The Good Mood Food Blog- Donal Skehan

:: Good4U Goodie Bag and Juicer Competition!

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:00:00 +0000

As I have mentioned, I am big a fan of Good4U shoots and seeds, so I asked the lovely Laura, if she could provide a prize for the blog. I am very excited to tell you that I have a great goodie bag of Good4U shoots and seeds and a fantastic Good4U juicer worth €320 to give away on the blog this week!

To be in with a chance of getting your hands on this fantastic prize, all you gotta do is answer this simple question.

Which of these seeds are not in the Good4U product range?
A: Pumpkin Seeds
B: Sunflower Seeds
C: Melon Seeds
Please note that by entering this competition, you will be signing up for The Good Mood Food Blog newsletter, but if you don't wish to subscribe, please put "NS" after your answer. The competition will close on Thursday evening (11th of Feb) at 9.30pm. Only one entry per person please!

:: Preparing Bulgar Wheat In 5 Easy Steps!

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:15:00 +0000

I regularly use bulgur wheat in a lot of my recipes and it's a fantastic storecupboard ingredient to have. It bulks up salads, goes great with barbequed meat, it's a perfect lunch box filler, all that and it's so cheap! From a 500g pack you could serve 10 portions all for about 1 euro, bargain or what! There is another advantage to it which is just how easy it is to prepare, you can make it ahead of time pop in the fridge and it will last 3-4 days in there covered. Follow the easy steps below to make up a little batch!

Preparing Bulgar Wheat In 5 Easy Steps!

1. Boil the kettle.
2. Add 1/2 a cup of bulgur wheat to a small bowl.
3. Add 1/2 cup of boiling water to the bowl.
4. Season with salt and pepper and stir through.
5. Cover with cling film and allow to cook until all the water has been soaked up.

:: Rocket Power Chicken Superfood Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:37:00 +0000

Well with the new year well in swing, and the days becoming brighter, I am already starting to get excited about the whole new season of ingredients to play with in the kitchen. I love really light and bright salads and getting back into the garden means being flooded with lots of fresh and tasty veg to make my way through!

There are so many options when it comes to salads, and you can make them as healthy or different as you want. For me it just depends what sort of mood I'm in, but when I'm in a really healthy buzz, I absolutely love using as many fantastic healthy ingredients I can get my hands on.

I don't know if you have come across a brilliant little food company called Good4U foods in the supermarket, but they produce a load of really healthy ingredients that are so easy to incorporate into salads. I originally thought the company was UK based because of their web address, but last year I got an email from the lovely Laura Butler who started the company with her mum Bernie in Limerick. I was thrilled to hear they were Irish based which gives me even more reason to rave about them. Their full range of products include, alfalfa shoots, brocco shoots, sunflower shoots, and a whole host of seeds which are all perfect for sprinkling over salads! Stay tuned to the blog this week as I have a fab competition coming up from the Good4U folks!

Rocket Power Chicken Superfood Salad

As the winter months are thankfully coming to end, I am already starting to look towards more fresh and healthy dishes. Thankfully the days are becoming longer and brighter, now don't get me wrong, I'm all about comfort food, but as we start to look towards the spring nothing beats a really fresh and zingy salad. This Rocket Power Chicken Superfood Salad ticks all the boxes for me, it's perfect for a healthy lunch box, just save the dressing until the last minute. I absolutely love Brocco shoots and Lentil and Bean Shoots from Irish owned health food company Good4U, and they can be found in most supermarkets, perfect for boosting healthy salads! The Good4U range has a whole host of healthy ingredients which include, alfalfa shoots,

Serves 2
100g bulgar wheat
170ml boiling water
A drizzle of olive oil
2 chicken breasts
A little black pepper
25g brocco shoots
60g lentil and bean shoots
150g soy beans
30g spinach leaves
30g rocket leaves

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of English dried mustard
A good pinch of sea salt and black pepper

Place the bulgar wheat in a bowl with the boiling water and cover with cling film. The bulgar wheat will cook in the water while you can get on with the rest of the salad.
Season the chicken breasts with a little black pepper, brush a griddle pan with a little olive oil and cook over a medium high heat for 4-5 minutes either side or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and slice thinly.
While the chicken is cooking, cook the soy beans according to the packet, drain and rinse in cold water, set aside.
Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together in a small bowl.
In a large bowl toss the spinach, rocket, brocco shoots, lentil and bean shoots and soy beans with the dressing.
Assemble the salad with a layer of bulgar wheat on each plate, top with the salad leaves and shoots and finally place the chicken slices on top and serve!

:: New Campaign To Put Irish Students In A Good Mood With Food!

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:55:00 +0000

On Wednesday, I was out in Blanchardstown IT to launch a new campaign to get students eating healthy, the lovely girls in the pic were students at the college and we had lots of fun, though one of them got an oily courgette dropped on her lovely new UGG boots.... I think she might hate me! The launch went great and in a few week colleges and schools around the country will be serving up some Good Mood Food! You can have a read of the press release below...

NEW CAMPAIGN TO PUT IRISH STUDENTS IN A GOOD MOOD WITH FOOD

Exciting new culinary campaign to boost mood, memory and concentration of students

Well-known food blogger and ‘Ireland’s answer to Jamie Oliver’, 23-year old Donal Skehan, has joined forces with the world’s biggest foodservice business, Unilever Food Solutions, to bring what he describes as “the power of good mood food” to students in secondary schools and IT colleges across Ireland.

Renowned for his love of good, simple, healthy, homecooked foods, Donal and Unilever Food Solutions are on a mission to show students and school chefs just how easy it is to make food that will lift spirits, naturally boost performance and generally put students in an all-round ‘good mood’, even in times of stress – perfect timing as Irish students face into their mid-term exams this month.

Donal has worked with Unilever Food Solutions’ culinary team to create five delicious and nutritious recipes that use a mix of readily-available ingredients that will appeal to even the fussiest of student palettes! The recipes range from fiery salsa chicken to vegetarian frittatas, which are packed with flavour and mood-enhancing goodness.

Speaking at the launch of the campaign in IT Blanchardstown, Aoife McGuigan, Channel Marketing Manager of Unilever Food Solutions said, “Good Mood Foods are foods and meals that have a positive impact on those eating them. They can be dishes that help you concentrate, an energy boost before a game, stimulation for the brain or just a dish made to share and lift the mood of all. We’re excited to have Donal on board – he’s a big believer in the power of food and how it effects our lives and is the perfect advocate for the campaign, appealing to all audiences in this exciting schools activation.”

The Good Mood Food campaign is open to all secondary schools and IT colleges in Ireland. To participate, teachers and school chefs can simply request an information pack and recipes when they place their order with their local Unilever sales representative. The information pack contains all the recipes along with colourful materials to promote the campaign in the school’s canteen including posters and Good Mood Food recipe cards that students can take home to try out for themselves.

All schools and IT colleges that participate will be entered into a competition to win a Good Mood Food masterclass with Donal where students and chefs can cook with the talented young chef and learn more about the foods that can help boost mood, memory and concentration powers.

The Unilever Food Solutions Good Mood Food campaign will commence in February, with the Good Mood Food masterclass held in April 2010.

:: Blueberry and Banana Breakfast Porridge

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:03:00 +0000

Well hello there! It's been a little quiet around here the last few days, but I have just cleared out all the tumbleweed and I'm back with you! Firstly, a massive, massive thank you to everyone who joined in with the Twinnerparty, we had over 60 participants for the first one, and I will be announcing the dates for the next one very soon, so stay tuned for that. Everyone took fantastic shots of the dishes they cooked so I will post as many of them as I can in the next few days, it was so exciting to see all the dishes as the night unfolded!
I'm pretty sure you have all had one of those week that is just so crazy that you barely have time to think. Well I had one of those rolled into a 10 day cycle, but the one thing I relied on was a really good breakfast, porridge, you are my hero!

Blueberry and Banana Breakfast Porridge

I eat porridge for breakfast most mornings, normally with a bit of honey and cinnamon, but eating the same thing everyday can become extremely boring. This recipe is my solution to jazzing up regular old porridge, it's really filling and super healthy! In the winter months when fresh berries aren't in season, I keep my freezer stocked up with frozen ones which are great to have at hand.

Makes 1 serving
35g of jumbo oats
200ml of water
1 banana
1 teaspoon of honey
A small handful of blueberries

Place the oats and water in a small pot and place over a medium heat. Allow the oats to swell and cook slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon, until they become nice and creamy.
While the porridge is cooking, using the back of a fork, mash together the blueberries and banana until you get a nice smooth paste.
Pour the cooked porridge into a bowl, top with the blueberry and banana mix and stir through with a little bit of honey.
Serve straight away.

:: Winners of the Sally Bee Cookbook Competition!

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:17:00 +0000

Thank you all for entering the competition via twitter, facebook and right here on the blog. But the wait is over, I can now announce that the lucky winners, chosen at random, are....

Twitter: @lottiegirlx
Facebook: Barbara Scully
Blog: Deirdre Walsh

Stay tuned more exciting competitions coming up very very soon! :)

:: Sally Bee Cookbook Competition!

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:24:00 +0000

I hope you enjoyed the recipe from Sally's book, The Secret Ingredient, last week, I'm really loving the book so far and the good news is, thanks to the lovely folks over at Harper Collins, I have a copy to give away right here on the blog! I will also be offering the chance to win a copy over on Facebook (Tag the photo) and Twitter (post your favourite healthy dish with the hash tag #sallybee) so head over there to increase you chances of winning! :)

To be in with a chance of getting your hands on copy of "The Secret Ingredient" simply answer the following question:

What was the title of the Sally Bee recipe I posted on this blog?
A: Crunchie Sticky Banoffee Pie
B: Prawn, Avocado and Pecan Herb Salad
C: Crunchy Hasselback Potatoes

Please note that by entering this competition, you will be signing up for The Good Mood Food Blog newsletter, if you don't wish to subscribe, please put "NS" after your answer. The competition will close on Thursday evening (28th of Jan) at 9.30pm. Only one entry per person please!

:: Twinnerparty is all go!

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 19:43:00 +0000

Follow all the folks taking part in the world's first Twitter dinner party over here. Everyone has been busy cooking all day today and now we will all be enjoying these delicious dishes:

:: Twinnerparty Shopping List

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:40:00 +0000

I have put together the shopping list for tomorrow's Twinnerparty which you can see below, I haven't included the following as I felt most people might have these in their storecupboard but if not make sure to pick up:

- Dijon mustard
- Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Sea Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Honey

Here's the shopping list! Remember if you have any questions I am on Twitter here, or leave a comment below.

:: Beetroot, Goats Cheese, Pine Nut and Rocket Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:10:00 +0000

Last Twinnerparty recipe today! Hope you are all set for tomorrow night, I will write a few tips later on to save time, like the things you can make ahead and so on. A huge thank you to Julian from Bubble Brothers who has posted his suggestions for wines to go with the full meal, so if you are into your wines, head over there to see which wine goes with what! Kick off time for the twinnerparty is 7pm, with an aim to serve the first course at 7.30pm, but as we are all mostly from Ireland, timing of things normally goes out the window, but sure we'll see!

Beetroot, Goats Cheese, Pine Nut and Rocket Salad

This is a really tasty starter dish which is perfect for preparing the ingredients ahead of time and simply assembling them at the last minute to create a pretty impressive salad. If you don't want to roast the beetroot yourself, you can by precooked vac packed ones in the supermarket.

Serves 6
6 medium sized beetroot
75g pine nuts
250g goats cheese, cut into bitesize pieces
60g rocket leaves
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
Half a clove of garlic, minced
A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper

You can cook the beetroot ahead of time if you wish, simply wrap them in tinfoil, place on an oven tray and bake for about an hour at 190C/Gas Mark 5 or until you can insert a fork smoothly. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, then peel with knife and slice into quarters.
On a large frying pan, over a medium heat, toast the pine nuts, until golden brown, make sure to keep an eye on them as they can burn quite easily.
In a large bowl whisk together the Dijon mustard, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper and set aside.
When you are ready to serve the salad, arrange the beetroot quarters and goats cheese pieces on each plate. Toss the rocket leaves in the dressing and place a little on each plate. Finally scatter each plate with the toasted pine nuts and serve straight away!

:: Herby Roast Chicken and Honey and Thyme Parsnips

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:37:00 +0000

I had planned to post both the chicken recipe and the roast beetroot starter but the terrible weather means low light conditions which in turn means terrible photos, so I will be shooting the starter recipe for the twinnerparty tomorrow morning and posting it before 12!

Yesterday both Market Kitchen and Nationwide aired and although I wasn't nervous doing them, having sit through them was another story! But thankfully it went quite well and everyone I have spoken too has been only complimentary, so I am relieved. I don't think you can see Market Kitchen online but the Nationwide interview can be seen here and here.

Herby Roast Chicken and Honey and Thyme Parsnips

Normally I make this herb paste for a full roast chicken, but I find pre-portioned chicken legs and thighs are perfect for entertaining as you don't have to fuss around with carving. The great thing about this dish is that you can prepare the two trays a few hours ahead of your guest arriving and pop them in the oven just before they arrive! If you don't grow your own herbs you can pick up little packets for about €1 in most supermarkets which are really handy for one off dishes. I love roasting whole garlic bulbs but if it's too much garlic for you just leave these out.

Serves 6
6 Chicken legs and thighs
4 red onions, peeled and quartered
2 bulbs of garlic,with the top sliced off
4 cloves of garlic
40g or a large handful of fresh herbs, basil, rosemary, thyme
6 medium sized parsnips, peeled and quartered
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tablespoon of honey
A good drizzle of olive oil
A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper

In a pestle and mortar or a food processor, blitz the mixed herbs, garlic cloves, and a little olive oil. Add a little more olive oil until you have a loose paste.
Place the parsnips on a large roasting tray with the thyme, drizzle with honey and oil and spoonful of the herb paste. Toss together until everything is combined.
On another roasting tray arrange the chickens pieces, garlic bulbs and red onion. Add the rest of the herb paste and toss everything together until the the chicken and onions have a nice coating of herbs.
Place both roasting trays in the oven at 190°C/Gas Mark 5, for about 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked right through. The parsnips will cook slightly quicker than the chicken so you may need to take them out of the oven before the chicken.
Serve the chicken straight away, with the parsnips, red onion, garlic and an little drizzle of the juices.

:: Nationwide and Market Kitchen Tonight!

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:51:00 +0000

Hey folks! Just to let you know I will be appearing on Nationwide on RTÉ 1 at 7pm tonight doing some shopping around Howth, and cooking up some mackerel! While over on Good Food Channel (Sky Digital 249) at the same time on Market Kitchen, I will be cooking up my Lime and Mint Mohito Chicken! Let me just warn you that this is my first outing on television cooking so fingers crossed it goes well, and if not... well I'll be hiding under a rock somewhere! :)

:: Crunchie Sticky Banoffee Pie!

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:02:00 +0000

Only a few days left till the world's first twinnerparty! Very exciting stuff, I'm really thrilled people are getting behind the idea and big thank you to everyone who has blogged and retweeted about it! I've had the idea so long ago now that I just felt it was easier to start it small and allow the event to grow naturally rather than organising a massive event telling everyone about it and then it not actually working! The next twinnerparty is already in works for a date in early march so if you can't do this Saturday night, don't worry there will be more! If you haven't planned your twinnerparty just yet, don't worry there is lots of time left to invite some pals over, and hopefully as the recipes are posted they may entice you to get your skates on even more.

Today I'm posting the recipe from Saturdays menu that I am most excited about first! I have a theory on impressive desserts for dinner parties, and it goes like this, if your going to make a dessert, make it a mega dessert, a big balls out sugary treat that could tear the head off, even the pickiest of guests! This Crunchie Sticky Banoffee Pie, folks, I think, does just that! :)

Crunchie Sticky Banoffee Pie

What can make a naughty pie even naughtier? The answer... CRUNCHIE BARS! If you don't live in Ireland or England, Crunchie bars are honeycomb bars covered in chocolate and are extremely delicious! But my favourite part of making this pie has to be the nervous and exciting moment of opening the tin of condensed milk after it's been boiled for 2 hours to see if it's perfectly caramelised, and then squidging the tin so that the content blubs out over the edge! Those words are probably not even in the dictionary but I feel they best describe the tin of gooey caramel perfectly!

Serves 6
297g can condensed milk
230g digestive biscuits, about 16 crushed finely
115g butter, melted
3 bananas
250ml of cream
3 crunchie bars, roughly chopped

In a small high sided pot, boil the unopened can of condensed milk for 2 hours, keep an eye on it making sure you don't run out of water and just top up if you do.
While the can is boiling, prepare the base of the pie.
Mix together the crushed digestive biscuits with the melted butter until they are combined and then spread the mixture evenly over the base of a 18cm cake tin with a removable base.
Cover and chill for 2 hours in the fridge.
When the can has finished boiling remove from the water and allow to cool. When the can is cool to the touch, open and spread the caramelised condensed milk over the biscuit base.
Slice the bananas evenly and arrange over the caramel.
Whip the cream until it is just about stiff and spread on top of the bananas.
Sprinkle the crunchie bar over the top of the cream as artistically as you feel necessary!
Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

:: It's here! The Twinnerparty Menu!

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:52:00 +0000

So I thought I would keep things fairly simple for the first twinnerparty menu, nothing too extravagant but still jam packed with great flavours and tastes. I will be posting the recipes in the next few days so you can familiarise yourselves with them and then on Friday I will post a handy little shopping list to make things even easier. The important thing to remember is not to fuss over this, the whole idea of the twinnerparty is to get you into the kitchen cooking and serving up some tasty dishes for friends or family. If you don't want to follow the recipes exactly, if you don't have exactly 6 guests coming, if your friends don't twitter, don't worry! Just enjoy the whole thing and if it all goes to pieces it makes for all the more entertaining tweets! Not that it will of course, I have faith in you! Don't forget I'm on twitter @donalskehan, so if there is any problems with the menu, recipes, shopping lists, or cooking I will do my best to tweet you back asap!

So without further ado, here it is the world's first twinnerparty menu!

:: Sally Bee's Prawn, Avocado and Pecan Herb Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:03:00 +0000

If you haven't heard of Sally Bee before, and I hadn't up until recently, Sally is a mother of three who at the age of 36, despite a healthy lifestyle, suffered 3 major heart attacks in the space of one week. I'm not even going to go into the amazing story of her recovery, you really just have to read it. "The Secret Ingredient" is a collection of super healthy recipes which don't go over the top and features meals which are perfect for family home cooking.

I recently got the opportunity to meet the lovely Sally Bee, and despite our extremely brief encounter she comes across as an extremely vibrant and fun individual and when I remarked on her incredible story, joked and feigned heart pains! This is one of the fantastic recipes from her book, "The Secret Ingredient" which is out on Thursday 21st of January and can be ordered online via Amazon.

Prawn, Avocado and Pecan Herb Salad

You know, salads don't have to be boring. This dish is full of flavour! You can serve it as a main meal or smaller portions for a healthy starter. If you don't like prawns, you can substitute with chicken; anything goes, really. Be adventurous with your salads and make this a regular, everyday dish. Prawns give great texture and flavour to this recipe, but they do contain cholesterol,so I have allowed only four prawns per serving. If you want to make it more substantial, you can add extra protein: such as tuna, chicken or turkey.

Serves 2
Drizzle of olive oil
2 salad onions or spring onions (scallions),peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove,peeled and crushed
1 tbsp soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
8 uncooked king prawns (jumbo shrimp)
Mixed salad leaves
Watercress
1 ripe avocado
2 tomatoes, sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
Handful of fresh basil, torn
Handful of shelled pecan nuts

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
Add the chopped salad onions, crushed garlic, soy sauce, black pepper and raw prawns.
Sauté until the prawns have turned pink all the way through.
Arrange the salad leaves, watercress, avocado and tomatoes in a big dish, then pour over the prawns and other cooked ingredients.
Squeeze over the lemon juice, sprinkle with torn basil and pecan nuts and serve.

Follow Sally Bee on Twitter over here.

:: Irish Independent Cook Club!

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 21:14:00 +0000

Below is a piece about cookclubs I wrote for the Irish Independent from the week before last. I know there are quite a few of you out there who are already running cook clubs quite successfully and if you are, I would love to hear from you. Starting next month the Irish Independent will be featuring different cookclubs with their stories and recipes from around Ireland. If you would like to get involved and potentially be featured in the Irish Independent Weekend Magazine email weekendcookclub@independent.ie telling them about your cookclub, new or old, the food you like to cook, your style of entertaining and any tips you have to share!

Cook clubs are fast becoming the hottest way to dine. With regular nights out becoming few and far between, people are looking for cost-effective ways of socialising. The cook club is an alternative to the book club and shakes up the regular home-cooked dinner party format. Although there are many home cooks out there who have started clubs with friends and family, I've discovered that they come in many different formats.

Generally, a guest list of six to eight people is agreed upon and, each week, a different person takes it upon themselves to cook a meal for their guests, but formats vary, with some clubs bringing different courses for each dinner.

"Come Dine With Me" has a lot to answer for in terms of introducing a competitive streak to the table. The show invites strangers to cook for each other over the period of a week and the person with the highest scoring meal walks away with a cash sum.

TV hype aside, cook clubs can be used to discover new ingredients. Myself and my friends ran one where we decided to try a different meat each. A lot of effort went into sourcing the likes of rabbit, ostrich and venison, not to mention the time it took to figure out how to cook them! But the result was a fantastic meal each week, which we all looked forward to.

Whatever you decide on for your cook club, make sure you keep things interesting. Some people like to plan a year in advance and commit to cooking certain dishes; some people mark each other out of 10. The most important things to remember, of course, are to enjoy the food, your company and yourself! I absolutely love entertaining at home and, although there may be a little extra pressure to ensure that you pull the whole night off, it is worth the effort.

No matter how adventurous you may be in the kitchen, cooking for guests is a whole different ball game. While you might want to wrestle a lobster, your guests will appreciate your company far more than any extravagant dish. Delicious recipes which can be made ahead of time will save your bacon, and you'll be able to enjoy the night far more than if you were stuck in the kitchen sweating! After all this is a social event, so keep it simple. Choose recipes that can be kept in the fridge the night before or even thrown in the freezer to be pulled out effortlessly when required.

Photos: Aoife Nathan

:: The World's First Twinner Party! (probably!)

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 18:51:00 +0000

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present to you, the world's first...

Twinnerparty!

What, I hear you ask is a twinnerparty, well put simply, it is a dinner party via social network, twitter. The aim is to get people connecting via the magic of the social networking through cooking and eating together. It also gives people who haven't cooked for guests before, the support and advice of others who have! A big supportive cooking community so to speak!
The idea is that everyone who decides to take part shops together, cooks together, and eats together all via the magic of tweeting!
A set 3 course menu for six people will be decided upon and I will post the recipes and a simple shopping list here on the blog before the big day.

What you have to do!
- Invite 5 guests to eat your dishes, preferably ones who tweet!
- Tweet while you shop!
- Tweet while you cook!
- Tweet photos of your finished dishes if you can!

The first event will take place next Saturday the 23rd of January and everyone is invited!
I will post the set dinner menu next week with recipes and a shopping list. Throughout the big day I will be on hand to help with any cooking emergencies that may arise and to offer advice if it's needed!
Tweet me to let me know if you want to take part or leave a comment below! Looking forward to tweating with you! ;)

:: Irish Independent and Irish Times Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:58:00 +0000

:: Market Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:24:00 +0000

I had such an brilliant time on Thursday, as I mentioned here on the blog, I was appearing on Good Food Channel's, Market Kitchen! I was so nervous that I wasn't going to actually be able to fly as the whole of Ireland had come to a stand still due to the snowy weather. However the planets were aligned and even though Dublin airport had been closed the night before, Thursday morning our plane wasn't delayed and I was on my way to London!

I arrived at the Market Kitchen studios with my buddy Elaine who came along to take some pics and lend some moral support. As soon as we arrived I was whisked into makeup to get beautified, after which we were sat in the green room which had a great array of food magazines which kept me completely distracted as they had plonked the latest copy of Delicious on the table!

The lovely Faye then came to meet us to talk me through the process of recording. They had each step of the recipe planned out and what way they wanted it to flow. It was a lot to take in all at once but Faye kept telling me I would fine and to stay calm! While we were in the green room, I met the presenters Matt Terbutt and Amanda Lamb who were really lovely and very friendly.

Faye brought us up a very quiet stairs to the main studio and when she opened the door in, there was a rush of people running around, wires, cameramen, food stylists, and a lot hustle and bustle- all very exciting! We watched while another guest of the show, Simon Rimmer, demonstrated what looked like a really tasty egg dish. I have to say Simon is an expert at what he does and he certainly didn't put me at ease. An extremely tough act to follow! When Simon was finished I met the fantastic Home Economist who was in charge for setting up all the ingredients, equipment and generally making sure everything ran smoothly. She talked me through what I would be doing and made sure I had everything I needed before the filming started. I was making Mint and Lime Mohito Chicken so they had already marinated the chicken and everything was ready to go!

Before I did my cooking slot, I had a quick interview with Matt who was having awful trouble pronouncing my name, so much so that he had to hyphanate it on the autocue so that it read, Do-nal! Very funny altogether! After the interview we headed over to the kitchen space and got going on the dish. I wasn't sure if I was going to mention this but, as I was demonstrating butterflying a chicken breast, I sliced it wrong and ended up with a sad scraggly looking chicken breast and we had to cut! Let me just saw THIS DID NOT PUT ME AT EASE!

In fairness to all the crew, it was no bother to them and we just started again pretty quickly! The rest of the demo ran quite smoothly and hopefully it looks well when it's all edited together. When the demo was finished all the audience members got served mini portions of the dish to sample it and then gave their comments to camera! It was a little bit scary to hear what they were going to say but from what I could hear they were all extremely complimentary and no one got sick so it was all good! I had a ball doing the show and it was a fantastic experience, the first of many hopefully! It's going to air on the 21st of January on Good Food Channel so make sure to keep an eye out for it!

:: Pink Berry and Almond Swirly Buns!

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:02:00 +0000

So things are all set for the big day tomorrow, I spoke to the lovely Faye at Market Kitchen yesterday and she talked me through each step of the filming process. Apparently all the members of the audience will be given a little sample of what I'm cooking, so no pressure like! It's my first on air experience, so there are a few butterflies, but I have done a bit of cooking to camera so I guess it's more excitement than anything else. The really good news is that Faye said I was allowed to take pics over there, so expect lots of them up here!

There are some days when recipes just float around my head after reading something or seeing something on tv, in most cases they go as quickly as they come, but sometimes, when I am organised, I write them into a little notebook I have with me at all times. I have had this recipe in my mind since last summer, probably because of my love of Swedish Cinnamon Buns, I guess it just stuck, so as you can imagine I have been dying to finally make it.

Pink Berry and Almond Swirly Buns

This recipe is a fresh take on the Swedish Cinnamon Buns which have been so popular on the blog and in the book! Inspired by Leila Lindholm (my current hero!) who uses blueberries in the filling, I decided it would be great way to use up the last of my leftover frozen berries. This recipe makes a lot of buns, but they freeze really well in ziplock bags and can reheated straight in the oven.

Makes about 40 buns
400ml/14fl oz milk
110g/4oz butter
2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast
110g/4oz sugar
750g/1½lbs flour
½ teaspoon of salt
1 egg, beaten
A handful of flaked almonds

For the filling:
200g of butter, at room temperature
150g of sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
450g of mixed frozen berries
2 tablespoons of icing sugar

Melt the butter in a large pot gently on a low heat and then add the milk.
When the mixture is lukewarm, remove from the heat and add the two sachets of dried yeast, sugar and salt.
Slowly incorporate the flour one cup at a time; be patient, as the mixture will eventually come together and you won’t be left with a sticky mess forever!
You may need to add less or more of the flour to get the right consistency.
When the dough has taken shape and is no longer sticky, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 3 minutes.
Leave the dough to rise in the bowl covered with a damp cloth for 45 minutes.
Try and find somewhere warm, as the yeast will do its job a lot quicker.
While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. In a small bowl beat the butter with cinnamon and sugar until you get a light and creamy consistency. In another bowl combine the berries and icing sugar. You may have to zap the berries in the microwave to defrost them first.
When the dough has risen, cut it in half and roll it into a rectangle about 5mm thick, and then spread half the creamy butter filling all over. Top with half the berry mixture and spread evenly over the dough.
Then, from the long side, roll the dough so you get a snail effect and slice into approximately 15–20 pieces. Repeat the process with the second half of the dough.
Place the slices in paper wrappers face up and bake the rolls in the oven at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for about 10–15 minutes or until they are a light brown colour. Remove from the oven brush with a little beaten egg and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Place back in the oven for another 5-6 minutes or until the buns are golden brown and the almonds are toasted.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack, if you can wait that long!

:: Tahini Noodle Toss

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:50:00 +0000

Back in the land of the living, I flew home on Sunday morning after a late night bus across Sweden which left me totally wrecked! The big news this week is that I'm heading over to London to appear on Good Food Channel's "Market Kitchen" and I am so excited! I hope they will let me take a few shots behind the scenes so I can post them here on the blog. So while I'm gearing up for my UK tv debut (hehehe couldn't wait to say that!) here is a recipe which is perfect for everyone who probably headed back to work today, it's a super lunchbox filler from the book and I hope you like it!

Tahini Noodle Toss

This little recipe came about after I ate at the California Pizza Kitchen in America; they served a really tasty crisp salad, with this rich and tasty peanut dressing. I recreated it from taste, adapted it and recently discovered it goes perfectly with noodles. This is another great little lunch box filler as it can be served hot and cold. Tahini is a creamy, yet smoky paste made from sesame seeds and is similar to peanut butter, which you can also use as a substitute. I sometimes add finely shredded raw Chinese cabbage to these noodles for extra crunch. I love this recipe because you basically combine all the wet and dry ingredients just before serving.

Serves 2
250g/9oz wholewheat noodles
4 spring onions, finely sliced
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
4 tablespoons of tahini paste
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
A good handful of bean sprouts
Toasted sesame seeds
A small handful of coriander, freshly chopped

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet, rinse in cold water and set aside.
In a small saucepan, fry the garlic and chilli for about 30 seconds, then add the soya sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and tahini paste.
Cook over a medium heat until the mixture comes to the boil and, when it does, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, add the noodles and bean sprouts, toss together with the tahini sauce until mixed through.
Serve in hearty bowls and top with toasted sesame seeds, freshly chopped coriander and thinly sliced spring onions. Time to get those chopsticks out!

:: Highlights of 2009!

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:44:00 +0000

2009 has been a fairly spectacular year indeed, between the band, the book, and lots and lots of cooking I have never been so busy in my life, but it has been totally worth it! Here's my run down of 2009 highlights!

- Started the year flying high as Peter Pan in the Tivoli theatre's panto.
- Putting together plans for a mixed pop group.
- Forming Industry with Lee Hutton, Michele McGrath, and Morgan Deane!
Favourite Recipe: Roast Garlic Potatoes

- Going to Stockholm to record Industry's first single, "My Baby's Waiting".
- Received first draft of Good Mood Food, the book.
- Pancake season!
- Went to Stockholm to support my Swedish superstar buddy sing at the Swedish Eurovision selection.
- A name was finally chosen for Industry, thankfully 4DB was thrown out the window.
- Going to Stockholm again to record very first music video, for "In Your Arms".
- Doing first photoshoot as a band- very glamorous.
Favourite Recipe: Chocolate Chip Oreo Cupcakes

- Was busy working on what I thought were the final drafts of the book.
- Planned my very first attempt at a vegetable garden.
- Planted Dill, Fennel, Pak Choi, Broad Beans, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Red Cabbage, Cabbage, Cos Lettuce, Rosemary.
- Submitted last photos for the book.
- Made first public outing as Industry on the red carpet at the Meteor Irish Music Awards.
- Went for a walk on the cliffs every morning this month.
- Blog got 10,000 unique visitors in one day, was very excited.
Favourite Recipe: Bacon Avocado and Sundried Tomato Sandwich

- Got my very first blog/book press.
- Back to Stockholm to record more tracks with Industry.
- Flew to Spain to record music video for Industry's "My Baby's Waiting".
- Took a little break in Gothenberg with Sofie.
- Submitted what I thought was the last draft of the book.
- Fell in love with dried Mango... mmmm... mango.
Favourite Recipe: Red Onion and Garlic Focaccia

- Got the BBQ out early for Mays mini heat wave.
- Back to Stockholm again to record more tracks with Industry.
- Shot the final cover for the book with the help of Erica and Sofie.
- Performed with Industry at our press launch at The Sugar Club in Dublin.
- Industry's single got it's very first airplay on 2fm.
- Got a blackberry phone.
- Sang Kate Bush wuthering heights in falsetto on radio, not pleasant but very funny.
- Discovered Flahavans porridge pots which kept me alive and well on the road.
Favourite Recipe: BBQ Cajun Spatchcock Chicken

- Got to finally visit Cork's English Market.
- Went to Ireland's Eye with Morgan and Lee for my birthday.
- Found a brill table to shoot food on.
- My annoying but hilarious fight with the birds and the strawberries.
- Lee buying male Ugg boots.
- Got introduced to Dave Peelo, the toughest fitness trainer you ever did see.
- Industry's first single "My Baby's Waiting" went straight in at number one in the Irish charts.
- Performed at the Ms. Universe competition.
Favourite Recipe: Warm Chorizo, Red Onion and Baby Potato Salad

- Went to LA with James, Morgan and Sofie.
- Got upgraded on the flight over but had to slum it on the way back.
- Saw the massive amount of tributes to Michael Jackson at his house and his Hollywood star.
- Went surfing with my Uncle Niall on Santa Monica beach.
- Did a photo shoot for VIP magazine, blue steel was out in force.
- Went to outdoor yoga in Stephens Green in Dublin.
- Supported the Pussycat Dolls at the Killarney Summerfest.
- Sent off the final final final edits of the book.
- Visited the republics very first Ikea store.
- Recorded music video for Industry's second single "Burn" at the amazing Grouse Lodge studios.
Favourite Recipe: Sticky Mustard Chicken Drumsticks

- Went on a romantic little bank holiday break in a cottage near Carlingford.
- Co-hosted the South East Radio breakfast show with the brill Tony Scott and Industry.
- Became a regular contributor with Irish Tatler.
- Industry's second single "Burn" went to number one.
- Supported Tynchi Stryder in Tralee, as you do.
- Had a brill getaway anniversary weekend in Castle Leslie, massages all round.
Favourite Recipe: Asian Teriyaki Chicken Salad

- Started tweeting 140 character recipes on my twitter.
- Appeared on RTE's Ice with Industry.
- Performed at the Barretstown Charity Bandana launch.
- Went blackberry picking with Maisie the cupcake queen.
- Picked up my copy of Good Mood Food!
- Recorded 3 new tracks with Industry at the amazing Grouse Lodge recording studios.
Favourite Recipe: Oriental Steak Salad

- Picked up my brand new camera, the Canon 5d Mark ii.
- Saw the book in shops for the first time, rearranged the shelves.
- Appeared on the front page of the Irish Examiner.
- Did lots and lots of radio interviews about the book.
- Went mushroom hunting with Aoife.
- Went back to school to do a cupcake demonstration at my old school.
- Interview on Tubridy with Ryan Tubridy about the book.
- Got a text from Michele to tell me she nearly fell over when she saw a giant poster of me in the window of Dubray Books on Grafton Street in Dublin!
- Did the official launch of the book in Dubray Books on Grafton street in Dublin.
- Appeared on RTE's The Cafe with Industry.
- Went to Gothenburg and visited a Swedish bakery.
- Interview with Ian Dempsey on Today FM.
Favourite Recipe: Blackberry Vanilla Cupcakes

- Upgraded my old desk, for a new fancy one from IKEA.
- Wrote my very first food column for the Irish Independent Weekend Magazine.
- Finally made a vision board.
- Became obsessed with one of the kitchens in IKEA.
- Heard that The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten has a copy of Good Mood Food.
- Did a cookery demonstration at an all girls school.
- Assistant food stylist on a Christmas food shoot.
Favourite Recipe: Crispy Hasselback Potatoes

- All the brill Christmas food press.
- Feature in the lovefood magazine with fellow Irish food bloggers, Italian Foodies, Cheap Eats, and Daily Spud.
- Visit to a free range turkey farm.
- Massive Christmas baking session with Erica and Maisie.
- Getting a video of the book launch from Darragh.
- Visit to Sheridans cheese, I am now hooked on cheese.
- Skiing with Sofie in Gothenburg.
- Jul pa Liseberg.
- Christmas in Sweden
Favourite Recipe: Avocado, Parmesan and Rocket Pasta

Thanks so much to all who read this blog for all the support, comments and emails this year, and I hope I'll be keeping you cooking all through 2010!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

:: Food Inc.

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 11:38:00 +0000

I recently watched "Food Inc." a movie with a tagline which promises "You'll never look at dinner the same way again" and let me just say it does not disappoint. If you have seen other sensationalist style movies about food before, don't be put off, "Food Inc." is very different, not only does it reveal the shocking way in which food is produced and its links with causing life threatening illnesses, it also provides viewers with a look at the alternative lifestyle. A visit to a free range organic farm shows the stark contrast between the production values of food. One of the best points made in the movie is that we, the consumer can change the way food is produced by demanding honest healthy food when we shop. The big companies will respond to consumers needs.

Here are some of the closing lines from the movie which really drive home the changes that you can easily make:
- You can vote to change this system, three times a day.
- Buy from companies that treat workers, animals, and the environment with respect.
- When you go to the supermarket, choose foods that are in season. Buy foods that are organic. Know what's in your food. Read labels.
- Know what you buy. The average meal travels 1500 miles from the farm to the supermarket.
- Buy foods that are grown locally.
- Shop at farmers' markets.
- Plant a garden. (Even a small one)
- Cook a meal with your family and eat together.
- Everyone has a right to healthy food.
- Ask your school board to provide healthy school lunches.
- If you say grace, ask for food that will keep us, and the planet healthy.
- You can change the world with every bite.

Hungry for change? Go to: takepart.com/foodinc

:: Avocado, Parmesan and Rocket Pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:46:00 +0000

Who else is ready for the lighter foods season to start? I love Christmas and all the festive food that comes with it but after all the leftovers are eaten I am more than ready to start eating healthy dishes again. As January rolls in the focus will quickly change to healthy dishes to help all those with optimistic New Years resolutions and I can't wait!

There is nothing more exciting for me than the feeling of starting something new! So as you can imagine I am already looking forward to 2010 and the start of a brand new decade. Now everyone has new years resolutions but sometimes its easier, if even a bit scary to look at the big picture and start thinking what the next 10 years might bring! I'm still having a think about where I want to be in 2020, but one of the big things on my list is to keep eating healthy food and exercising so I'm ready for the next ten years! So come on new decade we're READY FOR YA!

Avocado, Parmesan and Rocket Pasta

As I may or may not have mentioned I am addicted to avocados! They are packed with healthy nutrients and vitamins so all the more reason to eat them. I have been coming up with different recipes just to stick them in to my diet and this is one of my favourites. Look for avocados which are slightly soft to the touch when you press them with your fingers. The only thing to remember about avocados is that, unless you give them a spritz of lemon juice they tend not to like sitting around, so always prepare them last.

Serves 4
250g of wholemeal pasta
70g of rocket leaves, roughly chopped
2 avocados
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
A good handful of grated Parmesan cheese
A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper

Cook the pasta according the instructions on the pack.
While the pasta is cooking, add the rocket, Parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper to a mixing bowl and set aside.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it and then add it to the bowl.
Pour in the vinegar and olive oil and stir the pasta until it is nicely coated. You should end up with stringy cheesy green pasta- YUM!
Slice the avocados in half and remove the stones, slice thinly and add to the pasta.
Serve straight away and devour!

:: Swedish Christmas Recap!

noreply@blogger.com (Donal) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:10:00 +0000

As I mentioned over on twitter the Swedes celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December and Santa Claus personally delivers all the presents in person which was a very strange experience altogether! When I was living in Sweden a few years ago I worked briefly as a chef at a Christmas buffet which is more commonly known over here as a Julbord, so I have my fair share of knowledge when it comes to traditional Swedish Christmas food. However having never actually experienced a Swedish Christmas I was totally unprepared for the non food traditions!

When we arrived at Sofie's grandparents house on the big day, we got straight to work on a red cabbage carrot salad we had promised to make, to add to the table. There was 14 people for dinner so the kitchen was already a hive of activity by the time we arrived. Halfway through preparing the salad, we were whisked into the sitting room to sit and watch "Kalle Anka" which is a collection of Disney cartoons, shown at the same time every year! I was informed that across the country every other family would be doing exactly the same thing! So we all sat and watched Donald Duck wish us a happy Christmas and waited anxiously for dinner to be served and for a visit from Santa!

After the cartoons ended, we all headed towards the kitchen where the whole table had been set out with a huge spread of delicious Christmas food. The Christmas ham which had been boiled and baked with a mustard topping, boiled eggs with caviar, good old Swedish meatballs, Brussel sprouts, beetroot salad, boiled potatoes, and a selection of Swedish cheeses with Knackebrod all made an appearance on the huge table of food! One of the dishes which is a little strange for foreign visitors is Jansson, which is like a shredded version of potato gratin with anchovies, it's really delicious! Unlike Christmas dinner at home, we all served ourselves buffet style, and then sat down to eat.

When everyone had helped themselves to seconds and were finally finished them, we all sat back on the sofa and waited for the big fella to arrive! Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE!) was excited, as Sofie's youngest cousins who were stuck to window, managed to peel themselves off the glass in time to shout to the rest of us, that Santa was here! He clumped into the room and sat down, Sofie's grandad served him a big glass of schnapps and he got straight down to business giving out the presents! Sofie told me that this was the first year he had ever spoken English so he must have known I was there! :) His English was so good that he even managed to sing a verse of "We wish you a merry Christmas" every time he gave out a present. The only problem was that when he gave out a present you had to go up to him and sit on his knee, where he bounced you up and down while singing the song! Even the grandparents weren't left out!

After Santa left, we all sat around the sitting room and everyone opened their presents one by one, another Swedish Christmas tradition! While this is a lovely thought, in theory, and everyone gets to see each others gifts, it took us two hours to get through everyone's presents! I suppose it's much more pleasant than the Irish tradition of everyone ripping into their presents as quick as possible!

When the presents were all opened and thoroughly appreciated we were served the final meal of the day, Ris A La Malta, which is like a rice pudding with cream and vanilla sugar served with orange segments. I have a particular fondness for this dessert as it was always my job to make it at the Julbord! Overall my first Christmas away from home was great fun and it was brilliant to experience something new but I have to say it was really strange to celebrate the big day before the big day!

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