Random pictures from my travels in Ireland.

These photos are pictures that haven't been posted but were taken over the course of my travels. From Cork to Ballymaloe, another look at some extraordinary sites. I found these two carrots today. "Carrot Love" here at Ballymaloe. The second photo is a different aerial shot from the first one I posted in the beginning.

Thank you for following this blog and traveling to Ireland with me. It's been an exciting and wonderful adventure and made truly exceptional with you all on board. The opportunity to share this journey was something I looked forward to daily.

Ireland is a beautiful country. I'm truly thankful for all the lovely people I had the privledge of meeting. The first ten words that come to mind when thinking of Ireland, in no particular order, would be: green, friendly, happy, historic, colorful, extraordinary, gracious, beautiful, cream and butter.

Again, I'll have recipes available for anyone who would like copies. Just email me tina_stjohn@yahoo.com or post a comment on this blog.

Good bye IRELAND, thank you for your grace and hospitality!

Day 9 in the kitchen at BALLYMALOE

Another wonderful day here at Ballymaloe. I started the day off making a salad, which I took a picture of again because it was so beautiful. This time I added some purple flowers along with all the yellow and orange ones. The colors are magnificent and the taste is too. I then went to make strawberry jam, which is a bit more complicated then raspeberry. Strawberries don't have much pectin in them, but by adding lemon juice or red currant juice, a thicker consistency is created. My friend Annette, who I took a photo of(green apron), has taught me the tricks of making jam . She's a machine in the kitchen. It's amazing to see what she accomplishes in one day alone.

Lunch was another unbelievable meal.
The desserts were Chocolate Fudge Pudding with whipped cream and a Fluffy Lemon Pudding.Two different desserts, equally delicious. Oh My Goodness!

I was able to attend another demonstration this afternoon where I learned how to make:
Chick Pea Soup with Greens
Potato and Mushroom Gratin
Abergine(eggplant) with Tomatoe Fondue (photo)
Irish Coffee Meringue
Lemon Posset ( a pudding made with only cream, lemon and sugar)
Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes (photo)
The soup was incredibly flavorful and simple. The eggplant dish is out of this world and another very easy recipe. The lemon posset is something I could bath in with a good rinse afterwards.

I took a picture of my friend Bogamella (sp?), in the red top, who is a master at flower arrangements. She's the one who graces the tables with beautiful flowers from the gardens. And another photo is of my wonderful friend Helen, who is Matilda's and Louie's mom (the sweet family from Ballycotton in one of the blogs).

Some of the other photos are random shots of vegatables and herbs that had just come in from the garden. The colors are so vibrant. I also took a picture of the strawberry jam I made (in jars), meringue cookies that were laying around and some yummy granola that just came out of the oven.

It's been raining all day, however, I have no complaints because this has been the first day it's rained since being in Ireland.
Stay tuned for my last day here at Ballymaloe.
XXOO

IN THE KITCHEN DAY 8

Good news! Carmel, a lovely woman staying in the Play Room, has allowed me to use her plug. We have the same computer and her plug is European. Thank you Carmel! So the blog will continue on. Lots of cooking and learning today. I made Lemon Curd, Dill Mayonaise like my French grandmother made, and Raspberry Jam. I also learned how to make Butterscotch Sauce, which I actually took a picture of, because it was so beautiful, but it didn't load. The photo of the salad was one I made this morning and I thought it was exceptionally beautiful with all the color. The sunflowers were a bouquet that was sitting in a bowl on the table in the front entrance.

My friend Neeve (this is only the way you pronounce her name, spelling I don't know) is the first photo. She's taught me to make scones. She makes all the sweets for the shop and she's good, really good.

My friend Florrie, in the red vest, is another master chef who is also a mother of five. I always feel immediately connected every time I meet another woman who's raised five children. Something about that number. haha! The photo of three of us, is Tiona in the middle and Debbie in the blue jacket. We're the "Monday Team." Monday is the day that we cook lunch for a large amount of people who are taking the course. It's the one day the students do not cook.

I took a picture of the Lemon Curd that I made, and also passed a tray of red and green peppers sitting on a window seal in the Demonstration Room I thought were beautiful.

The one photo of myself with Darina (in the long dress) was taken the day before. I wasn't haveing a good hair day that day but oh well, I wanted you to see Darina.

Tomorrow, more cooking and learning as much as I can before I leave on Saturday. I have more friends to take photos of so stay tuned!

Off to the beach for a long walk as I had TWO helpings of brown sugar ice cream after lunch. My oh My!

Ballycotton, Ballymaloe House and the beach

I started the day off going to the Shanagarry Design Center down the road for some morning coffee with a scone. From there I walked to the beach and met Sally and Allen, the two funny little dogs in the photos. They fell in love at first sight. I also saw a jelly fish for the first time ever that had washed ashore, so had to take a picture.

Went to Ballycotton with my friend Helen who lives there with her two children, Matilda and Louie. I took a picture of them along with their friend Maddy. Maddy is the one holding a popsicle, Matilda is in the middle and then Louie. Ballycotton is a charming little town. The picture of the sea, church and colorful houses are all there.

The picture of the castle was next to the design center and that castle was owned by William Penn. He came to Ireland in 1680 and built that castle for himself. He brought the whole quaker lifestyle here.Who knew.

Later that evening I went to Ballymaloe House and had dinner with the Allen family. The pictures of the dining areas are from the house. The long table is the family table. I was hoping to get a picture of Darina and myself but it didn't work out. The food was amazing. Buffet style with so many various dishes. I joyfully tried every dessert there, which was: Ballymaloe Pralline Ice Cream, Lemon Tart, Raspberry Cream Roll. Chocolate Mousse with Whipped Cream and fresh picked blueberries. I ended the day in a horizontal position because quite frankly after that meal I was unable to stand up straight.

I'm having problems with my adapter/converter so will not be able to download pictures anymore. I'll continue to take photos and will upload them on the blog when I return in a few days. I have decided not to post recipes as I mentioned before because there are so many. However, what I will do, is create a packet of my favorite recipes and you can have one for $2. (to cover cost of printing). Just let me know either by emailing me or posting a comment through the blog.

Thank you so much for following these blogs. It's been a lot of fun sharing the many sights.
Stay tune for the final pictures next week!