A Country Fayre - Part 2

Following from my previous post on The Spring Country Fayre at Caragh Nurseries, I took more pictures than I first thought!  Here are just a few more.

Pretty Bluebells!

"Ooh, what have you got there?"

Splashes of colour everywhere, even though it is still March

Delicious pizza, cooked by Alfie, in the Big Green Egg, ready for sampling

 

Where to find, and how to order Oldfarm's Free-Range Pork

Margaret and Alfie chatting to customers

We will definitely be back to Caragh Nurseries in the near future, this time to make some purchases for the garden.

A lovely place and a great afternoon, spent in good company.

A Country Fayre

Yesterday, we took a mini road-trip to Co. Kildare.  We were heading to Caragh Nurseries to visit their Spring Country Fayre.  When I heard my friends from OldFarm were going  to be there with their fabulous free-range pork products being cooked on the Big Green Egg by Caroline and Liam Whelan, well, that was reason enough!

Caragh is a very pretty, well-kept village, located a few miles outside Naas.  The weather was glorious, 22C, and perfect for an outdoor event.


It did turn into a mini-tweet-up after a while!  I met up with Armelle, who makes the best macarons I've had in a long time!  I also met Wendy from "My Chef at Home", then, a few minutes later, Fiona, introduced herself and her daughter to me and my Hubs.

Here is a summary in pictures of the rest of the day.

       

Eggs in a box, laid earlier in the day, A Sussex Ponte, and a real Poser for the camera!

A Selection of the goodies on offer from Armelle's Bakery, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare

 Now, that's a polytunnel!

Glass-house filled with all kinds of plants

Pine and Jasmine

 Table-top Sized Green Egg, and Big Green Egg.  They are BBQ's, by the way!

 

Patchwork Veg were also there, showing, amongst other things, their Raised Beds

The day was very enjoyable, just strolling around, taking it all in.  It was made even better by the wonderful sunshine, and meeting new twitter-folks.

  A great way to spend a Sunday Afternoon

Coconut Milk Cake with Rum & Coconut Sauce

During the week, I was going through one or two of my books, came across what looked like a really lovely recipe for Pina Colada Cupcakes.  And, yes, Dear Readers, it was yet another recipe which had either been untried by the author, or had been misprinted.

Read more ...../

Another Milestone Reached!

My blog has reached over 10,000 views so far, and it's not even a year old yet! 


Some of you have helped and encouraged me to keep on going with it and posting my recipes, whether they inspired by my Mum, or my never-ending collection of books!


I promised, once I reached my own personal target, that I would have a give-away, and here it comes! 

I have 3 books on offer this time, and all you have to do to be in with a chance of getting your hands on one of them, is this:-


Leave a comment and tell me which of my recipes posted so far, has appealed to you the most, or if you have tried any, what you thought of it. That's it, that's all you have to do!  No jumping through hoops!


I really enjoy making my creations, writing up my recipes, and taking the photographs, It's a great hobby to have.  I have met the most most amazing food producers, recipe bloggers, and twitter-pals with similar interests (other than cakes) through what I do, it is has just been a blast for me.


Here's what's on offer this time:- 

A step-by-step, easy to follow, complete guide to preparing a dinner party (Starters, mains, and desserts) for friends and family.

Title stays it all!  One basic recipe, for 50 different cookies

Last, but not least, a lovely little book of Pies!

I would really like to hear what you have to say, and our Babs will draw a winner on the 4th of April 2012.  So, you have until then to pop by and enter.  


Prizes will be allocated in the order listed above. Entry is open to all, wherever you live. 


There is just one "little" rule.  Don't leave a comment if you either don't follow my blog, or don't follow me on Twitter, as you won't be included.  No prize-hunters allowed here! So, go ahead and leave a comment. Looking forward to hearing from you :)

Thank you all for reading, and good luck!

Mother's Day Lemon Curd Cupcakes

Mother's Day is celebrated this year on 18th March here in Ireland.  So, with that in mind, here are my "Mother's Day" (or any day)  Cupcakes, and, if you try them, I hope you love them as much as I do.

Read more ...../

St. Patrick's Day - Recipe Challenge

Verygoodrecipes.com run a recipe challenge each month and for March the theme is St. Patrick, and all things "green".  As I am Irish, and living in Ireland, I think I know a thing or two about that!

The monthly recipe challenge is a bit of fun, with a nice prize on offer too, and  it's a great way of meeting bloggers from all over the world and sharing recipes.  It is open to all, and not just those who have a blog.  You can find all the details on how to enter here.  

I volunteered to be a Judge for this month, and, along with my fellow judges listed below, am looking forward to seeing all the entries:

Angie from Big Bear's Wife
Antonella from Sapori in Concerto
Dima from Dima's Kitchen
Drina from Eaternal Zest
Marta from Princess Misia Recipes
Maslinka from Ja u kuhinji
Meta from Cooking with Barry & Meta
Pauline from Poppy Cooking
Stefania from Big Shade

St. Patrick's Day is on 17th March, and is one of the few "national" holidays which is celebrated around the world.  The Irish are a far-reaching people, and folks of Irish descent are to be found in most countries.  We are everywhere!

Decades ago here in Ireland, it was much more of a Religious Holiday, with attendance at Mass being the focal point of the day. After all, St. Patrick did bring Christianity to our shores.  Nowadays, it is a day off work and school, attending your town or village Parade, and in a lot of cases, party time!

Jokes aside, famous landmarks across the world will be "glowing green" for the day and evening.  The Chicago River will be dyed green once again. The Eiffel Tower, The Empire State Building, Niagara Falls, The London Eye, Burj Al Arab in Dubai, Table Mountain in South Africa, the Sky Tower in Auckland, and the TV tower in Berlin's Alexanderplatz, will all be bathed in an Emerald hue this year.

For the recipe challenge, each Judge must post a recipe too, but it will not be included as an entry in the competition.

My recipe is one of those which was borne out of a rummage in the fridge one day, looking for the makings of something for lunch.  It is quick, tasty, and filling too.  No cooking involved, just good ingredients put together.

Avocado & Smoked Salmon Open Sandwich with Spring Onion

Recipe yields 3 open sandwiches, but is easily doubled

1 Spring Onion

Half an Avocado

1 small pack of Smoked Irish Salmon*
 Lemon Juice to Taste

 Mayonnaise (enough to bind the mixture)

Salt to taste

3 Slices of Homemade Brown Bread 

Snipped Chives and some Herring Roe (optional) to garnish

*Smoked Irish Salmon means that the fish is of Irish origin, whereas Irish Smoked Salmon just means it was just smoked in Ireland - Not the same at all!!

All you do is cut the spring onion in to small slices and place in a bowl.  Scoop out the avocado from it's skin, and chop it up. Cut the smoked salmon into equally small pieces, and add to the onion and avocado.  Add some lemon juice, and just enough Mayonnaise to bring the mixture together.  Give it a taste, and add some salt if you think it needs it.   Place the mixture on to the slices of brown bread, and finish with some snipped chives and/or the Herring Roe.

So, what are you waiting for, get your entry in, you never know, it might be you!

Enjoy!