What Renie ate...in Dublin!

So, I had promised to visit a good friend of mine in Dublin before I started uni...second year was over and I figured I should stick to what I said and booked myself a 'rail and sail' ticket (basically training to Holyhead and then getting the ferry to Dublin Port...but railing and sailing sounds so much cooler).


I learned a few things on the short journey to Dublin:


1. I am unable to count train carriages and this can have serious consequences e.g. the train separating and you being on the wrong bit


2. I am bad on ferries. By 'bad' I mean I have to sprawl over a whole table and wail to myself in order to stop myself from emptying the contents of my stomach everywhere. 


3. Playing House of the Dead II (which by the way, is totally old skool) does not make my being sea sick any better. It makes things worse. Much worse. 


4. Being out of the city is totally ok. Wales is nice. Sheep are nice. Castles and scary empty bays with real shipwrecks are very cool.

Luckily I got there in one piece and had a fabulous couple of days and even made it back without injuring myself or anyone else, victory pour moi! Anyway, onto the interesting bits...


Burgers at Bobo's 

The interior

Bobo's Cheeseburger and Rosemary Salt Fries

...And now for the close up!

According to Time Out, Bobo's do the best burgers in the whole of Dublin. They tell no lies. They use fresh, locally sourced beef and make them into possibly the yummiest burgers I've ever had (I may be speaking too soon though as I'm going to #Meateasy on Monday, heh!). The rosemary salt fries were pretty excellent too. Now every time I have fries, I want rosemary...Bobo's what have you done to me?! 

Cake and Coffee at Keogh's 

This was the ultimate pick me up after I got into the city! My friend took me to an adorable café near the tourism office (which by the way, is in a super nice building) and after a latte and a huge slab of chocolate cake served with a ginormous cloud of thick, cocoa dusted cream, I was back on my feet and ready to take on the world/crash, sit around and eat even more.

This photo makes me paw hungrily at the screen and want cake

The Farm

We figured that we should have a big, blow out dinner before I left and we were all in the mood for some place nice. The only problem was that we hadn't booked, it was a Friday night and Renie is a little bit picky. I vetoed a couple of places, including Dunne & Crescenzi - (the menu was boring) but then we stumbled across The Farm, which is all cutesy and organic and the menu and reasonable prices = major wins!

Also they had outdoor seats with blankets and little pictures of farm animals tiled on the walls - macabre but also adorable! My initial plan was to go all out and have three courses. I managed two. This either suggests that I have a tiny, pathetic appetite or that the portions were huge. We all know the former isn't true, so here are the photos to prove the latter. 

We had...potato and leek soup, which was delicious and fresh, cottage pie and the real star of the show was the roast organic loin of pork which was marinated in garlic and stuffed with butternut squash, sage and onion. They served it on a mini mountain of creamy herbed mashed potato.  

Crazy good milkshakes at Shakes

I'm kinda familiar with milkshake bars now because they have been EVERYWHERE since forever. That doesn't stop me from getting horrendously excited whenever I see one, especially when a) it's all cutesy inside and b) the proprietor is super nice.

I'm usually a Reece's Pieces kinda girl but then I saw the VIP shakes...I ended up with 'Monkey Business,' which consisted of my fav - Nutella, vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, fresh banana which was all topped with whipped cream and a Flake. I'm pretty sure I'd gone over my RDA of fat/sugar but it was definitely worth it. 

 So...that's what I ate, there will be more in part II! :D

//Oh-so-simple recipes - week 1 ♥

So incredibly easy but so amazingly tasty! Here are four recipes to get you in the mood for love cooking:

We know it can be a little difficult adapting to life as a Fresher – from a food perspective anyway. You want to go out, socialise and immerse yourself in university life, but at the same time things like cooking, laundry and cleaning your room are essential but boring things you will have to do. Unfortunately, we can’t help with tidying up your room or washing your dirty socks, but we can provide you with some simple but tasty recipes you can rely on while you get to grips with cooking!

Carrot and Coriander Soup

This makes enough for four, but can be kept in the freezer and reheated in the microwave. Also it is fine if you don’t have coconut milk or lime juice, but they do provide a mouth watering Thai-style twist when added.

Ingredients:
250g potatoes, peeled and chopped
700g carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
50g butter
Bunch of chopped coriander
1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock
100ml coconut milk (optional)
Splash of orange juice
Squeeze of lime juice
1. Melt butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent it from burning, tip in onions and add a pinch of salt, close lid and leave for 5 minutes on a low heat.
2. Add the potatoes and carrots, stir gently and leave for another 10 minutes.
3. Add the coriander, stock, a splash of orange juice and a squeeze of lime juice. You can also put in coconut milk for a more Thai-style soup. Season to taste.
4. Bring to the boil, and then reduce heat and cover. Let it simmer until the carrots and potatoes are soft. This could take around 20-40 minutes, so check at 10 minute intervals.
5. Liquidize using a hand blender or a jug blender until the mixture is totally smooth.
6. Give it a quick stir and then add a squeeze of lime before serving.



Vanilla and Cinnamon French Toast

This is an amazingly simple to make but tasty treat. Perfect served with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of powdered sugar for a lazy weekend breakfast. It also means you can now use up all your stale bread instead of feeding it to the ducks!

Ingredients:
2 eggs
250ml milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp flour
2 tbsp butter
4 slices of white bread
1. Whisk eggs and add milk, cinnamon, vanilla essence and flour to the bowl.
2. Melt butter in a pan on a medium heat, adding a little oil to stop the butter from burning.
3. Dip both sides of the bread in the egg mix and then carefully place in the pan.
4. Cook on both sides until the slices are an even, golden brown colour. This may a few minutes, but it is definitely worth the wait as you do not want soggy French toast!
5. Serve with powdered sugar, fresh fruit or golden syrup.



Raspberry and Lavender Margarita

This is a unique spin on the classic margarita. Once you have mastered the method, you can experiment by adjusting the amounts of the tea infusion to increase the depth and intensity of the lavender flavours. A word of warning though – do not add too much otherwise it will taste like you’re drinking your grandmother’s perfume. To highlight the versatility of this recipe, white rum can be used as an equally yummy alternative.

Ingredients:
2 mugs of Ice
2 shots of white Tequila
500ml raspberry juice
Fresh or dried lavender sprig
1. Measure out 2 shots of Tequila in a cup and put in freezer
2. Immerse the sprig in hot water to create a lavender tea. Brew for 2 minutes and then remove the sprig. You do not want the tea to be too strong otherwise it will overpower the raspberry! Pop it in the freezer to cool.
3. Chuck the ice, raspberry juice, 2 tablespoons of lavender tea and chilled Tequila in the blender and blend until smooth. If you have a ‘pulse’ function on your blender it might be wise to crush the ice by pulsing it before adding the other ingredients.
4. Serve in margarita glasses, and decorate with raspberries.


Creamy Mushroom Risotto

This may require more effort than the other recipes but it is well worth it. The recipe is still fairly straightforward though, so you can savour the earthy aroma of porcini mushrooms without feeling like you’re slaving over a stove.

Ingredients:
2 onions
Tbsp butter
1 clove of garlic
1 box of Portobello or other large, flat mushrooms
1 packet of dried porcini mushrooms
125ml white wine
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
1 packet of Amboretto risotto rice
Half a tsp oregano
Fresh Parmesan
1. Rehydrate porcini mushrooms by soaking them in enough boiling water to cover them. Leave for 10 minutes.
2. Remove and reserve the soaking water. Add enough stock to the soaking water to make 1 litre of liquid.
3. Finely chop the porcini mushrooms. Portobello mushrooms can be more coarsely chopped.
4. Chop onions and fry in the butter (add a drizzle of olive oil). Add a pinch of salt and clove of garlic and gently sauté on a low heat for 5 minutes
5. Add the packet of rice, and stir. Toasting the rice lightly like this allows a more nutty flavour to develop. Add the white wine and allow it to be fully absorbed.
6. Add oregano and then add ladles of the stock and porcini water mixture one at a time, while continuously stirring. The key here is to ensure that the rice slowly absorbs all the liquid. Repeat this process until the rice is cooked through but is al dente.
7. Stir in a knob of butter before serving, and top with parmesan cheese. Allow it to rest for 2 minutes before serving.