Voting is now open on Project Food Blog! I would appreciate your support - please vote for my entry here!
The base location for our European stay this summer was in Dublin, Ireland. This was actually the second time my daughter and I have come to Ireland. However, this time we were able to stay for a longer period and stayed in an apartment in Dublin, as opposed to a hotel.
It was a terrific experience living in another city abroad. We really got to know Dublin very well, so much so that it seemed like our second home. Our apartment was located right in the center, and we enjoyed being able to walk to all of the major sights, beautiful city parks, restaurants, and shopping.
Our apartment was pretty cozy, with just the basics but still plenty of space for us. We even had an extra bedroom that enabled my mother-in-law to visit us in Dublin for a few days during our stay. Although we were challenged with an almost nonexistent internet connection, it was a comfortable stay.
I'm sure everyone here is most curious about the kitchen. I didn't mind that it was small but it was also pretty poorly equipped. Before I left on my trip, I was thinking that I would have a hard time cooking without my immersion blender and other fancy gadgets, and would have to be doing more basic cooking. Well, I really did get down to the very basics! All I had was a pot, an old frying pan, a dull knife, and an unstable cutting board.
Still, I did make some nice meals mainly due to some wonderful ingredients I was able to find in a few great food stores. We started shopping in Liston's, a deli and a gourmet food store.
Then, my friend Aoife @ Daily Spud also recommended Fallon & Byrne, a fabulous store that almost reminded me of my beloved Wegmans with so many amazing unique products from all over the world.
I didn't take pictures of all of the meals we had but here are some examples.
We found cute little Tomberries, the world's smallest tomato!
And terrific free range duck eggs.
I started to fry the duck eggs and they looked so gorgeous in a frying pan.
Belatedly, I discovered that I didn't have a spatula I could use. Still, I was able to save one for a picture.
We also got some fabulous Organic Irish Smoked Salmon and a flavorful White Wine, Smoked Garlic, and Thyme sauce to mix in with pasta.
We ate quite a few Irish sausages with mashed new Irish Queen potatoes.
In the next few posts, I will tell you more about our stay in Ireland, including a virtual tour of Dublin's sights and delicious bites, lunch with my blogger friend Aoife @ Daily Spud, our Irish cheese tastings, a review of Michelin-starred L'Ecrivain, and weekend trips exploring the Irish countryside. Please, stay tuned!
