We're not long back from a week of holidaying in East Cork, and even though we have taken many a holiday there it's somewhere that we tend to return to again and again. There really is no place more beautiful than Ireland, once the sun makes a bit of an appearance, and we were ever so fortunate with the weather. The temperatures were just perfect for basking by the beach, as we kept an eye on the children, as they tried to outdo each other with their castle creations. For each of these beach visits much fuel was needed to optimise our energy levels. Rather conveniently, the ever impressive Midleton market made light work of filling the picnic hampers. It must be the best Farmer's market in the country, with each and every stall holder a true artisan. I even managed to have a cuppa with my blogging buddy, Lilly Higgins, who's lucky enough to have this beautiful market as her local shopping ground each Saturday morning. 

In between beach visits and market shopping I managed to take in a visit to the Ballymaloe Cookery School. My eldest boy, Jack, and I spent the afternoon at the most enjoyable cookery demonstration, guided by Rory O'Connell, who founded the school in 1985, along with his sister, Darina. The food he demonstrated was eloquent, but most of the ingredients were simply sourced from the school's impressive gardens and glasshouses. One such dish was a tomato water served with ripe peaches; perfect as a canapé or as a starter for a dinner party. The flavours reminded me of my Tomato & Feta Salad, which I tend to make lots of while Irish tomatoes are at their ripest. So, the day after our demo Jack and I put together a big bowl of this salad, and generously packed it into an Arbutus ciabatta, which we had picked up at the market. With flavours true to summer, this was the perfect picnic sandwich for that day's outing.

Tomato, Basil & Feta Ciabatta

Ingredients

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 clove garlic, crushed

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

4 tomatoes, thinly sliced

Bunch of basil leaves, roughly torn 

100g feta, crumbled

1 large Ciabatta

Method

1. First make the dressing by combining the balsamic vinegar and the olive oil. Add the garlic and season with a little sea salt and pepper.

2. To a large bowl, add the tomatoes, basil and feta. Drizzle over the dressing and combine well.

3. Cut the Ciabatta in half and stuff with the tomato and feta mixture. Wrap tightly with tin foil and refrigerate until ready to go on your picnic. 

While in East Cork, we also spent a day at Fota Wildlife Park and paid a visit, and of course a kiss, to the Blarney Stone. This year's holiday was extra special as the children had the company of all of their O'Donovan cousins. I know for sure that the fun memories they made together will last a lifetime.

When the evenings are getting darker and a little colder, I find the children are requesting more hot teas and suppers.Pan fried sandwiches, homemade pizzas and quesadillas are all among their favourites. I'm lucky that my kids love their mealtimes and if they had their way they would have me cooking another big meal for them at teatime. I understand their gra for food as I spend most of the day thinking about food myself!! However after cooking full dinners in the middle of the day I like to chose a supper that doesn't require too much effort.
This is one dish that can be rustled up in 15minutes, making it a perfect tea or supper. I love basil and incorporate it into many dishes hence this is a flavour that the children are accustomed to and really enjoy in their meals. A good quality basil pesto is an essential fridge ingredient. It can be added to dishes when fresh herbs aren't to hand, it's delicious drizzled over a salad and it can also be added to roasted or stir fried vegetables. There are endless uses for this little jar of goodness but I find we use it most as a main ingredient with pasta, which comes in very handy as a super speedy supper. For this dish I've added some other convenient ingredients,which are always to be found in my fridge and press. Feel free to leave out some of these and substitute with some of your own favoured ingredients. Cooked chicken, bacon or prawns would make this a more substantial meal however as I'm serving it as a quick fix supper I'm not adding them here. I love the addition of the creamy feta and flavoursome Parmesan which slowly melt when stirred into the pasta and for a little extra crunch I like to add some pinenuts, that I normally toast on a dry pan for a minute to enhance their flavour. Garlic Bread would make a nice accompaniment to this dish but I normally just serve it in a bowl with a fork and a gentle reminder that the kitchen is now closed till 7.30am!

Cheesy Pesto Pasta

Ingredients
300g spaghetti
3tbsp basil pesto
80g feta cheese
50g parmesan cheese{plus a little extra for serving}
100g sun-blushed tomatoes, chopped
100g black or green olives
50g pine nuts, toasted
freshly ground pepper

Method
1. Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the pack.
2. Drain the spaghetti leaving a few tbsp of the cooking water in the saucepan. Return the spaghetti to the saucepan.
3. On a low heat add the pesto, grate in the parmesan and crumble in the feta. Stir well to combine.
4. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the tomatoes and olives. Season with a few grinds of black pepper.
5. Divide into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and top with a little grated parmesan. Enjoy!

I absolutely love to receive edible gifts and this was one of the nicest that I've got in a long time. Nick comes to our family on his holidays every couple of months and is such a big part of our lives. Nick has cerebral palsy and he has lived with the Camphill Community in Callan for the past 21 years. A wonderful group of people live and work in Camphill. Nick is now living at The Workhouse in Callan and the house parents are Stephan and Sara. They are such lovely people and Nick loves them to bits! He's a very happy young man and his good humour is addictive. Our house is always full of laughter when Nick is staying.

The boys love the flavour of Basil and here is Fionn making some pesto.