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passionate-baker · 5 years

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Monthly Musings: July

Hello dear friends!

July already! How was your month? Ours was sunny & humid. Lemme tell you, as an Irish person, I do not handle the heat well. I’ve basically been living in my birks, my yoga pants, and a flowy top all month long. On the other hand, more heat = lots of ice cream. Summer perks!

We took some time over the course of the month to gut our little garden patch. We fought a long hard battle with some very resilient ivy, but with the help of an axe and my extra determined father, we somehow managed to come out on top - thanks, Dad! Now we’re left with a lovely little patch of soil that was hiding underneath the ivy the whole time & we don’t know what to plant. I was originally thinking of planting some rhubarb, but now I’m thinking of planting pretty flowers instead, like hydrangeas or peace lilies. What do you think?

The offering for the month ahead is below, it’s relatively light & easy this time ‘round. I hope you find something that inspires you - to get in touch with a friend you haven’t seen in a while, to get into the kitchen baking, or to forward an informative coffee article to your friends who hate on your daily five cups. You do you.

Enjoy!

Boyfriend & I are heading to Kilkenny later this month to see Bob Dylan in concert! Neil Young & Glen Hansard will also be playing, but we’re really just going to see Bob. Other reasons to be excited about visiting Kilkenny: food, food, and more food. I’ve been working on a post about the medieval city for a while now and hope to get all I need to finish it off after this visit. Stay tuned!

One of the things that originally attracted me to Boyfriend was our shared love of coffee. In fact, he probably loves coffee more than I do. There’s nearly always a hot pot floating around our kitchen, but we will 100% fight you for the last cup. This is for all you coffee naysayers: Mythbusters, Coffee Edition.

In case you missed it, a new travel post hit the blog: 24 Hours in Galway. Basically, I got together with my mom & sister, we went eating & drinking in some of the best places Galway has to offer, and I blogged about our whereabouts. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the post!

In last month’s post, I mentioned that I was itching to add another cookbook to my collection. Originally I was thinking about a bread book (still am!), but we recently watched Christina Tosi’s episode on Chef’s Table and I went online & bought her book Momofuko Milk Bar basically as soon as the show ended. Obsessed is not the word.

I finally secured a trusty baker’s lame for myself! It’s bright yellow, totally adorable, & has been making my sourdough loaves look that bit “extra”. I dare say that owning it makes me want to bake even more sourdough than I already do.. which is a lot. Between the banneton & this, we’re winning!

Let’s just leave this here for future birthday present ideas: The Best Books to Read at Every Age, From 1 to 100.

I’ve started to push myself a little out of my comfort zone recently. I went out with some new work pals, I texted some friends that I’m not yet ready to consider ‘old friends’, and I got in touch with some over-seas friends I haven’t seen in years. The results varied considerably: one raging hangover, two upcoming coffee dates, and the offer of a spare room in Glasgow, respectively. Generally, I’m feeling pretty good about the whole dang thing!

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that you’ve started seeing a little more of my regular everyday life on my stories. This was kind of weird for me in the beginning, but it’s in keeping with the above mentioned pushing of my comfort zone. Ideally, I’d like to start posting the odd photo of myself in my actual feed, but I just don’t think I’m there yet. Baby steps.

Boyfriend is so over hearing about this, but anyways. July marks five years since my friend & I finished our pilgrimage across Spain. On May 28th 2014, we started our Camino in Saint Jean Pied du Port on the French side of the Pyrenees, we hiked along the trail for 34 days - taking 2 rest days en route - and walked into the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela on July 2nd. It was truly a life changing experience and one that I will never not talk about. Following the French Way, we basically hobbled our way across the entire country, laughing hysterically & making new friends as we went. It was the best.

I guess I qualify as a real adult now, because we’ve been invited to another wedding! There was that one I was the flower girl for way back when I was like 6, then nothing for years, and now suddenly I’m attending three within the last eight months. Definitely an adult now. (My amazing mother already stepped in & bought me a dress for this upcoming one, so there’s no new stresses this time ‘round. Thanks, Mom!)

Mine & Boyfriend’s 4 year anniversary is later this month! That time fleeeew! We’re going to keep things super low-key & maybe hit up a movie or something. I’m also working on convincing Boyfriend to make his unreal version of Ragu alla Bolognese for us. Cross your fingers for me!

Coming this day next week: Sourdough Maple Blueberry Brown Butter Crumble Muffins. The recipe took me two months and five different batches of muffins to develop to perfection. Be sure to check back!

I’m adding this No-Fuss Lemon Tart to my to-bake list because it looks insane. Also, a salty pretzel crust? Yes please!

I hope you have the most wonderful month! Let’s catch up in August, okay?

Hugs,

Vicki xo

R E L A T E D P O S T S

June // May // April // March // February // January // December // November

#monthlymusings #july #2019 #monthlymusings2019

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passionate-baker · 5 years

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Monthly Musings: December

Hello friends, happy Wednesday!

The first Wednesday in December; that just flew right in, didn’t it? While my brain is struggling to catch up with the date on the calendar, my heart & soul have already fully embraced the festive season: Our tree is up, the lights are twinkling, and there has already been a mince pie & a glass of mulled wine (or two). We’ve even watched our first Christmas film of the season!

Don’t you just love this time of year?

I’m heading out tonight for my first festive tradition of the year: dinner with a gal pal from work. We go into town, to the same restaurant every year, and the familiarity of this little tradition kind of welcomes in December for me. I love having an excuse to meet up with friends this time of year.

The musings for the month ahead are below. It’s largely a festive list, filled with homemade gift ideas, wrapping thoughts, Christmas movie lists, and a festive bake or two. It’s lighthearted & I think that’s exactly what we need on these busy December days.

Enjoy!

I threw my first ever Thanksgiving dinner! Sure, there were no Americans in attendance, but the 4 Irish people that were ate so well! I’ve learned the secret to the big day: it’s alllll about the sides. We made turkey with white wine gravy, Parker House rolls, brussels sprouts with bacon, kale & caramelized onion stuffing, cranberry sauce, and candied sweet potatoes. It was so much fun!

It’s high time we started to think about our homemade holiday gifting ideas. Obviously, we’ve all made up a batch of vanilla extract for our loved ones, but let’s branch out a bit more, shall we? Also on my gifting list this year: homemade cranberry sauce, holiday flavoured simple syrups, and herb salt.

Related: this year’s gifts are going to be adorned with dried orange slices. My mom put the idea into my head the other week & I just can’t shake it out. Imagine how cute they’ll look!

I recently treated myself to this gorgeous tablecloth. I am so in love with it that I’ve since gone back & bought it in a festive green colour. It’s perfect for holiday dinner parties!

Tis’ the season for curling up on the couch to watch festive films! I’ve already compiled a mental list of everything I want to fit into the month ahead, but what’s on your list? I want to make sure we don’t miss any of the classics!

Our love for Al Pacino was reignited recently after we saw The Irishman, and we’ve decided to take a look back at some of his greatest films. So far we’ve indulged in: Panic in Needle Park, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface, & the first Godfather. We are far from finished & the interest is still going strong - we have yet to find a film we don’t love!

As much as I like the idea of joining a book club, I’d honestly be too afraid to get involved in a discussion. I’d only really be there for the wine & snacks. Thank goodness for online book clubs! I’m following along with @theslowtravelerbookclub & loving it - there’s no pressure! Last month we read Three Women, & this month we’re reading My Sister, the Serial Killer. It’s fun getting to read & enjoy books that I wouldn’t normally come across. Why don’t you join along?

I am definitely going to find a way to work this Pear Panna Cotta Cake into my December baking list. It looks so beautiful.

An oldie but a goodie, December edition: Christmas Linzer Cookies. It’s been years since I made these & let’s be real - I love a good excuse to dig out my cookie cutters!

An oldie but a goodie, December edition, part two: Cranberry & White Chocolate Granola. December only comes around once a year & it’s so hard to choose only one festive recipe to share, so I thought we’d go wild and have two.

Thanks for reading along, friends! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year!

Hugs,

Vicki xo

PS, Boyfriend & I are off to Lyon next week! If you’d like to follow along, I’ll be posting to my stories on Instagram.

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2019: jan // feb // mar // apr // may // jun // jul // aug // sep // oct

2018: nov // dec

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passionate-baker · 5 years

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Monthly Musings: October

Happy Wednesday, sweet friends!

I hope you find yourself easing into this new month well. As I type, the rain is bucketing down hard outside the kitchen window, the heating is on, and I’m wearing my coziest jumper. All of this is to say: it’s definitely starting to feel very autumnal around these parts. It’s a hard reality to face after an extended jaunt through Tuscany, but I think we’re coping quite well.

The offering for the month ahead is below. I must say, it’s a rather self-indulgent post, but I hope you find something to take away with you nonetheless. I’ll be here, earl grey tea in one hand, corn flake crunch in the other.

Enjoy!

Our time in Italy was perfect. We ate our weight in excellent food - pasta, cheese, cold cuts, bread, pastries; you name it we ate it - and I regret not one calorie. We literally had the best time ever & coming home and getting back into our routines has been so hard. I’m working away on a few posts about our time there - I can’t wait to share it here!

Related: last month for my birthday, my sweet family went all out & gifted me an Italian themed hamper. The contents of which included luxurious foodstuffs - fancy olive oil, good Parmesan etc - as well as some excellent red wine, and the pasta rolling attachment for my KitchenAid! I nearly cried. It is the hamper of my dreams and I can’t wait to get into my pasta making groove!

I’ve become very conscious of my skin care routine lately. I’ve been researching different products, and I recently purchased a clay face mask that I am loving. I found this guide to be super helpful when deciding which mask to get; I ended up going with the charcoal one and my face feels so amazing afterwards. Another product I’m eyeing up: The Ordinary Retinol.

The idea of dying the carpets in our house has been bopping around my head lately. It was probably a lovely vibrant red when it was put down over 15 years ago, but now it’s a murky brown that’s been sun-bleached to baby poo green in some parts. It needs a facelift, badly. I’ll report back!

We welcomed a new plant baby into our home a few weeks back! It’s a physalis - also known as a Chinese Lantern Plant - and we’ve decided to call it Phyllis. I’d never even heard of it before, but I’ve been doing some research and it turns out that it bears fruit - those fancy little things you sometimes see accompanying cheese boards or the like. Thanks, Mom!

I am so beyond late to the game on this one, but I just recently made Christina Tosi’s Cereal Milk Panna Cotta with Corn Flake Crunch topping and it. was. divine. I purposely saved some of the corn flake crunch for snacking on & it is such a game changer. Obsessed.

I’m going to find a way to work this Tomato & White Bean Soup with Parmesan into our meal plan this week and I think you should too.

It’s been far too long since we had a new cookbook around these parts, but thankfully I’ve already pre-ordered our next one: Weeknight Baking. It comes out near the end of the month and I’m itching to get my hands on it!

A blog I’m currently crushing on: Coco & Vera.

A really very good book suggestion: The Chestnut Man. It kept me going during our whole Italy trip and I honestly didn’t want it to end.

An article that made me cry recently: Everything My Husband Wasn’t There For. Have the tissues at the ready.

An oldie but a goodie: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. They aren’t for the faint of heart, but boy they are delicious!

I hope you have a wonderful month! Let’s catch up again in November, okay?

My love to you,

Vicki xo

R E L A T E D P O S T S

2019: jan // feb // mar // apr // may // jun // jul // aug // sep

2018: nov // dec

#monthlymusings2019 #monthlymusings #october #2019

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passionate-baker · 5 years

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Monthly Musings: September

Hello friends!

September is my birthday month and I genuinely cannot believe that we’re here already! Another whole year traveled around the sun, wow. It went so fast!

Our musings this month are coming to you from County Mayo, nearly the exact opposite side of the country that I normally write from! We’re in a tiny town in the backside of nowhere with the rest of my mother’s family for a big shin-dig to celebrate my grandmother’s 80th birthday. Later today we’ll be driving onwards to Westport with my family to celebrate my birthday tomorrow, the big 2-6. A weekend of birthday treats and celebrations is never a bad thing, right? I’m soaking up every second.

Truth be told, I’ve been using my birthday as an excuse to meet up with all of my favourite people over the course of this last week. Basically, I’m milking it for all it’s worth to live my very best life.

Birthday madness aside, Boyfriend & I have been taking it pretty easy lately. We’ve been enjoying a lot of late summer walks in the evenings, with light rainfall and pink skies aplenty. We can often be found sheltering under a beautiful big tree while the worst of the rain passes, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Our ramblings for the month ahead are below, I hope you find something to take away with you. I’m feeling especially grateful for this little space of mine recently - thanks for being here friends, it means a lot.

Enjoy!

You better believe that I’m going to be dragging my family around to all of my favourite spots in Westport tonight and tomorrow morning. On the agenda: beers at McGing’s, dinner at The Pantry & Corkscrew, a walk out to Cronin’s Sheebeen, and hot chocolate at Marlene’s. I can’t wait! Related reading: Weekend in Westport.

I did a super nerdy thing recently & made a very organised list of everywhere I’ve ever traveled to. On the 12th of August last month, when we flew from Berlin back to Dublin, it was my 100th flight. Flying in a little tin can from A to B will never not be amazing, & having a list of all such adventures will be a fascinating read when my old lady memory starts to fade.

In case you missed it: my sourdough maple blueberry brown butter crumble muffins finally hit the blog last week! They’re light and airy and just as perfect as I’ve talked them up to be over the last two months. Weekend baking project, anyone?

As expected, Boyfriend and I had the best time ever in Berlin. Like, an exceptionally great time that was better than I ever could’ve dreamed of. We ate so much food, caffeinated ourselves so well, drank so much alcohol, and just laughed so hard at every dang thing. It was the best. Thank you Boyfriend, for being the perfect travel companion. Our guide to the city will be coming soon!

Related: our Italian adventure begins in exactly 10 days from now! It literally feels like we’ve been waiting twelve years for it to come around, thank heavens the time is nearly upon us! If you’d like to read about our past adventures in Italy: Bologna / Florence.

This article on Food52 has left me 100% determined to scrub my oven with baking soda & vinegar until it returns to its former sparkling glory days. Who knew!?

I visited a friends house recently and had severe house decor jealousy. Ever since getting back I’ve been thinking of ways to make our humble little abode a bit more stylish. I’m keeping my eyes peeled for a new light shade, and I’m really loving the idea of a hanging plant or two. Other than that, I’m scouring all of our local charity shops for quirky pieces to add to our home.

It’s high time we had a new pie bar recipe around these parts, wouldn’t you say? Previous pie bar recipes include: blackberry / plum & blackberry / pecan / apple & raspberry. We’re big fans, in case you didn’t guess.

What’s on your reading list this month? I’m reading a few stray Micheal Connelly books I missed earlier in the summer, but I'm looking for some recommendations I can bring to Italy with me! Any ideas?

Enrique, our serrano chili plant, really outdid himself this year! I proudly plucked off a few handfuls of juicy green chilies earlier this week & we’ve been reaping the rewards ever since! Enrique’s chili haul this year ‘round was much larger than last year and they definitely have more of a spicy kick to them. We’re extremely proud pepper parents.

Well friends, I think that’s everything. I hope you have the most fantastic month - bring on the cozy sweater weather!

Hugs,

Vicki xo

R E L A T E D P O S T S

2019: jan // feb // mar // apr // may // jun // jul // aug

2018: nov // dec

#september #monthlymusings2019 #monthlymusings #2019

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passionate-baker · 5 years

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Monthly Musings: August

Hello friends!

I’m so happy you’re here for yet another monthly musings post. Wow, didn’t summer just fly right by? I feel like I just got the hang of this whole surviving-in-the-heat thing and now the days are starting to get just a touch cooler. Oh well.

How was July for you? We spent a lot of time with our families over the last month as, coincidentally, both mine & Boyfriend’s mothers underwent knee replacements. Watching my mother go through the recovery phase of the whole thing has me awe-struck at how strong she is. It also leaves me feeling pretty grateful for my functioning knees that carry me around without much protest.

We also spent a lot of time eating donuts this past month. Krispy Kreme is located conveniently close to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, and amen for that.

The offering for the month ahead is below, and generally it’s pretty easy going. I get so much out of writing these posts; something about being able to look back over the last month and planning a few things for the one to come calms me. These have fast become my favourite posts to share, and I hope you find some solace in them also.

Enjoy!

I’m entirely fascinated by the whole knee replacement malarkey that my mom is going through - I can barely take my eyes off it. With the help of an epidural, she was awake for the 2-hour surgery, and she was out of the hospital within 4 days. As of today, she’s two weeks past the surgery & one day away from getting the 20 staples holding her knee closed taken out. She is 100% braver than me and I can only hope to be as strong as her when my already gammy knee gives out in the future. I found this guide very informative.

As a surprise for our anniversary last month, I decided to push the boat out & book us a trip abroad. We haven’t been out of the country since last October and I felt like we deserved it.. so we’re heading to Berlin this coming Friday! We’ll be in the city for four days & I’m already salivating thinking about all the food we’re going to eat and all the beer we’re going to drink. I’ll be posting more on my Instagram stories if you’d like to follow along!

Enrique, our eldest chili plant that we grew from seed, is truly flourishing in this hotter weather we’ve been having! I mean, he is a serrano chili plant that came to us by way of Mexico, so he obviously loves the heat. On my last count, there are 15 gorgeous little chilies waiting to ripen. It is just the most satisfying feeling!

Related: remember when I mentioned last month that we have a newly discovered little patch of soil? I’ve 97% decided that I’m going to plant some rhubarb and I’m so excited about it. This website has so much helpful information about planting fruit and veg!

I know I promised you a recipe for Sourdough Maple Blueberry Brown Butter Crumble Muffins last month. I also know that said recipe hasn’t been posted yet. I have good news! The post is finished now and will be hitting the blog later this week - and thank heavens for that. Stay tuned!

I found myself alone in the house for an evening recently, and I can’t tell you how much I truly enjoyed it! I danced wildly around the kitchen listening to 90s music (Fairground by Simply Red was especially wonderful to bop to), I treated myself to a couple glasses of white wine, & I re-watched some early Gilmore Girls episodes and found myself laughing out loud within the first few minutes. Living my best life!

Our trip to Kilkenny last month was bonkers awesome. The beautiful city just seems to get better & better each time we go. The food, the ambiance, the adorable little pubs, everything is so lovely there! I’m working on a blog post about our visit at the moment, so more on that soon, but... let’s not forget the real reason we went there: to see Bob Dylan and Neil Young! The concert was amazing. We sang our hearts out from beginning to end & loved every second. And obviously, Bob was the clear winner for us, duh.

We had Boyfriend’s sister & brother-in-law over for a belated birthday dinner last week and we went all out by serving a mini dessert plate. I whipped up a batch of my Extra Fudgy Brownies - that are literally always a treat - and a small bowl of white chocolate mousse, all served with a dollop of lightly whipped cream and a drizzle of raspberry coulis, respectively. Pop a candle into the birthday girl’s brownie & you’re winning!

The bad news: I finished reading all of the available books in the Harry Bosch series. The good news: the latest Harry Hole book came out exactly when I needed something to read! It. Is. Amazing. Perhaps my favourite of the whole series!

This Dave Matthews Tiny Desk Concert has been playing in my mind lately. Two particular highlights for me are the inter-singing banter and the unintentionally hilarious faces he makes when he sings.

I have my eye on a new pair of Birkenstocks. They’re the classic Arizona style and I’ve been having shoe envy at heaps of strangers walking past me for weeks. I’m heading into town this week to try them on, wish me luck!

I haven’t been baking a whole lot recently, but I’m going to make a conscious effort to get back into the kitchen during the month to whip something up just for me, not the blog or Instagram. What should I make? I'm currently leaning towards Christina Tosi’s Crack Pie.

Have a great month, friends!

Let’s catch up all over again in September, okay?

Hugs,

Vicki xo

R E L A T E D P O S T S

2019: July // June // May // April // March // February // January

2018: December // November

#monthlymusings #august #monthlymusings2019 #2019

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passionate-baker · 5 years

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Monthly Musings: June

Hello friends - happy June!

The six month mark already, wow wow wow. Is it just me or did May fly by at extremely high speed? Looking back, the whole month has kind of blurred into one very long weekend in my mind. We spent a lot of time surrounded by family & friends over the course of the month, and for that I am grateful.

Did you have a nice month? I hope you found time to sit down for a long over-due chin-wag with your loved ones.

The offering for the month ahead is below. It’s trivial and easy, but sometimes that’s exactly what we need. Grab your coffee, choose a nice cozy spot on the couch, and read your way through my ramblings this fine Sunday. We’ll be over here, making pancakes & dancing around the kitchen.

Thanks for stopping by, friends. Enjoy!

In case you were wondering: my mom came to the rescue re helping me with wedding outfits. She kicked my butt into action & we had two very successful shopping trips. Two dresses (here + here), one fancy dress coat, a dusty pink linen wrap, some strappy not-too-high heels (a & b), a baby pink clutch, and some cute rose gold earrings later, I was wedding ready. Mothers are truly a blessed gift.

May was a weird month for weather here in Ireland. On one hand, it was so sticky & hot that I spent a lot of time in my Birkenstocks. On the other hand, it rained A LOT, so I wore my Rockholly raincoat all month long. I mean, I thought May was meant to be all sunshine and blue skies? The good news is that my Birkenstocks & my raincoat accidentally match. Silver linings!

June is one of my very least favourite months in work. Every single year, I dread reaching June 16th for one simple reason: Bloomsday. An annual celebration of James Joyce’s Ulysses that draws huge crowds of people to dress in ridiculous clothing & follow Bloom’s steps through Dublin. Sadly, the tiny village in which I work is one of the major stops on the route, making it one of the busiest workdays of the year. Annnd this year promises to be extra busy because not only does it fall on a Sunday, but it also happens to be Father’s Day. Joy.

In case you missed it: a new recipe for Salted Maple Pie hit the blog a little while ago & you need it in your life asap. It’s from Sister Pie’s amazing book and it is perfection in a pie. Just sayin’.

My new favourite word: alinea. It means “the beginning of a new train of thought”. Yes, I heard about it on Chef’s Table - our love for the show grows ever stronger - and yes, we want to visit the restaurant of the same name in Chicago.

I just finished reading the entire Twilight book series again. I forgot to charge my Kindle one night & thought why the heck not enjoy some easy reading before bed. In all honesty, I had no intention of reading all four again... but then one thing led to another & I was suddenly 15 years old again, hooked. I’m no longer ashamed to admit it: the books are great.

Related: I mentioned in last month’s post that I was trying to spend less time on my phone by carrying a book around in my handbag. Now whenever I have a minute to myself, I find that I don’t even really want to go on my phone, I’d much rather read another few pages of whatever book I’m reading. It’s so wonderful! I’m currently reading the Harry Bosch books by Michael Connelly & I’m entirely unable to put them down - they’re addictive!

One of my sweet friends at work recently gifted me a banneton to up my sourdough making skills. I had refrained from buying one for some stupid reason like saving or whatever, but I am so thrilled with it! I just made my first ever loaf using it the other day & it definitely made a difference to the crust. Thanks, Nastja! Now to secure a trusty baker’s lame.

Can we talk cookbooks for a second? I have a large collection that is filled with my faves & they are all so well loved. Every single one of them has post-its marking the recipes I want to make. Any recipe that I’ve ever made is marked with a cute little green sticker I buy solely for this purpose. Every third page or so is dotted with coffee, smeared with butter or chocolate, and lightly sprinkled with flour. That, friends, is what you call love. What’s in your collection? I’m thinking about adding a sourdough book to the group, do you have any recommendations?

As of June 1st, there is only 102 days left until Boyfriend & I finally set off on our trip through Tuscany. I’d say that means I can start letting myself get excited in about 57 days. 45 days seems like an appropriate amount of time to be excited for, right? In the meantime, you can read our previous Italian guides here: Florence / Bologna.

What’s on your baking list this month? I’ll leave this recipe from two years ago here just in case you need inspiration: Strawberries & Cream Naked Cake. My first and only foray into the world of naked cakes. So simple & yet so delicious!

I hope you have a wonderful month. Until July!

Hugs,

Vicki xo

R E L A T E D P O S T S

May // April // March // February // January // December // November

#monthlymusings #june #2019 #monthlymusings2019

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passionate-baker · 5 years

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Monthly Musings: May

Welcome to May, friends!

Boyfriend & I are still wading through the deep layer of chocolate we accumulated over the Easter holidays. We have chocolate bunnies coming out of our ears, chocolate eggs all over the house, bars & anything small-ish set up in front of the TV for some movie snacking. All of this is to say... will you come over to eat chocolate with us? We’re going to a wedding in less than two weeks and would be extremely grateful. We’ll even give you some to bring home. You will? K, thanks.

No, seriously though, can we talk weddings for a second? How the heck do you figure out what to wear? Do you go floor length or knee length or even that small bit higher? Then there’s the whole shoe situation. How do you find heels that are a) perfectly cute b) match your dress c) not too high and d) comfortable enough to wear for the entire day. Please, send help.

The offering for the month of May is below. I hope you find something to take away with you, be it a new recipe or an itch to get travelling or both. I’ll be over here fretting about dressing for a wedding. Enjoy!

This little space that I occupy on the internet turned 7 years old at the end of April. Seven whole years of rambling online about things I’ve baked & places I’ve been. Honestly, I use this space as a kind of therapy session, & I love every second of over-sharing. Thank you for being here! Last year I made this triple chocolate birthday cake to celebrate, but this year Boyfriend & I celebrated in a more casual way with some delicious jam doughnuts. Here’s to another wonderful year!

It’s official: we’ve finally locked in our holiday plans after the great failure that was Montreal. We love Italy, & really, can you ever get bored of it? This time round we’ll be hitting up Tuscany, focusing on some smaller villages I’ve never ventured out to before. The plan is Pisa - Florence - San Gimignano - Siena - Castellina in Chianti - Bologna. The stuff of dreams!

Related: Part II of our Italian Adventures hit the blog last week & it is all about the beautiful city of Bologna! If you’re wondering how we can keep going back to the same spot & falling ever more in love with it, you’ve obviously never visited. Bologna is everything we love about a city: quaint, romantic, quiet, relatively untouched by tourism, and filled with amazing restaurants, markets, & bars. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the guide!

A new month means a new Food in Jars Mastery Challenge! May is all about berries & I’m excited to see what news skills I learn this month round. Boyfriend is a berry addict, so I’m sure he’ll be thrilled with whatever I whip up.

Keeping in line with our recent efforts to produce less waste, we’ve switched to bamboo toothbrushes. These are the exact ones we have & they are totally adorable. When finished, you just remove the bristles & pop the stick into the compost bin. It feels good!

How on earth am I so late to the Chef’s Table table (terrible pun intended)!? Why did I wait so long? We are loving every single episode and slowly but surely inching our way along to ‘Volume 4 - Pastry’ and I am living for it.

I’ve been compiling a master list of recipes for using up any sourdough discard you may have lying around. As in, the only list you will ever need to turn to. Am I the only one intrigued by such a collection? I’ve been testing a whole bunch of recipes from around the web & tweaking until they are juuuust perfect for our tastes. Yes, you can definitely expect a variation of Izy Hossack’s Sourdough Brownies to be in there. I can’t wait to share!

Over the past few weeks I’ve been trying to spend less time on my phone. I hated the way my thumb automatically opened Instagram whenever I picked up my mobile, because really - does Instagram make anyone feel good about themselves, ever? I’ve taken to hauling around a book with me at all times recently, & I feel a million times better. It’s good to step back every once in a while to gain some perspective - does it really matter to me what so-and-so had for breakfast on the other side of the world? No and nope. Related reading: The Instagram Aesthetic is Over.

Friends, I just recently saw Cruel Intentions for the first ever time. Where have I been living all this time - under a bloody rock? It’s so fantastically ‘90s and I truly hope Boyfriend gets it for my birthday so I can add it to my collection of cheesy movies - my favourite of which will always be Notting Hill. No need to be jealous, you can come around to watch them whenever you want.

Our long read of the month: The Haunting of 657 Boulevard. Boyfriend linked me to this and I honestly couldn’t stop reading it. The thing that freaks me out about it is that it could literally happen to anyone, anywhere, and there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of help/support from locals or the police.

We had our vegan friends over for dinner last month. We made roast veggie tacos with all the vegan trimmings - salsa, guac etc - but I just couldn’t find it inside myself to make a vegan dessert. Barring that one time years ago when I made vegan banana bread, I’ve never baked a vegan dessert. Vegan butter, egg substitutes etc just aren’t up my alley. Do you know any good vegan desserts? I’d love to pull out all the stops & surprise them the next time they come over.

Boyfriend & I had our first ever proper Easter dinner together this year. We breakfasted with family (hi Mom!), lounged around all day, and then pulled out all the stops for a romantic Easter dinner for two. Slow cooked pork shoulder, cheesy mashed potatoes, a side of roasted veg, and a Lindt bunny for dessert. Honestly, it was amazing.

An oldie but a goodie: Ham & Gruyere Breakfast Rolls. Think pillow-y soft dough, filled with an extra gooey helping of bechamel sauce, grueyere cheese, and smoked ham. The breakfast of champions.

I think that’s all for today, thanks for stopping by!

Until next month, friends.

Vicki xo

R E L A T E D P O S T S

April // March // February // January // December // November

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passionate-baker · 5 years

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Monthly Musings: April

Hello friends!

Welcome to another Monthly Musings post, this one easing us into April. March felt like it lasted for four weeks too long for me & I’m so grateful it’s over - bring on the longer days & warmer temperatures!

I hope you found some time in March to get into your kitchen & get your hands dirty - did you bake anything delicious? This past month saw me wrangling a lot of dough out of my cherry red KitchenAid & for that I am eternally grateful - it hurts my arm muscles just thinking of how I’d manage without her. I show her my appreciation by keeping her extra clean and shiny.. and yes, it’s a she. When you know you know.

The offering for the month ahead is below, so grab a steaming cup of tea to sit down with - I’ll be over here with my Earl Grey & a sneaky square of chocolate.

Happy reading!

Just to update you on our sourdough situation: we named our starter Eliza & I treat her as I would a child. Admittedly, she’s a bit more work than I knew I was getting in to - feedings every 12 hours with water that is just the right temperature, a resting place that maintains a steady 23C, yada yada yada - but I’ve well & truly caught the sourdough making bug. I’ve been ecstatic with my first few loaves (above is loaf #3) & the process is totally addictive. I’m currently thinking about investing in a trusty baker’s lame for a more professional looking loaf. I’ll keep you updated!

Related: an alarming amount of starter gets discarded during the feeding process. Turns out, there’s heaps of recipes out there for using up the discard. Among others, King Arthur Flour have heaps of recipes online and I’m toying with the idea of making a post with a round-up of some of the best available. What do you think?

We had my family over for dinner recently and accidentally stumbled across the world’s best lasagna recipe in the process: Anthony Bourdain’s Lasagne Bolognese. It’s rich and cheesy and checks alllll of my boxes for the perfect comfort dish.

I’ve been giving Boyfriend all the moral support possible this past month as he’s been shooting / reshooting / editing etc his latest short film: The Unquiet. If you’d like to watch his last short film - Sit Beside Me - you can follow that link to YouTube, or this link to Vimeo. We'd love to hear your thoughts!

I was recently asked to make the dessert for a colleague’s farewell dinner. Almost immediately, I settled on making the one dessert I know to be a major crowd pleaser: my baked cheesecake. Anyone who has ever tried it raves about it for days, and honestly, this time was no different. Listen, I’m not being big-headed, I’m just telling you the truth.

The bad news: the airline cancelled our flights to Montreal & we didn’t like any of their rerouting options, so we opted for a refund. The good news: we’ve started to plan a blow out trip to Italy instead! The initial plan is Rome - Naples - Positano - Amalfi, but we’re not 100% sure yet. Do you have any suggestions? We’re so excited!

In case you missed it: last week I shared our travel guide to Florence! It’s extra large & packed full of our most cherished places to eat and drink. I’d love to hear your thoughts! Honestly, it’s probably my favourite travel guide I’ve ever written. I’m already itching to share ‘Part II: Bologna’ with you in the not so distant future!

Boyfriend dipped into one of my cookbooks - LA Cult Recipes - this week to bring this glorious mashup of a meal into our lives: Beef Chili Spaghetti Bowl. Made famous by Chili John’s back in the 50′s, it’s a real treat for the taste-buds, I’ll tell you that. Spicy, delicious, confusing in a where-the-tacos-at kind of way, but ultimately so satisfying. Thanks, Boyfriend!

After reading this article, I feel guilty about how careless I’ve been in regards to waste & cutting down on my plastic usage. Since reading, I’ve become one of those crazy loons who gives out to their mothers for using cling film and toothbrushes not made from bamboo. Mom, I’m sorry my rant went on for too long... but can you please cut down on your cling film?

Related: I bought these reusable bees wrap sheets as a cling film alternative and we’re slowly but surely starting to get used to them. Frustrating at first, perhaps, but the end goal is worth it.

What’s on your baking list this month? If I get my hands on some brightly coloured pink stalks anytime soon, I’ll definitely be making my Rhubarb & Orange Financier to get us in the mood for Spring!

Okay friends, I think that pretty much rounds us up for the month - until May!

Hugs,

Vicki xo

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March // February // January // December // November

#monthlymusings #april #2019 #monthlymusings2019

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passionate-baker · 6 years

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Monthly Musings: March

Welcome to another Monthly Musings post, friends!

I hope today finds you extra well rested from the weekend & ready to tackle the week ahead. Boyfriend & I have had a very hectic last few weeks, so I think I speak for the two of us when I say we’re looking forward to the slower pace of March. Our plans for the month include taking it super easy, putting our feet up at any given opportunity, and making sleep a priority again. Listen, we love sleep, and honestly - you don’t want to see either of us running on less than 7 hours, it isn’t pretty.

March’s monthly musings are below, and I hope you find some inspiration hidden within my ramblings.

If you need me, I’ll be over here thinking up something herb-a-licious to make for the monthly Food in Jars Mastery Challenge - I’ll keep you posted.

I’m a bit late to the game, but I’ve finally gotten round to making my own sourdough starter. This is the first step on the journey down the road of sourdough - which I’m sure will be full of frustrations and rage - and I am so excited. We’re still trying to think up an adequately punny name for our starter, and this Food52 article has some excellent suggestions. Any ideas? Side note: I’m following the recipe from my Bouchon cookbook.

In case you missed it, February brought us a new Gifting 101 post - Preserved Lemons! Listen, I’m just here to help build up your homemade gift repertoire & make you look amazing. You’re so welcome!

I found myself a little under the weather this past month, which is terrible for productivity and all things work related, but great for catching up on reading. I worked my way through the entire Detective Erika Foster series and loved every. single. second. Boyfriend has since got me reading the Harry Bosch books by Michael Connelly, so we shall soon find out how addictive they are in comparison.

Are you a green thumb or a black thumb person? I’m working on expanding my gardening skills this year. Enrique, a serrano chilli plant that we grew from a seed, was our first plant baby. He was shortly followed by another chilli plant - Guillermo, who also was grown from seed - and now we finally have a new plant baby! Alvin Cado, a baby avocado tree, has finally sprouted a stem from his pit and we are so excited! Well, I am... Boyfriend is kind of freaked out by him, but I’m sure he’ll come around when Alvin grows some leaves, right? What should I try my hand at next?

Related: I recently stumbled across Rob Greenfield on Instagram and he’s currently undertaking a Food Freedom Project. The idea being that he’s going to grow & forage 100% of the food he eats for an entire year. No food from neighbours or restaurants, nothing processed, just homegrown fruit + vegetables, & homemade items like salt and oil. I love the idea behind it, and reading about it has opened my eyes a little wider... but at the same time, it isn’t a very realistic project for anyone who doesn’t live in the subtropical climate Florida boasts, amiright?

Boyfriend & I have well and truly gone blood orange crazy. There’s a blood orange cake hitting the blog later this week (stay tuned!), Boyfriend is fine tuning his blood orange cocktail skills (my favourite of which was a tequila/aperol concoction), and just yesterday I made a batch of blood orange curd. We never want the season to end!

A recipe we fell for this time three years ago: Curly Carrot Cake. A lightly spiced, perfectly moist carrot cake, lathered with lusciously soft cream cheese frosting, and garnished with candied carrot peels. Basically: the best carrot cake ever.

Ever since becoming the proud owner of my very own shiny red KitchenAid this past Christmas, I’ve been dreaming of buying the pasta roller attachment. I’m reluctant to spend that much money on something I’m not sure I’d use all that much, but I want it so badly! Why are they so bloody expensive?

We’re in that strange period of the year when there aren’t that many new cookbook releases coming out. Well, maybe there are, but none of them have caught my eye. The next book I’m super excited for is Christina Lane’s Dinner Just For Two, but it won’t ship to Ireland until May! Is there anything I’ve missed?

I’m just going to leave this article here in case you feel like you need a good cry: My Wife Was Dying, and We Didn’t Tell Our Children. Listen, we all need a good cry sometimes and this is as good a reason as any. Make sure you have the tissues at the ready.

I hope you have the very best week!

Hugs,

Vicki xo

PREVIOUS MONTHLY MUSINGS:

February / January / December / November

#monthlymusings #march #2019 #monthlymusings2019

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passionate-baker · 6 years

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Monthly Musings: February

I find February awfully bleak. It’s literally freezing outside, the weather forecaster keeps mentioning the threat of snow every 15 minutes, the days are dark and miserable, and I find it hard to force myself out the front door. As in, I’m thinking up ways to get out of ever having to leave the warmth and coziness of our house ever again. That said, we spied daffodils coming into bloom in Boyfriend’s parents’ garden the other day, so surely spring can’t be that far off? We can hope. Until that happens, you can find me beside the radiator with a cup of tea in hand, staring at these gorgeous flowers from Bloom & Wild, dreaming of the warmer days ahead.

These Monthly Musings posts are fast becoming a favourite of mine - I find that I love sitting down to write them, recapping the month gone by and thinking through the month ahead. I hope you enjoy this month’s ramblings as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Boyfriend & I booked flights to Montreal! I’ve never been anywhere near Canada before and am beyond excited! The good news is that we already have a large handful of places we want to eat at... and the bad news is that our trip isn’t until September. As in, there’s another 236 days until our flight. At least it’s something to look forward to?

This year, I committed to following along with the Food in Jars Mastery Challenge. January’s challenge was all about citrus, and I tried my hand at preserved lemons. It was like being in class, except waaay better because I actually enjoy working with food a lot more than I ever enjoyed working with math. I'm itching to learn more!

Related: February’s challenge is all about fermentation, and I have high hopes for myself. Fermenting foods is unexplored terrain for me, but I’m readying myself up to make two new-to-me items: homemade yogurt and sourdough. I am so excited! Making my own sourdough has been on my bucket list for so long that it’s almost laughable, and homemade yogurt sounds so intriguing. Watch this space!

I’m working away on a massive post about travelling in Italy, specifically in Florence and Bologna. Boyfriend & I have an ongoing love affair with everything about those two cities, so expect the post to be extra large and jam-packed with recommendations. Currently, it’s looking so large that it might even have to be split in two. I can’t wait to share it with you! In the meantime, you can read about our other adventures here.

Boyfriend recently bought me my first ever blood orange. I’d never tried one before, and I thought it was so romantic & thoughtful when he text me out of the blue one day saying he got me a present “that’s round and rhymes with nothing.” Isn’t he just the sweetest? Some girls want flowers from their other halves, but I’ll settle for a big bag of juicy blood oranges any time - it was delicious! I’m looking to get my hands on a few more before the end of the season to make something similar to this bundt cake by A Cozy Kitchen.

A new addition to the cookbook family: Patisserie Made Simple by Edd Kimber. As of this moment in time, I’ve only baked from the cookbook once, but it was so insanely delicious & simple that I can’t wait to use the book again. Thanks Boyfriend!

Following on with the purge of last month, I’ve recently started to declutter my bookshelves. No, not my cookbook shelves. And no, we still haven’t watched Marie Kondo on Netflix. For years I’ve been amassing dozens of books - art books, novels, biographies, history tomes, you name it - and it feels like the right time to share them. Apart from a small collection of my very favourites, everything was lovingly packed up and donated to our local charity shop. It felt sad to give them away, but also good to know other people will get to enjoy them now. Yes, I am a crazy book lady.

An oldie but a goodie: Maple Pecan Granola. I foresee a big batch of this granola in our near future, with a side of homemade yogurt perhaps... Adulting to the very best of our abilities over here!

Speaking of adulting to the best of our abilities, I came across something on Instagram last week called Cook90. The idea is that you challenge yourself to make & eat everything from scratch for one month/90 meals. Boyfriend & I are generally pretty good when it comes to making our meals from scratch, but this is something that has me very intrigued. Do you think you could do it?

Finally, a cake I’m really hoping we won’t have to bake again this February, but just in case: Snow Day Chocolate Cake. An easy peasy, perfectly tasty chocolate cake that you can make with the smallest handful of ingredients. For days when the snow is so bad that you literally can’t leave your house (and need a distraction from the onset of cabin fever). I speak from experience.

All my love,

Vicki xo

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passionate-baker · 6 years

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Monthly Musings: January

Happy New Year, friends!

I hope the end of 2018 treated you well and that you were able to carve out a little time for some well deserved rest. I took the last two weeks off to give my body the rest it needed and I honestly feel like a new woman; my body rejuvenated, my mind clearer. I’ve spent the time catching up with friends, enjoying my first real wedding, having date nights with Boyfriend, and getting super acquainted with my couch. It has been glorious.

While resolutions have never really been my thing, I’ve resolved to try harder this year. Try to be a better person, every single day. To relax more, and not to get as worked up. To breathe deeper & longer, to rest my body and my soul. To be more in the now, and to appreciate the little things. To be a better friend, and to let my friends know how much they mean to me. To be a better daughter, sister, partner, person. To laugh more, dance more, sing more, bake more, do more. Basically, my new year’s resolution is to be the very best version of myself, as much as possible. Will you join me?

Here’s a sneaky peek at the thoughts ambling around my head this freezing Friday:

I took some time out these past few days to update our Westport Guide. We visit every year around December/January & I’ve added a few of our recent finds to the list. Click here for the updated version. Either way, please enjoy this photo of Boyfriend striding-by ‘Mayo’s Leading Fishing & Tackle Shop’, I know I do.

Related: our Vienna post went live a couple of weeks ago! I was so excited to share it with you guys because it had been sitting in my drafts for a YEAR. We visited during December to check out the Christmas markets, but a lot of the bars/restaurants/culture featured in the post aren’t December related, so check it out!

I recently became the proud owner of an Amazon Alexa device and it has literally blown my mind. She has been renamed Echo and Boyfriend & I have accepted her as one of our own. A particular highlight was when we asked her to rap to us. Thanks, Kid!

Boyfriend & I dedicated some time yesterday to taking a serious look at our wardrobe. What we actually wear vs. what we like the idea of wearing but never really do. Anything we weren’t sure about or that hadn’t been worn in over a year got mercilessly packed up and donated to our local charity shop. It feels so good!

We had some amazing additions to our cookbook collection recently! My bestie bought me the most thoughtful book ever - Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat - and I find myself re-reading every single word on every page. It’s an incredibly fascinating read, to understand the hows and whys behind eating and food. If you purchase one cookbook for yourself this year, let it be this.

Another amazing addition to the collection is Los Angeles: Cult Recipes. Boyfriend & I are big fans of the ‘Cult Recipes’ books - we already have the New York one - and this one is just as fantastic as we’d hoped. Boyfriend has his eye on the In-N-Out burger, while I’ve been dreaming of the calorific mac-and-cheese-pizza. Only in LA!

Can we talk about how beautiful these new smock aprons from Hedley & Bennett are for a hot second? I am obsessed. H&B have been a favourite of mine since Joy the Baker gifted me one a couple of years ago, but I was beyond excited when I saw the release of the smocks a couple of months ago. We have the charcoal one, and it’s worth every single cent of the FedEx bill headed my way. So beautiful!

Last week (at least, I think it was last week..), we hosted our favourite pescatarian friends for dinner and had the very best time! We went for a trusty Smitten Kitchen 3 Bean Chili recipe for mains - because you can never go wrong with Deb - and I made a Kladdkaka for dessert, which was very nearly demolished by the end of the night. Having friends over for dinner is one of the things I enjoy most about having our own space.

What are you reading at the moment? I’m currently working my way through the Detective Erika Foster novels by Robert Bryndza and I’m totally addicted. They’re both easy on my brain and intriguing at the same time. I think I’m going to hit up Crazy Rich Asians next, but I would love any suggestions!

Boyfriend & I are patiently waiting for the cinema to start releasing the Oscar worthy films, but in the meantime we’ve been getting our movie fix on Netflix. During the week we watched Bird Box and it has left us divided - I loved it and Boyfriend thought it was so so, how is this possible!? Last night we poured ourselves some Spanish wine and snuggled in for Vicky Christina Barcelona, a classic we both loved.

An oldie but a goodie: Fudgy Fudge Brownies. Gooey, melt-in-the-mouth deliciousness. I recently remade these babies for Boyfriend’s birthday & added a peanut butter swirl through the batter - best. idea. ever.

Have a fantastic month, friends!

Hugs,

Vicki xo

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