Happy Holidays - Merry Xmas

Sorry was very busy recently, but i promise in the new year you will find here more stories, reviews and exciting new recipes ! Have a good Holiday season !

Leaving Ireland

It took me a time to write about it, I took quite a break,but making holidays for 3 months and relocation to another country is not a job which can be done overnight.

Bit by Bit I start to settle in in the new home, but still I miss my old home Ireland.
I am nearly one month now in the new job, which I really like. The girls settle in and on the progress of Sophies german language skill i can messure the time which already elapsed since we departed Ireland.

I miss the chat with the people back home in Clonakilty, but I am happy that all went so smooth here, a new period of my life started.

The bavarians are a nice folk too, so in future you will read at this point more about my expieriences in the capital of bavaria, the cuisine, traditions, and so on.

After 8 years in Ireland I think i can say, there is also a Irish heart beating in my chest.

Slan
Your Austrish
Clonlin


(Pictures By Kristina Fritsche Photography)

On Holidays

Sorry, as things turn out I have the chance to make a 3 months holiday so i wont be posting as frequent you are used to, but I promise I will be back with many news and new stories from my roadtrip through Europe.

Irish Weather you dont bother me, Indoor BBQ is on !

In desperate time you need desperate measures, the weather recently was really bad so instead of enjoying a nice BBQ in the garden I had to re-function the raqlette grill into a Indoor BBQ...

Works nicely as you can see....

Where do I store my recipes.

I was recently asked where I do story my recipes, and until now I stored them on my laptop (links to my blog posts) Google Drive and on my Android.
This will change shortly, since i received last week the proof printed copy of my new cookbook !

A few more little changes and finally the first batch of books can be ordered, and the book release planned. For my readers of this blog, of course I will post a link to Amazon where you can order a printed copy if you like.

Bloging Break - Week 2

Bloging Break Week two...
how about a soup or so ?
http://clonlin.blogspot.ie/2012/03/recipe-semolina-dumpling-soup.html

Blog Break - Week 1

Its Easter soon and I coloured some eggs and had good fun at work having a Egg tapping competition my friend Jens won.

Looking at my Blogger Stats i realized I didn't do much writing lately, it has been just way to busy. There is no time at work to write anything for my blog and outside work many projects kept me busy. Fixing the chicken coop, painting the house inside and the work on my book which is released soon.

So its time for a blog break - in the next few weeks i will just blog a few nice recipes from the past, and End of April I will be back with a lot of interesting topics around food and DIY.

So stay tuned.

No time to cook ? Have a smoothy.

Happy St. Patricks Day

Hope you all have a good craic and a happy Day !

Easter comes sooner than you think

It is the time of the year again, Easter egg colouring and baking.
I have a little event in my house where friends and interested people come together colouring easter eggs with the kids, and do a little baking.
It will be held on Saturday the 23 March, from 16:00 – 18:00.  If you are interessted please reserve a space through the contact form at www.clikechef.com

Mothersday in Ireland

2 days after the international woman day we had mothers day in Ireland. Sophie did draw something for mummy and daddy was cooking. Crispy duck, yummi !

Chicken missing

A quick update from clonlin, two chicken went missing, after Bibi escaped and got killed by the fox, we miss two others this morning. We have seen no trace of feathers around the house so we still have hope they might be somewhere out there. If you see them, can you send them home ?

Quick update on the Kitchen / House

 Its still cold outside so I put the work on the garden on a hold until after St.Patrick's day and used the time to bring the house into its best shape for the new arrival.

Painting all walls and a bit of rearranging and decorating. Especially the kitchen got a face lift.

Next Up, Hall and Sophie's room, that will be fun. Sorry if i lately don't post as much as i used too, just so many things going on right now, busy times ! :-)

Checkout my Project for the cookbook at www.clikechef.com ( Make sure to signup for the newsletter to get the invitation for the great book presentation and Amazon book release ! )





Laura Wieser Fresach Daddy Loves you

Simple Starter - Breadcrumbed Mussles

Sorry I am a bit busy recently with painting the house, so my blogposts are not that regular and long as usual. So is my cooking, easy and quick recipes are on the menu now, since this walls do not paint themselves. tomorrow on our family menu is the above starter bread crumbed backed mussels. Just open the mussels, and fill them with a butter/ breadcrumbs / herbs mix, and bake them in the oven on 180 C for about 10 Minutes or until golden brown.

As second course we will have a nice whittling fish from the fisherman from the Market.
I hope that gives me the energy back for another day painting on Sunday. Wish me luck, I might post some in progress pictures :-)

Happy Valentines !

Some romantic stuff already prepared, Candle, Romantic music and a rose. Are you going to the Restaurant or do you celebrate your love at home ?

Some thoughts

A bit off topic from my blog, but you might know in my dayjob I am a Key Account Manager and I noted down what I expect and think about Customer Service.


What is great Customer Service ?

In opinion good customer service is like a good homemade and healthy soup.
If you go to a professional, a restaurant in my example, you wouldn't like to be served a instant soup,made quickly, with no love ?

Thats the same if you call somewhere, or send an email with a problem, seeking for proper customer service and help.. You wouldn't like to get a canned response, an instant answer, fast food.

It takes time, and special ingredients to serve the right product. You need to source your ingredients carefully, prepare them,get  them into the right shape to face the customer.
You need to use proper tools, and add the right spices to get the best results.

Like composing a tasty home made soup, it's also a composition how your company is preparing and presenting its customer service team. Do you want to use an “Instant” product, an outsourced team with canned responses ?
Or does your organisation decide to grow the ingredients themselves, hire great individuals, train them, and prepare them so that the clients are happy to be in touch with the finished product.

Individual Service, the feeling to be looked after, the experience to be served something, made with love.

I am happy that my clients get served the homemade soup, and they love it !

Happy Bday honey

My sweet wife turned 30 today, before the big Party on the weekend I surprised her with a little raclette at home. Raclette derives from the French word racler, meaning "to scrape" according to wikipedia. to make sure no one damages the metal every set contains wooden spatula which should be used to scrape off the cheese.

In the modern version of raclette also beef, pork or chicken is grilled on the top of the grill.
If you life in Ireland, Aldi or Lidl sometimes has a offer for a set for as low as 25 Euro.


Happy Bday honey, I look forward to the next 30 years with You !

New Blog in Town

(c) The Recession Kitchen

A friend on facebook made me aware of a new blog which might interests me.
The Recession Kitchen

Anja, who I know from playing harp in the summer concerts of my local pub has a interesting goal for 2013. For a year she will document how she is running her kitchen.

Interesting will be, that she has the goal not to spend more then €2.50 to €5.- per person per day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. She will cheat a bit buy growing some of her own and shopping cheap.

The dinner table above was entirely prepared out of leftovers, doesnt it look tasty ?
Have a look at her blog, yummi, I might steal the odd recipe maybe :-)

What happens at night in your kitchen ?

What happens in your kitchen when you are not there ?
here a great Irish movie production:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rg0Ae1QgaK0

Happy St. Nikolaus

Some people might think the picture above displays Santa Klaus, that's wrong, there is no Santa.

We believe in the Christ kind in Austria which is an Angel and brings the gifts on the evening of the 24th. The gentlemen above is Sankt Nikolaus, who is bringing little gifts to children on the evening of the 6th of December. That Character is based on a real men originally from Turkey. He felt guilty because of something he did so to make good he visited houses at night and placed little gifts there.
More Details you find on wikipedia

Anyway, in our tradition we place the boots in front of the house on the 6th, and when you check in the morning Nikolaus filled it with sweets.

Krampus day !

Its Krampus Day today in Austria, the most feared day by children. If you have been nasty, the Krampus (in Germany known as Knecht Ruprecht) will give you a beating. Normally a few of this guys accompany Nikolaus on the 6th of December in a big parade. On the 5th and all December this guys are around to make sure bad childrens and adults get scared and behave better the next year.

Traditionally the Krampus (Perchte) was created to get rid of bad spirits of the winter, to scare them away. Now in modern days most wooden made masks look more like the devil than the traditional ones I prefer. Anyone with a plastic mask that day should get an extra beating in my opinion.

Anyway, when I was a child I had much respect of this guys, when I became older I used to wear the family mask which was passed down generations and is in the family for more than 100 years.
I think its a fun tradition and I miss it a lot. Well, maybe next year I can spend some time home and visit this event and visit some Christkindl Markets as well.