For those of you who know me you all know that when I find a libation I love I really love it!!! So when I was in Ireland I found one of my passions-Bulmers!! I discovered it on my last night in Dublin and my love affair began instantly and since the bartender told me I couldn't find it in the United States I kind of found myself in a state of panic. I knew it was a heavy carry on but I was willing to bear the weight to bring it to America. Bulmers is an alcoholic apple cider however unlike the more common pear ciders it is not syrupy sweet and it is truly refreshing and easy to drink. It is amazing on a warm summer afternoon or just for a night of watching soccer and drinking.



So as some of you know I have a pattern of what we shall call "border issues" so I was a little concerned about bringing Bulmers to America but I decided it was worth the risk. I also decided to bring some Irish cheese home with me and since I bought it at the airport I was confident in its ability to cross international borders. Boy was I wrong because when I got to Irish customs they could care less about my Bulmers but my cheese was confiscated. Unfortunately this was not my first experience with "border issues." My first "border issue" was with the Canadian/American border and we won't tell that story on this blog. My 2nd border issue was with the Mexican/American border while trying to bring Cuban cigars across...however thankfully the border patrol officer fell for the "cutie thing" and my cigars made it through. And well in Ireland 1 out of 2 isn't bad...so the Bulmers came home and the cheese went to the garbage. Since that fateful trip to Ireland I have learned that they do carry Bulmers in America but it has an alias as its called Magners. So hooray for international imports!!!



To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, which is a cultural and religious holiday, honoring the patron saint of Ireland I decided to make Reuben Soup. It is kind of a spin off on the sandwich yet in soup version which was perfect for the cold rainy day that it was here in So Cal today. When I first read the recipe I was intrigued but a little scared but I decided to give it a try. However, I did not realize what an undertaking I was getting myself into as when I went to the grocery store I couldn't find cooked corned beef. So I was cocky and decided hell I can cook the corned beef and then make the soup...well after 3 1/2 hours of cooking corned beef I could finally start the soup. Nothing like an all day soup undertaking right?



For the soup, saute the onion and celery in butter. Add 1/4 cup flour as a thickener for the soup and stir until smooth. Add 4 cubes of beef bouillon and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes and then add 3 cups half and half, 1 cup shredded swiss cheese, 8 oz shredded corned beef and 1 cup sauerkraut. Cook for 30 minutes on low heat. Once the soup is done toast rye bread and put it on top of the soup in oven proof bowls. Sprinkle with more shredded swiss cheese and put it in the broiler to melt the cheese.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed this soup. I actually was pretty proud and excited about my soup. It has a creamy texture and the sauerkraut gave it a tangy taste that worked really well with the swiss cheese. This is definitely a comfort food and it really did remind me of the sandwich which I really didn't think was possible. I definitely recommend this soup recipe if you are looking for something different for St. Patrick's Day or for any other cool night. Cheers!!!