This weekend, I was in desperate need of some hearty soup.  The cool, crisp weather was too much to handle and I need something to warm me up.  I had never made homemade soup before, but I was ready to try!  I found a recipe online, made some changes to it, and Tortellini Sausage Soup was invented!

Here are the ingredients that I used:
* one 20-oz. package fresh cheese tortellini
* 8 C. chicken broth
* 1 C. thinly sliced carrots
* 2 C. Pomi chopped tomatoes
* 4 C.  Continue reading »

Forget the special offers: are fish and chips overpriced? And does it mean that we're DOOMED?

My aunt and uncle recently visited from Derry. They’d been washed out at the Laytown races and, disappointed with the lack of decent food options on offer, decided to come straight down and pick up a bag of fish and chips.  Continue reading »

This week, I’m continuing my hunt for Dublin’s best burger.
A few weeks ago, I decided to give Bobo’s on Wexford Street yet another chance.
I think of Bobo’s as the errant, prison-bound little brother I never had. Oh, he’s a bad ‘un, they tell me, but I really want him to succeed. I know he has potential, and I keep giving him chance after chance after chance.
So when my friend Criostoir and found ourselves there, I was determined.  Continue reading »

TASTY COOLMORE CAKE
Found a Spelt and Yogurt Fruit Cake, made by Coolmore Foods from Bandon, on sale in Dunne’s recently for €1.99.
Very tasty cake thanks in part to the nutty flavour of the spelt. A serving suggestion, which should work out, is: delicious served warm from the microwave with cream, ice cream and fresh fruits.
Coolmore are a family owned business operating out of the Lauragh.  Continue reading »

Superquinn have launched a new promotion, the Golden Ticket competition. Here’s how it works: up to 500 products, including well known brands such as Fairy, Lyons, Tayto, and Coca Cola, alongside a range of artisan sponsors, are highlighted as Golden Ticket products. Buy a Golden Ticket product and you’re entered into a daily draw for a €600 prize.
After 50 draws, the 50 winners will be entered in a grand finale draw on November 30 to win a grand prize of €20,000.  Continue reading »

Cough. Sniff. Splutter.It’s that time of year, isn’t it? When everyone you know seems to be falling victim to the dreaded lurgy: the common cold.It happened to me on Monday. I went to bed feeling fine and woke up to a runny nose, streaming eyes, a sore throat and a headache.
There are many foods I turn to at times of illness but when a cold strikes, I want something spicy and strong. Something that clears my congested head and restores my energy levels.  Continue reading »

Black pudding is an integral part of Irish cuisine and from our viewpoint, we make the best in the world (which is true).  So I was delighted to get an email from my old colleague Orla from Momentum Consulting telling me all about the honour being conferred upon three Irish pudding producers…
“Three top of class Irish producers who will be honoured and celebrated by the prestigious Brotherhood of the Knights of the Black Pudding (La Confrerie des Chevaliers du Goute Boudin)  – one of the world’s greatest authorities on black pudding.  Over three days from September 20th – 22nd over 30 Knights of the fraternity will visit McCarthy’s of Kanturk, Caherbeg Free Range Pork Rosscarbery and Mayo’s Seán Kelly to award gold, silver and bronze medals.  Street festivities are planned and this promises to be a great  three day celebration of all that is exciting and special about Irish black pudding and telling that story to an international market”.  Continue reading »

Tomorrow is the first day of fall! Yippee! I’m SO looking forward to pumpkin patches, hayrides, haunted houses, and, most importantly, fall cooking!  We have hand-picked 10 recipes to help you celebrate the very first day of fall- check ‘em out after the jump!

Here are the first 5 recipes that you should make this season:
Flavors of Fall: Experience fall any time of year.  Continue reading »

It’s not quite the wrath of god just yet, but the last week or so has given farmers of south-eastern Australia’s Riverina a small taste of what’s to come. In an ABC News report from last month, extension viticulturist Jason Capello said with vineyards now covering 20,000 hectares of the Riverina, grape growers have to be prepared to play their part in the fight against the swarming bugs.  Continue reading »

Strewth! It’s been over a year since my last guest blogger post. Up this time is the relatively new kid on the block blogger on My Grape Escape, Eamon Fitzgerald.
Where did your love affair with wine begin?
It was the hot summer of ’04 and I was wondering how best to spend the holiday months after my first year of college.  Continue reading »

Celebrations in Kanturk this evening as local butcher Jack McCarthy was honoured by La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Goûte Boudin.   Click on image to enlarge.  See below for full details.  Continue reading »

When a vegetarian theme was selected for the Irish Foodies September Cookalong I instantly decided I would try to use some of our own produce and also cook something I hadn’t tried before.  We have some fabulous beetroot in the garden and a lot of eggs thanks to our lovely hens so I opted for a twice baked Cheddar and Chive Souffle with a roasted beetroot and spinach salad with walnut dressing.  The one thing that this cookalong did teach me was that I don’t really prepare a lot of meat-free meals – something I will definitely rectify.  Continue reading »

Culture Night is one of Dublin’s best annual events, with museums, galleries, and cultural attractions open late and free of charge. Last year’s night was brilliant: the city was buzzing, we saw some sights that normally go unnoticed, and it was an excellent alternative to the usual option of Friday night pints.  Continue reading »

Aside from Italian food, Mexican food is my favorite ethnic cuisine. Burritos, quesadillas, and especially guacamole all rank high on my food list. I’ve always been a little weary of making my own Mexican food (except for tacos) since it seemed a little complicated. Recipe4Living came to the rescue though. They’ve compiled a list of 30-Minute Mexican Meals. I could definitely spend a half hour making my dinner, so maybe Mexican food isn’t as time-consuming to make as I thought.  Continue reading »

This fell into my inbox last week and I thought some of you might be interested in it.  On Sunday, September 26th 2010, four of Donegal’s best restaurants will be joining forces to serve up a harvest feast using Donegal’s finest ingredients.  The feast will take place in the beautiful historic setting of the Battery, Rathmullan.  For more information you can check out http://www.thefoodcoastharvestfeast.com/ or read the press release that I have included below. 
“On 26 September 2010, four Bridgestone recommended restaurants – Rathmullan House, Harry’s Restaurant, An Bonnán Buí, and The Beach House – will be joining forces to serve 300 guests a sociable harvest feast against the backdrop of Lough Swilly and Rathmullan’s historic Battery.  Continue reading »

A.  Continue reading »

Barry’s Tea are back and have another Gift Pack to give away. The last one went all the way to Brendan in Italy who posted a photograph of it for the Facebook page if you want to see what it looks. A lovely box containing a selection of the Barry’s Tea Specialty range, including their newest Pu-erh and Rooibos blends.  Continue reading »

To mark Amnesty’s Taste for Freedom day,  Superquinn are kindly giving away another €50 shopping voucher to one CheapEats reader.
Amnesty are asking people across Ireland to hold a fundraising food event: a dinner party, tea and cakes, a coffee morning, Sunday brunch, cooking demonstration, pizza party, birthday party, breakfast, or wine tasting.Your guests can make a donation – work out in advance what it will cost you and make sure you get a good return for your efforts.  Continue reading »

BITESIZE
Took the opportunity recently to sample the sweet cakes of Midleton’s Bitesize and quiet nice they were too.
But this local company, which uses only the best local produce, is much more than a cake maker and is into catering in a big way, both for private and corporate events. Canapés, cold meats, salads, sandwiches, casserole dishes, quiches and all those sweet bites are available.  Continue reading »

Well, it’s truly Autumn now, and Lucy and I are off to the toddler swimming group in the chlorine-free pool near Pearson’s Bridge. I can’t wait to see how she reacts to all the water – she loves water – and all the other toddlers (she also loves toddlers!)!  Continue reading »