Cead Mile Failte Ronhet!
"One Hundred Thousand Welcomes"
Greetings to all! Whew, I’m sure glad that February is behind us, we’ve “sprung” forward and are moving towards warmer days. I do not relish starting my day in the dark. My pups are the same. They will stay in their beds long after I’ve been up waiting for dawn. The change has been very noticeable with the extra hours of light. Maddie is not enthused about adding any activity, but Sophie is raring to go. They are both thirteen y.o. and have been my buds for a glorious five years. I can’t wait to get Sophie on the trails as soon as the ice is gone. I want her to be muddy and happy. The bath afterward in our big kitchen sink is part of the program. She hates the bathroom bathtub, I hate fighting her in it, so our compromise is perfect.
I’ve been really fortunate to be able to ride my “pony,” a 1200 lb. powerhouse, 3-4 times a week. There were several stretches of 5 or 6 days when temperatures were so cold that it was not safe for horse or rider to get into the ring. Those down-times are OK forcing me to face the pile on my desk and purging years of files. I am going to need two Shred-it trucks….
It’s been a joy to start reading again on a regular basis. I need to develop a system to keep track of what I have read though. And I’ve discovered fireplace logs that are so nice to light and enjoy with a book. I have always started a “real” fire, but I know that there will be no flames after 4 hours, unlike using the hard oak that I prefer but is often still glowing 8 hours later. This is Maddie’s time for her massage. She loves it, often re-positioning herself as if saying “here please.” Of course I oblige. Sophie, on the other hand, would much rather get a tummy rub in the morning.
Mid-March brings two special days. The first, my mom’s 96th birthday on the 13th, and, St. Patrick’s Day on the 17th.
St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th is really a weeklong celebration starting the Sunday before with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Detroit. Sponsored by the United Irish Society this is the 67th year it will be commemorated. The first was held in Dearborn in 1959. The parade’s route follows Michigan Avenue through Cork town an area that received its name because the Irish were the largest ethnic group of newcomers to Detroit and mostly from Cork, Ireland. It is the oldest surviving neighborhood in Detroit. Bands, pipers, clowns, floats, dancers and drummers entertain the thousands that show up in their green to cheer them on. If you have never been, you’re missing a lot of fun!
St. Patrick’s Day, a day that in years past, was a time to honor Ireland’s patron saint. It is said that St. Patrick drove all the snakes, which were of tremendous population, from the Emerald Isle. In present time the day is an excuse to drink a few stouts and eat lamb stew or corned beef and cabbage.
Ireland is a country of limited resources and a peasant background. Economic factors dictated the use of inexpensive and simple food products that are elevated to dishes with layers of flavors. The Emerald Isle boasts fresh food from its bountiful supply of produce, livestock and fish. Onions, leeks, garlic, cabbage, and carrots are some of the most common crops. Watercress and sorrel are used with the same frequency as iceberg lettuce in the U.S. What a delightful difference, greens with a taste. Potatoes were brought to Ireland in the 1600s and the Irish were the only people in Europe to eat the tubers. On several visits to “the old sod,” I found the food to be top notch, simple and delicious. The bacon is meaty—not all fat, lamb sweet and fish oriented lighter fare is readily available. Irish salmon is some of the most coveted in the world. Several species of trout are abundant as is plaice, similar to lake perch, and Dublin Prawns. During the great potato famine, 1845-49, costal communities were able to survive on the protein of the sea. The cooking of Ireland is not regionally driven as in most other countries.
Tom and I were warned about Irish food not being particularly good but found just the opposite. Many chefs train abroad as apprentices and bring international skills back to traditional Irish dishes. Ireland is truly farm to table fare and chefs want to know where the food they are cooking with was grown, harvested, raised, butchered and caught. Most of all though, is the importance of hospitality which was generously abundant.
Breakfast is always BIG. Irish Oats, rashers of thick bacon, O’Brien hashbrowns, eggs, soda bread, and oh, the glorious butter that is so good you’re tempted to eat it like cookie dough. Lunch was usually an egg salad or cheese sandwich accompanied with a Guinness while sitting in a pub, preferably at the bar visiting with the tender behind it, and often getting suggestions on where to have the evening meal. There were no disappointments, ever. Of course, an Irish Coffee or Hot Whiskey Punch found its place sometime during the day.
I like to celebrate St. Pat’s at home, with friends and family. The simpler the better so a pot of Potato Leek Soup with Soda Bread Muffins and some good Irish butter fit the bill. An easy dessert of Guinness Brownies and an Irish Coffee are great relaxing in front of the fireplace or better yet, huddling around a blazing fire pit! Enjoy the recipes!
If your hankering Corned Beef consider Wigley’s in the Eastern Market, an icon from the 1920s Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor—so good. Or the Village Butcher in my little town of Milford!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET MOM, 96 Years Young—
SALANTE’
“To Your Good Health”
XXOO, MARY, MADDIE, SOPHIE AND MY BARN BUDS
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