The English Market in Cork, Ireland

As I wrap up my posts about Ireland today, I have one more gem to share with you that you simply must visit if you ever find yourself in Cork, Ireland. Jason actually found The English Market while researching places to eat at on our trip, so we decided to tuck in a stop there for lunch in the middle of castle hopping one day.

The English Market is a huge municipal food market in the heart of Cork, Ireland, serving fresh meats, fish, vegetables, bread, olives, cheeses, confections, soaps, and even clothing. 

There has been a market present on the lot dating back to 1610, but the current building dates back to the 18th century. However, extensive damage was done to the market during a fire in 1980, but the new design stuck close to the original design so not much was changed during renovations.

The market is huge, with so many food offerings, we ended up circling it twice before deciding on what to eat. We each ended up going to separate booths since we all wanted something different, then ended up taking it on the road with us as there weren't many seats available to just sit and eat.

There are 4 different entrances to the English Market, so it's fairly easy to access. It was one of my favorite places to stop for food during our Ireland travels (the pastries are really good... not Paris good, but close!) If you have certain dietary needs, you'll have no problem finding something delicious that you can eat at the English Market. Carve out an hour or two for breakfast or lunch, then if you can find open seating, sit and people watch for a bit. A trip to the market really does make for a lovely afternoon in Ireland.

Where's your favorite farmer's type market located?

Pantry Staples Meal Idea: Ziti with Havarti and Olives

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


Today's recipe is all about "wtf can I make from my pantry without having to go to the grocery store". Right now, I am trying to send Jason to the grocers as little as possible, so this week's meals have been inspired by pantry staples that we almost always have on hand, pandemic or not. Pasta is life for me, and I usually have a large assortment in my pantry which allowed me to try out this scrumptious Ziti with Havarti and Olives recipe from Golden Blossom Honey without having to leave the house for any extra ingredients. 

Like I said, most of these ingredients you should already have on hand, so no unnecessary grocery trips should be in order to pull off this meal. I actually didn't have a block of Havarti, but I did have it in slices, which I just tore into bite sized pieces before mixing it all together. If you don't have Havarti in your fridge, you can easily substitute with Italian or Mozzarella shreds and still have a fantastic dish. Serve it along some crusty French bread for a comforting and delicious dinner. 

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce:
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
3 (28 ounce) cans Italian tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
salt and pepper to taste

Pasta:
1 pound ziti or penne, cooked al dente
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups Havarti cheese, grated
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE





You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

What do you always have stocked in your pantry?

 

St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin

I'm about to wrap up my Ireland posts, so I thought today I'd share a few snaps that I took of Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Saint Patrick's Cathedral is the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland. It's also their largest church and tallest, with its 141 foot spire.

The church dates all the way back to 1191, so it has seen a lot of restorative work over the years. There was a little bit of work being done to the spire while we were there, but overall, the church looked beautiful and the grounds very well maintained.

 

I think it was about 6:30am when I strolled up to the church, so it wasn't yet open for visitors. If we would have had more time allotted for Dublin, I would have loved to have visited later in the day when they were open for tours. There is a fee to tour, which is about $10 USD, but they do offer senior and student discounts with i.d. I was still happy to have the chance to walk the perimeter of the church because it's just really gorgeous to see in person. I am a sucker for doors, and Saint Patrick's Cathedral had some really lovely ones to admire...

If you ever find yourself in Dublin and you love old churches, it's definitely worth a stop on your itinerary. Doors open for tours starting at 9:30am. If you miss the cutoff, I think it's still worth your while to head over and walk the perimeter to see this beautiful church in person. We even found little fairy doors on garden walls sprinkled around the surrounding neighborhoods that made the walk and trip that much more enjoyable :)

Visiting old churches, yay or nay?

Easter Ricotta Cake

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


I don't like to bring up politics on the blog here, but is anyone else scratching their heads over President Trump's optimism that we'll be out of quarantine by Easter? I, for one, will not be doing our normal Easter routine of visiting extended family this year. I'll still be tucked away safely behind the walls of my home, enjoying the company of my immediate family. But, that doesn't mean that I have to skip out on sending a tasty treat to my in-laws to let them know that I'm thinking of them during these difficult times. A little drive-by care package because sweets always lift the spirits, right? I had this Easter Ricotta Cake (a Golden Blossom Honey recipe) saved to try last year, but couldn't find the Stella D'Oro cookies in any of my supermarkets. Little did I know, they had been discontinued. But fear not! You can easily find a copy cat recipe on Google or Pinterest for cream puffs that make a great substitute. 

First, I want to say that I am not encouraging any of you to head to the grocery store to purchase any ingredients that you do not already have on hand for this recipe. As one who is immunocompromised, I fully support everyone staying home to flatten the curve. This recipe will still be here when we get through this mess, and if that happens to be after Easter (which I truly think it will), it will also make for an amazing summer dessert.

This is made quite similar to a cheesecake, but by using ricotta, you get a slightly different texture than you would if you used cream cheese. There's a combination of warm and sweet flavors in this cake that are so inviting, almost reminding me of a fruit filled snickerdoodle. To make the sauce, I just simmered a package of frozen strawberries with the tablespoon of honey until most of the liquid evaporated and it reached a jelly-like consistency. But, if you like a thinner glaze, that's okay, too! Just remove the pan from the heat once the sauce is to your liking.

Ingredients

10 Stella D'Oro Anginetti cookies (available in most supermarkets) *Again, these are discontinued, but you can easily replace this with homemade cream puffs*
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup slivered almond
1/2 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 egg plus 2 yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Garnish:
1 pint blueberries, coated with
1 Tablespoon GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

Sauce:
2 pints fresh strawberries or 1 package frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed
1 Tablespoon GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

Have you had to change your Easter plans because of the virus this year?

 
 

Thai Chicken Wrap

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


One good thing about this quarantine is Allison has been more than willing to help around the house. Tired of doing puzzles or Face timing her friends, she has been eager to get in the kitchen to make our lunches and dinners. She and I were going to tuck in for an afternoon of Netflix after her online school work was done, but first she wanted to make sure we had lunch prepped. Wraps are always a good and healthy idea, so while I was finishing up some housework, she tossed together these Thai Chicken Wraps from Golden Blossom Honey to munch on during our movie marathon. 

Use leftover rotisserie chicken to have these wraps on the table in no time. Seitan and Tempeh are great substitutes for the chicken if you want to make these vegetarian, or leave the chicken out altogether and just add in more of the broccoli slaw in its place. If you have a messy eater like my husband, leave them rolled burrito style without slicing diagonally. If you're stuck in the house like most of the world right now, this is a great recipe to encourage the kids to get into the kitchen to start learning a new skill. It doesn't require any cooking, and the only help they'll need is with slicing the veggies and wraps. 

Ingredients

2 cups sliced cooked chicken (use a ready cooked rotisserie chicken to save time)
4 (10-inch) spinach tortilla wraps

Salad:
1 (12-ounce) package Broccoli Cole Slaw, found in produce section
4 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 cup chow mien noodles

Dressing:
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM RAW HONEY
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

What activities have your kids been doing to stay busy during the quarantine?

 

What We Ate In Ireland

With today being St. Patrick's Day and all, there's no better time to share the amazing grub we chowed down on in Ireland. Our first taste of Irish cuisine was in Dublin in the Temple Bar district. We walked the entire area reading the menus that were posted outside of each restaurant and ultimately settled on The Norseman Pub, where we all got different versions of their pies. I got the Sweet Potato and Feta, Jason got the Beef and Guinness, and the girls both ordered the Chicken and Leek Pie.

 This is also where Mariah had her first "legal" drink. I'll say, she was not a fan of Guinness LOL!

We had breakfast at The Queen of Tarts, a lovely little cafe right around the corner of our Airbnb, also located in the Temple Bar area.

There were so many delicious options to choose from here! Jason ordered the Hearty Irish Breakfast:

Mariah opted for the layered fruit and yogurt parfait:

Allison grabbed a cinnamon roll while I had the Queen's Delight Scone:

There were so many other amazing baked goods and pastries to choose from, so if you just need a grab and go option, pop on inside to check out the tempting treats!

Here in the U.S. we are kind of spoiled with all of the late night dining options, so there were a few days that we really had to hunt down food when we forgot to grab something during normal dinner hours. One night we had stayed until sundown at the Cliffs of Moher, and by the time we left most eateries were closed. We lucked out and came across The Rathbaun Hotel.

If you are ever in County Clare, Ireland, please do yourself a favor and eat at the Rathbaun Hotel. It's run by the most charming Irish family who made it a point to stop and make conversation with us during our meal.

The raspberry jam is house made and I was delighted to find that they do bottle and sell it. I made sure to grab some on my way out, and I have to say it was my favorite souvenir from our entire European vacation. I don't remember who ordered what, but everything was incredible! We ordered the Traditional Irish Stew, Rathbaun Vegetable Soup, and Smoked Salmon. And, while it wasn't on the menu, Allison was really wanting noodles, but they were able to accomodate her request with a pasta and cheese plate.

I always pictured Ireland as being filled with restaurants and pubs that all offered live Irish music, but we only came across that at the Rathbaun Hotel. I would have been so disappointed if we had missed out on experiencing it during our road trip through the country, so I was really delighted we stumbled upon this lovely hotel and eatery as we did.

Of course, there were many other delicious eats in Ireland, but these were my favorite. We also had lunch at the English Market, but I'll save that experience for my next post :)

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Happy Saint Patrick's Day!