Book excerpt: To many, Imen McDonnell’s life reads as a modern fairytale. Happily going about her business as a young American woman embarking upon a successful career in broadcast production, she was introduced to a dashing Irish farmer and fell instantly in love. In short order, Imen found herself leaving behind her work, her country, and her family and friends to start a life from scratch on a centuries-old family dairy farm in County Limerick. The Farmette Cookbook is more than just a cookbook, it’s a chronicle of Imen’s journey, embracing her new identity as a farmer’s wife, discovering new tastes, feeding her family, and finding her way around the Irish kitchen, where traditional cooking trumps quick and convenient. Here, Imen shares her tried-and-true classic Irish recipes, infused with a contemporary American twist: from her Best Brown Bread, Fish-’n’-Chip Pie, and Richard’s "Proper" Irish Coffee to Farmhouse Buttermilk Beignets, Hot-Smoked Burren Salmon Tacos, and an Irish Hedgerow Shandy. Highlighting farmhouse skills (such as butter and cheese making) and the use of local, wholesome ingredients, Imen invites us into her kitchen and her world, through stories and recipes, for a taste of the Irish countryside.