the most wonderful birthday

I decided to book my birthday off work as it was a Friday, best decision EVER!

I had such a fantastic day, Al had to work, but he was on the 10 – 6 shift, so we both got up a little later than usual (sad when 7.30 is 1 and ½ hours of a lie in, huh?) and we had my favourite breakfast – eggs Benedict, with a toasted crumpet, hollandaise sauce, smoked salmon and a poached egg.

(I don't know why the computer has turned this on its side - its the right way up in the folder...)

I have always made eggs Benedict with salmon rather than bacon – but I think it’s a regional thing, of course in Ireland our pigs and salmon are both awesome (and in some cases, the stuff of legends) – but with the salmon it somehow feels more Irish – maybe because that’s how mother used to make it!

I made my Hollandaise sauce the night before, as I couldn’t get any at ASDA and I had no intention of starting at 7.30am – I used a Delia recipe, and it worked perfectly, for my personal taste though, I thought it had too much butter in – not that I didn’t enjoy/ eat it all anyway : )

I followed breakfast with a relaxing bath, and a lot of tidying and cleaning, and then took a trip to Donegore (donegore landscape center – their website has no pictures! I must tell them off!) with my parents for lunch – herein followed the obligatory row (as in noisy quarrel), which only spoiled the day ever so slightly and was soon, if not forgotten, at least forgiven. It wouldn’t be a birthday without it! This was followed by more ‘spring’ cleaning – involving mainly getting logs in for the fire – because its COLD!!

At 6 I dolled myself up and headed out to fetch Al from work, and he took me to one of my favourite Chinese restaurants for tea – I have to admit that the last time I was in this particular place I thought that it had lost its touch - but the dinner on Friday was SO good! It was even the best rice I have ever had!!! And then we headed over to my bestest girlfriend’s house (brand new first home no less) – to meet her new kitty and go to the cinema, where we say despicable me. Which was just lovely.

Now how’s THAT for a birthday!?!?!

I have also been given the most wonderful cards and presents – things that I would not have expected or even guessed at in 100 years! The brand new sewing machine that I had started saving up for was just handed to me by my parents – which means that I now also have a wodge of cash! I’ve been given bottles of bubbly, awesome cookery books, adorable Chinese bowls, fluffy ponchos and mittens, makeup and goodness knows what else! I am well and truly spoiled : ) and really happy about it!

I have cooked one recipe out of my new “Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe Cookery Course”so far – Al wrote in the front of it that I’m not to try and cook all the recipes in it in a year (see Julie and Julia) – but there are over 1,100 recipes in it – so I guess there isn’t much chance of that! I had half a can of coconut milk left over from making Nigella’s Chicken Noodle Soup – tamerind paste has proven almost impossible to lay hands on in Northern Ireland – so I made the coconut sorbet off page 400 and something. And it’s wonderful! The lime juice gives it just a hint of unexpected bitterness that takes the edge off the creamy sweetness of sugar syrup and coconut milk. It’s a winner, what can I say?

I’ve been thinking about what sort of digi stamps to do today – and I think what I’d like to do is make some stamps along the theme – what I got for my birthday (how vain am I?) so I hope you will like them! Hopefully I will get them up tonight or tomorrow : ) so watch this space!

Also re snehal watwe welde’s comment – I’m working on it! I haven’t forgotten, I promise : )