Spaghetti with Cod and Green Olives

This seems to be all we are eating lately, it is just so delicious and so easy. Buy a punnet of the reddest cherry tomatoes you can find. Pop them in a roasting tray, drizzle with Olive oil and balsamic vinegar and stick them in a hot oven until the skins are burst and they are soft.

Then mash them to a pulp. Saute a chopped onion in olive oil, with salt and pepper. Add pieces of raw cod and cook through. Break the fish with a wooden spoon and add the tomatoes. When they are bubbling, switch off the heat and stir through chopped basil and pitted green olives. Drizzle some more balsamic over the whole thing.

Serve with spaghetti and a nice glass of wine.

I made this...!

Birthday cake for Finn!

Little Windows - Ten on Ten July!

Beet THAT!

I'm intrigued by 'wrong' coloured foods! I love black spaghetti and I will always choose my ice cream by the colour, "I'll have the bright green one please!"...

The following is a great dinner party dish, the colour is very impressive and beetroot lovers will thank you for months!! Beetroot is the veg a la mode in this house, I've been using it ALOT, perhaps too much, Bill? It is delicious though so I'll throw a few more beetroot recipes your way before I abandon it!! 

Beetroot Risotto

You'll need

Olive oil

500gms risotto rice

1 large glass of red wine

1 pk of cooked beetroot in juice

1 clove of garlic, crushed

500mls chicken/vegetable stock

100gms grated parmesan

A knob of butter

100gms soft goats cheese

Handful of rocket

Chopped walnuts

Method

Fry the rice with the garlic in oil until becoming translucent around the edges.  Add the wine and the juice from the beetroot.  Cook off the liquids and then add the stock, in dribs and drabs until the rice is cooked.  If the stock runs out use hot water. 

When the rice is cooked, chop the beetroot and add, stirring through to get as much dye on the rice as you can and then add the butter and parmesan.  Stir through.  Serve sprinkled with the rocket, walnuts and goats cheese.

Delicious!

A little movie for you!

If you fancy a good laugh, head over to The Twilight Spoof  - Mary and her two cousins Finn and Ru remade their favorite movie and it is a scream! 

We'd love to see them get lots of hits so do please pass the link on to anyone you know who loves Twilight!!

Enjoy it!! 

What we have lost...

Summer Lovin...

We caught a glimpse of summer a few weekends ago... and it was wonderful, spirits picked up, traffic jams were full of smiling faces, brown arms dangling from windows - no matter where you were there was sun to enjoy!

We took ourselves to the beach and, on returning, wanted something quick, easy and summery to satisfy those hunger pangs.

Asparagus & Lemon Pasta

You'll need

1 lemon, squeezed and zested

500gms cooked pasta, Farfalle or Penne are best, I used Fusilli out of desperation!!

4 tbsp of virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

100gms pancetta, optional

10 Asparagus tips

Method

Heat the oil and add the garlic.    Add the pancetta and cook through. Add the chopped asparagus and stir until bright green.  Remove from heat, add lemon zest and juice and stir the pasta through.

Serve!

Little Windows... Ten on ten...

My contribution to the Ten on Ten project....

Thai Fish Cakes!

These are easy to make and can be prepared in advance, then fried for a couple of minutes each side and served.

You'll need

1. 150g cod or salmon fillet, skinned and deboned
   
2. 100g raw shelled prawns
3. 2 spring onions, chopped
4. 1 tbsp Thai curry paste 
5. 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
6. 1 tsp fish sauce
7. 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
8. Handful chopped fresh coriander
9. 
   
10. Method
11. Throw everything into your food processor and blend together to a rough mince.  Shape into patties, this mix should make between 4 and 6 smallish ones.  Fry in a bit of olive oil, until browned.  Mix a tbsp of soy sauce with the same of honey and pour over in the pan.  Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

I heart...

Marks & Spencer Strawberry and Vanilla Cupcakes...

Just delicious!  

Around the world...

I love taking photos of food, so I was happy to help when a friend called and said she was hoping I'd pop down and take some photos of a world food fair she had organised!  I was delighted!  

The fair took place in Microsoft, Sandyford, and was an amazing smorgasbord of cuisine from all around the globe.  Staff members were asked to bring a traditional dish from their home country and for a small cover charge, they could then try a little of each! 

What a great idea! The different colours, textures and smells from all over the world spread before me like a patchwork quilt made me glad I'd skipped breakfast!! 

My favorites were the Custard tarts from Portugal, and the Cabbage soup from Slovakia which I MUST have the recipe for immediatley!! 

My photos can not even tell half the story, it was such a wonderful fair and such an amazing idea,  hopefully a good chunk of money was raised for charity! 

OCD - Obsessive Cullen Disorder!

I know its been uber quiet on this blog lately, and well I feel I should explain.  I should 'fess up.

My name is Lisa and I'm a Twilight addict.

Every spare minute I have is spent reading the rest of the saga... and I haven't had time even to cook anything very exciting!

However I am on the last, and rather far fetched, last book, so things should be back to normal soon!

Well until November anyway... 

I want...

K, so the weather is easing up and we are starting to think about going camping.  Ladybird is still happy to hold us and we're not ones to waste opportunities! Anyhoo I've been surfing online to see what gadgets await! 

I love waffles, don't eat enough of them actually, there is nothing as pleasing as a waffle with clotted cream, jam and fresh strawberries (Yes Ciara and I am looking out for gluten free waffles so we can eat this together...!) all piled high with a steaming cup of tea and a fork in hand.

So I was looking for waffle recipes and then I spotted this!

A camping waffle iron! I must have one! Oh you know me - I love cooking anything the hard way so why not cook waffles over the fire, can you think of anything more hardy and outdoorsy? I'd be "mom/wife/camp neighbor" of the year! 

Marvellous! I'll let you know when I try it out!

Lasagne Primavera

I've baked this style of lasagne for a good few years after eating something similar in Italy, but I'd forgotten about it until lo and behold I was watching a digital food channel that shows Rachel Ray and she was baking it on air!! I felt cheated but then delighted, a family favorite reinstated, and ours is a little different from Rachels so its all good!

Lasagne PrimaveraYou'll need
A pk of ready to bake (is there any other kind?) lasagne sheets
4 tins of tomatoes
3 courgettes, grated
500gms ricotta, mixed with 1 egg and 80gms grated parmesan
400gms lamb mince
1 mozarella ball

2 cloves of garlic
Handful each of basil, mint and parsley.

Method

Cook the lamb mince with the chopped onion until browned. Stir in 1 tin of tomatoes and leave to simmer until thickened. Add the fresh basil. Chop the mint and parsley and stir into the ricotta cheese.  In a separate pan, chop two cloves of garlic and stir fry in olive oil, adding the courgette, with salt and pepper after a few moments.  Stir in the hot oil until coated and remove from the heat.Pour some tomatoes from a tin to coat the bottom of the dish, then layer the lasagne, pasta, courgette, ricotta, pasta, meat, courgette, pasta and so on as you wish.
Top with a full tin of tomatoes and slices of mozarella.
Bake at 200c for a 40 minutes or until the cheese is golden and the dish is bubbling.
Wait ten to fifteen minutes before slicing.

Pavlova...

The perfect end to a dinner party... An enormous pavlova will have your guests weak at the knees... Forget kiwi and lemony cream... You want sharp rasberries and vanilla creaminess dripping from forks....

My Pavlova

You'll need

6 Egg whites

400gms caster sugar

1.5 tsp white wine vinegar

1.5 tsp cornflour

Preheat your oven to 200c. Whisk the eggs into soft peaks, add the sugar, flour and vinegar and whisk again until shiny and with soft peaks again.  Line and dust (with icing sugar) a shallow roasting pan and plop your mix into it, allow it to make its own shape.

Pop into the oven, and immediatley turn the oven down to 150.  Bake the meringue for 1 hour or until it is nicely brown and cracking along the 'seams'.

When ready remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.  Lift the meringue onto your dish, and with the back of a spoon crack the surface, allowing it to collapse in on itself.  Fill the hollow with vanilla cream (use M&S Madagasgar vanilla cream if you can!) and top with raspberries... 

Exquisite!

Are you Twilighting?

I robbed this wonderful picture from Ciara over at Milkmoon, to show you what my daughter has been up to for the last few weeks... Twilighting... 

And, it seems, so has everyone in the universe, it is everywhere isn't it?

So, I read it to see what the fuss was about.

I sat down yesterday, and over a couple of hours in a quiet room, and then another couple of hours in bed, I read the whole thing through.  I haven't done that since I was a teenager myself!

Holes in the plot aside (and there are many!) it was one of those stories that drags you kicking and screaming (with joy) back to your teen years, when books like this encouraged day dreams about the shopkeepers son, or that boy who catches the bus at the same time you do every day... At Marys age I would routinely fall in love with boys on the bus and while away the days dreaming of all the possibilities to come.  

This book reminded me of those daydreams, with all its inconsistencies, and it was probably the most romantic and sincere thing I have read in years... I threw my irritations at Meyer (who I think probably got a bit lost in the romance herself) away and jumped in head first... 

If you haven't read it - Do! True, it is a book aimed at 12-15 year olds, and it is FULL of holes (Which Meyer has attempted to resolve with Midnight Sun), it is a bit lazy, but... BUT... You will adore it... It will, he will, haunt you (You might even find yourself googling 'Edward Cullen' late at night!)!  Just let go of any adult expectations, and go with it...

Happy Reading!

I want...

This is the i-bride "Liu Tray" which caught my eye on my new favorite site Bohemia this morning... Isn't it edible! I love it, and am now plotting ways in which it can be mine (insert wild laughter here)...

You can see this adorable tray and other lovelies here...!

I heart...

Franks Red Hot Sauce!!! My American readers will scoff at this post, but I have only just discovered that one CAN make restaurant style Buffalo wings at home, with very little effort and they turn out JUST AS GOOD!!! 

No more trips to Tribeca for me!!

American Buffalo Wings

You'll need

8 tbsp Franks Hot Sauce (Available in Tesco!)

8 tbsp Butter

1.5 tsp White vinegar

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

Pinch of Salt

Method

Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan,and heat until the butter has melted.  Leave to cool.

Sprinkle the chicken wings with Maldon table salt and place into a really hot oven, cook until the skin is crispy and bubbling.  Throw the wings in on top of the sauce and coat.

Serve with Blue cheese sauce (1 part mayo to 1 part sour cream, crumble chopped blue cheese and spring onion into the dip) and celery sticks!

Happy Easter!

This has been my second Easter in blog land, and again we roasted a lovely Leg of Lamb and had family over to enjoy the day! It was such a pleasure to entertain in my new lovely kitchen! 

I started the dinner off with a Pea and Mint Soup, which went down well, and was lovely and refreshing.  Then served the lamb with rosemary potatoes and wilted greens... I have to admit I was so busy eating it all I barely took a picture!!

The evening rounded off nicely with a raucous game of Cranium (in which there was a few serious accusations of unsportsmanlike behaviour!) and our family favorite 'Incognito'! 

Happy Easter!

Pea and Mint Soup

You'll need

1 tbsp olive oil

1 clove of garlic, smashed

1 small bag of frozen garden peas (around 500gms)

500mls of vegetable stock

A handful of fresh mint leaves

Some cream to garnish

Method

Lightly fry the garlic in the oil, add the peas and the stock and simmer over a medium heat for 20 minutes.  Add the mint.  Blend until smooth.  Serve hot with a swirl of cream.

Little Windows...

From the lovely seaside town of Beaumaris, Wales.

Cheats Cuisine!

I've been cheating alot lately haven't I? 

At least I am still that boldy pants I was as a kid! 

Latest cheat - Lamb Tagine!

you'll need

1lb lamb chunks

1 onion, sliced

1 tsp each of cumin, ginger, dried thyme

2tbsp flour

150ml orange juice

300ml chicken stock

70gms dried apricots

salt & pepper

mint leaves, to garnish

Method

Okay so this is a cheat because you need not spend days marinading anything, simply rub the lanb with half the spices, brown it,  bung it all in a pot, into the oven for an hour and a half, stirring midway and done! 

Serve with cous cous!

BRB!

Sorry! I have been up to my eyes this week with a flurry of activites, getting this kitchen of ours into shape...

We took a trip to Ikea in Belfast, and it was a fruitful journey, we procured the table set of my dreams! For a complete steal! I am now a firm fan of Ikea and cannot wait until it opens here in July!

Anyway I hope to be back up and running over the next few days, doing more than throwing oven chips in the oven!

See you then!

Earth Hour...

It was lovely to spend an hour in darkness last night with my global family,  so many houses around me joined in, and it was nice to 'stand together' acknowledging the earth hour.

What a sky! It was so bright, although I wasn't sure if it was because of the lights or just because of the night!  We spotted Orions belt, and Beetlejuice! We were all reluctant to turn the lights back on, but with laundry to finish, and tea to make!

photo courtesy of google images

The Big Boy...

I took this photo of Joe heading down to Dun Laoghaire last week, I cannot believe it is him, he just looks so grown up! 

Copycat!

I often come home after a particularly nice meal out and spend the next week or so craving the food I had, just one more bite!

It was this way after a cheap and cheerful trip to Milanos in Dundrum, which I have to say I normally avoid, finding the staff rude and the dessert portions miserable! However with two teenagers in tow it seemed the best option, the crowd pleaser.

I ordered a Salad with goats cheese and it was delicious, so much so that I wanted to recreate it at home, for that 'one more bite' satisfaction!

I, of course, added bits and pieces but it was the similar enough so here it is, furthermore known as Milanos salad in this house!

Here is a list of what goes into it, add as much or as little of what you like, it'll be delicious!

Cooked chicken pieces, red and yellow pepper, beetroot, red onion, cherry tomatoes (try to get piccolos!),  croutons, cafe style leaves, crumbled soft goats cheese.  Add whatever salad dressing you prefer, we used bottled caesar and it was delicious!

I heart...

My new kettle!!!

My eyes lit up when I spied this unusual kettle in House of Fraser the other day, and since a new kettle was on my shopping list (my old one is ten years old) and I had a voucher for HofF burning a hole in my purse, I said "Feck it!" and plumped for it there and then.... It reminds me of Art Deco, Sixties style and Futuristic all in one!

It does what it is supposed to, and in record time, but I get a kick out of it too, so that is a bonus! The wood handles make it seem less "Appliance" too!

I love it!

The Grand SLAM!

We did it! Ireland, a tiny little island perched on the edge of Europe, has won the Six Nations Cup AND the Grand Slam! 

It was like movie, those watching practically bit their own faces off with the tension, it was within 3 or 4 points the whole match... They're winning, we're winning, they're winning... It looked like we'd lost it, even after Brian O'Driscolls AMAZING TRY!! The man is like a steam train! Then suddenly with two minutes to go (Imagine the tension!) Ronan O'Gara kicked it over the posts, we were back in the lead only to give away a penalty at the eleventh hour... I thought Bill would go through the television as the welsh player lined up to kick a drop goal, but he missed it by inches and WE WON!!!! THE GRAND SLAM! The last time we did that was in 1948!! Oh I wished my dad could have seen it!! He would have loved it!

It was also nice to see Prince William sitting beside our lovely President McAleese, a promise of the two countries being better neighbors to each other in the coming years! But best of all, to see our boys collect the Grand Slam trophy, and hold it high, a symbol of being the BEST rugby team in Europe at the moment, we lost to not one team! 

They often say in Ireland "Tiocfaidh ár Lá" - Our Day will Come... 

In Rugby, looks like it has...!

Whats brew??

The lack of activity on this blog has been down to my dear little Mac being uprooted from his corner and shuffled out for a few days in a cardboard box in my hall.  We've been having lots of work done, and finally I have a new kitchen!!  I have been in this house nearly ten years and had inherited the kitchen from previous owners, which I differed greatly in taste from!!! 

So now I have my own kitchen, in my own house, as opposed to my own house but with someone elses kitchen.  I can't wait to show you some pictures but I want to wait for the last few pieces of the jigsaw to be slotted into place (New Ikea table and tiles on the wall!) before the unveiling to my cyber friends!!

Aside from that though my camera has been happily snapping away, with various dinners eaten and interesting nights out.  Over the next few days I'll tell you all about them.

I want to start though with telling you about this new club we've joined! A sister of my dearest friend has started a Beer Tasting session in her shop once a month, and so with Bill a steadfast beer supporter and me tipping my toe in the ocean as a novice, we both headed down on friday to have a taste and see what we thought of the best of the Belgian Trappist Breweries!

Five Beers to Taste!

Two trepid tasters make their way through the brews...

Since our trip last year, which landed us in Bruges, Bill has been keenly involved on a personal level with Belgian beers, and was dying to sample what is on offer here in Dublin.  So we tasted, he hummed, I hawed, but overall we both came away with a favorite.

This was mine... Vedett Extra White...

Just perfect for me, light and refreshing, destined to be supped out of a nice glass as I sit admiring my lovely new kitchen over the next week...!  Only to be enjoyed in the glare of the sun though, I suspect, so I'll have to make sure I'm within sight of that little glorious ray that comes in my kitchen window at around 6 o'clock!

Local Glitterati...

Some of Beers most loyal fans...

A beer fuelled discussion!

The Beer Tasting was a great fun! I learned alot, met some great people (including fellow blogger The Beer Nut! You can read what a beer review should look like over on his blog!) and discovered a bit more about my new favorite subject - BEER!

Happy (Day After) St Patricks Day from DUBLIN!

Oh the frustration of internet glitches! Yesterday was St Patricks Day, I'm here in the horses mouth, and I couldn't get blogger to post for me! It kept saying error blah blah blah!


Anyway HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY! Or as we say in Irish LA FHEILE PHADRAIG!!


We all donned green, pinned our shamrock to our lapels and enjoyed a day where the whole world joins us in the celebration of our lovely little island!!


I could have chosen a very traditional Irish dish for todays post, but considering most of the very Irish meals (Irish stew, coddle etc) were born from necessity due to half the country starving to death, I didn't feel it was exactly the spirit I was after! So after a him and a haw I decided to get into the spirit with a good old Beef and Guinness Pie! We've got cows, we've got stout, we've got appetites to sooth - as Irish a dish as you can get!


Must be eaten with a diddly eye diddly dee diddly dum!


Beef and Guinness Pie


You'll need
500gms Stewing beef
2 Carrots
1 Large onion
1 Sprig of rosemary
500mls beef stock
A Pint of Irish Stout (Guinness!)
Salt and Pepper
Enough Puff pastry to cover your pie dish!

Method
Saute the onions and the carrots with the rosemary (wonderful aromas here) and then add the seasoned meat. Stir about a bit and then add the stock and the stout! Add a couple of tablespoons of flour. Simmer for 2 hours with a lid on until the sauce has thickened! Pop into a pie dish, cover with pastry, glaze with beaten egg and bake until golden brown in a hot oven, about 180c.

Serve with mashed potatoes and a large glass of milk!

Cheats Cuisine!

Another handy number to throw together! Its absolutely delicious and perfect for visiting children!

So simple - it cannot go wrong!

Sticky Toffee Banana Bake

You'll need

2 Jamaican Ginger Cakes

4 Large Bananas

Anything else you fancy, I sometimes add pecan nuts!

For the sauce

100gms Muscovado Light Brown

4 oz butter

150mls double cream

4 tbsp golden syrup

Method

Stir the sauce ingredients together and heat in a saucepan until the butter has melted. Meanwhile slice the cakes and the bananas and layer them.  When the sauce begins to bubble, remove from the heat and pour over the layers.  Bake for 15 minutes at 180c until piping hot. Serve with vanilla icecream. This makes a good amount for 6 people so you can say...

Yes, there is seconds...!

Little Windows...

Here are my "Little Windows" for March... 

I've been tagged

I've been tagged by dear Ciara over at Milkmoon!

What is your current obsession? Hmmmm... Interior blogs, Clothes...

What are you wearing now: My big earrings,Denim Flares, black boat neck top and a teal green grandad cardie! Oh and my most amazing sheepskin bootie slippers that I love but are falling apart and I don't know where to replace them!!

Who was the last person you hugged: Grubbyman

If you were a tree what tree would you be?

 Definatley a pear tree... with a partridge in it!

What's for dinner: Paella (cooking for Ciara!)

What was the last thing you bought: 4 Stripey Cups for a euro each in Dunnes...

What are you listening to right now: The sounds of a jackhammer building our lovely Luas line, and Brian Ferry singing Dylan...

What is your favourite weather: I love sunny winter mornings, and I love warm meditteranean mornings... either or! 

What was the first thing you did this morning? I fed the birds in my garden, a thousand little hopping fellows... They had seeds, lard and breadcrumbs.

What is your most challenging goal right now: To try to get through to stubborn people.

Say something to the person who tagged you: There will be roasted plums, with honey, cardamom and marscapone...

 If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished, where do you want it to be: Dun Laoghaire town please, something nice in Clarinda park would do!!!

Favourite vacation spot: Anywhere at all... though I have been dreaming recently of majorca...

Name the things you cannot live without: Good company, A pen and paper...

What would you like to have in your hands right now: Honestly? A winning lottery ticket please.  Failing that, A huge coffee slice.

What is your favourite tea flavour: Regular Barrys Tea

What would you like to get rid of: Words which degrade women, Snobbery.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go: Can I go back in time? Then I'd see my dad again, if not I'd like to visit my Aunt Maureen in New Jersey.

If you could have your portrait painted/made by any famous artist from any era, who would you choose: Picasso

Who did you have a poster on your wall of when you were 15? Kurt Cobain...

The rules: 

1) Repond and rework, answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you didn't like with a question of your own! Then add one more question of your own!

2) Tag up to eight people! 

I love you too, Makool....!

I have never posted about clothes before but I couldn't leave the day go without telling you what I found!! I was drifting around the ether world and suddenly it was there, Makool Loves You, and every single thing on their adorable website could have been made for me!!!
I know a certain person over on another blog who would swoon for these mittens.... You know who you are!! ;-)


Oh and if anyone, lets say, was to love me so much they just had to buy me this Bicycle locket... I'd be ever so pleased...

Cheats Cuisine!

This is a great cheat to have at hand, in case you suffer from spontaneous invite syndrome - "why don't you come for lunch today?" at 12pm!! This needs no major design just plonk everything together and serve with a salad!

Mediterranean Vol Au Vents!

You'll need

1 Pkt 6 Frozen Vol Au Vents

1 Cooked chicken breast

6 Cherry vine tomatoes

100gms tapenade

100gms Sun dried tomato pesto

1 Jar of Boilie Goats Cheese Balls

A handful of Basil, chopped

Cook the Vol Au Vents as per instructions. At the same time pop the tomatoes into the oven drizled with olive oil until they are bursting and soft.

While still warm fill with a teaspoon of each paste, some chicken, and top with a Boilie ball and a vine tomato.

Serve!

I want...

These gorgeous retro tins are from Ikea...and only £1.95 for all three!!

'Ave a butchers..?

There must be something wrong with me.  No matter how many times I have told myself, warned myself, to buy my meat in the butcher, I keep coming home from the supermarket bags full of it and having a homer moment - Doh! Its ridiculous because the butcher, Nyhan Bros, is right there, beside the supermarket, no extra journey or stop involved! What is my problem?

I am trying though, and last week, as if to make up, I took a solo expedition across the road and bought 2lbs of mince.  A huge quantity, but it freezes so why not! I had a nose round to see what else they had, Venison steaks! Poussin! Rabbit! 

Oooo and corn fed outdoor reared chickens!! The little angel on my shoulders' tutting is becoming unbearable when I go to Tesco for a sunday bird, so thats good to know! I don't mind paying extra for an animal that has at least had a bit of craic before it walked the green mile.

I think I will have to tie a knot in my hanky, or laces at least, so I stop my zombie like march to the supermarket in time to remember the butchers! 

As for my mince? It was put to good use!

Lisas Saturday Burgers

You'll need

(for 4 quarter pounders)

1lb of lean minced beef

2 tsps worcestor sauce

2 tbsp of your favorite relish (we use onion or ballymaloe!)

15mls natural yoghurt or creme fraiche

2 tsps cayenne pepper (optional)

Salt and pepper

Method

Mix all ingredients together, I use a fork as well as my hands as it seems to break the meat up even more.  Divide into portions and make into patties with your hands.  Pop onto a hot oiled griddle or pan and fry.  Give them about two minutes each side.  Let them stand while you prepare the buns with everything you like and EAT EM UP!!

Cheap Eats!

Well I have square eyes from checking out the fantastic new Irish website Cheap Eats, its brilliant!  Its one of those sites that has me bashing my head off the keyboard, wailing "I wish it was mine!", set up and run by graphic artist Jean O'Brien (check out the dotey graphics!!) and journalist Peter McGuire, and with fantastic ideas and recommendations all through the effortless dialogue.  With tips on where to find great food bargains, which restaurants are feeding us well for less, and a general encouragement, in the face of a recession, to continue with the chin up and mouth open, for great food is still within our reach! There is sections of all aspects of food in Ireland, from recipes to food news, great restaurant reviews and even a Bloggers recommend section!! 

I love it!! 

Check it out here!

Beer anyone?

I've been getting into the "beer is the new wine" craze, and I have to admit I'm loving it! Beer can be just as interesting to drink, and with less of a headache the next day, whats not to love about that!! 

My personal favorite at the moment are the Asian beers, Tiger and Cobra being the most obvious choices.  The subtle cider pop after a swig of Cobra beer is fantastic, and wonderfully refreshing after a mouthful of spicy curry!  Beer sooths the mouth more quickly after a chili burn, so it is the drink of choice for any spicy dish.

There are two main theories behind the origin of "Pad Khee Mao", or Drunkards noodles, the first is that it is the hangover cure of choice by most Thais, the second is that so much beer is needed, to sooth the burning mouth while eating, that the diner ends up paraletic! Either way it is a great dish, one we eat all the time in this house, always with plenty of Tiger beer on hand too by the way...

Drunkards Noodles

You'll need

2 tbsp Stir fry oil

2 tbsp Oyster sauce

2 tbsp Rice Vinegar (or white wine vinegar will do)

1 tbsp Nam Plah sauce

1 tsp sugar

a squeeze of fresh lime

10 bird chillies, or 3 red chillies, chopped finely

1 tin bean sprouts

10 baby tomatoes, halved

1 green pepper, chopped 

A handful of Pak Choi, torn into lengths

10 Button Mushrooms, halved

400gms thin rice noodles, cooked

Method

Heat up the oil and add the chillies and the rest of the veg.  Add the sauces and stir fry for a minute, add the noodles and serve.

Be Careful!!! 'S hot!!

I want...

Look at these! Aren't they adorable?! I wish I could buy the whole bunch - they're from Rosenthal and the range is Pepe and Friends Each item from eggcup to cookie jar, has its own little character, they really are sweet...

Available here!

Cheats Cuisine!

To make a spectacular dessert in a hurry follow these easy peasy instructions for my quick and easy Black Forest Dessert!

You'll need 

for four 

4 chocolate brownie

1 tin pitted black cherries

4 pots chocolate mousse

125mls double cream, whipped to soft peaks

2 tbsp vanilla sugar

1 chocolate flake

4 oreo cookies, roughly broken

75cls kirsch (or vodka will be fine too!)

Method

Break the brownies into bite sized chunks and pop into the bottom of the serving dish, mix the kirsch with the juice from the tinned fruit and add the vanilla sugar, then spoon about two tablespoons over each brownie.  Add half the cherries.  Plop some cream on, then a full chocolate mousse, oreo cookies and more cream.  Top with cherries and chocolate flake.

Perfect squidgy goodness to finish off a good meal!

Pancake Tuesday!!!

Is it worldwide or just this side of the pond? Well today is pancake tuesday and children (and aduts) around the country woke up excited at the prospect of a day in which every meal is a pancake concoction!!

I'm just about to make ours but I thought I'd post first, I mean you don't need a recipe but I'll give you my two favorite fillings...

1) Chocolate buttons (make sure the pancake is hot!) caramel sauce, marshmallow, banana and the thickest double cream you can find! Mmmmmm! 

2) Mix one part lime juice to one part coconut milk, add plenty of caster sugar! Delicious! 

HAPPY PANCAKE DAY EVERYONE!!! As a little parting gift I will tell you a little story....

There was three men travelling by train across Ireland for business and they got talking.  Each of them had a son and the conversation soon turned to their children.  

The first one said "My son is wonderful, a real star, he was born on St Georges day so we called him George"

"Wow!" said the second one, "thats amazing because my son is called Andrew for the same reason, he was born on St Andrews day"

The third man nodded and then took his phone out of his pocket "That reminds me" he said smiling, "its my darling sons birthday today... I must ring him..." he dialled the number... "Hello? Is that you Pancake?"

(At least its not my cooking that is making you reach for the sick bowl!!)

***

Ugly but yum....!

I have eaten one of these... A deep fried Mars bar, and I will admit -it was absolutely delicious! However as I chewed, I could feel my arteries screaming and I doubt I would make a habit of eating something so fattening - there is a days calories in one of these babies!

I came across this picture while moaning and groaning my way through This Is Why You're Fat

dot com, have a browse and let me know if you've tried any of the offerings there - which I've no doubt as to they probably taste delicious but my God, imagine every meal? After a couple of days worth of winter food, starches and stews, I crave raw food, salad and crisp vegetables... and thats after GOOD stodge! Imagine after a few days of the horrifics you can see here!

A little Baker Boy...

So I often let Joe help me bake, but obviously I have to curb any licking or poking or smudging that he would enjoy.  So today I allowed him to bake his own biscuits, from start to finish.  I did step in for the mixing, and there was a two minute tantrum, but then he resumed with tear stained cheeks to making "Joes Biscuits". Which turned out to be one biscuit... for Daddy!

This recipe is great for little ones who are teething (as there is good resistance and not a lot of sugar) and the dough molds easily in their hands.  

Joes Biscuits

You'll need

1 part apple juice
1 part flour
1 part baby cereal (I used Cow and Gate Baby Balance)

Method
Mix above ingredients together. Roll out and cut or mold into shapes. Bake for about 20-30 minutes at 175c.

Do NOT serve these to visiting adults, much as they may snuffle about in search of your latest bake, as they will reel in horror from the blandness and your reputation shall never recover! Solely enjoyed by the under fives and daddys who would walk on coals for their darling sons!

Little Windows...

I'm always too late for the ten on ten recently, which is so annoying because I love taking part, so this month I'm going to start a new project which I am calling Little Windows... I will post some pictures in the same way, hopefully on the tenth, but if I don't make it I won't feel so badly!!

Enjoy!

Dear Old Barley!

I hated it in stews, those little squishy blobs that would stick to my teeth, I couldn't stomach Barley at all unless it was mixed with sugar, rolled to an inch of its life, wrapped in plastic and sold for tuppence in the local chemist...

Then I kept seeing it pop up in the modern recipes, everyone was raving about it, everyone loved it... Barley, Barley, Barley!

So I thought, Okay, it must be good, it must have something to offer.

Nope.

I came, I ate, I didnae likey!

I'm sure... I know...  Its definatley up some peoples alleys, just not mine.  There is a musty smell from it that I dislike, it lingers in my nose too long... and the texture?  Yack yack! Its rubbery, its smooth, like a mouth full of tiny balloons.

Before you mail me wailing about how I mustn't have cooked it correctly, how it is truely the most wonderful thing... Don't bother, really I did do it the justice it probably deserves! How do I know? Because everyone else in the house absolutley LOVED it! Bar me, the whole family are now barley addicts, going through cold turkey mind because I am never putting myself through that again!

For the Barley lovers out there... here is my recipe for Creamy Barley Risotto... Serve with white fish if you can, or topped with pickled quails eggs!... and Enjoy!

You'll need (serves 4 as a side dish)

250gms pearl barley 

A glass of white wine

1 large onion, chopped finely

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 stick of celery, chopped finely

Some olive oil

500mls chicken stock

100gms creme fraiche

100gms parmesan cheese, ground

Method

Fry the onions, celery and garlic lightly in the oil and add the barley.  Allow the barley to colour slightly before adding a glass of white wine and about a quarter of the stock.  The good thing about barley vs rice is that it doesn't need constant stirring because there is little starch.  

Keep adding the stock, as normal with risotto, until its gone, then test the barley between your teeth, you should be able to bite it in half with effort, it shouldn't smush.  If its not ready, top up with hot water.  

When you are happy with the barley, add the cheeses and serve!!!

Lentil Health!! ;-)

Italians like to eat lentils with sausages on New Years Eve, here in this house we don't need an occasion, it really makes for the most hearty winter meal, full of goodness (watch the ingredients in those sausages, go for 70+% pork!!) and is a nice change from rice, pasta and potatoes which our dinners usually revolve around!! 

Here is my recipe for Italian style Lentils, serve with your favorite sausage!

You'll need

350gms of green or brown lentils (I use tinned)

1 large onion, chopped small

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

100gms bacon lardons

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

A sprig of rosemary

Method

Fry the onion, garlic and celery in olive oil until soft, add the bacon and the rosemary.  Fry until pretty much cooked before adding the tomatoes and the lentils.

Simmer for about ten minutes and serve!

For a spicy version add a pinch of chilli powder with the tomatoes!

 

Abbey Road....

I didn't realise what it looked like as I was snapping... 

SCOIL DUNTA!

We were thrilled to be woken by a text message reading "Scoil Dunta - Isteach is amach ro-danseaireach" (School Closed - Access too dangerous)!! Looking outside we could see why...Having a landrover comes in very handy sometimes, we ploughed along where other cars were stuck, and clung to roads that other cars were sliding off... heading for my mothers house and the field beside it, where the snow lay unmarked and glistening in wait.  

What a great day! Lets hope for more snow tomorrow!!

Did I or Didn't I?

I was I had posted this little four minute video, of our grand trip last year, but it appears I never did! 

The wonderful music is by wonderful Chequerboard... 

A little treat!

If you want a treat... and you have a minute... pop over to Honeybee and have a look at this...

Wonderful...