Highlights of the past few weeks:
Kicking off a mission to bake 50 different kinds of bread before I leave this earth.
This is brown soda bread, which is like Bread for Dummies since you just use baking soda – no faffing with yeast. It was bloody beautiful, especially dunked in Reassurance Soup.
Looking after the kids.
It’s still a “shove random things in pots and cross fingers” approach because gardening books and websites just make me scream in confusion after awhile. But it’s all looking green, so rock on!
Watching Scruffy, my new favourite Eating Disorder Pigeon, potter round the yard.
Maybe he got into a brawl or a cat tried to take him out. He was pretty much ignored by the other EDPs…
… but recently began to pursue a pretty little bird.
A week later and they’re inseparable, guzzling seeds and wandering side by side down the rows in the veggie patch. Until Dr G yells out the window, “Oi! Get arf my parsnips!”
Dr G and I also spent a couple of days in Belfast and saw a Metallica gig.
And Dr G ate a chocolate eclair the size of his head.
(I had a custard tart with berries on it but the photo was blurry; hands shaking from anticipation)
Gareth is usually indifferent to sweets so I was surprised when he said, “Oh man, I’m having that eclair!”
“Really?” I said.
“Oh aye. I always wanted to have a chocolate eclair when I was a kid and Mum never let me have one so now I’m going to have one!”
“Dude that’s a slippery slope,” I joked, “I spent years eating all the stuff my mother never let me have when I was a kid and I’m still paying for it!”
He only got halfway through before threw down his spoon in defeat, saying that maybe his Mum had his best interests at heart after all.
My goodness, that’s a mighty eclair. I think admitting defeat was a very manly decision. Well done, Dr G.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure I could have finished that. Not sure if I should be proud of that, however. 😉
Wow, that eclair looks amazing and disgusting at the same time. I’m sure I could have eaten it too…that’s why I can’t even order one…I will eat it!
I am jealous of Metallica and the eclair! Also, never knew you could make bread with baking soda…I wonder what my breadmaker would think of that!? The only thing is, when I bake bread I have to EAT it, ahem.
Bread porn to this girl..eclairs?.eh! (shrugs shoulder)
Love your little garden. I use the toughlove approach. I’ll put ’em in the ground, best I can and start ’em off with a little water. Then, they’re on their own and better perform, by gum.
About the eclair, my mom said the same, but when I finally tried the eclair, I wasn’t as smart as Dr. G and ate the whole thing.
I would have taken the top chocolate layer off and eaten that- looks yummy! (not convinced about the creamy layer though!)
I love that the spoon is left in that eclair picture for comparison… That is one big eclair!
No wonder he didn’t manage it. 🙂
Looks delicious, though.
That’s one impressive eclair. I was more keen on your soda bread myself 😀
What was in that eclair? Our always had wonderful custard and where one of my favorite 🙂
Chocolate eclairs are one of those things that are much better in theory than in practice.
He’d waited all this time to try an eclair? Wow, his sweet tooth must be TINY. I’m not sure there’s anything sugary I haven’t tried. Probably shouldn’t be *quite* so proud of that… 😉
WOW! That eclair looks like some kind of dream food – the kind that you can eat and eat and never gain weight with! I’m impressed that he managed half!
Oh god, I admitted defeat as soon I saw the pic! That bread looks so incredibly yummy and it’s been so cold here, to dunk in some home made soup would be divine. Good going with the garden hon, it looks great.
Fun! It all rocks !!!
No one else I know could blog about gardening, eclairs AND Metalica all at the same time and make it coherent 🙂
Your plants are lovely and I fully support your approach to gardening. I, too, am a member of the Sisterhood of Throw In and Cross Fingers Gardening Club.
God loves a trier Dr G!
That eclair’s all wrong: where’s the custard in the filling? I wouldn’t finish it either. Props to Dr. G for sensing that something was off and that it wasn’t worth the calories.
Wow, I am in awe at that eclair. And I’m enjoying the tales of the eating disordered pigeon.
Glad you had such a rewarding trip to Belfast! As a resident, albeit one who’s supposed to be on a diet, I have to know where you found the eclair…
Like Bryher Hill, I’m jealous of Metallica in the eclair. Scarily, in fact, I may be more jealous of Metallica than the eclair! (oh, and slightly jealous of everything else ;-D)
Beautiful garden! And, congrats on the bread making, it’s one of my favorite hobbies, and I fully support fellow bakers! Now off to check that soup recipe…
Yeah, I think Dr. G needs to find a normal eclair with whipped cream-lite custard instead of frosting. It’s supposed to be light! Filling but ethereal.
Thanks for the link for the soda bread! It’s winter where I am so I’m keen for some soup and I miss soda bread LOT. Finding an easy recipe has been hard so I’m looking forward to making this one 🙂
@RG – it wasn’t frosting! It was light… but it was ENORMOUS 🙂
@Ten Pounds – it was from the cafe at Avoca… so good! link to bit.ly
Thanks for the comments everyone 🙂
Dr G only managed half the eclair?! Pffft, amateur!!!! And I am highly impressed with your tubs of green things – the only green things I have not managed to kill (yet – there is still time…) is a kit of grow-your-own herbs bought by my very optimistic friend for my birthday. I’m liking fresh basil in everything but am scared about having to re-plant them in big pots! I just know the poor little beggars won’t survive…..
chocolate eclairs – I remember them from many moons ago when a mouthful of fake cream didn’t make me feel ill
if you really want to bake great bread, I highly recommend the no-knead bread from Jim Lahey – it is the best and almost easiest bread I have ever ever made – just dangerous for the waistline because it is so good (my mum had just about thrown away her bread maker since discovering no knead bread)
What a sweet little pigeon love story <3
Am I the only one thinking I could have totally taken that eclair down? Oh well.