Cranberries take center stage this month in both sweet and savory dishes. One of my favorites is this quick bread, sweet enough for dessert but not-too-sweet for breakfast or afternoon tea. The versatile little berry is widely available in markets this month and next, so buy a few bags to use now and a few to freeze for later. You’ll find recipes for…

     While pumpkins are not native to Ireland, they are in great demand during the autumn, from Halloween straight through to Christmas. In the U.S., we use pumpkins and other winter squash varieties in many sweet and savory dishes, always enticed by the look of a supermarket display or a roadside stand selling the colorful beauties! These muffins are…

If it’s October, it’s time to add apples to the menu. This recipe for an apple tea loaf is reminiscent of a traditional Irish apple cake. The brandy adds a little kick and the nuts a bit of crunch. I like to bake it in a stoneware tea loaf pan (12 x 4 x 2 1/2-inches) that creates smaller slices than a traditional full-sized loaf. The tea loaf pan (I…

Fresh or dried, figs are it! While not native to Ireland, they’re no longer considered “exotic” and are widely available to use in dishes ranging from teatime sandwiches to appetizers and. Christmas bakers have probably already started to stockpile dried ones for holidays sweets, but, in…