We Love Cooking! [Search results for tabasco] 

I'm so totally in Summer mode at the moment! Especially after the weekend- we had great weather for the whole trip up through the Burren and up the coast towards Galway. I was really blown away by some of the scenery, but less so by the food on offer. Unfortunately I didn't have time to look up any great places to eat, so we ended up eating dinner at a pub in Doolin, mainly due to most of the restaurants being fully booked. I was hoping for some really solid pub grub, but unfortunately, the seafood platter was less than impressive and the sides for all the mains were basically soggy coleslaw! There were two guide recommended restaurants in the village, so next time I'll be sure to book ahead!

Here's a few little foodie related links, I've come across over the last few days:

1. Tasty Planner- One of the best sites I've come across which features a meal planner. You can drag and drop recipes into a meal planner which in turn adds the ingredients to a shopping list. Very handy!
2. Cake Wrecks- This is not for the faint hearted, basically a blog full of weird and freaky cakes, say goodbye to your afternoon!
   
3. Food Blogger Deals with Legal Issues- A really interesting post about recipe rights and copyright issues- well worth a read for bloggers.
4. Messy Chef- A brand new Irish Food blogger! Check it out!

Adjust the quantity of ingredients to your own taste, use less Tabasco sauce if you want a milder mix.

Avocado, Lime and Tabasco Salsa

1. 1 Ripe Avocado.
2. The Juice of one Lime.
3. 1 Tsp of Tabasco Sauce.
4. 1/2 a Red Onion.
5. 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil.
6. A Good pinch of Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper.

-Sorry the photo's are a bit crap today!

Before I met the lovely Sofie from Sweden, meatballs for me were always associated with Italy. Combined with a thick tomato sauce and soft melt in the mouth pasta, they make a dish which is a staple of the classic Italian mama's recipe repertoire. If I was to name one recipe that is ideal for food therapy its this, there is something strangely yet extremely relaxing about rolling the meat into satisfying little balls and plopping them into boiling hot creamy tomato sauce. Relying solely on the heat of the sauce to cook and infuse the little balls to perfection.

The recipe itself is pretty fool proof, and will give you results making you feel like the perfect Italian mama or papa!

Mood Food Meat Balls

1. 500g of Minced Meat (Pork or Beef)
2. 2 Garlic Cloves Minced
3. 2 tsp of Dijon Mustard
4. 2 tbsp of Tomato Ketchup
5. 1 tbsp of Oregano
6. Good pinch of salt and pepper

1. 1 Garlic clove chopped finely
2. 1 Onion chopped finely
3. 2 tins of chopped tomato's
4. 1 tsp of Tabasco sauce
5. 1 tsp of dried oregano
   
6. 1/2 cup of red wine (optional you can use water but the wine gives a richer flavour when the sauce reduces)
7. 1/4 cup of milk
8. Good pinch of salt and pepper

Now for the tomato sauce, it's a fairly standard affair, heat a large saucepan and add a drop of olive oil, fry the garlic for a minute and then add the onion. Fry the two till golden and soft and then add the tinned tomato's. Bring the mixture to the boil and then stir in the Tabasco sauce, dried oregano, and red wine. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced.

Add the meatballs to the sauce pan, making sure they are covered by the sauce, I know your thinking raw meat in my sauce surely I'll be poisoned! But no believe me it works and keeps the meat lovely and tender. Bring the sauce pan back to the boil and simmer for another 15 mins.

Serve with some good quality tagliatelle and there'll be clean plates all around!

I have a few winter warming dishes coming up but this recipe is actually taken from the book and was featured on Georgina Campbell's Ireland Guide website. Plus I got a request in the comments section so I just couldn't resist!

Hearty Minestrone Soup
This is a perfect winter meal solution, full of tasty vegetables, and filling thanks to the
pasta. I use wholewheat spaghetti, but feel free to add other shapes like fusilli or pasta elbows instead. If you don’t have any paprika, you can get a bit of spice by adding a dash of tabasco sauce, or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes.

Serves 4
1 courgette, chopped into small chunks
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 x 410g tins cannellini beans
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped into small chunks
2 litres/4 pints homemade chicken stock
75g/3oz wholewheat spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons of olive oil
A good pinch of paprika
A good pinch of sea salt

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic cloves and onion for 2
minutes or until they become soft.
Stir in the celery, carrots and courgette and cook for five minutes. Add the
chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, and bring to the boil, then reduce the
heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the wholewheat spaghetti, paprika and cannellini beans. Give the
soup a good stir and cover. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes or until
the pasta is cooked.
Season with a little sea salt and serve straightaway with a good chunk of
wholemeal bread and enjoy!

I have a few winter warming dishes coming up but this recipe is actually taken from the book and was featured on Georgina Campbell's Ireland Guide website. Plus I got a request in the comments section so I just couldn't resist!

Hearty Minestrone Soup
This is a perfect winter meal solution, full of tasty vegetables, and filling thanks to the
pasta. I use wholewheat spaghetti, but feel free to add other shapes like fusilli or pasta elbows instead. If you don’t have any paprika, you can get a bit of spice by adding a dash of tabasco sauce, or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes.

Serves 4
1 courgette, chopped into small chunks
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 x 410g tins cannellini beans
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped into small chunks
2 litres/4 pints homemade chicken stock
75g/3oz wholewheat spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons of olive oil
A good pinch of paprika
A good pinch of sea salt

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic cloves and onion for 2 minutes or until they become soft.
Stir in the celery, carrots and courgette and cook for five minutes. Add the
chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, and bring to the boil, then reduce the
heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the wholewheat spaghetti, paprika and cannellini beans. Give the
soup a good stir and cover. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes or until
the pasta is cooked.
Season with a little sea salt and serve straightaway with a good chunk of wholemeal bread and enjoy!

I have a few winter warming dishes coming up but this recipe is actually taken from the book and was featured on Georgina Campbell's Ireland Guide website. Plus I got a request in the comments section so I just couldn't resist!

Hearty Minestrone Soup
This is a perfect winter meal solution, full of tasty vegetables, and filling thanks to the
pasta. I use wholewheat spaghetti, but feel free to add other shapes like fusilli or pasta elbows instead. If you don’t have any paprika, you can get a bit of spice by adding a dash of tabasco sauce, or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes.

Serves 4
1 courgette, chopped into small chunks
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 x 410g tins cannellini beans
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped into small chunks
2 litres/4 pints homemade chicken stock
75g/3oz wholewheat spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons of olive oil
A good pinch of paprika
A good pinch of sea salt

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic cloves and onion for 2
minutes or until they become soft.
Stir in the celery, carrots and courgette and cook for five minutes. Add the
chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, and bring to the boil, then reduce the
heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the wholewheat spaghetti, paprika and cannellini beans. Give the
soup a good stir and cover. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes or until
the pasta is cooked.
Season with a little sea salt and serve straightaway with a good chunk of
wholemeal bread and enjoy!