Snapshots of Ireland: Galway & Around

We happened to be in Galway during the final leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, a 9-month long international sailing race around the world.  The celebration was a week long, and when we arrived in Galway, the festivities were already in full swing.  Galway's population of 85,000 swelled to just over a million for that week!  Streets were packed with people, there was dancing and drinking in the streets, and we found ourselves smack in the middle of all the action, it was crazy!  We woke up at 3 AM to cheer on the boats as they crossed the finish line for the final leg and docked in Galway Harbor.  It was quite an experience!

Foggy view from the Cliffs of Moher.

The race boats docking in the harbor after the final leg of the race.

The winning team of the Volvo Cup Race, celebrating at 5 AM!

The streets of Galway, packed after a night of celebrating.

Snapshots of Ireland: Dublin

So we've been home from our trip a week now and I figured it's high time I get to posting about our adventures in Ireland!!  My husband and I flew in and out of Dublin, and were in the country for 10 full days.   Here are some of our favorites from Dublin...

 Next up...Galway!

Dinner Last Night: Chipotle Fish Tacos

After dining on fish tacos in the Seattle sunshine earlier in the week with friends, I was inspired to try my hand and recreate the dish at home.  We used this recipe with mahi mahi, my husband grilled the fish, and I assembled the rest.  The result: some darn good fish tacos!  We pretty much stuck to the recipe, I didn't have tomatoes on hand, so instead we doubled up on lime marinated cabbage for a satisfying crunch.  Also added a splash of chipotle adobo sauce and an extra flourish of cilantro.   YUM!   And can I just say, my new favorite ingredient to use while cooking is plain greek yogurt.  It mimics sour cream to a T and is so multi-functional and delicious (how did I just realize this?!).  

We had planned on saving the extra filets for leftovers but alas...we ate them all!  

I guess that's a good sign of a recipe worth repeating, am I right?

image/myrecipes

July Weekend

This weekend my girlfriends and I saw Magic Mike - and all I can say is...WOW Channing Tatum can dance!  Damn...  We had limey margarita and delish Mexican food before hand at this cantina with a view.  Also happening this weekend, one of my closest friends was induced to have her first baby!   We're all anxiously awaiting a text or email to announce little baby G's arrival, so excited!!

In the meantime, here's a few links that caught my eye from around the web this week...

+ DIY herb sugar...must try this!

+ Seattle summer bucket list, I'm totally stealing some ideas from this!

+ Honoring Nora Ephron, her 10 best movie lines

+ Scuba suit for your iphone?  Um..yeah!

+ Bookends for everyone

+ Best playground ever - can we go play? 

+ Indulging in all seasonal summer fruit, nectarine pancakes, yes please!

+ Ever wanted to be a mermaid?  Here's your chance.

+ Enjoy porch sitting? Vacation here (this hotel has 100 rocking chairs for watching the sunset)

+ Summer lemonade stand anyone?

+ Cool look: ombre nails

image/ksny

Weeknight Baking: Rainier Cherry Crumble

It's Rainier cherry season around Seattle, and the bounty is plentiful at every market, farmers market, and fruit stand in sight.  Hence, it was the perfect time to try out this recipe, and I'm AMAZED how easy it is to make this rainier cherry crumble.  The most labor-intensive part was pitting the cherries.  I'm tucking the steps to make a crumble topping away in my memory bank to use with every other kind of season fruit throughout the year.  

It was delicious right out of the oven, and even better - it made an excellent breakfast this morning as well. :)

image/cookinglight

The Ever-Modern Kitchen

While I don't have an ounce of counter space left in our kitchen, I'm always intrigued by the latest and greatest kitchen tools.  Lately, these gadgets have caught my eye...

The Egg Skelter

Keeps your eggs in order, a convenient way to keep your eggs sorted by freshness.

The Food Pod

Boils, blanches, steams, and drains.  Use it for everything from broccoli to artichokes to eggs.

The Lily pad lid

The green alternative to saran wrap, forms a tight seal on any smooth surface.

Kuhn Rikon avocado tool

Cuts, pits, and scoops avocados, all in one.

What kitchen tools/gadgets have caught your eye lately?

Pen Pal

I love getting mail.  Somehow, receiving an email is just not quite the same as a good old-fashioned, stamped letter delivered to your home.  I'm looking forward to participating in the pen-pal project, organized by the lovely Elizabeth of E Tells Tales.  

Elizabeth matched everyone participating according to age, similar interests, and a few answered questions, and voila - I have a pen pal!  I've had a few pen pals in my day, but not since I was a kid, so I'm excited about a new correspondence with a blogger from afar.  I'm responsible for writing the first letter and we'll see how it goes from here!

image/kristeng