Finished at Last!

This weekend I finally finished knitting the pair of alpaca socks I've been working on for ages... just in time for the summery weather. Hey Ho!

Pad Thai

Paul made me this fantastic Pad Thai the other night. The Recipe comes from 'Vegan With a Vengeance'. It's one of our favourite cookbooks at the moment. Not had a bad recipe from there yet.

Scrambled Tofu

Nothing to cure a hangover like a good cooked breakfast. Was really a bit sad about not being able to eat scrambled eggs anymore so had a go with tofu instead.

Ingredients:

half a block of firm tofu, crumbled into pieces
half an onion, chopped
half a teaspoon of tumeric
half a teaspoon of cumin
a few dashes of vegetarian worcestershire sauce

Fry the onion for a couple of minutes. Add the spices & stir. Add the tofu & worcestershire sauce to taste. Serve on toast. I like it with chipotle ketchup on the side.

Feeds one slightly hungover person.

The Joy of Libraries

One of the joys of working in a library is coming across bizarre pictures in books by accident.

An Unexpected Gift

Came back from the gig last night to find that someone had dumped a broken washing machine in the entrance hall of our building, nicely blocking the lift. Thanks for that!

Grand Harmonic

Went to see my lovely friend's band Grand Harmonic last night. Their debut single 'The Bankers' is coming out on 11th May and all proceeds go to the homeless charity Shelter.

Glass Noodles with Edamame

Got inspired to try a recipe with edamame after our fab Japanese food in Ireland. Here's a link to the recipe.

Feeling Better

Once I'd started to feel a little better Dublin was a lot of fun. We visted the Dublin Writers Museum & the James Joyce Centre & took a guided walk around the city visiting places significant to Joyce & mentioned in 'Dubliners'. We also met up with lovely friends Pete & Ciara & had a top notch Japanese feast on our last night in the city. I love Japanese food. It always feels so restorative. Just what I need to banish my cold.


Plum sake martini - strictly medicinal!



Ever wondered what 25 euros worth of sushi looks like? Apparently the eel was the best.




How cool is my bento box!

Easter in Ireland

We had a lovely break in Dublin planned this Easter. Typically I had a horrible cold for most of it so Paul decided to pootle off on his own to the coast for a walk one day while I stayed in bed to recover.

The Tiniest Sock in the World

Look what Charlotte made for me as a thank you for picking up a copy of Cookie A's sock book for her on Sunday. Isn't it the sweetest thing! I feel a keyring or maybe even a pendant coming on...

Chickpea & Spinach Curry

Felt like a trying a new curry recipe this week so I sought out one from 'Vegan With a Vengance' by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I made up a curry powder using tons of spices including the usual cumin & coriander but also a few more unexpected things like cloves, cinnamon & asafoetida (the first time I've used this). It turned out pretty tasty. I'll made this one again.

Cookie A Hits London Town

Sock knitting aficionado Cookie A came over the pond to make an appearance at Loop in Islington this Sunday to sign copies of her new book of 'Sock Innovation'.

The place was packed with eager sock knitters and there were beautiful examples of her sock designs there to see & stroke. I'm determined to plan something more exciting than plain knitting for my next pairs of socks. Maybe some cables or some lace. Can't wait to get started now!

And on the Way Home...

... we saw this note on our neighbour's driveway. Well, I guess it's to the point.

A Very Civilized Saturday

Been quite busy this weekend. After a pretty lively Friday with friends at the Bloomsbury Bowl practising my 'quick, quick, slow, slow', on Saturday we got to have a tasting session at the pub where we're having the party after our wedding. The food & wine just kept coming. This is the carnage we left in our wake.

Seeded Honey & Oat Bread

Had another experiment with things lurking at the back of cupboard, this time for a bread recipe. I used a mixture of white & spelt flour, a couple of handfuls of porridge oats, some honey, sunflower seeds & flaxseeds. A warm & sunny day means a happy, well risen loaf. Only wish I'd remembered to take a picture of the end product before it all got snaffled up.

Jolly Good Advice

Apologies for being away so long. Been very busy working, starting Lindy Hop classes and buying a dress for my wedding & haven't been too good at remembering to take my camera along with me. I'm going away for the Easter break so I should hopefully have more to report soon. In the meantime here's a book I borrowed from the library. Seeing as I have a 1950s dress for my wedding I thought it'd be interesting to consult some marital advice from the period. Hmm.