I like that people come over for coffee or a cuppa (tea) in this new country of mine. When my older kids were little, I would often host some other moms from their preschool for a playdate and coffee....
Tips for Keeping Your Grocery Budget Low in Ireland
Meal Plan and Shop with a List On Saturdays, I make a meal plan for the whole week and a shopping list based on this list. I always do my shop based on this list and I almost always...
Trying a New Frosting with a Baymax Birthday Cake
Long, long ago, I didn’t know how to make frosting. I didn’t really know how to bake either as it was something that my mother did not do. When I needed a baking badge for my Calvinettes group (think...
Coffee with Friends at the Tramyard – Dalkey
Spent a lovely morning a couple of weeks ago at the Tramyard in Dalkey. An expat group I belong to organizes a coffee meetup a couple of times a month, and a nearby friend and I decided to pop...
A Most Peculiar Afternoon Tea at the Westin Hotel
Drinking tea is an institution here in Ireland and even though I’m still trying to learn all the etiquette, I love the hospitality it represents. A cup of tea can vary between a casual cup shared with a friend...
How I feed our 6-person family on €100 per week
It IS possible to feed a family of 6 on 65 Euros or less in a small flat and shopping primarily at the Centra (a convenience store) and mini-Tesco down the road. Our menu was much more limited and did...
Celebrating 12 years together at Yamamori Izakaya
In celebration of surviving 12 years together, 4 kids, 1 mortgage, 1 transcontinent move, 1 transatlantic move, we decided to get a babysitter and go out for dinner and drinks. Exploring the nightlife of Ireland has been mostly left...
Celebrating J’s birthday with a Meatloaf cake
When J’s birthday came up, I asked him what he wanted for his birthday….dinner out? A party? He told me that he wanted a birthday meatloaf cake. Now, I’ve attempted this once before and a friend of mine and...
How to cook Vietnamese food in Ireland
Part of my favorite childhood memories revolve around food. Family gatherings and holidays centered on the special foods that my mom and grandmother made and that each of my aunts and uncles brought to share. These memories feature distinctive...
Gerry’s (diner?) for the Full Irish
Well, J had a day off a couple of months ago. An extra Friday off that was off the books as a thank you from the management to the whole team for working late a couple of days. Who...