Last week, my friend was visiting from out of town and we decided that we needed a mini road trip.  As Milwaukee, WI is only about 2 hours away, we chose it as our destination.  We Pricelined a hotel in the area and were lucky enough to be placed at the Hilton!  We decided that, as we were going to be living in luxury for a night, that we needed to spoil ourselves.  The best way to do that?  Room service! 

After a look at the Hilton room service menu, we realized that things weren’t too expensive at all.  Apart from the $9.00 artichoke dip (wha??), the prices were surprisingly reasonable.  We both decided that the Miller Pub burger sounded too good to pass up, and at $9.00, it was definitely affordable.  So we phoned the desk and placed our order.  Continue reading »

What price fruit? Photo: Sue Jefferson

How much should it cost for a few swigs of fruit juice?
Last week at Dundrum, I craved something healthy to see me through the tedious torture of a day’s shopping in this oddly alluring hellhole. I got a perfectly fine smoothie, full of kiwis and various healthy fruits. But as I queued, I was nearly bowled over by the price of the pure juices. It cost €4 for an apple juice. Four euro!  Continue reading »

A huge amount of spices is needed for this dish

I love Indian food and feast on it at least once a week but I just haven’t got the cooking down yet. I am comparing myself to my husband who makes the most amazing curries. This is one recipe that I will be taking on.
I have observed that the secret to a great curry is patience and a fundamental understanding of the blending of spices.  Continue reading »

Whether it’s the British or the Irish version, making an appearance on Dragons’ Den is a brave move. Before deciding to go in front of the fire breathing investors, you’d want to be sure that you’ve got your facts right and that you have a proposal that the whole nation isn’t going to hurt themselves laughing at. If you manage that, you can save face even if you don’t receive investment.  Continue reading »

Another lazy supper… but quite delicious……
I had some sausages leftover in the fridge and wasn’t in the mood for cooking anything involving effort….so a one-pot supper.
Browned the sausages in some oil. Added half a tin of cannelini beans (draining optional – I didn’t) some cherry tomatoes and a squirt of tomato paste. Threw in fresh marjoram and oregano from the garden.  Continue reading »

Farmers and growers often face obstacles in their line of work. Bureaucracy, erratic weather, the cost-price squeeze, all take their toll.

Spare a thought for the olive growers of the West Bank and Gaza. According to a United Nations report from October 2008: “Palestinian farmers working in their fields have faced incidents of crop theft, tree uprooting, harassment and physical attack”.  Continue reading »

Baked Seabass, stuffed with blitzed mango, coriander, oil, vinegar and chilli….
Scattered garlic, parsley, and red pepper over the fish….  Continue reading »

After watching the first episode of Top Chef, I think it’s safe to say that this season is definitely promising. Taking place in Washington, DC., the previews include Nancy Pelosi and tears in the kitchen. Two things I’m eager to see! Even though there are so many cheftestants (17 to start with), so far there are definitely some front-runners. But let’s just begin with the quick fire.

The quick fire (a mise en place) combined lots of speed, as well as poise.  Continue reading »

I love summer, which is one of the main reasons why I moved out of the Irish rain and into the Southern Cali sun. Even when I’m not working I find there’s nothing better than heading to the farmers market at the weekend and picking up some seasonal fruit n’ veg. There is so much fabulous fruit in season at the moment and one of my faves, cherries, are all over the shop right now.  Continue reading »

I love this.
Chopped parsley, garlic, oil, vinegar is the base. Anything else is optional.
I have made starters with crushed cannellini beans on round toast, with a feta cheese salsa verde (heavy on the mint). It is great with a Barbecue, fantastic with fish.

The sauce made in the pictures included: Shallot, Garlic, Anchovy Fillets, Capers, Cornichons, Dijon Mustard, Parsley, Mint, Olive oil, Sherry Vinegar (added to bowl, roughly hand chopped, in that order).  Continue reading »

MyKidsTime.ie has just published a Mellow Yellow recipe booklet in aid of the Meningitis Trust. There are lots of yellow, lemony recipes contributed by chefs and cooks like Catherine Fulvio, Darina Allen, Rachel Allen and Kevin Thornton – I particularly liked Kevin’s Lemon Tart with Cassis Sorbet – and it’s available to download from the MyKidsTime website for just €5.
As I have previously mentioned, I write cookbook reviews for the food section of MyKidsTime.  Continue reading »

I don’t know if the blog is the right place for this, but I thought I’d make the press release available on-line:

Cool Summer Treats in Dublin
Murphys Ice Cream, an Irish company that has built a cult following for its frozen artisan delights, is celebrating its 10th Anniversary by opening two new shops on Wicklow Street and in Temple Bar Square, Dublin, creating 15 new jobs.  Continue reading »

Last week, I had a friend visiting from out of town and our goal was to do as many ridiculous things as possible.  This included visiting the Jelly Belly factory on our way to Milwaukee, WI!  There, we ate some free samples, learned about how jelly beans are made, and also discovered the amazing jelly bean art of Peter Rocha.  Continue reading »

A.  Continue reading »

Years ago a former boss (Freak knows EXACTLY who I’m talking about) was very fond of the acronym KISS.  It means Keep It Simple Stupid, and it’s how I like my food.  I’m not a huge fan of over tweaked and over fussy food and this salad fits in with my philosophy perfectly – simple, quick and easy.  Continue reading »

MURPHY’S ICE CREAMStopped in my tracks today on way out of town. Ice Cream from Dingle said the sign on McCurtain Street. Must be Murphy’s, I said to myself.The shop was Bridgestone Irish Food Guide entry Interior Living in McCurtain Street and yes it was Murphy’s. Bought myself some (3.00 a tub) of the Vanilla. One little lick of the supplied spoon was enough to confirm that this was a class.  Continue reading »

See the link over on the left or below for my other blog, which is basically my day job: I help farmers go from conventional commodity production to certified organic direct selling their own artisan foods. That’s an initiative called Organics with Altitude.

I visited a farm last week from one of the farmers myself and Joe Condon work with. Have a look.  Continue reading »

Well the first of my crops are ready to pick. Unsurprisingly, the peas are the first to make an appearance followed by the lettuce. Peas are plucky little fellas that will keep giving and giving and are unbelievably hardy.
I cultivated them from seed in April and planted them outside in May. I also kept a few plants inside too and have been growing them in my conservatory with a plan to coax them into a vine like display over the roof of the conservatory using twine.  Continue reading »

Have you seen the new Splenda commercial on tv lately? I worked on the ad a couple of months ago with the talented team Reelgood and Bonfire. It’s always amusing to work with a hand model and check out how perfect their hands are and how well they look after their money makers. I most certainly wouldn’t get the job, what with all that washing up I do. My dear hands did get to do all the very controlled Splenda sprinkles from out of shot though.  Continue reading »

BBQ pork chops served with coleslaw, blazin saddles baked beans and mashed spud

Ingredients;
2 x Irish Pork chops
BBQ Rub
BBQ Sauce
Serves 2

Start by giving the pork chops a quick rinse in running water and patting them dry with kitchen towel.
Next you want to sprinkle some of the BBQ rub onto a clean plate and lay the pork chops on top. Now turn them over and rub the “BBQ Rub” that has stuck into the meat well, then turn them over and do the same on the other side.  Continue reading »