Croissant Craic: September 2011

9.27.2011

collections

I have mentioned it before, and for those of you who know me then you certainly know that the love of my life is an adorable, furry boy named Parker. No, my husband did not change his name from Adam to Parker. So I guess really what I should be saying is that I have two great loves! One just happens to walk upright and the other on all fours. The adjectives adorable and furry still hold true for both!

Here are both my loves together when Parker was just a baby.
See both are adorable, and furry!

Anyway, husband aside, I miss my dog. He did not come to Ireland with us, in favor of retiring to sunny Florida to live with my parents. So when packing up to move here I made sure to include my collection of boxer memorabilia so I would have a few little reminders of my beloved.

I found this guy at Target of all places!

I painted this the first year we had Parker.

This belonged to my Great Aunt Elenor who also had a boxer.

My mother found this heavy little brass figure at an antique mall.
Not exactly sure if it's a boxer, but close enough

This was a thank you gift from a friend who actually found it in an antique shop in Ireland
several years ago, long before we ever knew we would be moving there.

I picked this little guy up in a pet boutique in South Carolina
while visiting the in-laws.

This is another one my mother found in an antique store,
and wrapped up for me for Christmas a few years back.

I am sharing this with you because I recently received a gift to add to my collection and I'm just so thrilled about it that I wanted to share it with you! I want to say a big thank you to Julie who surprised me with this fabulous, albeit quirky addition to my collection. I spied these boxers in the window of the Irish Cancer Society store (think Goodwill) and when I went back for them they were gone! I was absolutely flabbergasted (yes, flabbergasted!) that something as oddball as this clock would sell so quickly! Little did I know Julie was behind it, and now this boxer memento has even more meaning!

That's the best part of having a collection of any kind. Each item contains a memory. The memory may be of where you were when you found the item, who gave it to you, or perhaps it commemorates the day you received it like a holiday or anniversary. So now I have this crazy clock that not only reminds me of my sweet sweet Parker, but also reminds me of my sweet friend Julie. Even though our time together was short (Julie has moved back to the USA) it won't be forgotten especially now that I have this little memento.

How about you? Anyone else have any special or silly collections?

9.21.2011

Hold the Potatoes

As I mentioned in yesterday's post I spent the last week on the road away from home. I love to travel, and along with all that travel comes several nights of dining out. Don't get me wrong I absolutely love a night off from cooking and cleaning! Even better than that I love the opportunity to peruse a restaurant menu and linger over all the wonderful choices.

This past week I indulged in steak served with rich béarnaise sauce more than once! I consumed roast chicken, pork wrapped in bacon, cheeses, rich soups, hearty brown bread and butter, and of course potatoes! All of this washed down with pints of smooth, creamy Guinness and/or wine.

Needless to say I put on a few pounds! So when I returned to my own kitchen this week I decided to make an effort to hold the heavy sauces and potatoes and fill our plates with low fat, high protein, dishes filled with veggies! Last night I threw together this Mediterranean style salad.

Easy, tasty, and healthy!

Mediterranean Inspired Salad

1 large zucchini (courgette) 1/4" chunks

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed

1 cup couscous

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 bag pre-washed arugula (rocket)

crumbled feta cheese

sliced grilled chicken (I served mine cold leftover from the night before)

olive oil

lemon

salt and pepper

Saute zucchini in a small amount of olive oil over med-high heat until soft

salt and pepper to taste

(you can also add a small amount of cumin if you wish)

add garlic and saute for 60 sec.

add tomatoes and chickpeas and stir until well incorporated.

set aside and allow to cool slightly

Heat chicken broth to boiling, add to couscous in heat proof dish and cover.

Allow 5 min for couscous to absorb broth.

Plate arugula with a squeeze of lemon and drizzle of olive oil

top with warm or room temperature couscous, and zucchini chickpea mixture.

Add sliced, grilled chicken and crumbled feta.

Enjoy!

9.20.2011

More in 7 Days than in 7 Months!

I am sorry I have been MIA for the last week. I have been off on yet another holiday! I would make a terrible travel blogger, because when I am off traveling I am too busy enjoying the act of traveling to stop and write about it right then and there.

I saw more of Ireland last week than I have in the seven months we have been living here! The reason for this was my parents came to visit. Adam and I have sort of been holding off on seeing some of Ireland's major attractions with the knowledge that we had visitors arriving in the Fall. My Aunt and Uncle will be here next week, so more Irish travel lies ahead!

As for my parents' visit we spent a few days here in Cork and then four days on the road exploring the West Coast before heading east to Dublin for a day.

Thought I would share a quick post with just a few highlights from the visit. I may expand upon a few things in future posts, but for now hopefully this will give you an idea of what an amazing country Ireland is.

Here is what we managed to cover in 8 days:

1 Fort

3 Castles

2 Manor Houses

1 Brewery

1 Distillery

2 golf courses

3 Mountain Passes

28 hours of scenic driving

4000+ sheep

almost as many cows

2 National Parks