This post is trying to focus on the upcoming new year with a focus on self-improvement through kinder and more polite communications online. With more and more friendships having the bulk of their communications through Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace, there is a reason to wonder if common courtesy, politeness, and self-respect have carried over to…
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Tag Archives: recipe
Chilled Beetroot Soup
It was July in Cork City and a typically mild day. My belly was just starting to get bigger as I reached the third trimester of my pregnancy. I was craving some weird foods. My stomach was repulsed by normal things like bread, butter, beef, eggs, chocolate, and cheese. What is a foodie to do? Go…
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Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Salad Dressing
Being an American expat, I miss Ranch Salad Dressing. Whenever family or friends visit, we ask them to bring Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dressing Mix Packages. When our stockpile runs low, we use bottle ranch dressings but prefer the lightness of freshly-mixed ranch. We wanted a good recipe for homemade ranch salad dressing and my taste buds…
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Making a Spanish Omelette
For my birthday, we traveled to Barcelona and I was given the ultimate gift – an introduction to the Spanish Omelette. It is also known as potato fritatta, torilla de patatas, potato omelet, or just plain tortilla, but I prefer Mmmmm. Ideal as a tapas dish, but I can make a meal of it with a green salad on the side (think frittata meets quiche). A friend who resides in Barcelona rattled off amazingly simple instructions on how to make one ourselves and I remembered the gist of it and have successfully made it at home. By the way, his wife happens to write Cat Universe in the Kitchen, a cooking blog that is muy sabrosa and focuses on vegan recipes.
Beetroot Fudge from Kate Lawlor of Fenns Quay Restaurant
Please vote for this blog post for Blog Awards Ireland BEST BLOG POST. Last week, my taste buds enjoyed a surprise treat – beetroot fudge. It is nothing short of decadently delightful with its buttery, creamy, sweet, and PINK existence. It was a pleasant surprise after a meal at the Cork City Centre restaurant Fenns Quay,…
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Easy Bake Pasta
We’re each searching for that perfect meal. To some that may be a dish that is done in one step with the microwave, while others may prefer something with exotic ingredients. These days with a new baby at home, I appreciate meals that can be prepared with my brain on autopilot with a result that…
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Beef & Irish Stout Stew
Before living in Ireland, I thought Ireland had lots of stews, fish, baked goods (especially scones and breads), beers, and potatoes adorning plates and tables across the country. Of course, after I’ve lived here for nearly three years, I KNOW that is the case, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The focus on…
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Cream of Pumpkin Soup with Cinnamon Croutons
This is a delicate autumn dish that incorporates comforting flavors and ready-to-use ingredients. For vegetarians, substitute your preferred vegetable broth for chicken broth. Recipe courtesy of my sage friend Sara. Sara’s Cream of Pumpkin Soup with Cinnamon Croutons CROUTONS: 3 Tablespoons of butter, softened 1 Tablespoon brown sugar 1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon 4 slices wheat bread SOUP: 1…
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Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Oreo Crust
An easy Autumnal dessert with melt-in-your-mouth cheesy goodness hugging an Oreo crust that works for parties with its mini single-serving size. This recipe came from a little family chef challenge my Dad and I had with one another. He made a chocolate torte, I made Miniature Pumpkin Cheesecakes with Oreo Crust. Oreo cookies are available…
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Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
One of the best treats of autumn is a hot beverage cupped in mittened hands on a chilly day. I personally prefer hot chocolate, but sometimes there is a sweet drink that draws me in, like the Pumpkin Spice Latte made popular by coffee shops all around the world. Well, now you can whip up…
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My Grandma’s Pumpkin Pie Recipe
This recipe is cherished as one of our family favorites. Passed down in my Grandma’s old tin recipe box, the card itself was lovingly stained with splatter. The kind of markings earned by a card that has seen many seasons, many feasts, and many adventures on the kitchen counter. When my Grandma entrusted me with…
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Indoor S’mores
It’s only October, why is it still so cold outside? I am retreating from the chill outside and enjoying the comfort of my warm kitchen. If you’d like to join me, pull out your cozy slippers and favorite apron and we’ll make S’mores together! Indoor S’mores graham crackers marshmallow fluff chocolate spread, such as Nutella…
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Cranberry-Carrot Muffins
I love carrot cake, but sometimes I’m not into the icing. How many iced cakes can one really eat before tiring of it? I wanted to come up with a solution – a recipe – that I could make on a regular basis that was tasty, healthy (-ish), and fairly easy to make. Ideally, a…
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Cook Up Your Apple Harvest: Chicken á la Normande
A chilly breeze has been blowing all night and I’ve heard from a few friends that their apple trees are dropping fruit like they’re jumping for freedom. With such a bumper crop of apples as they’re experiencing, you can make an apple pie for yourself, an apple pie for your neighbor, and maybe think outside…
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