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August 2011
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Apricot Salsa

   

Apricot Salsa As summer officially comes to an end. I can’t help but post another salsa recipe. I am still getting delicious apricots- somehow they have lasted quite long this year. Usually they are gone by end of July. Anyway, I had a big pack of them and decided to turn the fruit into a delicious chunky sauce.

I used what I had in the fridge… that is what I like about making salsas- there are no rules. You can add whatever you want. I happen to have green onions on hand and I always have cilantro. I chopped everything and added the usual lime juice. I also added smoked paprika. To make it sweet, I usually add honey. This time I decided to use agave. I recently bought a bottle of it and have started experimenting. It is a great substitute for sugar and has a very low glycemic index. I even tried duffins with agave and they were a big hit.
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Grilled Potatoes with Lemon and Cilantro

   

Grilled Potato Salad with Cilantro

This is the simplest way to make really delicious potato salad. The great thing about this recipe is that it can be made ahead of time and kept at room temperature. I love buying fingerling potatoes- firstly,  because I love the way they look; secondly, I don’t need to peel them or even slice them in half if I don’t want to (even though I did slice them for this recipe). These potatoes work really well with burgers or any other barbecued meats.

I simply cooked them in some water. I drained them and immediately drizzled olive oil, lemon juice and sprinkled salt all over them. It is important to add the flavoring while the potatoes are still warm. I then grilled them on the hot grill to get some delicious looking golden brown spots.  Once they cooled down, I added the cilantro. That was it- very simple, yet very delicious. Great recipe for the long weekend…
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Dublin Day 5- Goodbye…

   

P1060496One of my favorite things to do on a vacation is go home. I look forward to visiting new places but no matter where I am or how exotic the city is- I love coming home.

Dublin was a pleasure to visit. I am going to miss the Temple Bar area, the scones, the breads, the sausages, the bacon, the cheese…etc, etc. As you might have guessed, I focus on the food where ever I go. Food is the best way to get to know a new culture. I love going to grocery stores and studying all the aisles to see what the locals eat.

I ate and drank and now it is time to get back to reality- GG crackers here I come…

Dublin Day 4- Doughnut and Sandwich

   

Was I actually worried about what I was going to eat today?? Well, it wasn’t a problem as the morning started at the same breakfast place as yesterday- KC Peach’s. Instead of the mini Irish breakfast I had a hot open melted sandwich with bacon, egg and cheese- by far the best breakfast on this trip. I was very tempted to eat a confection after but my stomach didn’t allow it.

Dublin Day 4 Breakfast

We got on to our on/off double decker bus and headed to an old jail in Dublin. It was a long tour and it was three o’clock by the time we got back to the Temple bar area. While on the bus, I had noticed a place called The Bake House. It looked very quaint and had lots of baked goods on display. We walked in there for a cup of tea and maybe something to nibble on. We ordered a cream and jam doughnut with English breakfast tea. I think Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme people need to visit this bakery to learn how doughnuts are made. It was the most fabulous donut I have ever had. It was light and airy with fresh whipped cream and strawberry jam- yum!

Dublin Day 4 Doughnut

We decided to try a sandwich as well… actually I wasn’t hungry at all- just being greedy. I noticed the sign informing customers the sandwiches are made with freshly baked bread- I couldn’t resist. We had one with Dubliner cheese, tomato and onion. It included a mayo like relish and it was outstanding- a perfect sandwich. The bread was soft with crusty edges and the filling was just right and not over flowing. I was a happy… and it was only 4 pm. What about dinner???Dublin Day 4 Sandwich

Dublin Day 3- Guinness and Tea

   

Day three started earlier than the previous days. We walked into a cafe called KC Peach. We had seen it the day before but it was closed. We had peaked in and liked what we saw. It was an open concept cafe and they seemed to serve good quality, organic foods. I ordered a mini Irish breakfast and was much happier today as the meats were nicely warmed and so were the eggs. My cappuccino was delicious- am I in Italy or Ireland??

Dublin Day 3 Cappuccino

A few hours later I found myself at St. James Gate home of the Guinness brewery. It was a lovely self guided tour and at the end we were treated to a pint of Guinness! I am not a beer drinker but I do enjoy this particular one. The problem is that I am not used to consuming so much beer at one time- especially a heavy beer…. so, I had about a quarter of it and didn’t want to waste my calories for the day. I wanted to save them for the afternoon tea.

We made our way to the Westbury Hotel for the tea. We were presented with the usual three tiered platter filled with sandwiches, scones and pastries. I am mostly interested in the sandwiches and scones. The sandwiches were good but the scones were amazing- light and airy.. not hard and crumbly. I guess some will argue that real scones are hard and crumbly.. but I guess I prefer the ones we were served. The jam and the clotted cream was icing on the cake (pun intended). The experience was wonderful… and that took care of all the things I came to eat in Dublin… what am I going to eat tomorrow???

Dublin Day 3 Tea

Dublin-Day 2, Healthy Eating?

   

Day two in Dublin started a bit late- as we are jet lagged and didn’t get out of the hotel room till after eleven. I wanted to hurry to Bewley’s for a full Irish breakfast. Usually I am happy with my GG crackers and a big cup of coffee. This breakfast included a big sausage, 2 big strips of bacon, tomato, toast, etc. It was a huge plate but I had no trouble devouring it. I was looking forward to the Irish breakfast. The problem was that the meal was not warm enough. I could have enjoyed it a lot more if everything was piping hot!

Dublin Day 2 Breakfast

The rest of the day was spent walking around Trinity college and taking a tour of the Jameson distillery. We stopped for a delicious gelato on the way and then finally settled in a bar in the Temple bar area. It was a lovely old bar with big windows. We sat down and people watched for a good hour. I love looking at people in foreign country and wondering what their life is like. It is at the bar we met two screaming girls. One of them was recently engaged and they were celebrating. She showed us her engagement ring and we chatted for a bit. They were super friendly and recommended a restaurant- which we will try tomorrow.

Dublin Day 2 Dinner

We walked around a bit more and found a restaurant called The Pig’s Ear. I sat back with a glass of red wine as I waited for my rib eye steak with truffle mashed potatoes with marrow on the side- I know what you are thinking… is she going to eat all of that. Absolutely- I was looking forward to a few things on this trip. An Irish breakfast, Irish beef and afternoon tea. The steak was amazing. I ordered a trifle and enjoyed it immensely.

Healthy eating can wait till I get home- till then, I am going to enjoy everything Dublin has to offer…..

Back In Ireland… Hello Dublin

   

Dublin-BuildingAs I stood in immigration line, I flipped through my passport and noticed it had been five years since I have been back to this beautiful country. We visited the west coast and flew into Shannon airport and spent the most glorious week driving around, drinking beer and eating the most delicious food- I know the food part comes as a big surprise but Ireland has come a long way as food is concerned. The countryside was absolutely beautiful. We had rented an apartment in a small town called Dingle and it had the most amazing restaurants. It was a glorious vacation.

I have been meaning to go back ever since.. in fact, I wanted to buy a house and just stay there. Fast forward five years and here I am. This time we decided to experience the city life and of course Dublin came to mind. After taking a red eye flight, we finally landed at the airport. A quick shuttle took us to our hotel right in the middle of the Trinity college area, which is filled with restaurants and bars- my kind of scene.

We quickly unpacked and got ready to venture out and look for a place to eat- I was starving! Our biggest argument whenever we are on vacation is how often to eat- I tend to get hungry every four hours (according to some people in my family). I just want to go out there and experience all the food I can without overdoing it. So, we walked around and found a lovely pub. I wanted to have a huge burger filled with amazing Irish beef. We settled in with a beer and a wine- I know.. I need to have some beer. Last time in Ireland, I had delicious beers and I am not a beer person at all. For some reason, I wanted a glass of red wine with my burger.

Dublin-Burger

The burger came with the beef patty in a strange looking bun. It was thin like an English muffin but tasted like a regular bun. I was happy to have less carbs as the pile of fresh chips (french fries) were extremely tempting. There were some greens as well- very yummy. There was melted Irish cheddar on the patty. I smeared some English mustard and went at it. It was very enjoyable and the best thing was- I didn’t feel overly full… I think it was the fresh ingredients used….

Stay tuned for tomorrow….