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Posts Tagged ‘Irish recipes’

How Do You Like My Apples?

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 05/12/2013| 3 Comments »

DSC_0220How Do You Like Them Apples

Ok, so…it’s a bit cheeky to start out a post with the heading, “How Do You Like My Apples?”, but I just couldn’t resist. For weeks I’ve been finding ways to use up all the apples we either grew or foraged locally and I’ve been anxiously waiting to share the results with you.

Since September we’ve been making fresh pressed apple juice, applesauce, Irish apple cake, rustic apple galette, and caramel apples in our kitchen. I even tried to make apple fruit rolls but that was just a step too far…even for me. They weren’t so nice.

I give full credit for all this apple busyness to my lovely mother-in-law, who lives the adage “waste not want not”. Years ago, when she saw me binning (throwing out) apples that had fallen off our trees and were becoming worm fodder, she ordered me to collect them up and then she brought me into my own kitchen for a bit of culinary instruction.

“First you cut out the bad bits and toss them in the bin,” she said.

To which I replied, “But what about the worms?” Truth be told, I really didn’t fancy the idea of accidentally cutting through one.

“Don’t mind them…they can go in the bin too!” she answered with a smile. And that was that. I never looked back.

Leaving the skins on apples when you press them makes their juice run a gorgeous shade of pink. The colour alone is enough to suffer through yucky bits of brown apple and the possibility of the occasional decimated worm. If you have any doubt, just look at the photo below.

DSC_0220And don’t mind the brown foam at the top. As Mama told me all those years ago, “It’s lovely!” Enjoy.

Homemade Apple Juice

Makes One Large Glass

Ingredients

3-5 apples, washed with skins left on

Directions

1. Cut apples into chunks, remove and discard seeds and core.

2. Put into juicing machine as per factory instructions.

3. Serve or freeze immediately.

Note: To make enough juice to fill a 2 litre carafe like this one, I used 6lbs/700g of small apples.

 

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Mama McGuire’s Irish Stuffing

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 30/11/2013| 3 Comments »

DSC_0664 DSC_0666 DSC_0663There are many ways to cook a turkey but in our Irish home there is only one way to make stuffing…my mother-in-law’s way!

As a young bride, I tried for years {ten to be exact} to impress my lovely Irish husband with my stuffing recipes on Thanksgiving and Christmas day.

Despite his appreciation of my attempts, every year I knew that I had not achieved what I was hoping for…my husband’s nod of culinary approval. Somehow my mother-in-law’s recipe was always better than mine.

Finally, one year, I threw in the towel and quit trying. I called Mama, my husband’s mother, and asked her to teach me how to make her recipe.

I still remember the delight I felt when, at long last, my husband tasted “my stuffing” and declared, “It’s as good as my mum’s!”  So chuffed I was to have finally succeeded. That year, and every year since, I have told this story to everyone at our holiday table.

Today I share it, the story and the recipe, with you. Mama McGuire’s Irish Stuffing is so ridiculously simple…and so ridiculously good. I am sure you will thank me once you’ve tried it. Enjoy!

Mama McGuire’s Irish Stuffing

Serves Eight

Ingredients

32oz batch loaf bread (white sliced pan)

16 tablespoons diced cold butter

1 cup chopped parsley

2 tablespoons Italian herbs

3 small onions, chopped finely

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pulse the bread finely in a food processor and pour into a large bowl.

2. Stir in the chopped onion, parsley, and Italian herbs.

3. With your fingertips, blend in the diced cold butter. Mix until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Refrigerate until ready to stuff into turkey.

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A Thanksgiving Breakfast: Apple Clafoutis

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 30/11/2013| Leave a Comment »

Michael Chiarello's Apple ClafoutisThe holiday of Thanksgiving does not exist in Ireland. On what is the fourth Thursday in November, adults all across the country go to work, kids go to school, and homemakers go about the business of homemaking. But for those of us with American roots, Thanksgiving in Ireland is more than just a “regular day”…it is THE day we long to reach across the Atlantic and touch a bit of home.

Yesterday morning our little family began the day with a celebratory {but light} Apple Clafoutis for breakfast, courtesy of Michael Chiarello. For those not familiar with him, Michael is an award-winning American chef and restauranteur. His hugely popular Bottega Restaurant in Yountville, California (Napa Valley) serves up rustic, inventive, delicious food. The decor, which in my {humble} opinion is just as important as the food, is sexy and intimate, and not at all claustrophobic. Note to all you single-but-dating travel bugs…Bottega would be an ideal place to pop the question, if you can get a reservation!

Anyway, I digress, the point is yesterday morning I wanted to give my family something light with a bit of sweetness…something reflecting the mood of the holiday but not heavy. After all, we were going to eat a HUGE meal when everyone finally got home.

Michael Chiarello’s Apple Clafoutis, which is technically a dessert, was the perfect dish for our Thanksgiving breakfast. Michael says on his own website that this dish, “is a French-country farmers favorite”. True or not, it certainly will be in our Irish home for years to come. I hope you will enjoy it too. Belated Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Michael Chiarello’s Apple Clafoutis

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Batter:

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1 cup milk

Apples:

1/4 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apple (1/2-inch dice; about 1 large apple)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon grappa, Calvados, or other fruit brandy (I substituted apple juice)

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1/3 cup crème fraîche

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

2. Make the batter: Sift the flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolk, and milk until well blended. Add about one-third of the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk to form a paste, then gradually incorporate the remaining egg mixture. Whisk until well blended.

3. Cook the apples: With the tip of a knife, scrape the vanilla bean seeds from the pod into an ovenproof 10-inch cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet. Add the pod and the butter and cook over moderately high heat until the butter turns nut brown. Add the apple and cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes to soften them. Remove the vanilla bean pod and discard. Sprinkle the apples with the granulated sugar, reduce the heat to moderately low, and cook until the apples are about three-fourths done and the sugar has melted and is coating the apples in a light syrup. Add the grappa or other brandy, swirl the pan briefly, then spread the fruit evenly in the pan.

4. Remove the pan from the heat. Working quickly, pour the batter through a sieve evenly over the fruit. Bake until the edges of the clafoutis are puffed and browned and the center is set, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.

5. Put some confectioners’ sugar in a sieve and generously dust the surface of the clafoutis. Serve warm directly from the pan with a dollop of crème fraîche.

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Guinness Stew in Ireland’s Fifth Province

Posted in Recipes, Trips/Holidays, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 28/10/2013| Leave a Comment »

Guinness Beef StewWell, it finally happened…

After four long weeks on the road, we finally found GOOD food. I mean REALLY good food.

Up till now we’ve been subsisting on fast-food, chain-food, and any and all kinds of rubbish-food. It’s been awful and we’ve become increasingly crankier by the day. The final straw came this morning, when we decided not to visit Yellowstone National Park because the traffic jams and crowds felt too overwhelming. You could say we didn’t have the stomach for it.

We needed real food…and soon…but where?

Heading into Butte, Montana, last night, I felt certain we weren’t going to find what we were looking for…sustenance. Aging headframes, derelict buildings (complete with ghost signs), and a 90-foot statue of the Virgin Mary glowing eerily in the distance doesn’t exactly scream, “Good-food served here!”.  But in Butte, the uptown is the downtown, the high is the low, and the locals know there is plenty of great-food ~ from Irish Pasties to creamy Guinness Stew ~ ready for the eating.

Known as “The Richest Hill on Earth”, “The Sodom of the West”, “Ireland’s Fifth Province” and, more recently, the town that is “A Mile High and a Mile Deep”, Butte was once a rich mining community filled with immigrants from around the world, particularly Ireland.

Butte Montana MinersThe first to arrive hailed from Mayo, Donegal and Cork, especially, the Beara Peninsula. By the early 1900s, Irish immigrants, mostly Catholic, made up one quarter of the population. Remarkably, by the turn of the last century, Butte was the most Irish-populated city in America. Almost every able man made his living in the mines, including Marcus Daly of Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan, who was known the world over as the Copper King. As co-owner of the Anaconda Mine, Daly was second in American wealth only to Rockefeller.

Though they came for the chance to strike it rich, the Irish never truly left Ireland behind. In Butte, they arrived and promptly built neighbourhoods with names like Finntown, Corktown, and Dublin Gulch. They kept their cultural and ethnic traditions alive through language, celebration and food.

It is the food, in particular, that interests me. As you recall at the start of this post I was lamenting our need for good-food on this road trip. To find it…and then have it be Irish-food…in the middle of Montana…is, well… fascinating. The meal we ate last night at Casagranda’s Steakhouse was as good as any I’ve ever had…and that’s not just hungry road trip talk!  Casagranda’s is known for its perfectly seasoned, hand cut, Rocky Mountain grown beef {which by the way is delicious} but it was the Guinness Beef Stew that bowled me over. Creamy, rich, hearty, and ever-so-slightly sweet, this stew is not like any other I have ever tasted.

The Bertoglio Building, Home of Casagranda’s Steakhouse

I spoke with Lisa Casagranda Randall, co-owner of Casagranda’s Steakhouse, by phone to ask her for a copy of the recipe and to ask if, by chance, she had Irish roots running through her family. Her last name sounds Italian but it turns out Lisa’s great grandparents were both from Ireland, Cork and Donegal to be exact. They came to Montana for work and ended up building a life. Lisa spent many of her summers in Butte visiting family and eventually moved permanently to the area. With her sister Carrie Casagranda Leary, Casagranda’s was born 11 years ago. The Guinness Stew I had last night originally started out as an appetizer served on bread. People liked it so much however, that it eventually became a permanent dish on the menu, with bread served on the side. And though she hasn’t had the chance to visit herself, Lisa hopes one day she’ll make it back to the home of her ancestors across the sea.

Truth be told, from what I saw of Butte, Lisa is living as close to Ireland as someone in America can. It’s very hard to put into words but Butte feels more authentically Irish than any place I’ve been: it’s not like Boston or New York or Chicago. I, for one, hope to make it back soon: perhaps for St. Patrick’s Day 2014. It would be great craic (fun) to see how they do it there. In the mean time, if you are on a road trip and going through Montana, be sure to call in to Butte. Not only will you get a delicious meal at Casagranda’s but also you will find lots of Irish charm, history, and culture at every turn.

Casagranda’s Steakhouse Guinness Beef Stew

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

900g/2 lbs stewing beef, trimmed of fat and cut into 2” (bite-size) pieces

50ml/¼ cup canola oil

2oz/¼ cup all-purpose flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1 can Guinness Draught (not Guinness Stout, which is too bitter)

500ml/2 cups beef broth

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1oz/ ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar

80ml/ 1/3 cup red wine vinegar

Directions

1. Spread beef evenly across a sheet pan.

2. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sift flour over both sides of meat and evenly coat.

3.  Heat canola oil in a cast iron casserole dish until very hot.

4. Add the floured and seasoned beef and sear until golden brown on all sides.

5. Combine Guinness, stock, mustard, sugar and vinegar and mix well. Pour over beef and bring to a rapid boil.

6. Reduce heat to low and simmer until meat is very tender.

7. Serve on its own or “traditional style” over mashed potatoes.

 

Related Articles:

Great Photos and a list of things to do in Butte at: http://theroadtriphound.com/2013/07/29/when-an-uptown-goes-underground-keeping-the-history-alive-in-butte-montana/

An Irish Times article about Butte at: http://www.ktvq.com/news/butte-most-irish-town-in-america-/#_

A road trip guide to Butte at http://biggestballofstring.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/36w-jan-9-butte-montana/

More great photos and information about Butte at: http://www.ramonaflightner.com/2012/09/04/butte-montana/

Butte’s Irish Language Immersion Programme at http://uhblog.ulsterheritage.com/2010/04/loading.html

An Irish woman’s view of Butte at http://missoulian.com/news/local/an-irish-woman-s-story-of-chance-leads-to-butte/article_59bef3f6-8eb7-11e2-b714-001a4bcf887a.html

The life and death of an Irish copper heiress at http://observer.com/2013/09/odd-but-not-out-of-it-eccentric-heiress-huguette-clark-had-her-wits-about-her-says-new-book/

Marcus Daly at http://dalymansion.org/history/mrdaly.php

NY Times Death Notice for Marcus Daly at http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F10F1FF73B5E14728FDDAA0994D9415B808CF1D3

Butte Today at http://www.mainstreetbutte.org

Interior designer, Bob Richter visits and reports on Butte for the Huffington Post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-richter/rich-in-history-land-and-_b_4095295.html

Timothy Egan writes about his recent trip to Butte for The New York Times at http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/true-irish/?_r=0

Rants and Reflections on Butte at http://fl250.blogspot.com/2006/06/butte-montana.html

Tried and True Recipes from Three Sisters from Butte at http://tseas.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/tried-and-true-recipes-of-butte-montana.pdf

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Five White Dresses

Posted in Kids' Activities, Trips/Holidays, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 16/10/2013| 7 Comments »

IMG_4192As we round out week three on our epic road trip across North-West America, our foursome has become a threesome. My wonderfully gifted, beautiful, sweet, funny, eldest daughter is staying at Concordia for an extra immersion experience. She loves languages and has proficiency in three of them, including Irish. We’ll pick her up in less than ten days and return home to Ireland, but it was with a heavy heart that I kissed her today and said good-bye.

She’s growing up fast…this baby girl of mine…faster than I expected. Not yet a real teen, she is looking beyond the safety of our home and wondering about the world around her.  Secondary school, boys, make up, fashion, parties, dating…I can hardly believe it’s time for us to address these issues in depth. Heck, what I mean to say is it’s hard to believe we’re actually having to LIVE these issues in depth. We’ve talked about them plenty. The dress rehearsal is over and the real show is just beginning. Where has the time gone?

DSC_0100I remember her Baptism day like it was just yesterday. She wasn’t even a month old. I was doing up the pearl buttons on the back of her Irish Christening gown, while my husband held her to his chest. “Why are you crying?”, he asked. “Are you ok?” My lovely husband…so concerned and so bewildered at the same time. “No, Love. Don’t you know? This is the first of her five white dresses.”, I choked out between sobs. “Her what?!”

Her five white dresses.

Growing up a Catholic girl, I can define my life in a series of dresses…all of them white. There’s the Baptism gown, followed by the Communion, Confirmation, graduation, and, finally, the wedding gown. On that special day so many years ago, I realised that our daughter’s Baptism day was the beginning of the end. The first time I understood that precious babies, placed carefully in our arms, are only ours on loan for a {brief} period of time. These amazing children we so desperately want and love are ours by the grace of God and we don’t get to keep them. He gives them to us and then demands we let them go.

We’re only two dresses into her life right now, but I am already struggling with the idea of letting go. Three dresses remain. Most likely she’ll leave our Irish home long before she dons the final dress. It makes me sad and I can hardly bear thinking about it. But, I must…for her sake…and for mine.

Little by little, I let the sadness escape. I liken it to fiddling with a balloon. Because you don’t want to let all the air out at once, you pull back on the sides of the mouth piece and let a little out at a time.  Today was one of those times. We hugged. We kissed. I imparted a few gems of wisdom and then turned completely on my heels {with a glance or two back}, got in the car, waved, and drove away. Through tears, I could see her in my rear view mirror, standing in the gravel car park, waving back.

IMG_4142The last few weeks have been tough. Four of us, strong personalities, in a car traveling the highways of North-West America. Those roads are pretty dull, yet our experience has been anything but. We’ve argued. We’ve cried. We’ve shouted. We’ve smelled bad. We’ve been sick. Through it all…we’ve been together. I know it has not always been easy but it has been special. There’s still several hundred miles ahead of us. I don’t have to wonder any more whether this adventure has been worth it. I already know that it has.

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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

DSC00966DSC00968DSC00417DSC00961

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:

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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.

DSC_0289 (2)

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…

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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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Mad for Mars Bar Biscuits

Posted in Kids' Activities, Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 15/05/2013| 9 Comments »

DSC_0428When you live in a home with three women, no day is complete until something a little sweet is served. It doesn’t have to be a fancy treat – like a slice of roulade or carrot cake. It just has to be satisfying.

I love the ease with which today’s recipe, Mars Bars Biscuits, can be made. Four ingredients, one pot on the hob (stove), and a tin for pressing these absolutely delicious bars into…that’s all it takes. There’s no baking and no fuss. In fact, this recipe is so simple, it’s ideal for making with children.

Technically these could be classified as an Irish tray bake. Interestingly, I’ve learned the term “tray bake” is more often used in Northern Ireland than in the Republic (the rest of Ireland). Biscuits, bars, tray bake…whatever you call them…they’ve been made famous in my neck of the woods by the very fashionable style emporium that is known as Avoca Handweavers. Any time I come home from Avoca my girls greet me at the door with “Did you bring home Rice Krispie treats?”.

DSC_0411These may seem a lot like Rice Krispie Squares, made with marshmallows, or Rice Krispie buns, made with chocolate, but they are entirely different. The Mars Bars (or Milky Way bars, if you live in America) give this treat the perfect chewiness and crunch that the other two lack. Assuming you like chocolate, I have no doubt you will enjoy these.

Mars Bar Biscuits

Makes about 12 large biscuits

Ingredients

390g/6-7 Mars Bars (Milky Way bars)

200g/13 tablespoons butter

200g/6 cups Rice Krispie cereal

300g good quality milk chocolate (or a combination of milk and dark chocolate)

Recipe

1. Line a 9″x 13″ or a 30cm x 20cm baking tin with parchment paper.

2. Cut the Mars Bars and butter into small pieces and place in a saucepan. Put over low heat and stir with a small balloon whisk until melted and well mixed.

3. Add the Mars Bars and butter mixture to the Rice Krispie cereal in a large bowl. Stir until ingredients are combined.

4. Spoon into the lined baking tin and press mixture with the back of the spoon to firm up shape.

5. Melt good quality chocolate over a saucepan of simmering water. Pour over the rice cereal, spread evenly with a palate knife, and allow to set.

6. When chocolate has set, and rice cereal has cooled, lift the content of the tin to a cutting board and slice into squares.

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