Commercial cheapskates win no friends around here.

The rant

This time, it’s the dismal treatment dished out to the blogging community by some communication business ‘experts’ that has me in a lather. First I’ll rant then I’ll produce the evidence. Some of you might do this stuff professionally. I know that for sure, most of you do it more professionally than I do. Some of you even earn a living from blogging. I don’t. In my other life, I run a communications company. (Go on, click the link.). When it comes to digital strategy, engagement and audience building, we know what we are doing. We also know the value of ‘influencer endorsement’.

Graham gets his claws into me – Crab and Spinach Ravioli

He’s a nice chap. Helpful, knowledgable about his fish and a pretty good salesman too. I was in George’s Fish Shop last weekend to get a couple of pieces of fish. We had a chat about the blog and classic cars (as men do). Graham mentioned that he had some lovely fresh crab claws and he would let me have them at a very good price….

There’s no fool like an old fool.

The image that springs to mind is of some unfortunate elderly man, presenting some young fillie with trinkets and baubles while she seemingly feigns disinterest. His gifts are accepted, his advances are rejected, his pride is decimated. Yes, there’s no fool like an old fool.

Spatchcocked Chicken – The heat is off.

Glen Frey did a great job with ‘The Heat Is On’. I find it hard to imagine that I could raise any enthusiasm for the opposite. Imagine a song called ‘The Heat Is Off’. I had received my instructions from Texas (more of that here) and I was going to cook a pretty tongue melting chili concoction for my invited family guests. They were going to enjoy one of the hottest dishes I have ever created. It was going to be hot and great. For sure, the heat was on! That was until I got an early morning call from my mother. 

The McGary Chili Challenge – An attack on European harmony?

There’s an old story about a farmer from Texas visiting Ireland. When he got to his three storey hotel, he tipped back his ten gallon hat and remarked that in Texas they had hotels that reached the sky. He went on a bus tour of Connemara and when he saw the mountains, he said that the mountains in Texas were at least ten times bigger. Just outside Lisdoonvarna, the tour bus broke down and the Texan had to walk into town.

Creme Brûlée. It’s Judgment Day.

Don’t go running to build yourself and the cat an ark and don’t fall on your knees asking for forgiveness. If you feel the need to do either on impulse after reading my headline, perhaps you need to adjust your lifestyle somewhat. I’ll leave that up to you to decide. No, when I say “It’s Judgement Day” I am not predicting the end of days or anything awful like that. I am referring to my Creme Brûlée.

The Smoker Prepares Hot Smoked Salmon

Cough, cough, splutter, cough…….. Wheeeze, cough, cough, wheeeeezzeeee. Yes. That was me every morning. I used to be a very heavy smoker. Not that I have ever been ‘very heavy’ in the weighing scales sense. Nor in the deep thinking department either. That would have made me a very heavy, smoker. In plain language, I used to smoke a lot. An awful lot…