New food blogger Longview uses Irish roots to provide her St. Patrick's Day recipes

Irish food blogger Jillian Neesonger of Longview makes cottage pie.

Longview’s Gillian Faulkner Nyswonger is the real deal when it comes to Irish cooking. An Irish native can even put age-old misconceptions about the country’s recipes firsthand. “Did you know that beef and cabbage isn’t actually a traditional Irish dish?” Nyswonger said. Many people think of the Irish as eating the dish, but its roots go back to Jewish Americans, she said. Despite origins outside of Emerald Isle, the food blogger still has a recipe for it.

Today, Nyswonger has nine authentic Irish recipes on her blog including cottage pie—similar to shepherd’s pie, but with beef instead of lamb—plus potatoes and Irish wheat bread to prepare for St. Patrick’s Day. “It’s what I love and know. I don’t think of it as Irish cooking. It’s just food to me,” Nyswonger said. After many requests from friends to start a food blog, Nyswonger started blogging in October on her website Prepareandserve.com. She said : “I like to share the knowledge I have, and if someone gets something out of it, great.” Nyswonger’s husband, Burl, is a software engineer and helps build the backend for her website, and she also homeschools her 12-year-old son part-time. Partial: “I am happy to have the opportunity to work with food without the pressures of working in the industry,” she said.

Her love of food began with her father, who often brought home exotic spices from his travels with the Merchant Navy. She also remembers her mother making, what she called, “superfood”. “I was exposed to a lot of different foods early on,” she said. Nyswonger attended the University of Ulster and graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management. I have trained and worked both back and front home in London, New Jersey, Florida, Switzerland and Germany. Her last move was from Seattle three years ago.

After 30 years of living in the United States, I am a green card holder. She has stated that she does not think she will ever become a US citizen. “Every ten years I renew my card, and it reminds me of the privilege of living here,” she said. On her blog, you’ll find not only recipes, but also hospitality tricks and general kitchen tips. “My blog is a little different because I hope to teach you something you might not have known,” she said.

The food blogger’s goal is to teach readers how to cook more efficiently and be budget-friendly while doing so. “I really want people to get into the kitchen. I want them to feel like they know what they’re doing,” Nyswonger said. Each blog post contains step-by-step instructions with photos and advice on how to change the recipe to the reader’s liking. “Every recipe has flexibility,” she said.

Traditional Irish soda bread

ingredients

1 pound all-purpose flour

10 ounces of whole milk

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

directions

In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

Pour the curd and mix. Use a spoon at first, then use your hands.

Form the bread dough into a ‘bannock’ (a round shape with a flattened surface) in the bowl.

Transfer the bannock onto a Siplat mat, or parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, make a cross on top. Place in a preheated 350°F oven for 45-55 minutes.

Test the doneness of the bread by holding the hot bread with a clean dry cloth and tapping on the bottom of the bread. If it looks hollow, it means it’s done. Another test is to press down on the surface of the bread. If it sinks, as if the dough is still damp, put it back in the oven and check every 5 minutes until you get a hollow sound and no sinking texture when you push the surface.

Champ fries

ingredients

3.5 pounds potatoes are about 8 medium-sized potatoes

4 ounces butter

2 green onion bunches, about 12 count

3 ounces heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon of salt

directions

Peel the potatoes and cut them into small equal pieces. Add them to a pot of cold salted water.

Boil the potatoes over medium/high heat until tender, 7-8 minutes.

Wash and peel any soft or sticky parts of the green onions. Cut the green and white parts into small pieces.

Put green onions in a saucepan. Add half of the butter and all of the cream. Cook gently over medium/low heat. Don’t let it burn, just let it simmer.

When the potatoes are done, drain all the water from them. Return it to the heat and let it dry by letting the remaining water evaporate. Mash them with a manual masher.

Add the contents of the green onion bowl to the mashed potatoes.

Mix them well with a spoon, add more salt if needed.

It is ready to serve. Add a lid to the pot if you’re not quite ready to serve it to retain heat. Use the remaining half of the butter to melt on the champ.

Irish food blogger Jillian Neesonger of Longview makes cottage pie.

Longview’s Gillian Faulkner Nyswonger is the real deal when it comes to Irish cooking.

An Irish native can even put age-old misconceptions about the country’s recipes firsthand.

“Did you know that beef and cabbage isn’t actually a traditional Irish dish?” Nyswonger said.

Many people think of the Irish as eating the dish, but its roots go back to Jewish Americans, she said. Despite origins outside of Emerald Isle, the food blogger still has a recipe for it.

“That’s what I love and know. I don’t think of it as Irish cooking. It’s just food for me,” Nyswonger said.

After many requests from friends to start a food blog, Nyswonger started blogging in October on her website Prepareandserve.com.

“I love to share the knowledge I have, and if someone gets something out of it, great,” she said.

Nyswonger’s husband, Burl, is a software engineer and helps build the backend of her website, and she also homeschools her 12-year-old son part-time.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with food without the pressures of working in the industry,” she said.

Her love of food began with her father, who often brought home exotic spices from his travels with the Merchant Navy.

She also remembers her mother making, what she called, “superfood”.

“I was exposed to a lot of different foods early on,” she said.

Nyswonger attended the University of Ulster and graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management. I have trained and worked both back and front home in London, New Jersey, Florida, Switzerland and Germany. Her last move was from Seattle three years ago.

After 30 years of living in the United States, I am a green card holder. She has stated that she does not think she will ever become a US citizen.

“Every ten years I renew my card, and it reminds me of the privilege of living here,” she said.

On her blog, you’ll find not only recipes, but also hospitality tricks and general kitchen tips.

“My blog is a little different because I hope to teach you something you might not have known,” she said.

The food blogger’s goal is to teach readers how to cook more efficiently and be budget-friendly while doing so.

“I really want people to get into the kitchen. I want them to feel like they know what they’re doing,” Nyswonger said.

Each blog post contains step-by-step instructions with photos and tips on how to alter the recipe to the reader’s liking.

“Every recipe has flexibility,” she said.

Traditional Irish soda bread

ingredients

1 pound all-purpose flour

10 ounces of whole milk

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

directions

In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

Pour the curd and mix. Use a spoon at first, then use your hands.

Form the bread dough into a ‘bannock’ (a round shape with a flattened surface) in the bowl.

Transfer the bannock onto a Siplat mat, or parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, make a cross on top. Place in a preheated 350°F oven for 45-55 minutes.

Champ fries

ingredients

3.5 pounds potatoes are about 8 medium-sized potatoes

4 ounces butter

2 green onion bunches, about 12 count

3 ounces heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon of salt

directions

Peel the potatoes and cut them into small equal pieces. Add them to a pot of cold salted water.

Boil the potatoes over medium/high heat until tender, 7-8 minutes.

Wash and peel any soft or sticky parts of the green onions. Cut the green and white parts into small pieces.

Put green onions in a saucepan. Add half of the butter and all of the cream. Cook gently over medium/low heat. Don’t let it burn, just let it simmer.

When the potatoes are done, drain all the water from them. Return it to the heat and let it dry by letting the remaining water evaporate. Mash them with a manual masher.

Add the contents of the green onion bowl to the mashed potatoes.

Mix them well with a spoon, add more salt if needed.

It is ready to serve. Add a lid to the pot if you’re not quite ready to serve it to retain heat. Use the remaining half of the butter to melt on the champ.

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New food blogger Longview uses Irish roots to provide her St. Patrick’s Day recipes

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