Homemade Lemonade

There is nothing like an ice cold glass of homemade lemonade on a summer's day. Since I come from a big family, I always end up making countless batches of this juice every summer. It is the perfect time to make this refreshing drink as the weather in Ireland is sunny and warm (which is something us Irish are used to here!).

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice (usually takes about 12 lemons)
- 1 3/4 cups of white sugar
-8 cups of water

Step 1. Squeeze the juice out of the lemons.
Tip: In order to get as much juice as possible out of the lemons, I usually microwave them for about 20-30 seconds or repeatedly roll the lemons on the kitchen counter top to soften them. This allows the juice to be squeezed out easily and in greater amounts.
Step 2. Add 1 cup of water and sugar to the saucepan. Stir with the heat until sugar is dissolved.Leave in fridge to cool down.
Step 3. Add the lemon juice and remaining 7 cups of water to the chilled syrup.
Step 4.Serve ice cold and enjoy ! :)

My all time Favorited way to use lemonade is to make a cocktail with it. I am completely obsessed with gin and it tastes best when mixed with this lemonade. It is so refreshing and would recommend Bombay Sapphire Gin for this mixture. Perfect for punch at BBQs! 

The Counter

                               

Passing through Dublin and looking for a Classic American burger joint?

The Counter is perfect!

I was visiting Dublin with my friend Aidan to see a Beyonce concert. We had previously traveled California for a month together last year, eating around us like kings. It became requited love between us and the food stateside and since America is known for its notorious burgers, we became pros knowing what it takes for the perfect patty.

 My first impression of entering The Counter was how simple and retro the place was. The waitress approached us and seated us straight away. We were so happy not to be waiting as we were STARVING after our long bus journey! We were given a set menu attached to a clip board and a tick the box sheet to make a customized built burger. Obviously, this option went straight to our heads, getting us really excited to order. Using the little pencils, we ticked the boxes spoiled with choice on what to get (I will admit I took awhile because there was so many yummy toppings much to choose from).

The Menu

First of all, I'm going to talk about the menu as this was not your average restaurant menu you would pick up. It was one of the the most exciting parts of the whole experience.

Section 1: This section consisted of what size burger you wanted and how you wanted it served (burger or bowl)

Section 2: Various different types of cheeses are listed here. There was 12 in total which ranged from Goats Blue cheese to Greek Feta to Irish Cheddar. I like a bit of heat so i opted for the Jalapeno Jack cheese.

Section 3:  This was my favorite section which had 31 toppings to choose from. Obviously, this is a big enough number which led to me taking ages to decide what i wanted. The selection was amazing ranging from classic burger toppings to more a more diverse range. I ordered Jalapenos, dill pickle, fried onion and smoked bacon. 

Section 4: This part of the menu had 23 different sauces to choose from. They complimented different tastes which is why the menu was suitable to everyone (sweet, sour, spicy). As I said earlier, I like the heat so i chose the hot sauce. 

Section 5: The last part was very impressive as  was a choice as to which type of bun you wanted.

Overall, the menu was pretty impressive and easy to fill out. This definitely did add to my experience at The Counter as not much restaurants in Ireland have this fun little option. The most impressive and reassuring part of the menu was at the very top where it had printed "Fresh 100% Irish Hereford Beef, Never Frozen, Hormone and Antibiotic Free, Humanely raised and handled". Fat free options and Vegan veggie burgers were also available catering to those with different eating preferences. 

Starters

My friend and I decided on the large buffalo wings with hot wing sauce to share. Not only do they look amazing but they were the most amazing buffalo wings I have ever had.  The chicken was falling off the bone and as you can see they were generous with the sauce. I have often experienced overdone buffalo wings which could convincingly break your teeth they were so hard. These were flawless though and I could not find a fault in them. The sour cream sauce was tasty too. I have often come across buffalo wings served with garlic mayo and it doesn't taste the same with the flavors combined. The starters set the standard for what was going to come next. 

Main course

Beef burger with Jalapenos, fried onions, dill pickle, Jalapeno Jack cheese and smoked bacon.

Chicken Burger with Jalapenos, fried onions, smoked, Jalapeno Jack cheese and spicy pepperoncinis.                

                                         

                                       

My beef burger was delicious. It had a smokey flame grilled taste while the bacon was juicy and Texas style. I love spicy food so my choice of hot sauce and jalapenos gave me the heat i was looking for. I could not fault this. I investigated the condition of the bun to see if it was soggy but thankfully it wasn't. That is my worst nightmare when ordering a burger. The Counter had everything down to a T! Extra brownie points for putting a slice of lemon in my Coca Cola. :)
We had no possible room for dessert our bellies were so full and happy!
Overall, my experience at The Counter was amazing. I will definitely be back here and I am excited already to try something new off the menu. Next time I will try make room for dessert as no doubt it will be delicious :)
Visit their FB page here  or website to find out more. :)

Elderflower Cordial

It is that time of year again when the Elderflower starts to blossom, allowing us to create a delicious fruity cordial.

First of all you will need to pick some Fresh Elderflower. This is usually found on the side of the road or in a field of a countryside area. Picking Elderflower from the side of the road can be quite dangerous while flowers can also tainted with petroleum fumes. In this case, I recommend a field of some sort away from the road.

Tips
1. Do not mix up Elderflower with Cow Parsley.  I made a huge rookie mistake by doing this before as they are quite alike. Cow Parsley are usually on the side of the road sticking up from straight green thick stalks whereas Elderflower is on a bush and usually grows high up.
2. If you pick the Elderflower and do not plan to used it straight away, be sure to freeze it as this keeps the flavour. The longer they are left out in the air they will wilt and wont be suitable for making cordial
3. Citric acid can be found in any pharmacy. It is used to kill bacteria and therefore acts as a preservative. This will allow the Elderflower cordial to last up to a year.
4. Store in glass bottles with screw top lids.

Ingredients:
- Elderflower (50 heads)
- 4Ib of granulated sugar
-2pints of water
-2 lemons each chopped into founded fours (using the zest from 1)
-2oz citric acid


Step 1. Pour 2 pints of water and 4Ib of granulated sugar into a large pot and bring to the boil. Stir with the heat while dissolving as much sugar as possible.
Step 2.While the sugar is dissolving, shake the Elderflower heads lightly to remove any insects that could be on them. Remove as many of the green stalks as possible.
Step 3.Take the water off the heat. Add lemons (including zest off one) , citric acid and Elderflower heads.
Step 4.Allow to sit for 24 hours
Step 5.Put the cordial through a a very fine sieve in order to get rid of all the little bits.

Store in glass bottles with screw top lids.

My favourite ways to use Elderflower cordial:
1. Dilute with water/sparkling water
2. Mix with Gin and soda water or white lemonade
3. Add to wine

Make loads of batchs now while the Elderflower is here. They will be gone soon. Enjoy bottles of Elderflower cordial all year round :)