Blogs

Hi, everyone!

We know you love hearing from our Irish guests, so look for a new blog from us on the 17^th of every month! You will hear from many of your favorite people from the Emerald Isle!

Here's some insight into what they've been up to...

Stephen Walsh, Connemara Marble

I am really excited to be coming back to QVC on Wednesday, June 19^th, as I will have two brand new items featured during the Global Artisan - Crafted Silver Jewellery show at 11PM ET. I will be presenting a handmade sterling silver ring with a Connemara marble rose and a matching pendant with a cord necklace.

Here are some photos from our workshop in Rathfarnham Village, Dublin. It's always a tricky task to find just the right pieces of marble in the right shade of green, and often we have to start with quite a small piece. We then bring it in to the workshop, where you can see Gary at work with the diamond-tipped saw, and afterwards all items are polished using a felt-tipped mop, where you can see Shane hard at work!

Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday! You can buy the ring and pendant now as part of the Global Artisan – Crafted Silver Jewellery preview online!

All the best from sunny Ireland!

Stephen

A few of our other Irish friends also recently received the Belleek “Everyday” Baker that was introduced during our Saint Patrick's Day celebration. See how they use this baker back home in Ireland. They’ve also included their recipes to share with you!

Eve Turner, JMH Jewellery

I was thrilled to get my Belleek “Everyday” baker from QVC! It’s a beautiful addition to my bakeware collection! As a busy Mom who is nearly 9 months pregnant, my ‘big thing’ these days in the kitchen is one-pot wonders! In the winter, I do a lot of stews and casseroles that this baker will be ideal for! And as summer beckons, I tend to focus more on pasta and fish dishes! I can’t wait to try David from Fragrances of Ireland’s fish pie! Mmmm!

This dish is one of my family favourites – the “Whatever Is In the Store Cupboard Pasta Bake”! Most of the ingredients are always in my cupboard, and it takes only a few minutes to put together. Hugh, my son, loves to help put the cheese on top! The great thing about this dish is that you can substitute the tuna for lots of things, such as chorizo, salmon, shrimp, or whatever takes your fancy!

I can’t take the credit for the recipe; it’s one of Rachel Allen’s, a very well-known chef here in Ireland!

“Whatever Is In the Store Cupboard Pasta Bake”

Ingredients:

• 100g/3.5oz chorizo, finely sliced (or a handful of shrimp, or a tin of tuna)


• 500g/ 1lb 2oz penne pasta


• 2 x tins of tomatoes, chopped


• 175ml/6fl oz boiling water


• 175ml/6fl oz double cream


• 50g/2oz chopped spring onions


• 2 tbsp chopped basil


• 50g/2oz capers


• 100g/3.5oz olives (pitted and chopped)


• 75g/3oz soft goat cheese, crumbled


• 150g/5oz Gruyere cheese, grated


• 150g/5oz cheddar cheese, grated


• (for the cheese I just use any 3 different types, but I always try to include the goat cheese for that yummy flavor!)


• Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F


2. If using chorizo or shrimp, fry in olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat for 2 minutes. (Tinned Tuna can be added straight to the baker)


3. In the baker, mix together the dried pasta with the tomatoes, boiling water and cream.


4. Add the chorizo, spring onions, basil, capers, olives & garlic.


5. Season with salt pepper and a sprinkle of sugar.


6. Scatter over the 3 different cheeses making sure the pasta is completely covered.


7. Cook for 40-50 minutes, cover with the baker lid after about 30 minutes to stop the pasta from drying out

YUMMY

Patricia McCauley, Belleek Pottery

Summer is a time for getting together with family and friends and enjoying simple, tasty, fresh food with good company and lots of laughs! I was very lucky recently to have the pleasure of organising a very special family gathering – the Christening of my beautiful new granddaughter, Lexi!

Following the service, we invited all of our extended family and friends to continue the celebrations at our home, where we enjoyed a buffet served in the beautiful Belleek “Everyday” baker! I would like to share with you two of my favourite salad recipes which, in my experience of family gatherings, are sure crowd-pleasers and great accompaniments to many summer meals! You can still pick up our Belleek “Everyday” Basketweave Baker with Lid on QVC.com to usefor all of your summer gatherings!

Enjoy!

Slán libh go léir,

Patricia

Creamy Coleslaw with Rocket Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 head green cabbage, finely shredded


• 2 large carrots, finely shredded


• 3/4 cup best-quality mayonnaise


• 2 tablespoons sour cream


• 2 tablespoons grated Spanish onion


• 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste


• 2 tablespoons white vinegar


• 1 tablespoon dry mustard


• 2 teaspoons celery salt


• Salt and freshly ground pepper


• Rocket & mixed lettuce leaves to serve


• 1 tomato for garnish

Combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery salt, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl, and then add to the cabbage mixture. Mix well to combine, and taste for seasoning. Add more salt, pepper, or sugar if desired. Serve with a rocket salad and tomato to garnish.

Classic Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of  potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces


• 3/4 cup sour cream


• 1/4 cup mayonnaise


• 2 teaspoons of mustard


• 1/2 cup sliced spring onions


• 1/2 cup chopped celery


• 1/4 cup chopped parsley


• 2 dill pickles, chopped into 1/4 in cubes


• Coarse salt


• Freshly ground pepper


• Cucumber and red pepper slices to garnish

1. In a large pot, cover potatoes with cold, salted water (1 teaspoon salt). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. (If you want, add some pickle juice to the drained, still slightly warm potatoes. The potatoes will absorb some of the juices, making them even tastier!)


2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, and mustard. Add a little salt and pepper. Add the potatoes and gently combine. Add the rest of the ingredients, again gently combining. (Include a couple tablespoons of the pickle juice for good measure.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with cucumber slices, spring onion and pepper.

Sinead Flood, Solvar Jewellery

Last Sunday, the weather forecast was for “heavy rain”, so I decided I would make my husband’s favoured dish, “Irish Stew”, for a late afternoon lunch and invited some family over to join us!! It turned out to be a wonderful afternoon, relaxed and full of good humour! My sisters said that they were delighted to see I bought a bit of elegances to the table, which I presume they were referring to the Belleek “Everyday” Baker and not my serving up skills!

Even the weather turned out to be a gorgeous! When all the family finally left and it was time to wash my pots (only two!), I had a thought - Basketweave jewellery!! What do you think? Here are some ideas, but I don’t think the jewellery captures the basket weave as beautiful as the Belleek baker does!

Here is my mum’s recipe for Irish stew! I have no idea where she got it from, perhaps her mum!!

Irish Stew

Serves 2-3, double-up per your numbers! This Dish is perfect for a slow cooker or an Aga!

Serve up with a big bowl of potatoes!

Ingredients:

• 1lb stewing beef


• 1 onion


• 4 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce


• 2 tablespoons of tomato pure


• 1 dessertspoon of Bovril


• 1 chicken stock cube (and yes, it’s chicken!)


• 15ml/25ml water, depending on how much sauce you like!


• Carrots, optional


• No Salt or pepper, as the Worcestershire adds all the flavours

1. Cut the beef into cubes (or ask the butcher to do it)


2. Heat a non-stick pan with a little oil and brown the meat, remove from the heat when done. I brown 1/2lb of meat at a time, as I feel the meat gets a much better searing!


3. Sauté the onion until just before it turns too brown!


4. Place the beef and the onion into a casserole dish and add the following: chicken stock cube, Worcestershire Sauce, Bovril, tomato puree, and water. (I use about 20ml of water, I don’t like to completely cover the meat but just to come up half way on the food!)


5. Cook in the oven 160°C /300°F/Gas 2 for a minimum of 1.5 hours. I personally leave it in my Aga for 4 to 6 hours in the simmering oven!


6. If you decide to cook the carrots in the stew, which I do as it’s one less thing to wash up, put them in ¾ of an hour before you take it out!

Enjoy!

Sinead

What do you love to cook in your Belleek “Everyday” Basketweave Baker? Will you be trying any of our recipes? Let us know – we’d love to hear from you!

Shop our Irish assortment on QVC.com.