Good Earth Fine Wine.

A cool autumn evening in Australia. Sipping on a fine Australian wine from the south east region, Banrock Station. It appears that I've struck gold. You see, this wine contributes to conservation projects around the world with 95 projects in 13 countries including research in climate change and restoring natural assets in Europe, preserving waterways in Australia and saving salmon in Canada. It's a Shiraz and Cabernet mix 52/48 and it's quite delicious.

Banrock Station strives for greater environmental responsibility with their packaging and sustainable wine techniques in the vineyard and winery. Hence the screw-off cap that I was very impressed with after tasting this wine. I purchased it at Trader Joe's for a steal and will keep this one in mind for traveling trips where you may be without a cork screw!

The seasons are different in Australia than in the United States. As we begin our spring season, Australia is gearing up for winter. What better night than to mix it up with the season of meals. We ate Breakfast for dinner. Omelette's to be exact.

 Elie had a Ham only with no cheese which is weird but not so much to her. I whipped up a sauteed onion, mushroom and smoked salmon, tossed with swiss cheese for Andy and I. Yummo!

Katy grazed on pasta noodles before softball and grapes and cottage cheese for dinner. She ended the night with a big bowl of ice cream with cold fudge topping and whipped topping.

Hannah snarfed down Jimmy Johns after syncro on her way to a 3 hr. Drivers Ed class. Not sure what she will end the night with.

And to answer your question, was the omelette Australian? Well, in spirit it was. Cozy for a cool and rainy autumn night.  Happy Is.

Kumara.

What is Kumara? It's a sweet potato cultivated in New Zealand over 1000 years ago. It is a popular favorite in Australia and New Zealand. The original kumara were very small but in the early 1850s, a larger American variety was quickly adopted for its superior size and flavor. I found an interesting recipe on about.com in their Australian section that calls for sweet potato tossed in pasta with prosciutto and pesto.  I was a little skeptical of the combination but was pleasantly surprised. 1st, I've never fried up prosciutto before and will definately find room in my culinary files to cook with it more often. Crispy, thin without the heavy grease that bacon delivers on.

I didn't bother trying this out on Elie or Katy. Elie had rigatoni with a tomato marinara sauce that I picked up from Trader Joe's. The sauce smelled so fresh and I will be a repeat customer for more sauce priced at $1.99 moving forward. I also enjoyed their organic whole wheat spaghetti noodle for our meal. LOVE Trader Joe's.

Sweet Potato, Prosciutto and Pesto Pasta

1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks
5 - 10 thin slices of prosciutto
5 Tbl. pesto
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
Parmigiano Reggiano for shaving
Sea salt
Spaghetti for 4
Olive oil for drizzling


Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle sweet potato with olive oil and roast 25-45 minutes or until tender.
2. Once cooked, remove sweet potato from oven to cool. Cut into small cubes. Set aside.
3. Heat a fry-pan with a little oil over low-medium heat. Fry prosciutto until crispy. Drain on paper towels and then crumble. Set aside.
4. Boil water for the pasta and then cook according to packet instructions. Drain pasta and then mix pesto until pasta is coated.
5. Add sweet potato, prosciutto and cherry tomatoes. Stir well. Grate the Parmigiano Reggiano and serve.

Enjoy!

p.s. Katy had pesto rigatoni noodles with a caesar salad. She was happy too.

Tabata Protocol in the Outback.

Colossal. No need for a side dish. Today was a Colossal day. I went back to Boot Camp after a week of resting my rolled ankle in Ireland and I was handed Tabata for the first time. Scary, really. It is essentially 20 seconds of intense workout doing various exercises followed by a 10 second rest. Doesn't sound too bad unless you do this for 45 minutes straight. Now don't get me wrong, we did a little jump rope in between and ended with abs ... but still. Very intense. We told to push it until we felt like hurling. Looking forward to waking up with a body that can't move tomorrow!

I guess tonight was a perfect ending to a highly intense day. Lots of Protein. It seems that the Aussies like to pile the toppings on their Burgers on the Barbie. The kids ate simple plain while Andy I stepped up to this Colossal challenge. We immediately lost the bun after sinking into the 1st half of this delightful masterpiece. Wow is all I can say. It may be that I'm in a Burger phase right now. Craving them more often than ever, weird.

We paired the Burger with a fine Australian wine, Yellow Tail Shiraz. Another delightful reaction. It seems that you really can find great wine for $4.99. It was light, fruity with a great finish. Much more finish than you would expect for a $5.00 bottle of wine. Happy.

The kids were curious about whether their meal was Australian. Katy wanted to know... Elie replied, "No Katy, I don't think your Caesar Salad is Australian"... love the interest anyway.

Aussie Works Burger

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 eggs
• 4 slices Canadian bacon
• 4 pineapple rings
• 4 slices Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8.25 ounce) can sliced beets, drained
• 4 slices tomato
• 4 lettuce leaves
• ketchup (optional)
• yellow mustard (optional)
• dill pickle relish (optional)
• mayonnaise (optional)
• 4 Kaiser rolls, split

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
2. When the grill is ready, lightly oil the grilling surface. Form the ground beef into four patties, and grill for 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and fry until soft. Remove the onions from the skillet, and crack the eggs in the same skillet over medium heat. Cook until the yolks are solid, turning over once. Remove eggs, and set aside. Place the Canadian bacon in the same skillet, and fry until toasted. Remove the bacon, and turn the heat to high. Quickly fry the pineapple rings in the bacon drippings just until browned on each side.
4. To Assemble sandwiches: Set bottom of kaiser roll on a plate, and top with burger, a slice of cheese, a slice of Canadian bacon, one fried egg, fried onions, a few slices of beet, a slice of pineapple, a slice of tomato, and a leaf of lettuce. Decorate the top bun with ketchup, mustard, relish and mayonnaise as desired. Place over the burger. Repeat with remaining burgers.

Note: We prepared 1 1/2 # Burgers for 5 of us and cut the ingredients down to two servings. We also didn't use lettuce or tomato and dipped the burger in dijon and ketchup.

The Down Under.

Our 1st night Down Under had us smacking our lips from the most delicious Barbecue Chook on the Barbie with a Foster's Coldie to toss back. Monday night never tasted so good.  Our little Ankle Biters were pleased too. Life is Good.

 A funny moment today over my lunch hour as I ran to the store to pick up a few ingredients and race home to marinate the chicken. I picked up a can of Foster's and thought, how odd. One can of beer, granite a BIG one. For a minute I thought they were going to brown bag it for me:)

So, we didn't follow the recipe exactly as it called for Chicken Wings and we had Chicken Thighs on hand. It was still Ace! The wings would be sloppier and saucy which I think we will try again sometime because the BBQ sauce was a Beaut! I'm already picking up the Aussie language here...

Australian Chicken Wings (or thighs)

For marinade:
3 pounds chicken wings
1/4 cup of oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup beer (australian beer like Foster's)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Barbecue Sauce:
2 Tbl. oil
5 green onions
1 garlic clove, minced (we use bottled minced)
2 tsp fresh minced ginger (we used bottled minced)
1/2 tsp hop pepper flakes
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup of beer
2 Tbl. fresh lime juice
2 Tbl. worchestershire sauce
2 Tbl. red wine vinegar
1 Tbl. brown sugar
1 Tbl. honey
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp black pepper

Place chicken in ziplock bag with the marinade. Marinate for four hours in the fridge. Prepare the barbecue sauce. Heat oil then saute green onions, ginger, garlic and pepper flakes. Add oil and the other ingredients after and simmer for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Measure 1 cup and set aside to serve with the chicken. Grill the chicken and 5 minutes before the end brush your chicken with the barbecue sauce.

Leaving for Aussie Land.

We are ending Elie's week of Birthday celebration and spring break in Minneapolis at the Mall of America and water park. Plus a family trip to IKEA. LOVE.  There's nothing better than spending a few hours at a super cool, super cheap store. We even stopped for a super cheap lunch in their food area. Solid.

We enjoyed dinner at the home of our Irish relatives, Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Gary where we were able to catch up with cousins and watch their young kids run around! We also caught up with cousin Amy again and rehashed our funny stories from the Irish party. Burgers and Brats on the grill, such a treat for the month of March.  Thank you for your hospitality, Marilyn and Gary!!! We had a blast. Love you guys:)

It's Hannah's week to pick the next country and she has chosen Australia. So we will be traveling tomorrow to get there, most likely eating in an airport.

Elizabeth Drew.

Elie, Elie, Elie, Elie girl, you're the cutest thing I've ever seen, you are so dear to me, my Elie Elie B, Elie, Elie, Elie, Elie B... this is a song I used to sing to you when you were a baby in my arms, trying to calm you down when you were crying. So although you're not small enough to hold in my arms, you're still my baby girl.

Happy 13th Birthday, kiddo. I can't believe you're a teenager! Oh how you've grown up. Today marks the day you were born. A day we chose because your Grandpa Joel was born on this day. He is smiling in heaven right now at his granddaughter and is so proud of you. Just like your Dad and I. My guess is, your sisters are proud to have you as a sister too, though they might not always admit it. You are the Oreo creme that keeps your two sisters connected. Your energy exemplifies this role quite nicely.

You were named after your great great grandmother Elizabeth Linford. And your middle name after your dad An"drew".  I won't go getting all sappy on you to avoid an eye roll but wanted to share 13 snippits of your timeline in the life of Elie:

1. You were ready to crawl when you were 4 months old. I scratched my head, wondering if the timing was on track. The doctor said, "you're going to have to watch this one"...
2. We went through 6 different types of bottles before you settled for the one you liked — a girl who knows what she wants and isn't going to settle.
3. You never attached yourself to a favorite blankie or stuffed animal — self reliance
4. You mastered the art of riding a bike when you were 4 all by yourself — determination early-on.
5. You were sent to the Principal's office in pre-school for being fiesty, along with a few other fiesty friends... I was mortified, my child. The Principal winked at me and said, "don't break her spirit"...
6. "Slow down" was a common observation from teachers in school. Always the 1st to be done at everything.
7. Probably why Softball was too "slow" for you. If the ball was hit to right field and you were playing left field position, you were always the 1st to retrieve the ball. A moment when we knew soccer was a better match.
8. You are very stubborn and don't seem to hear us when we ask you to help around the house. Yet teachers say the complete opposite. I guess you are listening. 
9. You are so patient with little kids. I watch you with Katy and you have a natural ability to teach and solve problems. She really looks up to you. A role model.
10. Sweets is one of your favorite food groups. And you usually leave a little on your face for later. 
11. You give 100% in everything you do. Except maybe cleaning your room.
12. Your food palette is slowly expanding, though not as fast as the rest of your life-you don't like buns, bananas, anything spicy and usually any sauces or cheese on anything. Really, an omelette with ham only? A panini with no cheese?
13. Soccer and swimming are your passions and you equally excel in both. Trombone is your music, taking after your great grandpa Paul. 

Thanks for giving us 13 years of such great memories.

Thanks for having a spirit that keeps us on our toes.

We are so proud to be your parents, Elizabeth Drew.  Our family wouldn't be the same without the middle of the Oreo... Thanks for being YOU. Love YOU!

Happy Is.... Elizabeth, Elie, El, Elster, Ells, Elie Bell.

The Irish Goodbye.

All good things must come to an end and it tis time for us to end our Journey in Ireland. We just can't keep up with all the hoopin' and hollerin' that goes on in this country. I mean, gees. They are fun lovin' bunch and all but our goodbyes to Ms. O'Weigle and friends will keep us from being pickled ya know.

Did you know that there is a story behind the "The Irish Goodbye", also coined the Shamrock Shuffle. It's that stage in a social setting by where you decide to disappear into the abyss without telling anyone you're leaving. Considered rude by some and clever by others, this move has been branded "The Irish Goodbye". Why it's called that is a mystery, though rumor has it an enraged Irish woman coined the term after her second boyfriend in a row disappeared without a trace at the end of a date. We used to call it "Puertoricaned"..Where did so and so go..."He Puertoricaned". Not sure why we've said it all these years but I'm definately changing it to "He did the Shamrock Shuffle".

We enjoyed some more of the Irish Lamb Stew as our last supper and will be heading to the states to celebrate a very special Birthday. You see, Elizabeth Drew turns 13 on Thursday.

Irish Lamb Stew
1 1/2 pounds thickly sliced bacon, diced
6 pounds boneless lamb shoulder (we used leg), cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup water
4 cups beef stock
2 tsp white sugar
4 cups diced carrots
2 large onions, cut into bite size pieces
3 potatoes
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup white wine

Directions
1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2. Put lamb, salt and pepper and flour in large mixing bowl. Toss to coat meat evenly. Can also toss in ziplock bag. Brown meat in frying pan with bacon fat.
3. Place meat into stock pot (leave 1/4 cup of fat in frying pan). Add the garlic and yellow onion and saute until onion begins to golden. Deglaze frying pan with 1/2 cup water and add the garlic-onion mixture to stockpot with bacon pieces, beef stock and sugar. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
4. Add carrots, onions, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves and wine to pot. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender. (we kept the pot on low for hours throughout the evening).

Serve over Colconnon potatoes or with your favorite Irish soda bread. Our dear friends, the McNelly's from Scotland shared their favorite homemade bread with us.

Until next year my Irish lads and lassies. See you in the Emerald Isle. Good Day.

Happy Is.

Monday in the Country.

We're still in Ireland, enjoyin' the countryside with our dear friend, Ms. O'Weigle. It seems the potatoes still need a harvestin' so we decided to help her out a wee bit. The party we threw was quite a delight, and our Irish friends were so  welcomin'. Ya know that cousin Amy traveled the day to make it to the party. She just couldn't stay to help with the harvestin' due to her job ya know. It twas so nice to see her though. And our friends certainly enjoyed her Two Gingers Whiskey.

The food at the party was oh so good. We had Irish Stew, Smoked Salmon, Corned Beef, Irish pasta and Bangers, to name a few. 

And the excitement in toasting Saint Patrick was a night to remember. That's fer sure.

Tis great to be Irish if even for a day. We've decided to be Irish a few days more. We enjoyed a nibble of leftover this night with a corned beef panini. My friends.... May you alway walk in sunshine. May you never want for more. May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door. Happy Is.

St. Patrick's Day.

The bells are ringing loud in Ireland today. The corned beef is simmerin' as I sip on my Irish coffee. It must be the smell of corned beef that's been cooking through the night that has me wanting to eat my left arm. I'm simply famished.

Last night we did a lot of Irish cooking but didn't eat it. Not because it was bad...we're gearing up for our annual Irish party, pickle wraps and all!  We rolled pickles and made Irish Stew with lamb meat, truly authentic. All while watching some crazy basketball games.

The house is nearly in order and the green serving pieces have been found. The girls made tie-dye t-shirts for the occasion. They turned out great, though the color could have been a little brighter...minty is still green, really. They will add the usual flare of accessories to round out their look. Me on the other hand will be prepared to sweat a lot in my chosen sweater I planned on wearing, not realizing that spring break weather came to Iowa, reaching 80 degrees today. Crazy I say.

Just as crazy is the fact that Iowa State is planning to send Kentucky walking this evening as they fight for a sweet sixteen spot in the NCAA tournament. So glad we have digital TV here in Ireland to get the game! My coffee needs a refresh and the chores must continue. I wish everyone a very HAPPY St. Patrick's day today.

"May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, And may trouble avoid you wherever you go."


Irish Pickle Wraps
1 Jar of whole Kosher pickles
8 oz. package cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 pkgs. dried beef

Mix the cream cheese and sour cream together. Spread onto the beef. Wrap around pickles. I use 2-3 slices for each pickle. It's kind of tricky. Slice and serve. I make ahead and chill and then slice right before serving.

Black and Tan.

My favorite Irish tradition is indulging in a Black and Tan beverage, a layered mix of stout and lager beer, at least that's what I thought. After a little research I see more play on Ales as the bottom layer such as Bass, Sierra Nevada or Boulevard. Hmmm. I ponder.  You pour the Ale or lager in the bottom half of the glass, followed by the Guinness. It's important to use a spoon to slowly pour in order for the Guinness to land gently, creating a layer due to the density difference in the two beers. The spoon should tilt towards the side of the glass so the beer flows down the side.

So much detail to pour a lovely beverage!

Now, the real point if this post is to share a meal we had last night, using the Black and Tan as our guide for Irish Macaroni and Cheese. Call me crazy but as long as you put Irish in front of any food group, it appears to work. Andy and I enjoyed it as well as Hannah. The other two witnessed the beer pour and I think mentally created a dislike due to the ingredients (and anything with slight texture won't fly with them). Had I known they wouldn't eat it, I would have spiced it up more. So Elie and Katy ate bacon, the end.

Black and Tan Irish Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients

6 cups water 

24 ounces lager beer 

16 ounces rustic shaped pasta (Ziti) 

1 cup whole milk (I used skim)

1 cup half-and-half 

12 ounces evaporated milk 

5 tablespoons lightly salted quality Irish butter (i used American butter)

2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon ground dry mustard 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 

1/3 cup stout beer 

3 ounces shredded smoked Gruyere 

8 ounces shredded Irish Cheddar 

1/2 cup bread crumbs, Japanese panko, or fresh country white 

1/2 cup crisp cooked apple wood or maple bacon crumbles 

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves or several sage leaves for garnish

Directions

Place water and lager beer into a 4 1/2 quart or larger saucepan over high heat and bring to boil, add pasta and cook until just al dente. Drain and keep warm.

Meanwhile in 3 quart saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring the milk, half-and-half, and evaporated milk just to a boil, keep hot. In a 4 quart saucepan, over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter and stir in flour until it begins to color slightly, whisk in hot milk, mustard, salt, cayenne, and stout, and bring to a strong simmer. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheeses until melted. Place pasta into serving dish and pour the cheese sauce over the pasta.

Place remaining butter in a large saute pan over medium heat and stir in bread crumbs, stir until golden brown, stir in bacon crumbles. Spread mixture over top of macaroni. Garnish with cilantro or sage leaves.

I followed most of the recipe but omitted the bread crumbs and garnish as my audience isn't keen on bread crumbs in their mac & cheese.

The rest of this week will be spent getting ready for St. Paddie's day festivities. Oh, and Cousin Amy found a cart and horse and should be here by Saturday with her Finnegan's in tow.

Happy is.

Bangers and Mash.

I can guarantee anyone who makes this meal will have a Happy Is. moment. Unfortunately, we were not able to complete. With all the ingredients purchased, we were degraded to grilled burgers and brats. Sorry peeps but 77 degree weather in March doesn't come around that often in Iowa...so when in Rome? or crazy weather in Iowa? Ya gotta cave to it. And delicious they were. Hannah ate two burgers... since she's in two-a-day swim training:) Watch out Hannah...calories will catch up:)

We are anxiously planning our party and trying to find Lamb Shoulder. Really, what's the difference between a shoulder and a leg? To me, the leg sounds meatier but evidently the shoulder is the thing to get for making a stew, Irish Lamb Stew that is.  I ordered the buns today. Did you know that Hy-Vee will make buns to order? I ordered a mix of pumpernickel and light rye buns for the corned beef. Very cool little tip.

Our costumes arrived today from our dear nearly Irish mother, Kathleen Irene. Each box contained wigs, hats with beards, tiaras, necklaces, rings and shamrock mugs. We are set for wardrobe... now to find the Lamb shoulder!

Haven't heard a peep from cousin, Amy...she may be walkin' by now.

True Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy
Ingredients
4 links pork sausage
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed 
1/4 cup butter 
2 tablespoons milk (optional) 
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter 
2 large onions, chopped 
6 cups beef broth 
2 cups red wine
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). 
2. Cook the sausage links in a skillet over medium-low heat until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to an oven-safe dish and move to the preheated oven to keep warm. 
3. Place potatoes into a saucepan over medium heat, cover with water, and boil
gently until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two. Mix in
1/4 cup of butter, milk, dry mustard, salt, and black pepper; mash until fluffy and smooth. Set aside.
4. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; cook the onions until translucent and just
starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Pour in the beef broth and red wine; boil the mixture down to about half
its volume, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. To serve, place a sausage onto a serving
plate with about 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes. Pour the onion gravy over the sausage and potatoes.

We WILL make this at some point....

Irish Tacos.

Ok, so I cheated a bit tonight and served up tacos in our hot dog dishes. Then I googled the Irish Taco and found that people all over the world actually serve them up, using corned beef and cole slaw, according to a few recipes I noticed. So in spirit of St. Patrick, we had Irish Tacos, though there was nothing green about them.

A hard Monday with tired kids. Dance night. Shopping for Elie's Birthday night. Dusting night. Gearing up for the big event on Saturday. Love love the weather we're having and excited for the warmth throughout the week. Though it does make your mind a wee bit distractive at best.

Trying to get my Irish cousin, Amy here from the cities for our big festivities... she will be here if she starts walking tomorrow mornin'!

Irish Steak.

We enjoyed a typical Sunday evening meal of steak and potatoes. With cottage cheese, strawberries & raspberries, bread, brussel sprouts and a little red sprouts are one of the many vegetables that the Irish eat in addition to potatoes which is the "sour cream" of Russia or the "Paprika" of Hungary.

Delicious comfort meal on a Sunday where five of us sat down and enjoyed food and each other. LOVE Sunday night meals with my people.

We had a surprise knock on our Irish door after bath time. My sissy Deb and her husband Scott and son TJ showed up to say "hello". What a spontaneously fun Sunday night. Much better than TV! We yapped for an hour or so and they were off.

This daylight savings time has all of us off schedule. Monday is going to be dreadful.

Irish Steak
1 12 oz. steak
Cracked black peppercorns, enough to coat both sides of steak
2 Tbl. butter
1 oz/ Irish whiskey
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Fresh chopped parsley

> Coat both sides of steak with crushed peppercorns.
> Melt butter in cast iron skillet.
> Place steak in pan and cook on one side for 6 minutes; turn and cook an additional 4 minutes for medium rare.
> Remove steak from pan and place in arm platter.
> Pour off butter; deglaze pan with whiskey.
> Set on fire. When flame goes out, continue to cook 1 minute.
> Add heavy cream and cook on high to reduce.
> When sauce thickens, add parsley and ladle onto slice steak.

Obvious Country Choice.

It wouldn't be hard to guess that we are off to Ireland this week to celebrate our Irish heritage. You must likely be wondering just how Irish are we? Funny, my cousin asked that same question a few years ago during our annual St. Paddie's Day party... lets just say we were rolling on the ground, laughing to tears about that notion. We realized that in the end, we are a mix, though we do have at least 1/4 Irish in our blood. I love everything Irish. It is such a public display of culture that surrounds family, faith, comfort food and drink. They have a blessing for everything that usually ends with being happy and defining success and riches with people, love and friendship, health and laughter. It says nothing about owning the fanciest car or the biggest house on the block or making the most money. It's real. And I love it.

I also love the celebration to honor Saint Patrick who brought Christianity to Ireland many moons ago. On March 17, 2012 we will be celebrating our 6th annual Irish party that all started when Elie wanted to have an Irish birthday party. She claims it's her day since my due date for her was 3/17. She arrived on 3/22 but still feels close to this Irish day. Her birthday party of cupcakes and shamrocks for 8 year olds turned into Guiness and Corned Beef when we celebrated with our family later that evening. My family tends to theme things a wee bit so my sisters arrived in their bearded faces and green pipes and the tradition was born.

I wish this for you to get into the spirit of the week that is dedicated to Ireland.

An Old Irish Blessing
May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!


Happy Is.

Friday Fish.

Tonight, we strayed from Russian food and focused on Friday Lent instead. We were trying to remember a place we had eaten recently where we said we would be back to for their fish and chips but realized it was Wellman's Bar and Grill. A Friday night at Wellman's didn't seem appropriate with kids so we ended up at our home restaurant, Mi Mexico.

Andy enjoyed a plumply stuffed burrito filled with shrimp while I had the vegetarian enchiladas. Very tasty for our non-meat night. The place was crowded for a Friday night. Katy asked when we arrived whether we would get a discount because the owner is our neighbor. We obviously set her straight but then received the VIP treatment when Enricio, the owner saw us and asked for our # and magically we were seated next! Followed by unexpected con queso dip. This Katy, is the reward for being neighbors to the owner...happy is.

Russian Dressing.

There seems to be a big argument as to the origin of Russian Salad Dressing. Most Americans think it's really French or Catalina dressing, just packaged to differentiate by using "Russian" to entice its users.

I did a little research and this is what I found:
It appears that there is indeed some controversy of the origin. Many believe its origin is America around 1922, based on selected ingredients associated with Russian cuisine. It's a creamy vinaigrette concoction, the same base as French Dressing.  Russian dressing has a sharper taste, using horseradish while French is sweeter with the use of brown sugar and vinegar. It's also been sited that the original Russian dressing used caviar, tomato product and sour cream. I gave up on my research after finding no real concrete information about this dressing.

Net net, I chose a recipe that may be influenced by the Russians but most likely was invented by Americans. Go figure. I'm not doing that great with meals this week. This was a crock pot meal, consisting of chicken and russian dressing. My day became unmanageable and I ended up missing dinner altogether due to my busy work schedule, including my photo capture.

So, I asked Hannah to guest blog but she was busy needing me to help her with her journalism paper so here I am. The good news, according the Hannah, "yeah, it was good. Katy liked it too". I questioned Andy and he said they all ate the meal, maybe because they were SO hungry. Or maybe because it was like bbq chicken (my added opinion).

Russian Chicken
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 bottle Russian Salad Dressing (I used Wishbone)
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 jar apricot preserves (10-12 oz.)
Salt & pepper to taste

Place chicken in crock pot. Salt and pepper to taste.
Combine Russian dressing, soup mix and preserves in a bowl. Mix and pour over chicken.
Cook on low 6-8 hours. Slice and serve over rice.


I ran into a few Russians in my quest for Russian answers. They couldn't help me.
Happy Is.

Leftovers.

Well, sort of. That was the intention of the evening until I picked up Hannah from Syncro and had to stop at the store. She came home with Chinese sesame chicken to go because she was SO hungry. Dropped her off and went to pick up Elie and Katy from church. Headed to the mall to buy a birthday gift. Decided to feed Katy in the food court. Elie followed. Chic-a-filet was enjoyed by both. I on the other hand didn't eat dinner after consuming a 7 pound burrito from Bandit Burrito this afternoon after a client meeting. WOW, that's all I have to say...and I even ordered the "slim". Go figure. Andy was out with clients at the El Bait Shop so he was the only one who actually took part in leftovers night after coming home.

Something nice about an evening where there were no food issues. Thank goodness as I'm up to my ears in work this week. Everything aligns for a reason, I strongly believe.

I'll just bet these kind of nights happen all over the world, even Russia.

Defining Bland.

It was a tossed vote this evening with our simple country meal of Russian Pork Chops and Potatoes in Sour Cream Sauce. Hannah couldn't help but throw it out there that she was not pleased with the flavor or lack there of that her meal provided. In fact, I'm really not sure you could say she ate the meal unless you call cottage cheese and strawberries a meal.  She picked at the pork which everyone claimed to be a bit dry.  Elie and Hannah argued over the meal. Elie didn't think it was bland at all. She liked it (except the dry pork comment...and the mushrooms). Katy didn't like the pieces of fat attached to her pork pieces. Our little culinary connoisseurs have really become quite vocal!

The meal was a solid meat and potatoes kind of meal. I forgot the steamed peas until the end so Hannah ate a bowl of peas to make up for the rest of the meal. I too thought the meal was lacking in flavor. But I do think it's largely because of the sour cream which seems to be the "paprika" of Russia. I'm not a huge fan of an ingredient that tends to mellow out the other flavors of the meal.

So we ended the meal with much debate, enjoying the fact that our family has such an opposite culinary palate. I wonder if it will change as they get older....very interesting.

The spicy part of my day was going to Katy's 2nd grade parent-teacher conference and watching her in a video on the big screen in the room. Katy presented to me her report on how she is doing in school. A worksheet she filled out and read to the camera. Simply priceless. I requested a copy from the teacher, who by the way is brilliant in capturing the true essence of your child so innocently self reflective of what they enjoy, what they excel in and what is hard about school. They also said what they would change which Katy sited, school lunches! Hmmm... is there a thematic pattern or connection to that comment? God love my baby girl who is growing up quite nicely despite our lack of over parenting. Happy Is.

Russian Pork Chops and Potatoes in Sour Cream Sauce
1⁄2 lb potato sliced 
1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder 
1⁄4 teaspoon onion powder 
1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup mushroom , sliced 
4 center-cut pork chops 
2 to taste oil
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Spray skillet. Heat it over medium heat. Add potatoes and brown lightly. Set aside.

2. Season chops with powders and pepper. Put a little oil in skillet. Cook chops for one minute on each side. Drain fat if necessary.

3. Add water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. 

4. Add potatoes and mushroom. Cook for 10 more minutes. 

5. Stir in sour cream. Heat thoroughly, but don't boil.