#FirstDate #FirstDates #FirstDatesIRL #Dating #Kilkenny #BrandonHill #Graiguenamanagh #Ireland #LEGO #recipe #vegan
23 January, 2022
I’d like to introduce everybody to Jeanne. This is a selfie from our third date. We had just climbed the highest hill in County Kilkenny – Brandon Hill.
Yes, her name sounds exactly like my deceased wife’s name. I don’t know if that’s weird or not. If it is weird, it must mean she’s perfect for me as I’m a big weirdo.
Two of the things from Jeanne’s dating profile that stood out the most was that she liked walking/hiking and that she wanted to see more of Ireland. Already on our third date, I was walking, hiking and seeing more of Ireland. She had climbed Brandon Hill a few times previously, so we decided that we would have to explore places she hadn’t been to yet. And we have (see future blog posts)!
It was a particularly chilly January morning – at least for me. Despite that, I thought I’d be okay with several layers. I was wrong; a heavier jacket would have been better. Nevertheless, the heat generated from the hike and being near her almost compensated for it. Now 515 meters may not seem like a big hill, but it was the most I had climbed in a long time. I had stayed active during COVID by walking
I brought some snacks and water for the summit, and Jeanne brought some energy balls that she shared. As she is vegan, they were made with cacao, dates, cashew nuts, orange juice and coconut. They were sweet and amazing – just like her. Here is Jeanne’s recipe:
200g pitted dates
75ml orange juice
80g oats
120g cashew nuts
2 tablespoons cacao powder
zest of 1/2 an orange
Coating; 50g desiccated coconut
+ zest of an orange
- Chop the dates into small pieces and soak in the orange juice for a few minutes, ensuring to mix the dates around so that they are all submerged in the orange juice.
- Pulse the oats and cashew nuts in a food processor for 30 seconds. Add the soaked dates with the orange juice, the cocoa powder and the zest of 1/2 an orange. Blend all the ingredients until the mix has a smooth texture, which could take us to 2 minutes.
- Roll into small balls (about the size of a small brussel sprout) and coat by rolling them in the desiccated coconut and orange zest in a bowl to cover each ball.
- These should last up to a month in the fridge. Enjoy!
Somewhat surprisingly, coming down the hill is almost as difficult as going up. While it’s definitely faster to descend, I was constantly making sure I had solid footing to ensure that I didn’t slip. What would be more embarrassing on a date than to end up on your ass?
All in all, it was a great day. I already knew that Jeanne was a great kisser. Now I got to find out just how cool she was too. It was lovely getting to know her a little better by doing an activity that meant we got to spend quite a bit of time together too. A hike like that isn’t necessarily good for a first date, but it was perfect for a third date.
