Hello, everyone!
How was your January? For those who do resolutions, how are they going? What were they?
For those who fast during Lent, are you ready? Can’t believe it’s Day 1 already!
It’s the beginning of February which can mean only one thing: it’s In My Kitchen time! In My Kitchen is a great monthly blogging event originally hosted by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial who has passed over the reins to Maureen @ The Orgasmic Chef. In My Kitchen showcases the kitchens of a group of food writers and bloggers. If you are interested in joining, please follow the instructions from Maureen available on her February 2016 post linked above and make sure your entry is in by the 10th of the month.
As mentioned above, I have had a busy January. First up, were my new years resolutions that I so far have kept up with: I began with a baseline of 10,000 steps and everyday I add 100 more. I am now 14,000+ per day and quite frequently I over-achieve my goal. So in my kitchen and on my wrist at all times is this Garmin device. It’s not perfect but it does help me to achieve my goal to be healthier, to walk more and to do the Camino, hopefully sometime this year!
My second big resolution that I had, was to get the CELTA Certificate so that I can teach in Ireland and other places in Europe. When I lived and worked in Korea, I only had a 120-hour TEFL Certificate but I need (and want) better qualifications now. The kitchen (and when I need a change of pace, the sitting room) is my study hall, so there are a ton of books (the two that I used today are pictured), a usb and my laptop. I am doing this course part-time for 15 weeks and it is quite intense already!
In my kitchen, is this wonderful soup that is a firm favourite with the Jam and the Melon. It was my tribute to Selma and I’m really proud of my take on it. My Mam and I are looking at more ways of eating healthier and I will be making this again soon!
In my kitchen, are these lovely brussel sprouts courtesy of Gretchen from Feeding My Three Sons! Nom! I think I should have left them in a little longer – my mom’s oven sometimes cooks things a little more slowly than the recipe describes. These were still good but I want to remake them at some stage!
In my kitchen, is this lovely rich brown butter pecan caramel sauce my Mam made. We had it over ice-cream and it was divine.
BTW, regarding last month’s Date Roll: I haven’t forgotten that I need to share the recipe and I had hoped to have it out before today but it wasn’t possible. I have had an incredibly busy January and time to sit and breathe and ask my Mam questions regarding her recipe, just hasn’t come up so far. I am planning to take some time to sit down with her over the weekend so I can hopefully get up soon after!
In my kitchen, are these Chickpea and Lentil Burgers I adapted from Cookie and Kate. I have drooled over Kate’s photos and recipes for years, and this is one of my favourites that I have made. It was also a hit with my brother who said “Yeah, you should make these again” and my Mam, who doesn’t eat spicy food, ate 1.5 of them! Success!
In my kitchen are these lovely colourful chopping boards. I actually bought them back in November but I only ever really used the yellow one. The others are now coming into rotation a bit more often, so I wrote their function on each of them but the one I use the most is the vegetable one.
January also brought some fun eating out experiences as I went to yet another afternoon tea – this time in Kilkenny. It was very good and I really liked the size of the scones! However, my favourite sandwiches have still been at Gallahers Bistro. My friend, Maria who I originally met in Korea, is visiting and we found a lovely little Korean place – a small restaurant at the back of the shop, which we visited three times for yukgaejang, bulgogi, kimchibokkeumbap and bibimbap. The bibimbap is not what I was used to from Korea, visually or ingredients wise but it was really good! For Irish readers: It’s behind Jervis St Shopping Centre in the Italian Quarter. The address is at the bottom of the link.
Well, that’s my kitchen and I can’t wait to visit yours! See you in March!
Spoon in a Saucepan 
yummo how i love brussels sprouts! they are so good when baked. i have a set of flexible coloured boards which is terrific for picking up holus bolus and tipping the chopped whatsits into the pan. the burgers look tasty too.
The brussel sprouts were good – be sure to check out Gretchen’s recipe! They are so handy! Thanks for stopping by!
Labeling your cutting boards is such a practical idea, especially useful when multiple cooks use the kitchen.
Lots of tasty things in your kitchen this month; the tea cup is a charmer.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Yes, the tea cup is darling! I wish it was mine but it was what they gave us at the Afternoon tea. I love my boards 🙂
I am going to give those lentil burgers a try and I love the tea cup!
thanks! The cup is adorable and I wish it were mine! I must look for a nice one 🙂
So glad you liked the Brussels sprouts. Oven temps do vary, keep experimenting and enjoy. Those chickpea and lentil burgers look fantastic, I’ll have to give them a try soon. Congrats on keeping up your resolution and good luck with all your studies.
thanks, Gretchen! I will make them again soon and I’ll let you know how they turn out for sure! Have a good week!
Lots of lovely things in your kitchen, Maggie. I love how you make recipes from other bloggers and add them to your In My Kitchen post. That’s really generous. I need to get a set of cutting boards like this. I have a bunch of cutting boards but they are all different sizes and materials.
Thanks heaps for participating in In My Kitchen!
Just glad I made it time! 🙂
It’s my pleasure to make recipes other bloggers have posted – you learn so much and you get to eat delicious food!
Would love to see a photo of your chopping boards – maybe the next IMK?