Goodbye, Dublin; Hello, Ballingarry!

We have "dinner at Ann's" and then we hit the road

Sometimes the internet is just what you need. I found this interesting app called EatWith, where folks host cooking lessons/dinner parties in their homes. What the heck, I signed up to enjoy “dinner at Ann’s,” where we’d learn to make some basic Irish recipes. Bonus! Ann loves dogs and welcomed Gussie as a guest, how nice was that? So off we taxi’d to the Castleknock area of Dublin, a homey community near Phoenix Park.

We had a lovely time. There was a couple from CA/FL who had arrived just the night before, and I think hit a wall of jet lag but tried to soldier on, a couple from Utah, and a mother and daughter celebrating the daughter’s high school graduation. Everyone thoroughly admired the Gus man, who splooted adorably and waited patiently for bites.

We each had a go at one of the sides. First up, making a simple soda bread.

Excuse me, but do you have any Grey Poupon….or a little tidbit you might drop my way ma’am?

The bread was popped into the oven (Ann had made a large demo loaf for us, so we slathered on good Irish butter and dipped right in). Next up, making a nice veggie soup. In Ireland, they make a lovely thick soup, with the veggies emulsified. Goes very, very well with a slab of soda bread.

And another Irish standard, colcannon, a tasty bake of potatoes, cabbage, a bit of cream, and cheese. Ann swapped out pale cabbage for bright green kale, which was lovely. I was the professional potato ricer, just about the only job I could handle re: cooking.

And the last, and frankly best, bit — an Irish Beef and Guinness stew. Even Gussie had a small bowl, it was delicious.

Sharp eyes will note that Ann, the consummate hostess, also had a small bag of doggo treats for our floofy boi!

Of course there was a finale, a lovely Irish coffee to wind the evening up. There is very definitely a process to creating the perfect drink, involving heating the glass with warm water, and making sure your double cream is just shaken up enough that it sit lightly on top of the coffee without soaking through. And of course some Jameson’s.

We particularly loved the tea cozy -- It's Michael D. Higgins, the well liked President of Ireland (who also owns Bernese Mountain Dogs who go everywhere he goes (although sadly one passed away recently))

But once we’d quaffed our coffees and talked and laughed some more, it was time to go, armed with a fully tummy, good memories, and the vital recipe booklet.

For Gussie and me, that meant packing up and saying good-bye to Dublin. The next morning, bright and early, Derek and his pet taxi came to collect us, and drop us at the Newway Car Rental office, for our first moments of Driving On The Left. I will only say that within the first minute in the car, I clipped another car on the left with my “wing” mirror, but in Ireland, those left mirrors fold in at the slightest touch — so no harm done! And we were on our way to Ballingarry with no further incidents. Yay.