Simple Sundays #6

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you guys are all enjoying you weekend thus far.

We’ve just been hanging out this morning looking at houses. We’re getting excited that husband is going to be graduating soon. Once he does he can no longer work part-time as an extern so he has an interview in 2 weeks to see about working full-time at the hospital once he’s done with school and passes his boards. It’s pretty exciting. Granted, it’s not the city we really want to spend the rest of our lives in (at least not for me) but in this economy if one is given a full-time job with full benefits with great money than one should figure out a compromise to make it work for everyone, right? Especially since my job can be taken anywhere we go. I guess that’s one positive about being a freelancer.

As I  look at these houses, I tend to study their kitchen in great depth. I want to make sure its functional and if it needs a makeover it’s not going to cost an arm and a leg. I really need a home with a move in ready kitchen. The rest of the house we can work on. I really want to start videos again and I need a kitchen space that’s going to provide me the most bang for the buck. Another thinking I am looking for is a big open window in the kitchen or dining area so I can have a photographing space with a lot of natural light. We’re even looking at home with Michigan rooms (which is merely a closed in porch with a ton of windows) that would make a perfect photography studio for me.

Another thing we are looking at is the size of land. While there is a part of me that greatly wants to get back to some sort of city life, there is another part of me that does not wish to be on top of my neighbors anymore (especially when working from home) as I really want a little space between my home and the one next door. But, not too much like where I am now. I’d like to be in some sort of neighborhood where there are some kids for kiddo to make friends with. Right now, we only have one neighbor and they are old. We are pretty rural and there is a lot of space between the homes. We have no idea who lives where and its just not safe for kiddo to walk around and find kids to play with. The area is perfectly safe from crime, but not from speeding cars.

I want some yard to landscape. I would love a pool and a garden. A space to garden is a must, although I am the queen of container gardening because I grew up living in apartments.

We have a lot of things to consider.

I have a business plan for YUM and have so many things I want to accomplish the next few years. A lot of that needs me to have a functional kitchen and a space for me to grow some of my own foods.

It’s exciting, but stressful at the same time.

Alright, lets talk about some food stuff. We are closing in on the end of March and that means the end of Irish-American Heritage Month. 🙁  Tomorrow will be the last Irish recipe. And, even though its not a traditional recipe, it’s still a lot of fun and definitely a recipe worth keeping around for next year.

 

This past week I had  great time sharing Irish Breakfast Dippers.

I received so much feedback about how many had no idea about making their own sausage. Well, more so that they didn’t realize making their own sausage would be so easy! These are the types of things I love to hear. It can be super easy and not much time to get away from prepackaged items and cook a wholesome breakfast. Plus, dippers are a lot of fun. Especially if you have a kid that loves to mix and match their foods.

Kiddo loves bacon bits on her applesauce so I knew she would be happy with dippers. She makes some pretty strange mixtures sometimes, but I figure I would rather her do that than not eat vegetables and fruits at all.

Hot Toddy’s are another traditional Irish recipe. I am sure  many of you are familiar with the whiskey in your tea, whether as a child or an adult.

Plus, it gave me another chance to show off my favorite teacup.

Wednesday I shared my best ever bread pudding recipe.  Irish Bread Pudding with Irish Cream. As a matter of fact I think I am going to make some more today.

Thursday I worked on another Irish breakfast. Not the typical one that most are familiar with. No blood filled sausage for me thanks. 😉 I opted for some bacon and cabbage instead. I loved this low-carb recipe and since I tend to keep some cabbage on hand, I have a feeling I will be serving myself much more cabbage for breakfast.

Friday we revisited cabbage with ‘Mostly’ Cabbage Soup. I make a lot of soups out of my homemade canned tomatoes, but they never turn out the same way twice. I started with my basic vegetable soup, but added a LOT of cabbage.

Lastly, the  recipe so many were waiting for. I revamped the traditional Fish and Chips for a Skinny Fish and Chips recipe. I really needed to stay away from deep frying fish and fries. It’s really not good for anyone to consume that much fat. So, we faux fried them by baking them in the oven with a nice and crispy coating. Everyone loved it!

 

I’ve got a few things in the work for this week and the month ahead. As we head towards Spring and Easter there are endless possibilities for foodies.

What have you been up to this week and what are your plans for the week ahead?