Another summer cake and macaroons

I made another tall, sweet cream filled and summer berry cake for a little cat party! I made one chocolate sponge and one vanilla and cut them both in half, resulting in 4 halfs!

Chocolate Macaroons.

I have always wanted to try make these but thought they looked really complicated. After my friend made them and said they were easy, I gave it a shot.

I used this recipe- http://www.followmefoodie.com/2010/12/parisian-macaroon-macaron-recipe-from-stuart%E2%80%99s-bakery/

They were pretty simple to make and taste so yummy!

Dogs in Distress-Rescue, Foster, Adopt

Dogs in Distress is a great Irish animal organisation who work independently to help get dogs out of the pound and into foster homes until they get adopted.

The woman who run this are great so I just thought I'd throw a link up here. My family and are dog fosterers for dogs in distress and are currently with our 2nd foster dog, Jessie.

If you are thinking about getting a dog, please rescue a dog rather than b

uying one. There are so many rescue dogs who apreciate loving homes. Dogs in Distress always have pure breeds too.

So check the site and dogs out and pass on the good word!

http://dogsindistress.org/index.php

to view current foster dogs looking for homes-http://dogsindistress.org/blog/index.php

Sweet potato/normal potato rosti.

Please excuse the terrible phone pictures. Sometimes going upstairs to get my camera is to much of a trek.

So this evening I had an itch to try a rosti. I have never had one before and made one before. I keep seeing them in places so it inspired to give it a go. I didn't look at a recipe but my mum told me to squeeze all the juice out.

1-I grated one sweet potato and one normal baking potato and then squeezed all the juice out by my hands.

2- I fried the grated potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and some rosemary and cumin.

3. Fried for about 5 mins. I tasted it to see if it was hard.

4. Put the grated potatoes in a bowl along with a couple teaspoons of cumin, honey, an egg and chunks of feta.

5. I tried to fry them but that failed so I baked them and they turned out so yummy.

If this is even how you make a rosti, I have no idea. Will be making them again for sure anyway!

Another chocolate raspberry adventure

I decided to give the chocolate raspberry cake a go. With still so many raspberries growing in the garden, they are calling out to me to be eaten.

This time however, I put some grated chocolate on top and used single cream instead of double cream to make the icing on top. I much prefer the double cream. It is a lot more smoother.

I also decided to make some raspberry cupcakes and make an icing using double cream and icing sugar along with raspberries through it. I decided to use the hummingbird bakery recipe for cupcakes this time and did not like how they turned out at all.

Goodlife food range

While down in Cork I took a stroll into the Quay co-op health food store in Carrigaline.

http://www.quaycoop.com/Shops_-_Locations.html

They had the biggest range of vegetarian food I've seen in a health food store, It was great! I wish there was a place near me like that. So many different brands of falafels, tofu and vegetarian fridgerated products. There was also a load of fresh vegetables and free leaflets with whole food recipes which I picked up.

Anyway, I went for 'Good Life-Fruity Falafel Quarterpounders with Cumin, Corriander and Chilli'. I got a pack of 4 for around 3 euro! They were extremely tasty and I had two. I haven't seen these being stocked up in Dublin anywhere and the website doesn't say either.

http://www.goodlife.co.uk/

Honey and Paprika baby potatoes

Baby potatoes are meant to be eaten in the Summer. They remind me of picnics, bbqs and summer salads. I took inspiration from my last meal at The Happy Pear for these Honey and Paprika Potatoes.

1 bag of baby potatoes

Paprika- as much as you want to cover them in

A good squirt of honey

Oil

Salt and Pepper

Garlic

Optional- Rosemary, cherry tomatoes, chunks of sweet potato, chilli.

Toss the potatoes in the oil, honey, garlic and paprika until its all marinated.

Then just roast until cooked. They taste great cold and hot. Usually more flavorsome cold.

The Happy Pear III

I never turn down an opportunity to go out to Greystones and to The Happy Pear. It was sunny and the thought of eating our lunch outside was tempting so off we went and brought Lola, my dog.

The Happy Pear, as always was bustling with people. It obviously proves to be a popular place to eat. If I lived in Greystones, I would be down regularly.

So I went with one of the daily specials, a Leek and Celeriac gratin with 2 salads. I got a spicy potato salad and pesto pasta. And of course they were beyond tasty. My Mum and Jesse got a Tomato and roasted pepper soup. Who's the fatty?me!

The Happy Pear never fails to satisfy me, always full of flavor and friendliness.

Delhi O'Deli-Dublin

www.delhiodeli.com

''We are the first Indian FAST-FOOD (also know as “street food”) and the first Indian VEGETARIAN restaurant in the Ireland.

Your HEALTH is our main concern. All our food is cooked using Pure Olive Oil and for frying we use Sun-flower oil. Our spices are fresh and they are grinded in house on daily basis - this is where our food gets all its aromas.

Our prices are very COMPETITIVE. Providing you traditional Indian fast-food in low prices, without sacrificing the quality, which you can easily afford in the current climate.''

So this is a new to my knowledge, a pure vegetarian Indian fast food type restaurant. I was so excited when I heard about this place. I love Indian food so much, it is cooked regularly at home or ordered in from Bombay Pantry, an award winning Indian take away.

Delhi Deli is located on Moore street, just off Henry street. Great location and fits in as there is an array of bustling cultures operating out of all the stores on the street.

I had a look at the menu displayed in the shop window. There was so much to choose from and so much I've never heard of. So I went for the Samosas with chole. I took a seat and it was on my table within minutes. Even though the place is a fast food place, the standard of the dish I ordered was far from what I would classify as fast food. The dish was mouth watering. It was spicy and sweet at the same time, topped with fresh slices of tomato and onion and just an all rounder. I have been craving it since I ate there yesterday.

The great thing about the place is the price, it is unbeatably cheap. Considering the price of other vegetarian places in Dublin. So they have certainly got at a gap in the market. I got my bowl of samosas and chole with 3 euro. They offer a daily fiver meal. They have a buffet style counter and you fill your plate with 5 different dishes for 5 euro. I will be coming here for college lunches!

So overall tasty, cheap, healthy and convenient vegetarian fast food.

Summer Cakes-Chocolate and raspberry Victoria sponge.

There are raspberry growing down the end of my garden that have been there since I remember. This year they really flourished and have started to ripen. A good bunch are still to follow. My idea of a summer cake involves lots of fruit, a Victoria sponge wedge with cream and fruit. Although this summer is looking to be another wash out, it's still nice to bake!

So yesterday evening I went down and picked a bunch of the ready ones. It's so great picking your own fruit. These I guess are considered organic also with hardly any human interruption.
I decided to make a chocolate Victoria sponge wedged together with sweetened cream and my garden grown raspberries and the same on top. To make the sweet cream I used:

• 250ml double cream
• The scrapping of one vanilla pod
• About a handful of icing sugar

I just beated the cream with the vanilla with an electric beater and gradually added the icing sugar in until it was just thick enough to not drop off the spoon. The vanilla speckles the cream,which is lovely. I have never been a fan of cream but I love this! I think I'm going to make icing for cupcakes this way. A lot less sweeter than butter icing.

I pipped the cream on top for decoration affect and just spread it out in between the cakes.

I used this recipe to make my sponges but added chocolate drinking powder and some cocoa. I find cocoa dries cakes out a lot so I add lots of milk to moisten it up. I swear by this.

YUM!

The Cake Café

www.thecakecafe.ie

Georgia and I tried to find the cake cafe a few months ago but couldn't find it. All we knew is that it was off pleasant street. We decided to try again last week and with the help of google maps on my phone we found it! When you look down the street it is on, it doesn't look like it would be located there.

It is located in this really cute courtyard. Outside there is tables that are decorated with floral table clothes. All the cutlery is old antiques, by the looks of it!

They serve savory food but we were both really full so just went for a coffee and scone.

They had lots of cakes and cookies too! I got this one for Jesse, but It broke a little bit.