Post the Twenty-second (in which our heroine turns up for her new job a week early)

Yes, I am a muppet. I spent the whole week thinking (and telling everyone) I was starting my new job on Monday (which was yesterday), despite having heard my recruitment agency lady say the 19th perfectly clearly.  Now, you would think, given the 9/11 overload on tv all last week, that I would have copped fairly quickly that yesterday was, in fact, the 12th, but no.  It was only on the way home from Dublin on Sunday evening that I realised.  I had seen a sign for the Castledermot Vintage Day, which is taking place this year on Sunday the 25th of September.  "That's this day week", says I to myself.

*imaginary "Does Not Compute" message flashing in brain*

But how can this day week be the 25th if today is only the 11th?

And so on and so forth.  By the time we got home, I had myself totally confused.  And, of course, I had no way of getting in touch with MRAL (my recruitment agency lady) to double-check.  So, I resigned myself to getting ready and heading to Dublin in the morning, and just keep trying to reach her in the meantime.  In the end, I was literally around the corner from the new job when I got the orders to stand down.  Ah well.  We all make mistakes, right?

On the plus side, the fact that I was all fired up and ready to go to work from yesterday makes it feel like I've been gifted a bonus week off.

Anyway, I ended up going out for a late lunch with my mum yesterday, so I wanted a pretty light dinner.  This was absolutely perfect.

Two-Way Coriander Beef - serves two

350g round mince                          2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled                   2" piece of ginger, peeled & cut into rough dice
2 chilies, finely diced                     Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbs curry powder                       2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp cumin                                   50g cashew nuts
Soy sauce, to taste                       3 tbs fresh coriander, chopped

1. Heat a wok over a medium heat and brown your mince.  Put your garlic and ginger through a garlic crusher and add it to the mince with the onion & chili.  Cook until the onion is soft.  Drain any excess, grease, but, to be honest, with round mince, there shouldn't be any.  Add the cumin, ground coriander, curry powder & lemon juice and simmer for 15 minutes.

2. Add your preferred quantity of soy sauce and the cashew nuts, stir and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Season, check the spice level & adjust if necessary, then remove from the heat and stir in the fresh coriander.

3.  Serve with rice/naan/wraps/whatever you prefer.  I had mine wrapped in iceberg lettuce, like yuk sung, which was absolute perfection, and I would recommend this method above all others.

Today's Top Tip: Save a fortune on laundry bills - give your dirty shirts to Oxfam. They will wash and iron them and you can buy them back for fifty pence.