Grocery shopping in Galway

I've officially entered wine-country snob shock: I'm now on a shoe-string budget and without discount access to fine international wines. Wilson Daniels employee discount...where are you when I need you? Half-price Marc Kreydenweiss Kritt Gewurztraminer...how I long for you. But I digress.

These are my thoughts as I peruse through the wine aisle at our grocery store. Granted, there are a decent amount of international wines here - primarily South Africa, Australia, Italy and France - but the Irish love their wine CHEAP. I can relate to that with our current financials. But it's so hard to figure out what wines are good under 10 EURO when I've never heard of 75 percent of the brands in the store. Maybe when we get internet service at home I can do more research on these potential values. So far, I have been biffed by a bottle of Jacob's Creek Riesling; a mainstay, reliable producer from Australia. But this bottle of wine was swill. Could be the worst Riesling I've ever had in my life...did the food pairing ruin it? It couldn't have made this wine any worse, could it?

Okay, back to shopping in Galway. We have a few "more affordable" (not factoring in how weak the U.S. dollar is) grocery stores here - Dunnes and Tesco. They just opened a new Dunnes on Damon's birthday (September 25) few close to our apartment - very exciting. http://www.dunnesstores.ie/

After I learned how to put the EURO coin into the trolley (cart) so that I could get it out of the bay and use it, I got to experience the grand opening of the new Dunnes at Knocknacarra, replete with characters on stilts, a live band, free wine and food samples and more. The stores are actually really nice; you just have to get used to all of the differences and try to find substitutes for things we have back in the U.S. - like canned minced garlic or Crisco, for example. I also learned last week that plastic bags at the store ARE NOT FREE, folks. How is that for a wake-up call, Americans? Why not charge us for the plastic bags to reduce our wastefulness? It cost me 20 cents per bag on my bill if I don't bring my own. Needless to say, getting ready to go to the store is a big deal because I have to pack up all of my cloth bags to make sure I have enough bags to carry home my groceries.

I decided to make Damon a BIG birthday dinner - and his only request was a homemade cake this year - so this was a very important trip. I made him Salmon with Roasted Beets and Argula Cream, a recipe I found in one of my Food & Wine cookbooks. Trying to find all of the recipes to make my first birthday cake (and from scratch) in my short history in the kitchen. I did some improvising, and it all worked out. Damon LOVED the dish and the cake.

Here is the dinner recipe:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/salmon-with-arugula-cream-and-soy-braised-beets

I couldn't find the cake recipe online, but it's called the "Shhh...don't tell" cake from the Bride & Groom cookbook by twin sisters:
http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/special/2003/bride/

We will enjoy the cake (and left-over roasted beets) for days to come.