Kris Cross Applesauce!

Yesterday I was out picking up a few things on my grocery list. I ticked off the first few items and then moved onto the next. Applesauce. I checked first near the canned fruits; no luck. Next, I tried looking by the jams and jellies; no luck. Not near the fresh fruit or fruit juices either. No worries I thought. Because we live in the city the shops are small and do not always have the largest selection. Fortunately there are at least a half dozen groceries all within walking distance. So onto the next shop I went in search of applesauce. Guess what? No luck!

By this time I am starting to get a little frustrated so I sent a text to my friend, Evin. I probably text her once a month to ask where I can find certain items. Last month it was celery salt (not available here in Cork). She is always so kind and never fails to answer my query, and then gently points me in the direction of her blog post listing where you can find most American foods here in Ireland. Once again forever helpful Evin pointed me in the right direction. However, I was on my third grocery store at this point searching in vain for applesauce and growing more and more frustrated; and a trip backtracking across town to the organic food market was not going to happen. So I grabbed four apples at the last grocery store and headed home.

When life hands you lemons make lemonade apples make applesauce! So I channeled my frustration into peeling and coring apples, and this is what I came up with!

To be fair, applesauce does exist here. My friend Maire sent me a picture of a jar in her fridge just to prove it! However, it is just not as common as in the states where we have 50 different varieties. Think about it, we have multiple brands, chunky, smooth, natural, with cinnamon, blended with other fruits, individual snack packs, etc. I think a big part of my frustration yesterday had more to do with that lack of variety. Variety is the spice of life! Fortunately, I now know I can make my own variety! My friend Margaret even suggested adding pears to the applesauce mix. Sounds tasty! Maybe next time!

Applesauce

5 medium apples
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup water
dash of cinnamon to taste

Peel and core apples
Cut into 1/2" pieces
In pot mix apples, water, sugar and cinnamon
Bring apples to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer for 20-30 min.
Allow apples to cool before mashing them with either a fork, potato masher, food processor, or emulsion blender.

Croissant Craic Travel Tip #7 - Getting Around Once You Get Here.

Last week I started working on a blog post regarding the best ways to get around Ireland if you come for a holiday (vacation) as part of my on going travel tip series. Then with one wrong key stroke my post was sucked out into an internet blackhole! Of course I had saved my work, but it was hopeless, the post was gone. So, feeling frustrated by that, I decided rather than trying to rewrite the post I would just hit the highlights!

So here is my Pros & Cons list:

Irish rail map

Even though it seems the cons outweigh the pros when it comes to renting a car, referred to as car hire here, I maintain that it is the best way to go when visiting the Emerald Isle. Once you get over the initial confusion of driving on the "wrong side"of the road it's not too bad. Yes, Ireland is one of the few countries in the world where they drive on the left hand side of the road.

 Make sure when hiring a car to ask for a sat nav, short for satellite navigation, or what Americans would call GPS. Additionally, know that most rental cars in Ireland are manual transmission and renting an automatic typically cost 20-30% more and may not be available last minute!

So much of the charm and beauty of Ireland is hidden down narrow unmarked lanes and within small villages that most trains and buses don't go. In a car you can take these things in at your own pace! For example, during our recent visit with my aunt and uncle, we pulled over on the side of the road several times, got out of the car and explored many ring forts dotted along the countryside of the Dingle Peninsula.

On a bus you might just fly right by something like this, and if you go by train you may never see it at all! Of course I'm not anti-train or bus, they have their merits (see pros list above) but if you really want to get the most of your holiday hire a car!

On a final note, you can also arrange for a chauffeured car to take you on a tour. This is what my parents did when they came to visit and it was wonderful. We hired Falconer and Sons, a small family owned and operated chauffeur business. Riding around in a spacious luxury vehicle and chatting away with a knowledgeable and entertaining driver while taking in the sites is the way to go if you can afford it.

My mom posing with our hired car and the beautiful scenery.

 Hiring a chauffeured car will run you between $400-$600 a day, but it is well worth it if you want the personal feeling and freedom that renting a car brings without the hassle of driving in an unfamiliar country and worrying about getting lost. The chauffeured car option is also brilliant for a group of golfers on a golf holiday. Falconer and Sons specializes in setting up golfing tours in addition to their many other tour options.

So there you have it; you can go by  bus, train, car hire, or maybe some combination of the three. It really does not matter how you travel as long as you travel! 

Seeing More of This Place I Call Home!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that my Aunt and Uncle came for a visit. At first I was concerned about the timing of their visit because I had just spent the week prior touring around Ireland with my parents. I was concerned about seeing all the same things over again just a week apart.  However, that was not really the case. Although we did visit a few of the same places, it was different company, and therefore a different experience. Of course we did manage to see several new and different sites. Ireland may be a small country but there is sooooooo much to see!

Here are a few of the places that were first time visits for me:

Spent one day and night on the Creaden Head Peninsula in Waterford which is in the South Eastern part of Ireland.

Hook Lighthouse, Co. Waterford

Brightly shining, as usual! ; )

At the top of the Hook Lighthouse.  It was windy!

I love the shadow the lighthouse is casting in the photo.

Headed Slightly North West to check out Kilkenny

Kilkenny Castle, Co. Kilkenny

Then across to the West coast where we spent two days exploring the Dingle Peninsula.

Dingle Penisula, Co. Kerry

Dunbeg Fort a prehistoric fort on the cliff edge of the Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry
If it were not such a cloudy day you could see the Ring of Kerry across the inlet behind me.

Dunbeg Fort

Beehive shaped huts like these dot the landscape all over the Dingle Peninsula.

Ancient ring forts like these can be found all over the hills and along the cliffs of the Dingle Peninsula. 

An ancient sundial.

The Galarus Oratory on the Dingle Peninsula.

Part of one of the many monastic settlements, the Gallarus Oratory is believed to have been built between the 6th and 9th century.

Lots of amazing scenery!

a mountain stream flows right across the road as you head out to the tip of the  peninsula.

Looking over the edge!

Hanging over the edge!

We spent the night in Tralee at Ballyseede Castle Hotel.  My favorite part of our stay was the four legged residents that love to hang out with the guests.  An Irish Wolf Hound named Arthur was possibly the most docile dog I've ever met. A mixed breed named Einstein entertained us by fetching rocks.  Yup, rocks! Really small pebbles.  He would carry around several pebbles at once and knew exactly how many he had at any given time.  Apparently his record is 23 pebbles at once!

Einstein guarding his pebbles.

Ballyseede Hotel

Aunt Jane with Arthur the Irish Wolf Hound.

Einstein and Arthur hanging on the hotel steps.

 And as usual no trip in the Irish countryside would be complete without getting up close and personal with some of the animals!

Adam thought this was so funny and wanted me to share. He is easily entertained.

So overall it was another wonderful week visiting with family. Thank you Jane and Jim for spending time with us exploring this beautiful country we are currently calling home!

Bread Baking, and More Soup Making!

Believe it or not after last weeks excitement over the boot wearing and soup making weather, I still haven't come down from the high. Still not ready to show you my sweet dance moves just yet, I am not sure you can handle it. Hopefully you can handle all this soup I've been dishing up lately. Since the white bean chicken chili last week I have stirred up two more pots of soup. 

The first was a lovely roasted red pepper and tomato soup served with a green salad topped with goats cheese and pecans, and a crusty warm baguette. I was lucky enough to share this soup with friends along with several bottles of wine! Food and wine are really best when shared with good company, don't ya think?!

The second soup was last nights dinner. A cheesy creamy broccoli cheddar soup served in a....wait for it... bread bowl! I had it in my head that broccoli cheddar would be much more exciting in a vessel made of bread. Sadly it was not nearly as exciting as I had hoped it would be. This is not to say that my bread bowl wasn't any good. I have however decided that I'm simply not a fan. Problem number one; the soup to bread ratio is way off in favor of the bread. Problem number two; I am not a huge fan of soggy bread. My husband on the other hand seemed pretty happy. He is a cup of crushed crackers in his bowl of soup kind of guy anyway. So lots of soggy bread is right up his alley. 

All excitement was not lost for me. I had a great time making the bread, and the presentation was so much fun all disdain for the bread bowl went right out the window. 

So here is how the whole broccoli cheddar bread bowl thing went down:

I made the bread the night before using this recipe. 

The next day I got busy prepping ingredients for the soup.

I sautéed the onions, carrots, and celery in a little butter and olive oil. 

Then in goes the garlic and broccoli. Saute for a few more minuets before adding chicken broth. Cover the pot and allow broccoli to cook.

When the broccoli is just on the verge of being cooked all the way through remove a little more than half of it and set it aside to be added back at the end.

Simmer the soup for about 10 minuets longer until remaining broccoli is soft. Use emulsion blender to puree contents of the pot. If you don't have an emulsion blender, carefully ladle the soup into a food processor to puree.

Add cream or milk, up to you! Obviously cream is best!

If the soup seems too thin you can mix up a small amount of flour and milk together and add that to the soup to thicken it.

While soup is bubbling away and thickening you can begin prepping your bread bowls.

Using a bread knife slice off the top half of the bread ball.

Then without cutting all the way through to the bottom remove the center portion of the bread. I had to remove it in a few different pieces. And FYI the insides can be toasted and made into croutons or bread crumbs for other uses. 

Finally add the cheese to the soup and allow it to melt stirring thoroughly to incorporate.

Add the remaining broccoli back to the soup about five minuets before serving. 

Ladle into bread bowl and enjoy! Or in my case eat all the soupy goodness and give your husband 75% of your soggy bread.

1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium/large chopped onion
1/2 lb fresh broccoli (chopped into bite sized pieces)
1 cup carrot, julienned
2 stalks of celery finely diced
2 cloves garlic minced
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream (or milk) + 1/2 cup mixed with 2 heaping tablespoons of flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper