from the friends, but (I think) they liked it. Later Denis and Youngest Mouse had same dish. The three of us agreed on 4/5.

Today 24th September, celebrations are planned around the world to celebrate 250 years since Arthur Guinness first went into business.

At one minute to six, the actual time of the historical signing of the lease in 1759, the event will be marked by raising glasses of the black stuff. The Dublin celebrations will centre at St James’s Gate.

Guinness’ brewery was founded when Arthur Guinness secured a 9,000 year lease on the St James’s Gate site, on the River Liffey. At first, Guinness was only sold in Dublin but the growing network of canals was used to send it all over Ireland. By the end of the nineteenth century, St James’s Gate was the largest brewery in the world. The brewery is now owned by Diageo.

Guinness had a reputation as an excellent employer. The Dublin of the time was pretty grim and a job in Guinness changed family lives.

The building where we studied Microbiology at Trinity, the Moyne Institute, was presented to the College in 1953 by Grania Guinness in memory of her father, the first Baron Moyne. Many may know this unusual shaped building beside the Pavillion at the Lincoln Place end of the college.

Today’s celebrations include setting up ‘The Arthur Guinness Fund’ to support social entrepreneurship. The fund builds on the long legacy of the Guinness family in the area of philanthropy and it is hoped to raise up to €2.5m over the next few months.

Monday we had Roast red pepper and chick peas

Tuesday we had Spiced potato and bean with roast red peppers

I’m going through these recipes as they come up in the book.
This really was ‘red pepper’ week. For the first few days recipes, I needed 8 red peppers and 1 yellow. Just as well we like peppers! But the question is do we like them that much?

The interesting thing about these two recipes is how similar they really are.

Both salads contained red peppers, garlic, parsley, scallions and olive oil.

The first contained chick peas, cumin, coriander and lemon juice,

The second contained black kidney beans, cannellini beans, new potatoes, cajun spice and chillies.

Tommy and I rated each as 3/5. Quite the fussy testers we are!

I didn’t like the combination of potatoes and beans in Tuesday’s salad, too much carbohydrate.

Though the spices were different, the predominance of red peppers, beans, scallions and parsley did make them seem very similar.

When doing the photographs, the different bowls, made recognising which salad was which, much easier!

Though I’m itching to remove the serving spoon from that pic and straighten the bowl!

Scores (out of 5):

Roast red pepper and chick peas 3
Spiced potato and bean with roast red peppers 3

It’s 50 years since the drug Thalidomide was first prescribed in Ireland.

The drug which was manufactured by the German pharmaceutical company Grünenthal, was used to treat morning sickness in pregnant women with devastating consequences for their unborn child. Some 10,000 affected babies were born worldwide before the drug was withdrawn. It was found that thalidomide crossed the placental wall and impeded the normal growth of the foetus.

There are 32 people living with the consequences of Thalidomide in Ireland.

Thalidomide caused severe foetal damage. We were born without limbs, with limbs foreshortened, with impairments of hearing and vision, as well as injury to internal organs. This caused pain and suffering, not only to ourselves, but also to our parents, siblings and to our own children and partners …
A description of the condition from the homepage of the Irish Thalidomide Association.

An unpublished study entitled “What Has Happened to Them 50 Years On? A Review of Disability in People Affected by Thalidomide” showed that just over a third were no longer working due to their disability. Many found that their disability had worsened. Pain management was found to be a significant problem, with more than half reporting regular pain.
(Source; Irish Thalidomide Association, Irish Times)

One of the authors of the study, a Dublin based GP, has thalidomide.

The Irish Thalidomide Association are in talks with the Department of Health and Children to try to improve the provisions made in 1975 for those affected by thalidomide. That settlement comprised a lump sum and a monthly pension for life, supplementing compensation from the German government, which eventually accepted liability. The Irish government has never accepted liability, the Department of Health being the regulatory authority for drugs at the time. Parents of those affected by thalidomide fought hard for a settlement. The lump sum agreed in 1975, when those affected were only children, was a few thousand euro. Depending on the level of disability, the pension now ranges from €16-€35 per day.

For some, this is their only source of income. It’s really unfortunate that the change in our economic circumstances, coincides with these talks.

In addition, the fact that the level of their disability is increasing with increasing age, was not, nor could not really have been fully foreseen, when the 1975 settlement was agreed.

We are only talking about 32 people!

In writing this piece, I contacted the Irish Thalidomide Association to check a number of facts, including the actual number of people in Ireland with thalidomide, as I had read conflicting numbers. I had a long conversation with a woman who herself has thalidomide and campaigns relentlessly for her fellow sufferers. After a long telephone conversation, I was in awe of her sheer determination, enthusiasm, and eloquence. The Irish Thalidomide Association have a great spokesperson.

Another example of altruism has to be the doctor with thalidomide referred to above, who himself has huge difficulty walking. He did a fund raising cycle in July of this year. His professional work has been with the homeless. The funds were for a mobile outreach clinic for healthcare professionals working on a voluntary basis with the homeless, and women involved in prostitution. Report here

He could teach our government a little … about altruism.

It’s 50 years since the drug Thalidomide was first prescribed in Ireland.

The same time as my mother was pregnant with me and my siblings.

I’ll post more frequently on this experiment. Last week I was away from home for a few days. Lovely break though.

The one huge advantage of this project is that dinner planning is much easier. Being a working mother, I usually try to think out the weeks dinners ahead. I hate coming in from work and having to think. Much too demanding!

Today we are having page 10 for lunch, followed by page 16 with chicken for dinner. Monday is page 9. Tuesday, Denis and I will both be away for dinner, so youngest mouse will be having pizza. (Yippee he’ll say!) Wednesday is page 15! And so it goes. You get the drift.

Fig, goat’s cheese and pine nuts

This is a great recipe, two minute assembly job, photo shows the ingredients with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Denis was the only one who had this since youngest mouse had cooked pancakes for himself and myself for his breakfast, which equalled my lunch. Denis rated it 4/5, he’s not a huge fan of balsamic vinegar and I may have tossed in too much, for his taste. I’ll store this recipe as a starter. I love simple recipes!

I used feta cheese which the recipe suggests as a variation, because I had it already.

Oriental bean sprout and egg noodle

The ingredients. (I’m giving these just to show the amounts of the different ingredients, which I’ll refer to briefly later.)

5 tablespoons sesame oil
3 garlic cloves
2cm piece of fresh ginger
6 tablespoons soy sauce
40g egg thread noodles
1 yellow and 2 red peppers
110g mangetout or brocoli
Bunch spring onions
700g bean sprouts

Basically the method is to lightly cook the finely chopped garlic and ginger,

Add in the soy sauce. Cool. Cook the noodles per package instructions, add to sauce.

Combine sliced peppers, blanched and refreshed mangetout (I used), sliced spring onions and bean sprouts.

Add to sauce/noodles when cool.

The packet of noodles I bought contained 375g, 6 sheets, therefore approximately 62g per sheet. The recipe called for only 40g noodles, less than one sheet. I felt that was a bit low, so put in 3 sheets. I may have overdone it a bit, but certainly preferred more than the 40g.

I put bean sprouts on the shopping list. I bought bean sprouts. I didn’t however note the precise quantity of bean sprouts. I bought a packet containing 280g,

The recipe called for 700g, two and a half times more precisely. However I preferred less bean sprouts.

We discussed the rating for this and agreed 3.5/5, comments were; Denis, too much soy sauce, not enough ginger. Tommy too much ginger. I thought it was good but wouldn’t be my favourite. We agreed that overall it was better because of the extra noodles and less bean sprouts.

Rules going forward.

a) Shopping list must contain weights of everything herbs, bean spouts etc.

b) Trust Avoca. Follow recipes faithfully. No adjusting by me allowed at this point.

c) Eat up. Each recipe is enough for about 8!

d) We agreed a fancy rating system, out of 5:
5 = The best of all the good ones
4.5 = Good one
4 = Very nice and would be happy to have again
3.5 = Would only make again with some changes
3 and below = Forget about

Today’s scores (out of 5):
Fig, goat’s cheese and pine nuts 4
Oriental bean sprout and egg noodle 3.5

Let the experiment begin!

Just for fun I decided in a previous post to emulate Julie Powell’s project of cooking all the recipes in a cookery book. Her project was challenging, 524 complex French recipes in 365 days. My project is challenging for me. 44 salad recipes, no time limit.

Last Sunday I started. Out came the cookery book, made the shopping list, bought the ingredients and set about cooking.

In the project, I planned to adhere to the recipes as faithfully as possible, weighing all ingredients. This would go slightly hard on me, because I only ever use the scales when baking, guessing amounts the rest of the time.

First up was Coronation Chicken with Tabbouleh for dinner that evening.

Tabbouleh because it’s the second recipe in the book, the first having been done to death. Coronation Chicken because I actually love it. (Not really sure why this recipe was included in their salads book, but glad it was there.) I reckoned they should be okay together.

I was going to do this project fancy and have a tasting panel, the three remaining residents of chez Collison.

I’m not going to give the actual recipes as Julie didn’t in her blog, secondly I would be end up almost re-writing an entire book, and thirdly the book only costs 8.95Euro.

Coronation Chicken

Even if I say so myself, this dish was gorgeous! We’re not normally that agreeable a bunch but having decided to a 1-5 rating scale, we all agreed Coronation Chicken was epic at 5/5.

The sauce in this recipe basically consisted of an onion cooked in oil, to which curry powder is added then white wine, mango chutney and tomato puree. When cool, it is mixed with mayonnaise and Greek-style yoghurt. Despite my best intents, to be a very obedient cook, I didn’t put the sauce through a sieve, as I like chunky bits (and hate waste)! Not sieving turned out perfect.

Despite being a slightly disobedient cook, I was an enthusiastic cook that day anyhow, and made the mayonnaise from scratch.

Superquinn had none of the leaves called for in the recipe – gem lettuce and red chicory. It being a Sunday, I was a one-shop, shopper. I compromised by buying a mixed bag of nice leaves, which were perfect.

The boys came back from a cycle while I was cooking this recipe and Denis, not knowing what I was cooking, immediately piped up that I was using curry powder and mango chutney. Whatever about the curry powder, recognising both was good!

I also have a second confession. The recipe called for 12 grapes. I refused to count out grapes. I threw a few grapes on top and now looking at the photograph, realise I was over-generous plus forgot to half them!

I will become a little more obedient for the sake of this project.

Tabbouleh

There were a few funny things about this recipe.

The recipe calls for 3 generous bunches, about 250g of parsley. I grow herbs but parsley is scarce at the moment, as it has gone to seed. So when in the supermarket, I bought an extra packet but didn’t pass any heed of the weight in the packet. When I came home I then saw that recipe needed 250g. The container contained 20g! I weighed it and sure enough, 20g.

Below is what 20g looks like. (The sun was shining strongly in through the window, and the back of the leaves look a funny colour)

No joking the recipe called for 12.5 of those bunches if we are to be precise, 250g of parsley yet only 100g of burghul wheat. This did not make sense to me. I upped the wheat to 200g as 100g looked very small, even allowing for it swelling with the addition of water. I used whatever parsley I had.

(We have an acre of mint growing. The recipe only required 70g – I could have come up with a kilogram of mint!)

Tabbouleh was a lovely combination with the rich Chicken dish, but we all agreed on this only being 4 out of 5, there being too much lemon juice in it. The recipe called for the juice of 2 lemons for 100g of bulghul wheat. I used only 3 lemons with double the quantity of wheat but it was still too sharp.

Despite all of the above, I would make it again. It has great potential but needs a few adjustments, in my humble opinion, (less lemon and less parsley).

Finally I’m intrigued by all the names, burghul wheat in this cookery book, bulgar wheat in the index and bulgur wheat on page 40 of the Avoca Cafe Cookbook.

Wheat make up your mind, you’re having an identity crisis!

Today we have a family wedding, the first of the next generation, my niece, is getting married. It promises to be a great celebration. Wishing Antonia and James a long, happy and healthy life together.

This Jim Croce song was ‘our wedding song’.

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that Id like to do
Is to save every day
Till eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
Ive looked around enough to know
That youre the one I want to go
Through time with