The Lederman Kitchen

I was so excited to spend the weekend with my good friend Becky and her  fiancé , Gar.  Becky and I worked together in Japan for 6 months, and we pretty much spent all of our time together.  When I arrived in Japan, Becky had been there for half a year already and she took me in and showed me everything. One of my favorite photos from Japan, our first trip we took together to Osaka We had a blast together, and I have so, so many great memories from Japan with her that I will never forget. Yep, we're in Japan Fast forward 7 years, and we finally met again.  A few months after living in Dublin, and a 40 minute flight later, I arrived in Manchester to spend a weekend with Becky.  Both a little older, and a little more settled into life. Visiting Becky in Manchester Becky and her soon-to-be husband Gar were lovely hosts.  We spent the first day wandering around downtown Manchester, stopping for a glass of wine here and there.  Our cul...

I start my new job on Monday!  It was quite the process to get to this point. April 2nd - Arrive in Dublin May 10th - Offered my job May 18th - Paperwork sent off to Irish government for my Work Permit June 7th - Work Permit granted! June 8th - Updated my status at the Immigration office (yay for a better photo on my immigration card) June 25th- First day of my new job! Although this seemed like the longest process in the world, they originally guessed my start date would be July 23rd, so things happened about a month quicker than expected. So, here goes nothing.  I'm excited, a little nervous, but mostly, just ready.  I am not going to lie, I will miss sleeping in, hitting the gym before, or after, lunch and meeting my friend Abby for an afternoon coffee on the canal.  The last few months, I have developed a surprising ability to fill a day with these small tasks.  I did volunteer ~15 hours a week for the last 3 weeks, which really helped get me bac...

I love visiting grocery stores in other countries.    I find it so interesting to see what products they carry, what is popular, what is expensive, cheap and the differences from what I am used to. In Dublin, it’s really popular for stores to sell pre-packaged food.    Not in a “TV Dinner” or “Frozen Meal” sort of way, but in a “Here are all the veggies you need to make a ratatouille” sort of way.    Brian and I are fascinated by it.    We often discuss if it’s a good deal, or if it would be better to just buy everything separately.    It’s an ongoing conversation as the packets are very reasonably priced and we haven’t come to a conclusion. Roasting Veggies & Root Veggie Packets for €3 There are all sorts of options for these pre-packaged foods.    They have a half Broccoli/half Cauliflower pack, genius, right?    All sorts of Stir Fry options, Asian, Classic, Thai – and if you don’t need a whole...