If you love pizza but feel intimidated to make it yourself, try this easy roasted veggie pizza with a fabulous, crisp, crust that requires no kneading, no rolling and less than 10 minutes hands-on time! When I walked into our local grocery the other day and saw gorgeous, multi-hued bell peppers for 78 cents each and beautiful zucchini and summer squash, super fresh and piled high in a lovely ...
Read More →
Our Favorite Apple Recipes
Have you noticed? The first fall apples are beginning to show up farmer's markets and grocery stores. We're sharing some of our favorite apple recipes, sweet and savory to celebrate the beginning of the coming season! It's hard to believe, but school starts here (Asheville, NC) this week. Back to school always signals fall in my mind, even if there are a few more weeks of summer. While we love ...
Read More →
Quick Easy Marinara Sauce
If you enjoy the flavors of Italy you'll love this Quick Easy Marina Sauce. It bursts with delicious Italian flavor, can be used in a zillion ways and takes under 30 minutes, start to finish! I love making the kind of marinara sauce that simmers on the stovetop for hours and fills the house with a fabulous Italian-mama (or papa) aroma. It's perfect for days when I'm at home and working around the ...
Read More →
Ballymaloe – Behind the Scenes
Ballymaloe is a cooking school in Shanagarry, Ireland but it's way more than that! It's also a self-sustaining, 100-acre organic farm and the birthplace of the farm-to-table movement in Ireland. Check out Ballymaloe - Behind the Scenes. A few days ago, I shared A Magical Week at Ballymaloe Cookery School, chronicling the 5-day cooking course I took at Ballymaloe in Shanagarry, Ireland. While I ...
Read More →
What to Cook Now, Healthy and Delicious
Light and lean doesn't have to be boring and bland. We're sharing some of our favorite healthy and delicious recipes, all fresh, colorful and bursting with flavor! After almost three weeks on the road in Ireland, Scott and I are excited to be returning to the States this coming Wednesday. We've loved everything about Ireland, the indescribably beautiful green countryside, multi-hued flowers ...
Read More →
How to Create a Great Cheeseboard
Whether you invite friends for appetizers, want to create an easy pre-dinner nibble or decide to make a meal out of one of these fabulous arrays of deliciousness, here are some tips on how to create a great cheeseboard. My daughter, Cait has a wonderful talent for putting together a fabulous cheese board. Several weeks ago I asked her to bring an appetizer for a family get-together at our home. ...
Read More →
A Magical Week at Ballymaloe Cookery School
Looking for a magical culinary adventure? Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shanagarry, Ireland is truly an amazing experience for anyone who enjoys cooking or wants to learn to become a better cook! I honestly can't remember when or how I first heard of The Ballymaloe Cookery School (pronounced Ballymaloo), but I've long admired Darina Allen, (founder of Ballymaloe) and her daughter-in-law, Rachel ...
Read More →
8 Super Easy Bread Recipes
8 easy homemade bread recipes. The perfect accompaniment to any meal! If you think making your own bread is difficult, we're sharing some recipes today to change your mind. So many Café readers, many who have never made bread before, have written emails and comments sharing their delight at becoming adept at bread-making. Here's just one of many: I made your ridiculously easy focaccia bread and ...
Read More →
Ballymaloe Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad
This Asian-inspired, Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad is super healthy, can be prepped ahead and simply bursts with bright, fresh, delicious flavor! Yesterday was (sadly) the final day of my weeklong course at The Ballymaloe Cookery School (pronounced Ballymaloó) in Shanagarry, Ireland. I must say from a culinary point of view, this was one of the highlights of my life. I'll be sharing more about the ...
Read More →
Ballymaloe Summer Tomato Salad
When summer tomatoes are at their peak, this is the salad you want to make! Simple yet incredibly delicious, this Ballymaloe Summer Tomato Salad may just be the best thing you eat all season! I've been sharing a few Irish recipes over the past few weeks in preparation for an Ireland trip that Scott and I were planning. And now, we're actually there, I'm writing this post from the beautiful ...
Read More →
Too Hot to Cook Recipes
Ten of our favorite refreshing recipes for when it's too hot to turn on the oven. Summer days can be long and hot! And while it's not so bad here in the mountains of North Carolina, we remember all too well what it was like to live where the heat index reaches into the 100s. On days like that, the last thing you want is to turn on your oven and heat up the house. We've got you covered with easy, ...
Read More →
Cheddar Herb Savory Irish Soda Bread
This unique, delicious Cheddar Herb Savory Irish Soda Bread goes well with soups, salads and just about any entree and yet comes together in well under an hour! It always brings rave reviews from young and old alike, Irish or not! Although I grew up on homemade bread and have been making bread myself for many years, I never attempted soda bread until a few weeks ago. I don't mean to offend those ...
Read More →
