All posts tagged: cooking

Hikes, Movies and Easy Baked Cheesecake – Guest Recipe

  The only way cheese is dessert is when it’s followed by the word cake. ~ Michele Gorman This recipe is from my friend, Maria, who I met in Korea. She has been visiting me for the last week and a half, and I’ve talked about how we made gimbap for my family last weekend. It’s been a busy week as I was preparing for a course that I will start next week (more on that in the next In My Kitchen) but we still found time to hang out, see some sights and, of course, have some food moments, which included chips and a batter burger at a take-away and tea and scones at a Dublin institution. The weekend was packed full of fun things as we went on two hikes, one to Howth, which is my favourite place in Dublin, where we saw porpoise and cormorants, and the other to Poolbeg lighthouse. It was my first time going out there and it was quite a walk (6 miles round trip!). The wind howled, pushing and pulling …

Guest Post – Roasted Creamy Tomato Soup

This recipe was provided by one of my best friends here in Korea and who keeps me on my toes by editing my spelling, run-on sentences etc! I’m hoping next time she shares one of her absolutely amazing desserts! Thank you, Becky, for being an amazing friend, editor and, most of all, sharing this recipe and feeding me! It was delicious.  – Maggie @ Spoon in a Saucepan I am honored to be a guest blogger on Spoon in a Saucepan. – Becky If one thing is for sure, I wouldn’t consider myself a cook. A baker, yes (I can whip up some mean cakes and cookies), but not a cook. I often listen with envy as Maggie and other friends describe a delicious and simple meal they have just whipped up with ingredients they had on hand, and “Oh it was super healthy too,” they say. To me, simple means spaghetti with sauce out of a jar, and when I look at the carrot, onion, and green pepper in my fridge I see a carrot, an …

Apple and Bacon/Rasher Stuffed Mushrooms

Fat gives things flavor  – Julia Child Not long now! I can’t believe how close Christmas and my birthday are! I will keep this short this week as I know Christmas is coming and everyone (myself included) is busy finishing year-end projects and goals as well as trying to get everything ready for the festivities. This recipe came to me in a moment of inspiration the week of Thanksgiving. I was really sick, but trying to think of things I wanted to bring to our Thanksgiving dinner when this popped into my head. I ended up not having time to make it then, but I’ve been working on them since and I’m quite pleased with the result. These are easy to put together, and are based on the flavours and scents of this time of year—much like the Tomato, Orange and Lentil Soup from last week. I love the combination of rasher and apple mixed with nuts Every bite makes me reminisce of Christmas at my Mom’s with her mouthwatering stuffing. The apple, in it’s turn, evokes …

Tomato, Orange and Lentil Soup

Soup is the song of the hearth…and the home. -Louis P. De Gouy Christmas is here! I am so excited! After all, December is one of my favourite months—Christmas and my birthday rolled into one glorious wintry month! So, in honour of both those great events I have dedicated this month to Christmas inspired food. First up, things have been insane lately: before Thanksgiving even hit Korea, I had been sick almost a week. Now, it’s over two weeks later and this cold is hanging on with its icy toes. It doesn’t help that the weather has completely changed over the last week or so. Before Thanksgiving, the weather was a bit cold, but mostly decent and you could do things like go for an 8k walk. Since the 1st December, though, snow has hit on average 5 days out of 7. It’s much colder and this hasn’t helped me to recover at all—despite mostly staying inside, wrapped in a blanket, with the ondol (floor heating) and space heater on full blast. To top it all off, …

Breaded Fried Aubergine/Eggplant With A Kick

There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American. – O. Henry Despite the fact that I am Irish, I have always grown up with Thanksgiving as my Mam hails from Nebraska. While we never went all out for 4th of July, Thanksgiving was a sight to behold. Mam would have us on clean-up duty the entire week ahead of time, and, while we cleaned, she would bake and prepare tons of delicious food like her almond slices (to die for!), salad jelly (jello–which is one of my favourite Thanksgiving foods), and, particularly when we were younger, her homemade brown bread. By Thanksgiving day we’d be in a state of restless anticipation. Besides my own family, which numbers nine, over the years we’ve had several different guests, but some of the consistent ones include two of my Mam’s best friends in Ireland and my Dad’s cousin who is like an aunt to us kids. When the guests would arrive we’d usher them into the sitting room to chat …