Just over a week ago an old friend and I went to Pizza Hut then to the cinema for a night out (the kind of nights we used to do when we were at school) and we had a great dessert. A little round pan with cookie dough all baked slightly with a nice big blob of ice cream on top and chocolate sauce drizzled all over. It was so good and it made me want to try making it myself.  Continue reading »

Before I get into the shopping there are a couple of things I should mention:
1. We eat low-carb
Which means filling up on rice, potato, pasta and bread, often the key to making a low food budget work, isn’t an option. I’m not getting into a discussion about low-carb eating now, though I may at another…  Continue reading »

Again with the inauthentic recipes. And again it tastes good, so we don’t care. This recipe came from a book given to me by my old boss at the Wild Onion Café in Limerick. The Book is called Gourmet Cooking for Two, by Beatrice Ojakangas, and was originally published in 1970.
Our favourite recipe from this book is Beef Teriyaki, which is dead easy to make and perfect for evenings when you’re going to be busy as you must prepare it in advance in order for the marinade to work.  Continue reading »

I cook for my family all the time and so, for Father’s Day, I thought a desert on top of my usual culinary efforts would make it a bit special….but my Dad really isn’t a big desert person. I was looking around and wondering what i could make when I remembered he had a soft spot for the pear and almond tart….
This is Rachel Allen’s no-pastry pear and almond tart!  Continue reading »

New in meat: Rabbit? – A man’s gotta eat what a man’s gotta eat…but rabbit? (Washington Post)
Veganism goes mainstream – Philadelphia chef prepares grown up delicious vegan food in his restaurant. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Curiosity killed the…chemicals? – See real time results of chefs voting on whether they plan on experimenting with molecular gastronomy.
Food blogger recipe adaptation – Illegal or not?  Continue reading »

I thought I would post one last recipe for the week before we head off to Galway.  We’ve decided to head towards The Burren for a bit of tourist style exploring, and then on to the cliffs of Moher, so you can expect some pictures next week!  Continue reading »

Oak Tannins – Jancis Robinsons FT Article 19th July 08

Fantastically interesting column from Jancis Robinson in this weeks Financial Times – well done Jancis truly loving your work !
The basic premise behind the article was the increasing occurrence of Oak Tannins or a raw dryness in red wines coming from around the globe.  Continue reading »

 People in our Killarney shop always ask where to eat, and one of the places I suggest is the Garden Bar at the Park Hotel.  
I’m not usually a fan of hotel food – usually there are much better options to be had.  Continue reading »

Here are four of my own current favourite delis – one in each province.
A deli is a deli, but not all delis are delis. There is a bit of a Boston Berlin divide: the US tradition has had an emphasis on providing take away ready to eat food, especially mammoth sandwiches, while the European approach is more about great, often hard to find food to take home and eat with other foods or to make into something else.  Continue reading »

Created over at wordle.net, some wordles or “word clouds” from the most recent posts on sourgrapes.ie and quality Irish wine blogs.  Continue reading »

I remember the precise moment I first tasted Pesto.
It was on a school trip to Rome, in a small cafe overlooking the Villa Borghese Park, and I was completely blown away. It was without question the most delicious taste I’d ever experienced in my life to that point and it changed how I thought about…  Continue reading »

I hope the answer is yes. Because otherwise, this blog would be nonsense. It was my birthday yesterday, an occasion I’m not altogether happy with – once the big 30 happens, there’s no point celebrating being another year closer to death. I may only be 32, but it’s a fact I want to forget. I’m still 18 in my head.  Continue reading »

Today’s post comes to us from Brandi at Diets in Review. You may remember her from her previous post: Successful Weight Loss with Weight Watchers. Diets in Review helps you understand and debunk all those crazy diets and figure out what fits you best. We love how easy they make it!
Have you walked through the grocery store or local health market and gotten excited when you stumble on something that appears to be healthy and good for you?  Continue reading »

Just issued my first Weekly Newsletter !
A huge thank you to everyone for the positive comments and feedback !
To those of you who still haven’t signed up – what are you waiting for – its free, its fantastic, and did I mention that its free !!
Fillet steaks and something red I think for dinner tonight.
Looking for some comments – so can people please post the name of their favourite bottle of wine ever ? and Why ?
 
 
 
 
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Regular visitors will have noticed that I haven’t updated recently.Why?Disillusionment.Yup.I became disillusioned.I guess every revolutionary becomes downheartened. The truth is that most revolutionarys fail. Most revolutions fail.But some don’t, that is, if the revolutionarys don’t give up.
So onward all ye faithful. Onward to the paradise where every bar sells good quality, locally made regional beer on draught and some bit of a selection of classic beers in bottles.  Continue reading »

If I was to open an organic restaurant I would like it to be like Gusto on 6th avenue and 14th. I had been nagging my traveling companion for virtually the whole week to go to this place and it wasn’t until the last day that he finally agreed to set foot inside. Part of the reason my companion had been unexcited at the prospect of joining me for a meal here was that I was under the impression that it was a salad bar.  Continue reading »

Chianti Classico Festival
The second weekend in September is when the Chianti Classico wine festival in Greve in Chianti takes place.  Much of the town centre is closed to traffic with the stands of all the major Chianti Classico wine producers arranged around the large central piazza.  The idea is to purchase a glass which then entitles you to taste as many wines as you wish – sounds dangerous!  Continue reading »

I remember years ago, and I mean maybe 25 years ago or more, being at some do or other where beautiful salmon sandwiches were served, fresh tasty salmon, soft bread, a little mayo. Perfect. But one women cast her’s aside with a disgusted snort: “I don’t know what rubbish they have in those but…  Continue reading »

OK, so now you’ve had a few weeks to read some of our recipes, so maybe it’s time to explain the ideas behind Cookzors cooking? Some of this is basic common sense, some of this is from reading around different places on the internet, newspapers and cookbooks.
- It’s cheaper to cook at home. This informs a lot of our cooking; we can’t really afford to spend €18.50 to have a Domino’s pizza delivered to the door, so we make it ourselves.  Continue reading »

It wouldn’t be a proper recounting of my Argentinean travels if I didn’t talk about the abundance of beef just one more time, or more importantly the style of eating Argentineans are most known for: tenedor libre. Translated as an “open or free fork”, this tradition’s all-you-can-eat offerings feature steak, and lots of it.  Continue reading »