I seen these in a magazine and had to give them a try. They were so easy, barely more tricky than standard buns with a buttercream swirl and look great! I took them to a barbecue which seemed the perfect venue.

I used my usual bun recipe with a slight twist. It made 10 cones.  Continue reading »

This cake has been on my mind for the last week because the uber-talented Sharon Hearne-Smith (food stylist, home economist, new mama to Pearly Pie & diva singer) has been looking for poppy seeds in vain.  As usual, I fell over a packet of them in Marks the other day so I bought a packet and decided to make the cake.  Continue reading »

Sometimes the easiest things are just what you need. Fifteens aren’t even baking, simply mixing and chilling but everyone seems to love them. I suppose it’s the nostalgia from school dinners!  Continue reading »

Foodie Roundup #26

IT’S A wet-ish, or at least looks like it’s going to rain, Sunday morning in Kilkenny and after a few weekends of evening reading, it’s time for some Sunday morning reading with this week’s foodie round. There’s talk of coffee, cooking and more to set you up for the day, plus it gives you a chance to read some Irish food blogs that you may have missed in the past.  Continue reading »

Here is the clip with me cooking live on Ireland AM. I will tell you all about it tomorrow.  Continue reading »

Ken's Tuna Egg Noodles (Serves 4)

In an effort to a) cook more at home this week to cut down the lunch and dinner spends and b) use up whatever food I had in the press before looking to attack them with cleaning gusto at the weekend, I’ve come up with a noodle dish that turns out to be rather tasty.  Continue reading »

I have a group of long-distance friends who I first met on the iconic website Beaut.ie – we come from near & far and we meet up every few months for a very leisurely ladies lunch where we eat lovely food, drink far too much and natter away about everything and nothing.  This is, of course, in addition to our daily emails where some of them act as shopping enablers, offering encouragement to others contemplating buying “stuff”.  Continue reading »

Starting on Wednesday and running every  Wednesday and Saturday for the month of June, you can get a feel for how it’s done in Spain or Basque country with the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail.
What is the Campo Viejo Tapas Trail?
It’s about bringing a bit of the culinary experience, not just the food, of Spain to Ireland. In practical terms, this means having a few tasty bites in one spot, washed down with a small glass of wine, before moving on to the next restaurant.  Continue reading »

It’s always nice to find a twist in the mundane. I long ago started overlooking Krombacher Pils when gazing into pub fridges or perusing shop shelves. Many other lagers do exactly what it does and some of them do it much better. It makes me an ingrate I know, because at one time it was a welcome beer and I was happy to have it as an alternative to the macro lagers that swamped the Irish beerscape.  Continue reading »

So I am not a massive fan of coffee (bad foodie, I know) but after Inishfood and our great tutorial I was intrigued. Well I know a lady who loves her coffee, and she recently acquired an aeropress and boy is she smitten. So she decided to write a review for me as I’m terrible…  Continue reading »

Well hello there. It’s been a bit quiet around here recently due to my four weeks of exams which are almost almost over. But I must alert you all to the fact that it’s that time of the year again- time for Bloom in the Park! It runs in the Phoenix Park from next Thursday…  Continue reading »

Peploes

I was on the point of throwing away my copy of The Dubliner – 100 Best Restaurants because we’d had a few uninspired meals at restaurants named therein. However, we decided to have another go and, as we  were going to see a show at the Gaiety Theatre, we opted to book a pre-theatre meal at Peploes on Stephen’s Green.
We arrived punctually, well almost. We were three minutes late for a five thirty booking.  Continue reading »

On Wednesday 18th Bubble Brothers had a fabulous dinner planned in Les Gourmandises.   Unfortunately, and due to no fault of anybody involved, cancellations rolled in over six days and we had to make the regrettable decision not to proceed with the planned event.

Enrique just can’t stop talking about his wines!  Continue reading »

 
We are in full communion season at the moment.  I have attended a communion party for the past two Saturdays and driving around on weekends the streets are dotted with little girls in pristine white gúnas and little boys in three piece suits.  Communions have changed since my day (Jaysus I’m really starting to age spouting statements like that, wah?!).  Today it is customary for parents to throw a party at home complete with bouncy castle, caterers and marquees or hire a function room in a pub or hotel.  The favourite saying of aul wans in attendance is, “janey macks, the communions are like weddings these days, what will they be like when they are actually getting married?”.  They take it in turns to say this as they sit and sip their glass of wine or vodka and tonic so that it can be heard every five minutes or so, and it is usually accompanied by a tut to emphasise the frivolity of it all.  They didn’t have the money for such extravagance in their day, indeed my own husband (an ancient 32yr old) doesn’t miss an opportunity to regale me with stories of how on his communion day he got the bus to Fairview Park to have his picture taken in the ‘rose garden’ and he had to pay the bus fare home out of his communion money.  It would bring a tear to your eye, wouldn’t it?  Continue reading »



Frozen Margaritas Galore!

This is the first time I’ve ever told anyone other than my close family this story, risking losing my legend status as THE master drinker of pina coladas, but then, it is a story worth telling, so hear me out. A little over ten years ago, only a few weeks after moving to Ireland, I got invited to a hen party.  Continue reading »



Frozen Margaritas Galore!

This is the first time I’ve ever told anyone other than my close family this story, risking losing my legend status as THE master drinker of pina coladas, but then, it is a story worth telling, so hear me out. A little over ten years ago, only a few weeks after moving to Ireland, I got invited to a hen party.  Continue reading »



Frozen Margaritas Galore!

This is the first time I’ve ever told anyone other than my close family this story, risking losing my legend status as THE master drinker of pina coladas, but then, it is a story worth telling, so hear me out. A little over ten years ago, only a few weeks after moving to Ireland, I got invited to a hen party.  Continue reading »

We all know how to grill burgers, hot dogs, and brats, but after several summers of the same dishes, those grilled meats can get boring.  Use your grill to its full potential this summer and try some grilling recipes that you didn’t know existed!  Check them out after the jump.
Here are the most delicious and out-of-the-ordinary grilling recipes we could find.  Enjoy!  Continue reading »

I mostly work from home, and usually fix my own lunch. My staples: soups, salads, and beans on toast. Followed by a proper dinner.
So I was proper delighted when a big giant box of soups and pasta sauces were couriered to me from GLORIOUS! soups; there was enough here to feed me for two weeks.
The soups come in big, bold, international flavours. Instead of the bog-standard, oftentimes gloopy Chicken and Veg soup, GLORIOUS offers Tuscan chicken and Orzo.  Continue reading »