Failte!

I'm excited to share my adventures with all of you! I want your first taste of my life in Ireland to be this poem that I wrote very late one night when I was a Junior in College. Its meaning seems eerily prophetic now. More than anything, I've created this blog to make the actualization of this life-long dream of mine visible to those I love: my friends who are my foundation, my endlessly supportive family, my mentors and co-workers who inspire me, and my former students who have given me enough satisfaction and fulfillment to last two lifetimes... Have the courage to believe that your wildest dreams can come true.

Is fhearr fheuchainn na bhith san duil, (It is better to try than to hope)

e
Mourn (A Seaside Peak in Southern Ireland)

The dark, earthen sod saturates her fair feet,
but briefly since she frolics fast in knee high
blades of greenest grass that blow dizzily in the Celtic-sea air.

Her wool skirt, stiffened by ware of evenings past
is splashed by cresting waves that break
against a beach blacker than her hair.
Those once stiffer fibers were loosed by nights upon nights
of hanging perfectly on his line before being wildly blown dry
by the crisp Hibernian salt air.

The pair sits to rest a while instead of dodging
breakers or skipping paler stones.

"Indian summer's here," he says softly,
but all of summer here feels like the edge
of autumn to her, even though she grins in agreement
as she dangles her pale, soft feet off Achilles' peak,
where Erin's vermillion-gold sky meets
an ocean that is grey with years.

She sleeps with her eyes closed tight most nights.
He asks her if she believes in Tier-Nan-Og,
and she asks him if he believes in anything eternal.
Outside the tide is rising, or it's receding—
She never can tell but for the strengthened smell of
salty freshness strained through his light, lace curtains.
She thinks to herself that he is like trying to hold the sea 
and she imagines the water running between her fingers--
clenched so tight.

And so, the night calls her out of her sleeping,
like daytime chides her into dreaming.
She slips her white fingers through the holes of an old loose scarf
that affords her more company than warmth
on these newborn autumn evenings. She is off-- 
Night clouds reflect emerald from land to sea,
And the tara that she never eyes from long hours of
staring too far into star blanketed skies,
feels cool against the thickening pads of her pallid feet.

Elisabeth Lewis (2005)

18 September 2011

Fall Recipes from Dublin!

Fall at our Georgian house in Dublin!
Wow, it's been 10 days. Sorry! I guess I got a little side-tracked, but that will all be illuminated later on.  For now, I just want to catch up with another "STEW for Stew" post! I wasn't planning on putting this up, but after researching the nutritional value of both barley and lentils, I feel like this is a great recipe for all my heath-nut friends to put on your "back burner." God, I'm witty.  So if you know me, you know that my favorite food is..._________! I like it raw, I like it cooked, It's best creamed, I put it in my pasta, even in banana smoothies. I need the extra iron it provides because meat isn't my shtick. It keeps me super REGULAR, and like my father, I pack serious fiber into my day. Moving half-way around the world has done some crazy things to my body and this hearty, autumn colored stew is just what I needed to get my system back on track! You will get a ton of protein and fiber from this one. And Only 230 calories per cup!

Truth? I'm behind in Prizes. I have two beautiful things for Kat and Liz Wills, and I'm sending them tomorrow! Fill in my favorite food blank and make this stew (taking adorable pictures as Lizzy did) and you will be rewarded as well. And let's be honest, it will take 2 weeks again. I'm getting a Masters, not relaxing by the Liffey drinking Guiness Irishmen. Oh, wait....

Ok! for this stew, your ingredients are as follows:
 1 cup dry pearl Barley
2 cups brown lentils
2 carrots
3 celery stalks
1 medium yellow onion
4 cups sliced button mushrooms (or any kind you like)
1 litre of Beef broth
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. Parsley
S+P to taste
a bit of red wine 
a bit of olive oil

Obviously, you FIRST want to chop your onion and cook it on medium in your olive oil filled skillet!
Once the onion pieces are transparent, add your chopped carrots and celery and cook for 5 more minutes
Now it's time to stir in your lentils and barley! Make sure they are coated in olive oil (add more if you have to)
After barley is browned a bit, add your litre of beef broth! I typically use vegetable stock, but this adds a great flavor to this stew and makes it a bit more filling
Season the mixture with your thyme, parsley, and black pepper
Now cover your skillet, turn down the heat, and let simmer for 20 minutes (In the mean time, slice all your mushrooms and listen to  A Fine Frenzy.


Finally, Add your mushrooms and cook, occasionally stirring, for 30 more minutes.
Don't forget to add the red wine for that extra flavor burst in the last 5 minutes!



I made this with traditional Irish Brown Bread--served hot and delicious! Trust me, you will love it :)

On the East coast of America, Apples are synonymous with fall. There are so may delicious ways to fix them up. In Boston, I often stewed them with cinnamon and butter, and I think Dani made some pies at Verndale. Here is a healthier option for your apple dessert.  I made it last week, and Candace and Matt loved them. It's SO simple! I'll give you a romantic recipe for two :) Though, I made mine for 3!

Preheat your oven to 175 degrees celsius. Good luck figuring that one out.
Take your apple, core it and half it
In a bowl, mix together low fat cream cheese, LOTS of cinnamon (my fav) and 1 TBS. of Brown Sugar
Fill the cored apple holes with the mixture
Now finely chop a pear and sprinkle some on top.
Place apples in your bread loaf pan and fill the bread loaf pan half full with a mixture of water and juice Any juice will do!

If you don't have juice (or in addition) throw the rest of the pear pieces in the pan
Bake this for 30 minutes until the apples are browning and you can easily dig in with a spoon!
I sprinkle extra cinnamon on top, and if you're not watching your weight, you could add a scoop of vanilla ice cream :)

 Thanks for reading! my next recipe installment should be my attempt at Hot Mulled Wine with Candace!
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1 comment:

  1. Magan19 September, 2011 19:13

    Did seriously no one post a response about your fav... SPINACH! ugh, josh are you reading?!!

    and that was 347 degrees fahrenheit!

    love you

    ReplyDelete

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