To speed date or not to speed date?

Last Tuesday, myself and a few friends rocked up to the free speed dating event in the gutter bookshop as part of the 'make a date with Dublin' Valentines festival.
 Thinking it would be a bit of craic on a Tuesday night.  Not so.  It seemed word hadn't spread to the male population of Dublin, with only 2 men turning up for  20 women.  We fled the scene before things got ugly, so im not sure if the night developed into a 'take me out' style competition or if the  men were shared out among the women equally, with everyone getting to take home a limb.

This had not been my first foray into the world of speed dating. I first gave speed dating a whirl last summer.  Myself and a friend of mine went along to a speed dating night in the Church last summer.
Talking to someone for 3 mins may not seem like a very long time, but in some cases it can be too long!
Over the course of the night, i met a guy who wasn't able to look me in the eye and kept looking at his watch, next was the man who spoke about himself for 3 minutes and didn't ask me a single question.  He may not have known my name, but i knew what his favourite walks around balbriggan.  Then there was the man who insulted my profession, followed by the snobby television producer, and last but not least, the clearly gay man who only went along to the event to steal tips for his rival dating company.

Tho answer the question: to speed date or not to speed date? i will say not.

How to host a Mad Men Dinner Party

When i signed up for 'come dine with me' competion with my friends, little did i know what i was in for!
After Brian and Jacqui set the standard with a fabulous murder mystery night, and Sinead and Clare followed up with an impressive Godfather themed night, Myself and Colin were very worried! What on earth were we going to do??

As a long time fan of the tv show Mad Men, and an even longer time lover of all things retro, i was eager to attempt a mad men style party.   Luckily, Colin was up for it too! So now we had our theme, how were we going to execute it?  Mad Men is all about vintage style, retro decor, booze and cigarrettes.  A good night in other words!

If you fancy hosting your own Mad Men style party, here are a few suggestions to get you started!

Decor:
Atmosphere is a large part of getting your mad men style party right.
The TV show is set in the 60's so move or hide any wires, computers, sound systems which wouldn't have been around in the 60's. 
Mad Men is set in an advertising company so i printed off sample adverts from the show, got them blown up and laminated to hang on the walls.

This is one of the posters we used

Lighting is great- lots of fairy lights, tea lights etc...
Smoking is everywhere on the show so have lots of ashtrays in the room and give your guests a packet of  candy cigarrettes each.  Colin painstakingly glued 'lucky strike' labels onto a gazillion candy cigarrete packets.
Glassware- I picked up sherry glasses, a decantor and crystal from the charity shop and put them where the tv. would ordinarily stand.
The table- Red tablecloth, old records for placemats, napkins, cocktail glasses, wine glasses, retro name tags all add to the kitch factor

If you can, beg, borrow or steal a record player.  I had to make do with my not very retro laptop and it did look a bit odd amidst the old school surroundings.

 Music:

I borrowed the official soundtrack to the mad men series from the library. Music by nina simone, John coultrane or the rat pack would be appropriate.  Think jazz, no rap or hip-hop is allowed!

Dress-Code:

Dress to impress- no jeans allowed!

Me and Colin doing our best don and betty draper impression!



Lyndsey, Brian and Jacqui pictured looking suitably cool and glamorous

 As regular readers will know, this blog began in my hunt to find the dress of my dreams.  I got to wear my
dress for this themed party- hurrah :)
Jacqui brought a type-writer along, which provided lots of laughs!



Jacqui typing something undoutedly brilliant from Brian.



Menu:

The characters on the show don't seem to eat very much, but they do drink a lot!

In one episode, Betty does host a dinner party with a 'foods of the world' theme.

Therefore myself and colin decided to do a boozy menu with an international flavour.

The menu had to be a bit retro too, so no new fangled foods allowed!

Colin put together a gorgeous vintage style menu to tempt our guests upon arrival.

Starter:

Colin prepared a delicious tequila salsa salad, which was served on grilled tiger bread.

Many tomatos were killed in the making of this starter...

Mains:

The vegetarian guests (were there vegetarians in the 1960's?) tucked into a vegetarian bake

served with greens and crusty bread



Vegetarian bake





 The carnivores tucked into boeuf bourgignon (boozy and french!) with potato gratin and greens

Boeuf Bourgignon

Dessert:

I made a scrumptious grasshopper pie for dessert.  Grasshopper pie is a lurid green boozy cheesecake pie with an oreo cookie base, and a creme de menthe/creme de cacao/ marshmallow topping.  Its based on the classic grasshopper cocktail which was popular in the 1950's

Grasshopper pie

Drinks:

If you can try to stick to classic cocktails of the time- martini's, sidecars and manhattans would be perfect.

Myself and colin served simple vodka and cranberry cocktails on arrival and grasshopper's after dinner.

I served the grasshopper cocktails from a tea cup, maybe a kitch step to far....

Cocktails from a teapot!







 Entertainment:

Myself and colin plumped for charades, which proved to be hilarious and very easy to organise.

Swing dancing could be another possible source of entertainment.  Basically any game which involves technology which would have been available in the 1960's would be suitable!

Myself and Colin had a ball organising our mad men party!  It took quite a lot of planning to pull off, but i think it was worth it!

10 reasons to love being single

A pre-valentines day reminder to myself....

1. Being able to spend more time with your friends.

2. More time to pursue new interests.

3. Not having to take his likes/dislikes into account when choosing  a holiday.

4.  More cocktail nights on the town with your friends.

5. Being able to watch whatever sappy film you want unimpeded.

6. Not having to shave your legs all the time (gross but true)

7. Not stressing/worrying over status of relationship- are things going too fast/too slow/anywhere.

8. Being able to kiss random boys on nights out.

9.  Being able to get random piercings/tattoos without wondering whether your other half likes them.

10. Money saved on romantic mini-breaks can be used to buy shoes/bags/dresses etc...

I quite like my list, if anyone out there is happily single, send me your list of why its fabulous to be single :)

Come Dine With Me

Due in no small part to the popularity of narrater David Sayer, home grown come dine with me competitions
are popping up all over the country.  All you need is a kitchen, a dining area, a few friends and some understanding flatmates.  Last November myself and 6 others embarked on our own Come Dine with Me
adventure.  Here is how we got on:

The Rules:
1. Teams of 2 will be formed.
2. A camera person/ interviewer will be selected.
3. Each team must cook a starter, main course and dessert.
4. Each team must provide Entertainment.

The Players:
Team 1: Jacqui and Brian
Team 2: Sinead and Clare
Tema 3: Geraldine and Colin.
Camera woman/Interviewer: Lyndsey.

Night 1:
Jacqui and Brian hosted a murder mystery themed dinner party.

Arrival:
Gin and Elderflower cocktails

Starter:
Bruschetta

Maincourse:
Morroccon spiced chicken with vegetable tagine and bulghar wheat.
                                           Or
Vegetable tagine with bulghar wheat.

Dessert:
Creme brulee with white chocolate mousse in brandy snap baskets

Cheese board and dessert wine.

Entertainment:
Murder mystery game which unfolds over a number of rounds during the meal itself.
Each dinner guest is assigned a character.  No one knows who the murderer is.  Each
participant must listen and take note of the clues and come to a decision over who the murderer is.
Colin won the game by correctly naming Brian as the murderer.

Night 2:
Sinead and Clare hosted an Italian Godfather themed party.

Arrival:
Rose Cocktails

Starter:
Curry soup and garlic bread

 Main Course:
Beef cannelloni served with salad
 or
Spinach cannelloni served with salad

Dessert:
Chocolate cake

Limoncello

Entertainment:
A godfather themed game during the dinner where each guest is assigned a character
from the film and must prove that they are loyal to the Godfather.
Blackjack.

Night 3:
Geraldine and Colin hosted a Mad men themed party. 

Arrival:
Vodka and Cranberry Cocktails and Canapes

Starter:
Tequila Salsa on tiger bread.

Main Course:
Boeuf Bourgignon with potato gratin and greens.
                    or
Vegetable bake with greens.

Dessert:
Grasshopper pie

Grasshopper cocktails.

Entertainment:
Charades.

Awards Night:
A couple of weeks ago Jacqui and lyndsey hosted an awards buffet and cocktail night.

The Winners:

Overall Award:
Jacqui and Brian.

Best Starter:
Sinead and Clare.

Best Maincourse:
Geraldine and Colin.

Best Dessert:
Sinead and Clare.

Best Theme:
Geraldine and Colin.

Best Hosts:
Geraldine and Colin.

Best Costume at Mad men night:
Lyndsey.

Columboan cigar award:
Colin.

Come dine with me verdict:
The whole experience was great fun and everyone had a laugh and enjoyed themselves.
The only thing i would say is that it can be very expensive providing wine, cocktails, and 3 courses for
7 people.  Having to provide entertainment provided much amusement on the night of the dinner but took a lot of planning beforehand.  Overall we all agreed that it was a good experience but not one we would be repeating in a hurry!



The Awards!




Brian and Jacqui



Geraldine, Sinead and Clare



Lyndsey and Geraldine











Library Diva is Back!

Blog posts are a bit like buses- you wait ages for one and then three come along
at once.  Library diva has been hitting the books and assignment deadlines have
taken precedence over blogging notes.  That is not to say that, that i didn't miss
you immensely, Indeed your absense from my life was keenly felt.
Here is a recap of what i got up to over the last couple of weeks:

Had a very gay weekend in Brighton.

Shopped till i dropped in Dundrum- love my new dress from Oasis- sparkleicious!

Went to see the fabulous Patrick Wolf in the academy- He is amazingly talented-
check out 'the city' on you tube for a taster of what he's about.

Went back home to Galway for the weekend where i sipped coffee and
browsed the bookshelves of the hungry worm in Loughrea and
took afternoon tea in the G hotel- Fabulous!

Attended the launch of Bow and Pearl's Autumn/Winter collection- too tempting
for words!

Library diva can't wait for the launch of Stillorgan library tomorrow evening- if you
can't make it i will be blogging and tweeting from the event- Chat soon! X

The return of sin e

Library Diva is pleased to say that Sin E was hopping last night.
After the closure and subsequent reopening earlier this year, crowds
had waned and i was worried that sin e would never get its mojo back.
Last night allayed my fear- the tunes were bopping and so was the crowd.
Brilliant night was had by all!

Nigella's french toast

As you may or may not be aware Dublin library Diva started as a homage to the delightful
Nigella Lawson.  Upon discovering that Nigella had 12 versions of the same dress i
had been coveting from afar, I simply had to get one for myself and share my
journey with cyberworld.

Last week I discovered an amazing channel on UPC- its called the food network,
and guess what (cue drum roll).... they play reruns of nigella express twice a day.
Needless to say the dvris working overtime and my love of Nigella has
been rekindled.  Here are some gems from the domestic goddess herself:

'I agree that to some people using half a kilo of chocolate to make 12 cookies may seem
excessive, but personnally i don't put a price on alleviating human suffering'

'Emmanating calm is hard work after all'

'generally i dislike all things skinny'


Here is a recipe for doughnut french toast that i have taken from http://www.nigella.com/.  I will be
testing it out in her honour tomorrow

Doughnut French Toast

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 60ml full-fat milk
• 4 slices from a small white loaf or 2 slices from a large white loaf, each large slice cut in half
• 25g butter, plus a drop of flavourless oil for frying
• 50g caster sugar

Method

Serves: 2

1. Beat the eggs with the milk and vanilla in a wide, shallow bowl.
2. Soak the bread halves in the eggy mixture for 5 minutes a side.
3. Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan, and fry the egg-soaked bread until golden and scorched in parts on both sides.
4. Put the sugar on a plate and then dip the cooked bread in it until coated like a sugared doughnut.

Late night Cafe's

Its 8pm, you'd kill for a cup of tea and a slice of cake and good old natter.
Where do you go?

Tea Garden:  located on lower Ormond quay Dublin.  An amazing selection
of teas, served in a relaxing setting.  Open till 11pm 7 days a week.
Check out the website http://www.tea-garden.eu/index.html
for the full menu on offer.

Busyfeet and Coco Cafe: located 41/42 South William street Dublin.  This popular
hotspot serves great coffee, tasty treats and beer until 11pm Thursday to Sunday.  Live music
every Saturday, this cafe is well worth checking out.  Like busyfeet and coco on facebook to
keep up with upcoming events.

Joy of Coffee/Joy of Chai: Two coffee shops in temple bar.  really good selection of teas,
coffees and cakes.  Open till 10 or 11pm.

Accents: located on Stephen Street lower, near Georges Street.  This is a new kid on the cafe
scene.  A large selection of teas, coffees and treats are on offer in a cosy, relaxed setting.  Downstairs
is particularly inviting with couches and bean bags scattered around the floor.  If you come on your own
there is a bookcase to peruse while your sipping on your coffee.  Accents is open until 11pm most
nights of the week: http://accentslounge.wordpress.com/

Moda: Art cafe located in the middle of Rathmines.  A regular haunt of library diva.  This
surprisingly spacious cafe serves tasty and reasonably priced meals and snacks during the
day.  At night, Moda serves teas, coffee and cake until 10pm.  Like needlework?  They have
a knitting club every Tuesday evening at 7pm.

Dublin Library Diva Plea:
Library Diva misses Java's in Galway, she loved the late nite cafe which
opens till 4am in the morning serving teas, coffees and snacks.  Quiet and atmospheric
this was the ideal place to set the world to right under the cloak of darkness.  Please, please
someone open up a late night/all night coffee shop in Dublin.  I would be eternally grateful...

Best back cover of a Book

              

Dear Osama they want you dead of alive so the terror will stop. Well I wouldn't know about that I mean rock n roll didn't stop when Elvis dies on the khaze it just got worse.Next thing you know there was Sonny and Cher and Dexy's Midnight Runners. I'll come to them later. My point is it's easier to start these things then to finish them. I suppose you thought of that did you?

There's a reward of 25 million dollars on your hear but don't lose sleep on my account Osama. I mean just supposing I did see you driving a Nissan Primera down towards shoreditch and grassed you to the old bill. Well, I wouldn't know how to spend 25 millon dollars. It's not as if i've got anyone to spend it on since you blew up my husband and my boy....

This is a book I came across at work recently by Chris Cleave..the back cover really caught my attention, and shows the best possible way of using the book cover to entice a reader.. great graphics on the front with a very witty passage on the back!

Wanted! Missing Restaurants

Tenors in Donnybrook and Diep noodle in Ranelagh have mysteriously disappeared.
What could be happening to the eateries in south Dublin?
Any information you may have on this case which could lead to their reapparance
would be greatly appreciated
Dinner would be rewarded for their safe return.....

Morrissey VIP party at the Workman's bar

International star, former Smith's frontman and charming man Morrissey held a VIP party
at the Workman's bar. Dublin's library diva wasn't on the guest list, im sure that was an
oversight.....

Cakes in the city

One of the best things about the weekend is meeting a friend for tea, cake and a good chat.
Heres a round-up of the best in Dublin.

 Queen of Tarts (Cows lane, temple bar).  Cute, quirky decor, combined with the yummiest cakes
you'll get anywhere in the city.  Delicious cakes served on china make this cafe a favourite with the cake eating public.  Library diva recommends the lemon merigne pie and the choclate chip cheesecake.
http://www.queenoftarts.ie/

Cake Cafe (62 pleasant place, camden street).  A hidden gem in the centre of dublin. Enjoy a
slice of cake and a cup of tea in their terraced gardens. FYI the victoria sponge cake is to die for!
http://www.thecakecafe.ie/

Gammells (main street, ranelagh).  A far too regular haunt of mine, i find it hard to
pass this little bakery without picking up one of their amazing sex and the city cupcakes.


Keoghs Cafe (1-2 Trinity street, Dublin 2).  I strongly recommend you try Keogh's scones, Definitely
the best you'll find in Dublin.  It is a busy spot though, so good luck getting a seat.

A new Diva and a new look

Dublin Library diva is pleased to welcome the wonderful Maeve Mcelligott to the blog! Maeve is a fabulous diva with lots of amazing ideas for the blog.  Stay tuned for the brand new look we will be unveiling shortly...

A woman's eternal search

fAs Carrie Bradshaw once said a woman is constantly in search of either a man, a job or an appartment.  At first glance these three activities may appear to be about as far removed from each other as is humanly possible.  However, on closer inspection, they have more in common than you might think.
First, the hunting ground is selected- the bar, the letting agent, the recruitment agency.
Secound, the initial interest is expressed- the chat up line, the answering of a daft ad, the job application form.
Its at this stage things get more complicated:  Do you want to hand over your number,
view the house, go to the interview?
You weigh up your options: Do you have anything in common with this person, do you like the size/location of the appartment, is the company one you can see yourself working in.
If you do decide the man/appartment/job is what you want, you risk either being wrong and wasting your time, or being right and risking disappointment.
If a date goes wrong,  you get dumped and have to start over,
Similarly if your deposit is rejected, you have to keep house hunting and
if you don't get the interview, the recruitment cycle must start again.
One might wonder if all this hunting is worth it, maybe we would be better off
sticking with the first man/job/appartment to come away.
For the past few weeks, myself and my pals were constantly on Daft hunting out
the perfect space to call our own.  At times we wondered would we find all we wanted, were
we being too fussy.  Then it happened, we laid our peepers on the place and just knew it
was for us! There was a click. References were handed in, deposits were paid and then it was ours! Woohoo! 
I guess the moral of the story is the perfect house is out there, along with the guy and the job.
Recession or no recession.

The beauty of brunch

How good are weekend breakfasts? After a long lie in on a Saturday there is nothing better than a slap up meal with eggs, fancy bread, coffee.. mmm....

Today's breakfast was amazing.  I went over to a friends house for brunch today and was presented with a buffet of salad, eggs, cheese, ham, croissants, tea, coffee, followed by a decadent white chocolate and raspberry cake with cream.  Eating cake for breakfast may seem extremely bold but hey it was after 12 pm, so i guess it was technically afternoon tea!  If i had the recipe for the cake at my fingertips i would give it to you but, alas,  i don't.  Sorry. Trust me it was georgeous :)

I usually make eggs and toast for my own weekend brunch.  Eggs are amazing: cheap, yummy and you can do so much with them: boiled, fried, poached, scrambled, baked.... the list is endless.  Recently a friend taught me how to poach eggs and i swear it has changed my life!  A few weeks ago i went on a poaching bender, i think i must have poached upwards of 6 eggs in one week.  I just couldn't stop.  Its slightly addictive.  Looking at the white swirl around the yolk in the saucepan is mesmerising.

How to Poach an Egg
1. To a saucepan of water add some salt and vinegar.
2. Bring the water to the boil
3. Crack 1 or 2 eggs into the water
4. Immediately bring the water down to a gentle simmer.
5.the white of the egg will swirl around the yolk
6. Allow the eggs to cook for 5 or 6 minutes.

Sometimes i use the poached eggs to make a cheats version of eggs benedict.  Instead of english muffins, i use mccambridges brown bread and instead of hollandaise sauce i use creme fresh seasoned with salt, pepper and chives.

Ger's Eggs Benedict

Ingredients

2 slices of brown soda bread
2 poached eggs
2 rashers or slices of smoked salmon
2 tbsp of creme fresh
seasoning and chives

Method
1. butter the brown bread
2. season the creme fresh with chives and a little salt and pepper
3. fry or grill the rashers if you are using them.
4. layer rashers, poached egg and creme fresh on the brown bread

Serve with very strong tea.