Whoop!

That’s our girl.

❤️👏❤️ Her delight is somewhat tempered by the fact that she has to wait two weeks to get a public services card so she can then apply for her full licence which will take yet another two weeks.

Frustrating to hear @LeoVaradkar say that much of the concern re ownership and governance of #NationalMaternityHospital is ideological in nature.

It simply isn’t. The are serious human rights concerns arising from possible religious control of the hospital #MakeNMHOurs Access without discrimination to a full range of reproductive health services is not an ideological issue, it is a human rights issue. The Government he is part of, and the one he previously led, have legally binding human rights obligations in that regard. #MakeNMHOurs

Day 1 of our lockdown sourdough adventure. Very little to it today. All you need is 100g wholewheat flour & 50ml bottled, untreated or boiled and cooled water. #coronacooking Mix the flour & water to a paste and put it into your kilner jar. Leave the lid slightly open. Put it somewhere warm, I wrap mine in a blanket to get it really cozy, and leave it for 24 hours. That’s it for today. See you tomorrow! #coronacooking #sourdough

A psychotherapist folks. Seriously.

urbandictionary.com/define.php?ter…

https://twitter.com/cliffe_ali/status/1335568186100551680

Another Irish psychotherapist (not this person) was in conversation with people on here last week about how the efforts of paedophile groups hiding “at the heart of the LGB (sic) community in the UK in the 90’s”. Comparing that with trans activism now. Hideous.

Garlic & Coriander Naan. The perfect accompaniment to a home made curry. Crisp on one side, fluffy in the middle and smothered in coriander and garlic butter. Yum. Full recipe below. #coronacooking #curry #bread Ingredients
300g strong white flour
1 tsp dried active yeast
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp nigella seeds (optional)
1 tbsp fresh coriander
2 tbsp olive oil
140ml warm water
2 tsps plain yoghurt

Garlic and coriander butter
40g butter
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp chopped coriander

As promised last night - a game changing pizza recipe and cooking method for you today. I made this last night and it was so good I used the last of the dough to make another today for brunch! Chorizo, Roast Butternut Squash and Spring Onion Pizza. This is sublime! #coronacooking I’ve reworked my dough recipe just a little for this, and I really like it. The crust is wonderful. Ideally use strong white flour. I didn’t have any on this occasion so I used plain flour and it worked really well.

New Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wings recipe. Best made in an air fryer - wings are amazing cooked that way. But these can also be baked in an oven. Made with ginger, garlic, lemon, lime, red chilli & honey. Yum. #coronacooking Ingredients
1kg chicken wings
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp cornflour
Salt & Pepper
20g butter
Juice of 1 lime & 1 1/2 lemons
3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 red chillis
3 tbsp runny honey
#coronacooking

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had homophobic slurs hinting at or baldly suggesting I’m a risk to children. The simple appalling reality is that for most gay men who end up working in public life in some form another, at some stage they will face this crap. In 2007 for instance, the current head of Irexit party wrote a one page opinion piece in a national Sunday newspaper suggesting that I shouldn’t be allowed to parent our kids because I am gay and had been raped as a child. A national paper.

When life gives you Elderflower, make Elderflower Cordial! This is wonderfully refreshing, and so easy to make. There’s only four ingredients, plus water. The hedgerows are full of blossom at the moment. So you’ve no excuse. #coronacooking Ingredients
1kg sugar
1 orange
2 lemons
25 heads elderflower blossoms

#coronacooking

I’ve reworked a recent recipe, and it is a triumph if I do say so myself. New and improved - Salted Caramel & Pear Brownie. This is beautiful. If you liked my first effort, you will absolutely adore this! #coronacooking Ingredients
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
1/2tsp vanilla essence
100g dark chocolate
50g salted butter
100g ground almonds
1 pear

Salted caramel
100g caster sugar
45g salted butter
60ml cream
1/2tsp salt
#coronacooking

You loved my crumble recipe & you all seem partial to a scone as well. So I thought why not combine both? Here then is my Pear & Rhubarb Cobbler. A lovely comfort dish; a real hug in a bowl! #coronacooking Ingredients
5 small pears
500g bunch rhubarb
100g coconut or brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp grated nutmeg
2tsp vanilla essence
225g plain flour
60g caster sugar
1tsp baking soda
100g cold butter
125ml buttermilk
#coronacooking #covidcooking

I’ve picked up on the fact that you all seem to like a takeaway style dish. You went wild for my Healthy Spice Bag - so here’s another. Friday Night Take Away-Spicy Chicken Thighs, Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, Dirty Corn & Chunky Chips - toasted, not fried #coronacooking #ColmCooks Ingredients
2 Medium Cauliflowers
4 ears of fresh corn
400g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1.5kg rooster potatoes
350ml Franks Red Hot Sauce
60ml olive oil
75g flour
Salt & Pepper
2 green chillis
2tbsp chopped coriander
A little butter

Here is today’s #CoronaCooking recipe. A healthier take on that #Irish takeaway classic - The Spice Bag. None of this is deep fried, so it’s much lower in fat and really tasty. #covidcooking #ColmCooks Ingredients:
8-10 chicken wings
180g raw king prawns
6 medium Potatoes
1 carrot
2 onions
1 red pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 egg
100g flour
1tsp Salt & some black pepper
1-2tsp Szechuan pepper or chilli powder
A few red chillis & spring onions to serve
#ColmCooks

Sticky, sweet & spicy...what more could you possibly want? Apart from a side of Whipped Feta dip that is. These oven roasted Honey, Lemon, Chilli & Ginger Chicken Wings are today’s #coronacooking recipe 1kg chicken wings
3-4 cloves of garlic
1tbps grated fresh ginger
Juice of 2 lemons
2-3tbsp runny honey
2 red chillis
Salt & Pepper

For the Whipped Feta

120g Feta Cheese
200g Greek yoghurt
1 clove garlic
1tbsp olive oil

One for the vegetarians tonight - Mushroom & Hazelnut Carbonara. This is a really quick dish to make, and it looks pretty special too. #coronacooking #vegetarian Ingredients:
300g mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
80ml white wine
250ml vegetable stock
50g hazelnuts, roasted, skinned & halved
80g butter
40g grated fresh parmesan
4 egg yolks
400g dried spaghetti

Fresh Crusty Bread - straight from the oven. Today’s #coronacooking recipe is a ‘no knead’ yeast bread. This takes minutes to put together - a little time to proof, and 45 mins to bake. A fresh, crusty loaf in about two hours. You most try this one. #baking #bread Ingredients:
400g plain flour
7g dried yeast
1tsp sugar
1tsp salt
360ml warm water

I usually use strong white flour to make bread - there’s none of that in the shops here right now - I know the same is true for lots of you. But you can make this with plain flour. #coronacooking

Orange & Cardamom Scone Swirls - today’s #coronacooking recipe. Served with fresh berries and chantilly cream. After yesterday’s #fitfood we are back to #fatteningthecurve It’s been years since I made these. They are lovely - and again, really quick and simple. Perfect for an afternoon treat or for a post supper dessert. My favourite scone recipe is the basis of this dish. #coronacooking

We all need a treat now & again, and perhaps now more than ever. Today’s #coronacooking recipe fits the bill perfectly.

Blueberry & Lemon Muffins. These are so good - and really easy to make. Perfect for a breakfast or brunch treat. #baking Ingredients:
225g plain flour
70g sugar
2 ½ tsp baking powder
Some fresh grated nutmeg
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
125 ml milk
80g of melted butter
Rind and juice of 1 lemon
250g of fresh blueberries
#coronacooking

Daily #coronacooking recipe:
Brown Soda Bread with Hazelnuts. Heat oven to 180c.
Ingredients:
350g whole-wheat flour
100g white flour
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
A pinch sea salt
A handful of wheatgerm
A handful of whole hazelnuts
1 tbsp molasses or black treacle
350 ml buttermilk If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use soured milk.

You can skip the wheatgerm if you don’t have it, but it does give a lovely added flavour.

If you don’t have molasses or black treacle, use dark brown sugar. #coronacooking

I remember it well. I went on Morning Ireland and had the temerity to suggest the Taoiseach should intervene and ensure the inquiry was properly responded etc. I later got a call suggesting I stop being critical. I declined. Within a week, One in Four’s funding was cut. #Redress

https://twitter.com/jackpowerIT/status/1234600592430989314

We went public. We’re being forced to close. We put every document and all correspondence re funding into the public domain. And disclosed the phone call which suggested I pipe down. Lots of denials etc. But ultimately funding was initially restored. We could continue.

25 years ago this week, I came back to Ireland from London to report the abuse I suffered at the hands of a Catholic priest to the Gardaí. An Ireland still dominated by the Church & other orthodoxies. Where the idea that the state should hold the church to account was unthinkable An Ireland where women's rights and LGBT rights were denied on the basis that they were a threat to the moral order. Where we were told we were not capable of addressing such injustices...incapable of even talking about them.