The Doobie Brothers & Steely Dan concert in Dublin ♥

I hadn't been in a concert since 1997 (just free gigs, here and there), so this was a nice post-birthday treat - The Doobie Brothers (these first pics and video snippets are of their gig) and Steely Dan, at the 3Arena in Dublin ♥

Parking was a bit of a nightmare as the on site parking was only for those who had pre-booked, which is feckin' ridiculous (and insanely expensive).. So, had to park illegally, and hope for the best - it turned out great, and free! Woohoo! ♥

The place was packed (they've added another night, on Monday, after playing London first!), and it was all awesome..

A post shared by Stella Stenroos (@st_stello) on Oct 28, 2017 at 12:09pm PDT

I have to say, about The Doobie Brothers, for a group that's been there for decades, their voices were AMAZING!!! You'd think, that all the touring and whatever else goes with that life, would eventually affect singing voice, but no.. Strong, fantastic voices.. I'm impressed!

A post shared by Stella Stenroos (@st_stello) on Oct 28, 2017 at 12:18pm PDT

There were some sound issues, with only the band being able to hear themselves temporarily - this happened a few times.. Above, the audience was spontaneously singing Molly Malone - I think, this was after the first time the sound dropped.. (Patrick Simmons had sort of started singing it, earlier on, hence the song choice..) 😃

A post shared by Stella Stenroos (@st_stello) on Oct 28, 2017 at 12:32pm PDT

Without Love is like one of my favourite tracks on the car radio (=I'm usually listening to Radio Nova..) ♥♥♥

A post shared by Stella Stenroos (@st_stello) on Oct 28, 2017 at 12:50pm PDT

They finished with Listen To The Music (second encore), and unfortunately, it was a bit of an anticlimax as the sound went again 😭 However, the audience kept it going ♥ That was pretty awesome..

And then, Steely Dan.. 😃

I never thought I'd get to experience Steely Dan live, but I'm very happy that I did.. I actually found their music quite late - only about ten years ago, through D.. He had old Steely Dan tapes (as in, C cassettes!!!), and we used to listen to them during scenic spins, until the tapes were stolen.. (Yes, some scumbag in Bray, who probably didn't even know what C cassettes are, had to steal them.. I hope they ate those tapes, and died..)

A post shared by Stella Stenroos (@st_stello) on Oct 28, 2017 at 1:41pm PDT

Warning: If you have sensitive teeth, don't watch the above video.. Some piercing sounds there..

At times, it was kind of Twin Peaksy, with that curtain and all.. 😂

A post shared by Stella Stenroos (@st_stello) on Oct 28, 2017 at 2:14pm PDT

Dirty Work ♥

A post shared by Stella Stenroos (@st_stello) on Oct 28, 2017 at 2:53pm PDT

Everyone in Ireland knows Reelin' In The Years.. 😃

A post shared by Stella Stenroos (@st_stello) on Oct 28, 2017 at 2:57pm PDT

That drum solo (which was awesome) was too much for my phone, so it sounds like porridge on the video snippet.. 😭 But check out the audience reaction ♥

I wish I could go again on Monday!!! 😃

Easy veggie stew recipe

I've posted loads of variations of this in my Finnish blog, so I thought I'd post one here as well 😃

This is a brilliant recipe as you can pretty much use any ingredients you like, just chop and mix, ovenise, and that's about it.. I'm all for cheap and effortless cooking, which brings a tasty result!

I won't include a list of ingredients as you can pick what you like - instead, I'm going through all the steps with photos.. The amounts are not cast in stone, either - it really depends on the size of your oven dish.

The first layer; I started with pouring some vegetable oil to cover the bottom of my oven dish.. Then, I chopped some fresh basil - you can use any herbs you like.. Fresh is nicer, but dried is fine as well.. I added some sea salt, black pepper, and chilli powder.. Here, I've added a few cloves of garlic - when I don't have fresh garlic, I use garlic powder.. If you don't like garlic, just leave it out, or use something else instead.. And finally, I've added a chopped onion.. The onion isn't necessary, either, or you could use chives, or some other type of onion instead!

For the next layer, I chopped butternut squash, which I'd never even tasted until quite recently, but I really love it, and it adds lovely colour to the food as well ♥

As my oven dish is not the largest, I mixed the first layers at this point, and just added the rest of the layers on top of everything - the flavours will still get around in the oven 😃

A layer of cherry tomatoes..

A layer of parsnip..

I added some garam masala, and sweet chilli sauce (not necessary, or can be replaced with something else, if you like).. Also, and this is quite important: add a cup of water!

Once, I actually forgot to add that water (thanks to my attention-seeking cats..), but I added it later, when removing the tin foil, and it was still fine - but ideally, add it before ovenising.. 😂

I covered the dish with pierced tin foil, and baked it in 180C fan oven for the first 25 minutes.. (NOTE: if you have a different type of oven, adjust temperature and cooking time accordingly - Google will find some helpful conversion sites, if required..)

After the first 25 minutes, I took the dish out of the oven, and removed the tin foil..

Normally, at this point, I would add a layer of sliced mild white cheddar.. However, I was low on cheese, so I added some nice lumps of butter instead.. (Butter = goooood..) 😃

Then, I baked it for another 25 minutes, this time without the tin foil..

Tada! (It does actually look much nicer when I've added cheese - I'll post a picture in the end of this entry - but it's very nice without the cheese as well!)

Delicious!

For me, this is the whole meal, but it's also a nice side dish.

Now, about those alternatives..

Here's a picture of a very similar stew, where I'd added thin slices of butternut squash on top, and after the first 25 minutes in the oven, a layer of mild white cheddar in slices.. I just love the look of that golden brown cheese, mmmm..

I've also used crumbled feta cheese, with and without the cheddar..

Various ingredients I've used, so far; potatoes, different types of onions, chopped curly kale, pre-cooked beetroot, carrots, parsnips, butternut squash.. (If using spuds, carrots, parsnips, or anything dense like that, chop it smaller to make sure that it'll cook in the same time with the other stuff..)

For the oil, I've used olive oil, sunflower oil, and rapeseed oil - use whatever you like.. The same with herbs and spices - be experimental, or use your personal favourites 😃

I doubt I'll ever get tired of this recipe as it's so effortless, and using different ingredients, it doesn't feel like you're eating the same stuff again and again.. I usually buy whatever LIDL sells for 49c, and cook with those - stretching the tiny budget to the max..

This doesn't necessarily have to be all vegetables, either - I've sometimes added chopped kabanossi sticks, leftover chicken, etc.

Listening to Twin Peaks music ♥

Screenshot - scroll down for the actual playlist..

I love Twin Peaks - especially the 2017 season ♥ There's a lovely Twin Peaks playlist on Spotify (see below).. Enjoy!

Little worlds on the patio

I love moss and lichen.. ♥