I Say Look At the Trees

"When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees. Maimed, stark and misshapen, but ferociously tenacious."
- Edna O'Brien
You have to love the Irish - almost as much as the British! Celebrate Irish - (Everyone's Irish in March - right!?)




Click to see "Stavros Flatly," who appeared on Britain's Got Talent, and are modeled after Michael Flatly/Riverdance :0)

To celebrate, try one or all of these recipes:

Irish Menu

COLCANNON
2 lbs Potatoes
1 large 'Curly Kaye' or Cabbage
1 large Onion
4 oz of butter or margarine
Pinch of Pepper & Salt
Half pint Milk

Peel and divide the potatoes, chop the onions
and cabbage. Layer a saucepan with the potatoes
and add the pinch of salt and pepper. Layer the
onion and cabbage on top of the potatoes and add
enough water to cover the mixture. Boil and then
simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes
are cooked. Mash the mixture thoroughly adding
the butter and milk to ensure a good consistency.
Serve with meat, steak, sausages, etc.

IRISH SODA BREAD
4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 1/2 cups raisins
2 eggs beaten
1 cup butter or margarine melted
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a loaf pan. Place raisins and caraway seeds in a large bowl. Sift together flour, baking soda, sugar and salt. Pour sifted mixture over raisins. Add butter, eggs and milk to the bowl;
mix well. Mold dough into a loaf shape on a floured board. Place dough in greased pan and bake for one hour, or until bread tests done.

BLACK VELVET - Makes 1 Quart
1/2 qt Guinness
1/2 qt Champagne

Combine Guinness and champagne in a tall very chilled glass.
Stir gently and serve.

CONEMARRA TART
1 cup self rising flour
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup sugar
2 large apples
1/4 cup milk
2 oz. butter
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
For the top: 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon,1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
Preparation:
Sift flour, salt, ginger and sugar. Rub in the fat. Add eggs and milk to bake a soft dough. Roll out on a floured board. Cover the base of a greased pie dish with the pastry. Grate the apples and sprinkle onto the pastry. Dot with butter. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over top. Bake in a moderate oven for 1/2 hour. Serve hot with custard

"We have always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English."
- Winston Churchill

"You know it's summer in Ireland when the rain gets warmer."
- Hal Roach

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
~Irish Blessing