Apology Pie..

An Apology Pie. For being such a bad blogger, I have let months and months go by without even thinking of my poor neglected blog.  Silly Sheevs! Promises of lots of lovely photos are being made today! 

Summer is HERE!!

Our short, unusual and unreliable summer is here. Days that start with flood inducing rain and end in beautiful summer sunshine are what we have grow to consider summer! Keeps us guessing everyday! And provides us with an excuse to indulge in ice cream, meringues with cream and berries and fresh lemonade outdoors! There is nothing more enjoyable than food outdoors, sunshine makes even the most simple dishes taste so much better. 

Sushi Anyone?

Just couldn't resist the beautiful colours and delicious tastes of sushi, due to the wonderful company I was among on this particular day, all the sushi bar one was veggie and even the one that wasn't - had cooked tuna instead of raw, but it wasn't cooked tuna as we know it, this was Yellow Fin Tuna from the company 'Fish4Ever'. Amaaaazing!  Fish4Ever is a sustainable fish company, they are all about sustainability for land, sea and people. They support good fishing and local boats. Their yellowfin tuna is fished one by one using pole and line rods with no by-catch by two local boats off the coast of Senegal and far from the breeding grounds where many juvenile fish are caught, they avoid damaging methods and support local boats fishing legally in their own waters. It is what our attitude to fish should be about, instead of the awful mass produced, over fished and over processed stuff that we're used to. It's boats and methods like this -> (http://www.fish-4-ever.com/content/view/103/88/). A catch up with the world's largest fishing vessel,a "tuna destroyer" which can take up to 3000 tons of tuna in a single trip, nearly double the catch of some Pacific island countries for a whole year. Very scary! So here I am - millions of miles away trying to do my little piece for the fishies!

Sushi is a typical Japanese food with over a thousand years of history and tradition. It has become perhaps the most visible example of Japanese cuisine in other countries, this is my interpretation and it was wonderful!! The pictures at the bottom are of the most tasty soba noodle salad I've ever made or eaten. Twas a good day. 

The Humble Tomato

The Tomato - Fruit or Vegetable? Perfect either way. I got these little beauties in Fallon and Byrne, they have such a lovely selection. I think these two simple dishes are a good example of how tomatoes can be the star of the show. First just a simple fresh tomato salad - the tomatoes were simply tossed in olive oil, sea salt, cracked black pepper and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Finished off with some crumbed goats cheese, micro herbs and a dash of olive oil. When served with some lovely crusty sourdough it is one of the nicest and quickest lunches. The second dish is also just as simple, arrange halved tomatoes on a thickly cut slice of bread, top with olive oil, sliced garlic, salt and pepper then roast in a hot oven for 8-10 minutes! Easy peasy lemon squeezy! 

Homemade Bread and Pestooo

There is little I enjoy more than making fresh bread, all the fun of actually making it and then all the enjoyment of eating it - Yum! Another benefit of homemade bread is when it tastes this good, even simple condiments are enough. This lovely poppyseed loaf was enjoyed with some tasty basil and wild garlic pesto!

Simple Salad

We're all feeling a little brighter and lighter with the recent sunshine! A perfect excuse for some delicious spring salads, this is about as simple as you can get. Beautiful purple carrot and spring leaves from a local country market with a balsamic vinaigrette. Mmm yummy!

Flowers & Cakes

Cupcakes with sugar flowers! Simple and fabulous, dare I say! I made these flowers over a couple of days, in-between studying and going to work I took little breaks to make flowers and watch 30 Rock, I live a very exciting life! (".) I actually really enjoy making little flowers like this, and they can transform a dull little fairy-cake into something special! And I think the hungry artists that were involved in the eating process enjoyed the artistic element too!