SUCCESS!

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Posted by wendy | Posted in Cooking, expat life | Posted on 26-05-2010

Last night as I was browsing through my cookbook (awesome bedtime reading!) I found a recipe for granola. We have been buying muesli for a while and it’s so yummy and look kind of like granola.

Anyway, this morning we walked down to the Londis and got all the ingredients.

Shopping in a foreign grocery store is a treat. Everything is just a little bit different but the same a the same time. They also have exotic items like sultana aka grapes.

Part of the recipe called for rolled oats. I looked at all the oats (and there are so many different brand and kind of oats.) and had no idea which one is roll oats. I mean everything there says it’s oatmeal. So I end up picking some organic none quick oats (but it did say you can make it in oatmeal in the microwave with it) and hope for the best.

When we got home I read the back of the package and it had instruction for making home made museli. So I guess I got the right one! YAY!

Anyway, making granola is surprising easy. This is what you need:

  • 4 cups of Rolled Oats
  • 1 cup of Flaked Almonds (for you Americans it’s Sliced Almonds)
  • 3/4 cup of vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup of good honey

Pre heat oven to 175 C (for you Americans that’s 350 F)

Mix the Rolled Oats with flaked almonds and sit aside. Whisk the vegetable oil and 1/2 cup of honey together. Pour into the oats mixture and make sure to coat all the oats. Put it in a baking dish and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Make sure to stir it every now and then in the oven.

Take it out of the oven and let it cool. Make sure to stir it other wise you will end up with granola bar. (Happened to my first more brown than golden batch!)

You will end up with something like this:

L1030904

After all that you can mix it with whatever dry fruit and nuts you want. I end up getting some dry figs, dry apricots, and raisins.

And say SUCCESS!

After all the dressings

Off to See the Shroud!

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Posted by wendy | Posted in expat life, travel | Posted on 21-05-2010

We are leaving tonight to Milan and train it to Turin tomorrow to see the Holy Shroud!

Regardless of people’s opinion of authenticity, it is still a piece of great history. It also are not out on display very often. So when I heard it finally came out on display last winter I had to make reservations to go see it! You only get 15 minute to look at the Shroud so I am hoping we don’t miss it!

Booking holiday on line in Ireland is n very difference experience for me. I don’t have a list of my normal on line booking agencies I can use so I have to do some research. I also am bad at geography and don’t know much about European airports and streets. Makes booking the holiday just a bit harder but learning a lot as well. New experiences!

We opted to fly to Milan and use Milan as a ‘home base.’ We’ll train it to Turin on Saturday and spend Saturday there looking at the sights. But the rest of the trip we will be in Milan. I have never train it in Europe before so it should be a treat!

Just in Time for my First Irish summer

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Posted by wendy | Posted in expat life, knit | Posted on 20-05-2010

First finished knitting project in Ireland! Just in time for the Irish summer!

It was fun and brainless but still managed to mess up like 10 million times.

It’s a bit heavy for my liking but hey, it’s something that got done! Whoo hoo!

Now I am ready for the summer!

Ombre Alpaca Blanke

Ombre Alpaca Blanke

Ombre Alpaca Blanke

The Mill

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Posted by wendy | Posted in expat life, knit | Posted on 15-05-2010

The Yarn Shop in Johnstown Kildare

I have been wanting to go to this yarn store in Kildare since we got here. So we got up early today to go to the yarn store!

The address of the place simply consist of The Mill, Johnstown, Naas, Co. Kildare. Hum. Well, good thing Mr is a native, because I don’t think I could find this place even with a GPS. Maybe in time I too can decipher address such as this!

I forgot how I heard about this place, but they spun their own yarn with native sheep! How cool is that?

The man manning the shop was super nice. While I was browsing he offered Mr a cup of coffee and a news paper. How cute!

He didn’t have a lot of ‘brand name’ yarns but that was fine with me. I mostly wanted to see the home made yarn. I end up with 2 cones of cream yarn and 2 cones of cotton turquoise yarn. Over all it was a very pleasant shop! I would go back again now I know where it is!

There were also this awesome car parked outside! I think I found my dream car!

My dream car!