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Trying Out a New Language

Posted in Recipes, Trips/Holidays, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 07/09/2013| 1 Comment »

Gathering round the evening campfire.

Gathering round the evening campfire.

It has been several weeks since I last blogged but you’ll understand when I explain that our traveling four-some has been deep in foreign-language country.

Technically we were in north-west Minnesota, at a camp run by Concordia Language Villages, but the immersion of the camp was so deep that we might as well have been abroad. From food to spoken word, we were in another world.

Language learning through crafts.

Language learning through crafts.

So how was it? It was wonderful. Interestingly, each of us had a different experience. The two girls seemed to thrive because they did what all kids do…they just got out there and spent time with their peers. With no real effort, their language proficiency grew with each passing day.  And God bless my dad, after three years of taking a foreign language at his local university, he had no problems whatsoever with the cultural shift. He found the adult group talks about politics, religion, and social issues a very pleasant and invigorating way to test his skills. Getting sick mid-way through the camp didn’t even set him back much. As for me…I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride of exhaustion and breakthroughs the entire time. For a few days, I was fine and then, suddenly, I was unable to think or speak. Our camp administrator said this was a perfectly normal adult reaction to full language immersion. In other words, “Don’t give up, Love.”  Sure enough, about every three days, I hit a wall and then, after a good night sleep, was able to translate words in my head and speak them with relative ease.

Camp counselors hamming it up.

Camp counselors hamming it up.

If you’re not familiar with Concordia Language Villages, here’s the scoop: Concordia is the premiere language and cultural immersion program in the United States. For 50 years they have helped learners develop a deeper appreciation and skill base for going out into the non-English-speaking cultures of the world. Concordia offers courses in 15 different languages and uses skits, songs, meals, games, activities, class sessions and general conversation as their teaching methods. From the minute you check into a camp, you feel as though you have left the United States and entered into the country whose language you wish to learn. There are programs for youths, adults, and families, and classes are available year round.

Remarkably, few people have heard of Concordia. Case in point, while we were staying in Detroit Lakes we mentioned to people that we were on our way to a foreign immersion camp nearby. No one we spoke with knew there was a clutch of foreign language schools just a few hours away! Such a pity.

Meringues (14)If you’re interested in a foreign language immersion experience that isn’t in the Gaeltacht (the Irish-speaking region of Ireland), perhaps Concordia Language Villages is the place for you. We certainly enjoyed it.

And, speaking of things this Irish family enjoys…today I am passing along this easy-to-make recipe for mini-meringues. They keep well for weeks in an airtight container or ziplock bag and are a great snack in the kid’s lunch boxes or for when you want a little something sweet with a cuppa. They even make an adorable pudding (dessert) when served sandwich-style with a dollop of cream, caramel or jam between two of them. Mmmmhhh….wish we’d brought some along for this road trip. Enjoy!

Mini-Meringues

Makes 24

Ingredients

2 egg whites, room temperature

½ cup/4oz/100g caster sugar (granulated sugar)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 225°F/110°C. Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper (parchment paper).

2. In a spotlessly clean bowl, whisk the egg whites and sugar with an electric mixer until it forms stiff peaks. (You know you’ve whipped it enough when the mixture holds a stiff  a peak that looks like shaving foam.)

3. Using two teaspoons, spoon 24 little blobs on the greaseproof paper. Bake for 40 minutes or until crisp. Turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven for another 5 minutes, if you like your meringues crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, or 20 minutes, if you like them crispy inside and out.

4. When completely cool, put in an airtight container. Meringues will keep for weeks.

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South Dakota and a Dollop of Presidential Ice Cream

Posted in Recipes, Trips/Holidays, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 18/07/2013| 2 Comments »

The Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota

The Corn Palace

To a writer, the open road and a blank page are a lot alike: both are ideal spaces for creating a good story. As I climb into bed with my laptop tonight, I wonder what kind of story we will have written by time this epic holiday is over: a thriller, a horror story, a comedy, perhaps?

The first two days have gone well. The kids are delighted with the movies I bought a few days ago at Walmart. They have watched them back-to-back nonstop since we left. Some of you Dear Readers may abhor this idea, thinking kids should be looking out the window at all the lovely changing vistas before them but to that I say: “Ha! You clearly haven’t been on a road trip since your parents last took you!”

Yes, my friends, road trips have changed. Back in the dark ages {that’s when you and I were kids} there was nothing to do in a car except look out the window, listen to whatever radio station your parents deemed appropriate, play classic car games like Spot the License Plate, play cards with your siblings {when you weren’t wishing them dead for bothering you} or go to sleep.

Crazy Horse Memorial

Crazy Horse Memorial

Nowadays, particularly in America, but also in Ireland, cars and parents are equipped with so much modern technology that kids are used to and expect to live in a bubble of full-on entertainment. And, while I know there’s been no scientific research done on this, when forced to stare out the window for long periods or listen to our music or deal with one another for hours on end, modern kids may actually spontaneously combust! I don’t know…I’m just saying…

My dad is a young 70-year-old. He remembers, very well, driving my mother, two brothers and me across America in a two door Mustang many years ago. I can tell he’s not completely happy with the way families today road trip. Don’t get me wrong, he’s very thankful my girls aren’t fighting like cats in the back seat, but he wants them to SEE America. Several times, in the last forty-eight hours, he’s stopped their movie-viewing pleasure with comments like “Girls! Do you see the cows?” and “Hey, look, antelope!” I haven’t the heart to remind him that, when you live in the country, live-stock and wild animals are something you see every day, and that I’m ok not having to bring peace to the middle seats while driving at 85+ miles per hour.

The other thing I can tell my dad’s not really au fait with is spontaneity. He’s much more of a “we’ve decided to do X, so that’s what’s we’re going to do” kind of guy. Right now he’s tolerating our unplanned stops and no-hotel-booked-laissez faire attitude but I’m not sure how much longer that will last.

Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore

Since leaving yesterday, we’ve ticked Wyoming, South Dakota and a wee bit of North Dakota off our “states of the north-west” trip. We’ve stopped for our first chocolate dipped ice cream cone at Dairy Queen, had our fill of fast food, and visited the Badlands, The Corn Palace, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and Mount Rushmore. We did not stop at Wall Drug Store, the Ingall’s Homestead (of the Little House on the Prairie book series), Custer State Park, the Jewel Cave, the 1800 Town, the Wind Cave or many other local attractions because there just wasn’t enough time. Who knew there are so many beautiful, historical, interesting, and kitschy places to see along U.S. Highway 90?

Tomorrow our plan is to drive to Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Before I sign-off this evening, I’ll leave you with a recipe we saw at Mount Rushmore for Thomas Jefferson’s ice cream. It dates back to the 1780s and was served to guests at a state dinner in 1802. Enjoy!

jb_progress_icecream_2_m[1]Thomas Jefferson’s Ice Cream Recipe

2 bottles of good cream

6 yolks of eggs

½ lb. of sugar

Directions

1. Mix the yolks & sugar.                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Put the cream on a fire in a casserole, first putting in a stick of Vanilla.
3. When near boiling take it off & pour it gently into the mixture of eggs & sugar. Stir it well.
4. Put it on the fire again stirring it thoroughly with a spoon to prevent it’s sticking to the casserole.
5. When near boiling take it off and strain it thro’ a towel.
6. Put it in the Sabottiere (an ice cream mold).
7. Then set it in ice an hour before it is to be served. put into the ice a handful of salt.
8. Put salt on the coverlid of the Sabotiere & cover the whole with ice.
9. Leave it still half a quarter of an hour.
10. Then turn the Sabottiere in the ice 10 minutes.
11. Open it to loosen with a spatula the ice from the inner sides of the Sabotiere.
12. Shut it & replace it in the ice.
13. Open it from time to time to detach the ice from the sides.                                                                                                                    14. When well taken (prise) stir it well with the Spatula.
15. Put it in moulds, justling it well down on the knee.
16. Then put the mould into the same bucket of ice.
17. Leave it there to the moment of serving it.
18. To withdraw it, immerse the mould in warm water, turning it well till it will come out & turn it into a plate.

Related articles

* Recipe information sourced at: http://www.mtrushmorenationalmemorial.com/jefferson-ice-cream-8850.html, http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/ice-cream, and http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-thomas-j-10903.

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North West American Road Trip

Posted in Recipes, Trips/Holidays, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 08/07/2013| 6 Comments »

Dear Friends…I’m a little behind in my posting so please excuse the delay as I work towards present day. I have been writing regularly but because we have been on a family road trip {often without internet service}, I have been unable to get those musing uploaded. What follows for the next little while will be a series of delayed posts until I can bring you back up to speed with what’s been happening In {our} Irish Home.

Road Trip America: Destination…North Western States

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June 8th – When you’re an American mom with Irish American children, there’s a certain niggling feeling of wanting your children to better understand their “other” home country. With that in mind, I have decided to take the kids and my dad on a road trip across north-west America. {note: the lovely husband has decided not to join us…could this be because he’s wiser than I am?}

We’ll be following no particular agenda, but rather blazing a path through Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. You may be wondering, “why this particular route?” In a nutshell, my children have been very fortunate to see the glitz and glamour of America. From surfing in Maui to ferrying past the Statue of Liberty, they have seen it all and now I think they need to see “the middle bits”…the not so chi chi miles in between.

Another reason for this particular trip is we are planning to immerse ourselves in a foreign language. By that, I don’t mean English! Following the Irish tradition of kids going off to Irish summer colleges, where students live the Irish language for a few weeks, we are heading off to immerse ourselves in a foreign language at Concordia Language camp in northern Minnesota. In reality, I know we should probably be sending the girls to the Gaeltacht to learn cúpla focal (a couple of words) in Irish but that wouldn’t suit my goal of getting them better acquainted with America, now would it.

And so, today we’re off. The car we keep at our home on the edge of the Rockies is packed to the brim. We have snacks (see the recipe for Irish Flapjacks below) and water and road side emergency at the call should anything go wrong. Our musical selections have been uploaded to our iPhones and iPods. My dad has even brought a big box of c.d.’s for our listening pleasure. New memory cards have been inserted into everyone’s camera. We have maps and movies. I only hope we haven’t forgotten anything.

The things I’m most looking forward to include: finding some great places to eat, having a DQ chocolate dipped ice cream, stopping at some of the “World’s Largest”…whatevers, seeing Mount Rushmore, driving through Yellowstone National Park, and, of course, being on the open road.

Road trips in America are epic. I’m ready to share the experience with my daughters and dad. Wish us luck…here we go!

Irish Flapjacks

Makes about 24

Ingredients

24 tablespoons/12oz butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup/4oz brown sugar

½ cup/4 oz sugar

1/3 cup+1 tablespoon/3oz flour

4 cups/13oz jumbo rolled oats

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.

2. Melt butter in a large sauce pan.

3. Add golden syrup, vanilla, and butter. Bring to a simmer and stir.

4. Remove from heat and add flour and oats. Stir well and spread into a Swiss roll tin or deep baking tray approximately 10 x 15in (25 x 38cm).

5. Bake in the oven on a middle shelf for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

6. Cut into squares while still warm. Remove from the tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

7. Store in a container with a tight fitting lid.

Related articles:

On online guide to offbeat American tourist attractions: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/blog/

Follow the Elliott family as they travel, slowly, across America: http://awayishome.com/

For thirteen months, this Florida family of six travelled all 50 states: http://www.hoamteam.com/Hoamteam/Welcome.html

Sticking with the family road trip theme, this family of four have made visiting America’s “World’s Largest” sites their driving goal: http://gobigorgohomeblog.com/912

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Life Mottos and Chicken Casserole

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 31/05/2013| 3 Comments »

life-is-not-a-dress-rehearsal[1]My life has many mottos. For example:

Be Positive.

Go For It.

Stop Complaining and Start Doing.

Be the Change You Wish to See.

This is Not a Dress Rehearsal.

Sleep is One of God’s Greatest Gifts.

Everything in Moderation.

It’s all about Love.

Life is Short.

Breathe.

But the one motto I find myself quoting the most is:

wheel[1]

Which is exactly what I said to a friend recently when she asked if I wanted a copy of one of her “famous” recipes. What? Me? Want a great recipe…duhh! Of course I want it! I’m not too proud to serve my family a meal that’s been tried-and-tested and family-approved by someone I call friend.

Sure, not having to reinvent the wheel at supper time is what has kept my little family well fed this past {crazy busy} month! If I’d been left to my own devices, we’d have had more takeaways and pre-prepared meals than I care to admit.

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Last night, after having driven back and forth to the kids’ school not once, not twice, but three times, I came home and whipped up a chicken casserole made famous {in our home} by my girlfriend Linda Maguire. I have no idea where she got the recipe from or what it was originally called but it was/is delicious. Even better is that it’s simple to make: only one pot, no fussy ingredients, and not a lot of time spent in the kitchen. This is definitely my kind of recipe and it leads me to one final motto for today…

imagesCAECYWND

Linda Maguire’s Chicken Casserole

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 skinless chicken breasts

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 sticks of celery, diced

1 cup frozen peas

2 cups/1 pint good quality chicken stock

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot on moderate heat.  Add the chicken and cook until all sides are lightly browned.

2. To the pot add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until softened.

3. Add the chicken stock.  Be sure to fully cover the chicken breasts in the stock.  If the suggested 2 cups/1 pint is not enough, add more.

4. Bring to the stock to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

5. Add the frozen peas to the casserole and cook for another 5-10 minutes.  Serve immediately over mashed potatoes, couscous or slices of warm rustic bread.

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Irish Brown Bread

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 02/03/2013| 7 Comments »

DSC_0346In our home there is almost always a loaf of scratch-made bread in the bread box.

It’s not the fancy white loaf that’s taken hours to make and been left to rise in a warm spot. No. Our bread is the rich, traditional Irish kind that can be whipped up quickly, in one bowl, and takes about an hour to bake. It’s the one that’s always served alongside those delicious wholesome vegetable-based soups found in cafes and pubs around the country and the very same one my lovely mother-in-law would give her twelve children nearly every day for tea time (dinner), before the main course.

I go back and forth baking Soda bread , Brown bread {the recipe below), and a Multiseed brown bread {promise to post soon}. Initially, I only made soda bread because that’s what my mother-in-law taught me to make. Then I added the other two breads because of the extra ingredients {oat groats, bran, and wheat germ in today’s Brown bread and oat groats, bran, wheat germ, sesame, poppy, pumpkin and sunflower seeds in the Multiseed bread} which help to make it even more healthy. Now, it’s a weekly toss up as to what’s in the bread box.

DSC_0357Whichever you try, rest assured your home will smell glorious for the effort. When you take the loaf from the oven, you and your family will want a slice while it’s still hot. And when slathered in butter, and maybe even some homemade jam, you’ll enjoy the nutty flavour, crumbly texture that is only found in traditional Irish bread. Enjoy!

Irish Brown Bread

Makes One Loaf

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups/200g/6oz self-raising flour

2 1/4 cups/300g/11oz coarse brown flour

1/3 cup/2 handfuls bran

1/4 cup/1 handful wheat germ

1/4 cup/2oz oat groats, pan toasted

2 heaped teaspoons baking powder

1 level teaspoon salt

2-3 cups/600-900ml/1-1 1/2 pints buttermilk

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 240°C/450°F/gas mark 9. Lightly oil a loaf tin on bottom and all sides and line with a sheet of parchment paper.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

3. Add enough of the buttermilk to give a moist but not sloppy mixture.

4. Place in a loaf tin and bake for twenty minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 150C/300F/gas mark 2 and bake for an additional hour.

5. Ease bread from loaf tin. Carefully turn it over and tap to see if it sounds hollow. A hollow sound means the bread is fully cooked. If not, return it to the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Do not put it back into the loaf tin, just put it right-side up, directly on the shelf in the oven.

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“What is Irish Food?” – Part 1

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 15/05/2012| 3 Comments »

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake at I Can Has Cook?

For anyone who has never lived in Ireland, it is hard to imagine the wonder of Irish food. Fresh, wholesome, delicious and as varied as the people who inhabit the 32 counties making up the country, there is nothing boring or bland about it. Sure, long ago, when money was tight and people didn’t travel so easily there may have been a repetitiveness to Irish food but, truthfully, even then, people were creatively whipping up simple dishes and desserts that would knock your socks off. I only have to think of my lovely mother-in-law who, while raising twelve children and running a B&B, used to make rhubarb compotes, wild berry jams, savory and sweet crepes (especially for Pancake Tuesday), loin of bacon with spring cabbage that was incredibly more-ish, brown and white soda bread, delicate meringues, ratatouille, grilled mackerel…the list was deliciously endless.

It’s a wonder then that when you Google the term “Irish Food”, you mostly find horrid-looking pictures of stews of boiled meat and potatoes and recipes for corned beef and cabbage or dishes made with Guinness. Yuk! That’s not real Irish food. That’s kitsch Irish food.

Brunch Frittata at An American in Ireland

When people visit In an Irish Home they often ask, “What is Irish Food?” In my experience, real Irish food follows the seasons and celebrates the holidays. It’s sensible and healthy. It’s mostly made from scratch, despite the fact that chain supermarkets are desperately trying to force-feed buyers preprepared meals. It is uncomplicated. It’s influenced by international cuisine. It has many artisan producers. And now, thanks to the advent of blogs, it has many outlets.

So, in answer to the question I get asked the most at In an Irish Home, “What is Irish Food?” I offer you four Irish blogs and one website to whet your appetite. In the coming weeks and months, I will continue to share with you the ever-growing list of Irish food-experts whom I like to consult. I’ll also be adding a “My Library” tab to the top of In an Irish Home so you can see what books make up my cookbook collection. For now, however, enjoy your exploration of Ireland’s amazing food landscape. I think you’ll be surprised at just how wonderful it is. Please be sure to let me know if you have your own favourite Irish food sites you like to visit.

I Can Has Cook? – Aoife started writing in 2009 as a way of becoming (in her own words) a better cook. Her journey in the past month has taken her and us from deep-fried cauliflower to chocolate peanut butter cake and everything in between, including beetroot hummus, lamb flatbreads and homemade gyoza. At I Can Has Cook?, Aoife offers an excellent list of some of her favourite Dublin food haunts under the tab “Visiting Dublin?” – well worth a review if you’re visiting Dublin any time soon.

Donal Skehan’s new book “Kitchen Hero”

Donal Skehan – Without a doubt, Donal Skehan is Ireland’s food pop star! Young, handsome and talented, he was approached by Mercier Press after only six months of blogging his food adventures and recipes. A self-taught “home-cook” (I love that term…isn’t it what we all are?) and photographer, Donal has been blogging since 2007. This year he appeared in America on NBC’s Today Show with ideas for Saint Patrick’s Day. His recipes are simple, healthy and interesting. Most recently he’s written about wild garlic pesto, rustic rhubarb tarts, ham spring rolls with ginger dipping sauce and chocolate chip, oat and raisin cookies.

An American In Ireland – This blog has me hooked. Part “personal journal”, part “food blog”, Clare writes about her experiences of moving from America to Ireland and the experiences and foods that move her. Hmmm, sounds like me in reverse! This month Clare is writing about missing America, her wedding plans, chocolate beetroot cake, buttermilk cornmeal pancakes with blueberry sauce, cheesecake tart with fresh berries and stuffed Portobello mushrooms.

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Maybury at www.elizabethmaybury.com

Biabeag – Biabeag is Irish for “small food”. Keith Bohanna writes in celebration of entrepreneurs and businesses who are passionate producers of Irish artisan food. From local brews to food festivals, Biabeag has everything covered except recipes – there are none. If you want to know about specialty packaged and branded food products in Ireland, this is the best place on the web.

Dinner Du Jour– Kelly and Kristin are friends who live thousands of miles apart: Kelly lives in Milwaukee and Kristin lives in Ireland. As

Chicken Soup at Dinner du Jour

friends do, they’ve been swapping recipes for years. Finally, their food exchange of complete menus (think mains & sides) are available to all, with ingredient conversions (cups to grams) for foodies in both countries. The meals are tasty and easy to follow – a God-send for anyone who has to whip up a meal on a busy day! The “Browse by Category”, down along the left-hand side of the blog, is really helpful as is the “Family Favorites” tab at the top of the blog.

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Brown Soda Bread Recipe #1

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 26/07/2011| 2 Comments »

Bread baking has long been part of Ireland’s culinary heritage.  The earliest breads were little more than thin oatcakes baked over the fire on an iron plate or placed directly on embers. In the mid-1800’s bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) was introduced and the birth of soda bread, as it is known in Ireland today, was born.

My first introduction to Brown Soda Bread was at the kitchen table of my mother-in-law.  Every week she made a loaf from scratch.  She worked quickly and efficiently, as only a woman who raised twelve children can do, and when the bread came out of the oven the smell was just delicious!

Both nourishing and comforting, Irish Soda Bread is perfect in the morning for breakfast, as part of a sandwich at lunchtime or served with a hearty homemade soup or a green salad fresh from the garden in the evening.

Brown Soda Bread

Makes One Loaf

225g self raising flour

225g extra coarse wholemeal

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon salt

about 450ml buttermilk

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 180C. Put a little vegetable oil into a bread tin and put the tin into the oven to warm.  When the oil is warm, use a pastry brush to get it all over the inside of the tin.  Set aside.

2.  Sieve the two flours, the soda and salt in a large bowl.

3.  Make a well in the centre and pour in most of the buttermilk.

4.  Using a wooden spoon or your hand, stir the liquid into the flour.  The dough should be soft but not sticky.  If needed, add more buttermilk to get the right consistency.

5.  Put the mixture into the bread tin and bake for one hour in the center of the oven.  Ease the loaf from the tin and tap the bottom.  If it sounds hollow when tapped it is cooked.  If not, put it back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes.  There’s no need to put the loaf into the bread tin for this, just place it right on the rack in the oven.

6.  When baked completely, cool on a wire rack.

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