Heavenly Caesar Salad

We went out for dinner last night, and one of the courses I ordered was a Caesar salad. I was trying to keep my menu lighter than usual, and honestly a caesar didn't sound terribly interesting, but I trust the restaurant to make everything fabulous. I was not disappointed. In fact this was an amazing dish:


http://www.rosemarysrestaurant.com/recipes/Caesar_Salad.htm

Split Pea and Leek Soup

Dh made this a few days ago. It was so yummy! The leeks are a nice addition. He used frozen peas instead of fresh. He also didn't use the vitamin c, and the soup stayed nice and green without it. http://www.napastyle.com/recipe/reci...productId=2673

My Green Smoothie Recipe

We all know we should eat more raw veggies, and greens are supposed to be especially healthy. Here's an easy way to add more to your diet!

A green smoothie is simply a smoothie with greens in it, which sounds terrible but is actually quite nice. My basic recipe is
1 cup kefir (or yogurt),
1 fruit (usually half of two different fruits like half an apple, half a banana),
a few frozen berries or a spoon of jam,
greens: (i use half a head of romaine or 2 stalks of celery or some dark leaf lettuce or spinach...),
and sometimes the juice of half a lime.
Liquefy in blender. Drink.

mmmm a wonderful way to get more greens in your diet, and it can be adapted if you like more or less "green" taste. With the fruits I get very little green taste. If you wanted even less green taste, you could use half a cup of kefir and half a cup of fruit juice.

Christmas Day Menu

Christmas Breakfast
Cardamom Coffee Cake (we were going to have eggs but we forgot!)
Coffee

Christmas Lunch
Barbecue Pork Tenderloin with Black Beans and Rustic Bread

Christmas Dinner
Herb and Rosemary-Crusted Prime Rib
Pan Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Yorkshire Pudding
French Apple Tart

Seafood Chowder

My husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas Eve lunch and I said that what I wanted more than anything was Seafood Chowder like we had in Ireland. He found this recipe from the Ireland Sea Fisheries Board:
http://www.bim.ie/templates/recipes.asp?action=detail&recipe_id=221&node_id=346

It was heavenly!

French Women Don't Get Fat......RESULTS!

The author of French Women Don't Get Fat recommends using a "zipper test" to gauge success on an eating plan. When I began trying to follow the FWDGT lifestyle in early November, I chose a pair of jeans that I've had for months and hadn't been able to wear. I could barely zip them, and only for an instant -- way too tight. After the first week, I could zip them easier and I thought I could perhaps wear the pants for an hour or so -- but not too long. Over the next weeks, there didn't seem to be much change in how the jeans fit (I try them on once a week), and some weeks they seemed as tight as ever.

Today I tried them on --- and I'm still wearing them 6 hours later! I am ecstatic! So, only five pounds lost, but my shape is changing and I have an incentive to keep the portions small this Christmas season.

Books by the foot

This cracked me up. And then it made me sad.You can pay this bookstore to fill the shelves of your library with nice looking books. What a strange and sad way to fill a personal library. All about appearance rather than filling your shelves with books that have become your friends and favorites. (I can understand hiring someone to fill the bookshelves for the set of a play...but for your home???)
http://www.strandbooks.com/app/www/p/bbtfoot/

Crockpot Apple Oatmeal

Apple Oatmeal (crockpot version, adapted from Fix It and Forget IT)
2 cups milk
2 tbsp honey (or brown sugar to your taste, or agave nectar, or maple syrup or ....)
1 tbsp butter or coconut oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup old fashioned oats (don't use the quick cooking oats -- they get mushy
1 diced apple
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit; a tropical mix with mango is interesting)
chopped walnuts or pecans (optional, but they really add a lot in texture)

Spray slowcooker with pam(That's very important!)
.Mix all ingredients together in slow cooker. Don't worry about getting everything evenly distributed; you'll stir it up in the morning.Cover. Cook on low 5-6 hours.

You do not need to get up at 1 a.m. to turn this on. Go buy one of those little gadgets that can be used to turn a lamp on and off while you're on vacation (they're popular for turning holiday lights on and off too -- they should be plentiful this time of year and they're only $5 or so). Turn on your crockpot and plug it into the gadget. You'll wake up to a lovely fragrance!

You can do this with steel cut oats too. http://busycooks.about.com/od/meatle.../cpoatmeal.htm (Notice this uses a bit more liquid) Somewhere I have a recipe that uses dried apples. And you make a mix of the dry ingredients and just add milk. Sooooo easy.

The Blogging Mom (as I call her when I quote her to my husband) has a funny story today:

http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html

If you're reading this after November 27, you'll need to go to the November archive.

Thanksgiving Menu

Thanksgiving Menu

Profriterole (little bites of pastry stuffed with blue cheese and apple and butternut and onion, etc)

Roasted Chestnut Soup

Butternut Risotto

Haricot Vert (green beans) with almonds

Roast Turkey

Cranberries

Praline Pumpkin Pie

(all cooked by dh, of course)

The Praline Pumpkin Pie is an adaptation of the Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie in the book French Women Don't Get Fat.

Sweet Songs

As a mom of three girls, I find this sort of thing so sweet:
Stealing Cinderella http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtOy8R01fTA

and then there's this one:
I Loved Her First http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXhJ3oCg3K8

A New Approach to Dieting

I joined this forum last week: www.frenchwomendon'tgetfat.com, and I've been reading the book of the same name. The author of the book is active on the forum.

I don't have the eating plan all figured out, but I am encouraged by my first week. I only lost two pounds; on any other diet I would feel like that wasn't enough. But the French Women Don't Get Fat book is written in such a positive manner, it encourages me to think positively and to see the successes rather than the failures.

And I can see that I have actually made a huge change -- I'm not snacking in the afternoon! My lunches are big enough that I don't have to! Sometimes, I admit, I've saved my fruit from lunch and eaten it an hour or two later, but I'm not adding extra food in the afternoon. Or the morning either, now that I think about it.

I tried on some jeans that were terribly uncomfortable last week ... and this week I feel like I could actually wear them for an hour or two if I wanted to.

I love the fact that the book encourages you to make changes gradually. This seems healthier and more sensible than the "start Phase 1 tomorrow and eat this really strict diet for 2 weeks" idea of other plans I've looked at or tried.

Paisley Pashmina shawls

I bought four pashmina shawls on ebay yesterday!
(Here's one: (http://cgi.ebay.com/Stunning-70-Pash...QQcmdZViewItem).
I bought a silver one, a black one, a denim-blue one, and a green and black one. All have a bit of a paisley pattern. Now I just have to figure out how to wear them when they arrive! I think they'll be really practical for our moderate weather here in Vegas. And I'll feel like a regency era heroine (they were always wrapping themselves in pasmina shawls...).

Theme Songs from Favorite TV Shows

I had fun today looking for favorite theme songs on youtube.

I haven't watched this show in years, but in the mid-90s I loved the reruns -- and the song:
Mary Tyler Moore http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql8G0Ikko5I

This was our favorite show until we discovered Britcoms. I still love the song:
Gilmore Girls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1Rgbg02LPU

My very favorite show -- and it has a great theme song:
As Time Goes By http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn9JQANyCQE

and my next-to-favorite britcom (with a slideshow of characters)Last of the Summer Wine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC9MtXKM1NK

Halloween at our house

My dh loves costumes. He doesn't get a chance to be in dramatic productions right now, so he goes all out for Halloween at his job.

Two years ago, he was Captain Jack Sparrow. He dressed up for school, for dd's birthday, and for a church party. I lived with "Johnny Depp" for three days.

Last year, he was Weird Al in White and Nerdy. I told him this was a downward trend. From Johnny Depp to Weird Al. Sigh.


This year, he was John Travolta in Hairspray. (Here's John: )

I was not wild about my dh dressing as a woman but when he mentioned he'd have to shave off his beard, I gave in.

The girls were all princesses for Halloween this year. With dh wearing a sequined dress and the kids wearing lace and crowns, there was just too much foofiness happening, so I wore dh's hat, a leather jacket, and a mustache.

We're thinking about Gone with the Wind for next year. Dh could be Scarlett O'Hara and I could be Rhett Butler.

And now y'all think we're reallllly weird.....

dreams of blogging

How I would love to be like Dawn, blogging mom of six (www.mom2my6pack.blogspot.com), who blogs almost daily. I think about blogging. I have great intentions when it comes to blogging. Yet in the midst of laundry-- and dishes -- and homeschooling -- and facilitating a women's Bible study -- and headaches -- and wishing I lived in Ireland -- and making many pots of tea......I forget to blog.

In an effort to put SOMETHING here, I'll post a silly little thing I put on The Homeschool Library today:

Mommy has a headache. Let's help Mommy.

See mommy flinch when children
hum. Hum, children, hum!

See mommy glare when a child taps a pencil on her phonics
book. Tap, child, tap!

See mommy give the children a snack. Hear the children chew
tortillas. Chew, Chomp, Chomp.

Let's squawk about Mama's ideas about
schoolwork.Whine, squawk, fuss!

Mama wants to read a book with us.Let's move the
book around so Mama feels seasick trying to read it!

Mama says she's going to
have a long nap this afternoon. Ha ha ha!

chapter 2

See the children run around outside. The patio door muffles their
yells.Muffle, door, muffle.

See mama's coffee. See the lovely coffee. See the
lovely brown hot coffee.Smell the lovely brown coffee. Drink, Mama,
drink! Aaaahhhhhh

Raclette

Raclette is a cheese from Switzerland, as well as a melted-cheese-over-potatoes dish that is very popular in Switzerland. Here is more information. Scroll down for how to make raclette without special equipment.
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/raclette.htm

Trader Joe's sells raclette cheese. We had melted raclette over potatoes last night (with pickles on the side) and it was a simple but fabulous dinner. I have to admit that I am very tempted by the raclette grills. I'd like to eat this quite often.

Organizing the Library

We have a multi-purpose room we call the Music Room. It's also our Library and our guest room. It's been a disaster for months and I finally organized it. I even have the fiction books arranged alphabetically by author. I'm so happy to have this accomplished -- I couldn't resist taking pictures!

Above is a picture of the non fiction books and music books.We have three shelves of cookbooks -- and that doesn't count the ones we keep handy in the kitchen.

Below is a photo of the opposite side of the room; fiction books on one bookshelf (and overflowing to the other shelf too) and one bookshelf with a few Bible study books and a bunch of children's books.























And here are the rest of the devotional/inspirational/Bible study guides (out in the dining room). Not including the 45 books to read or books-I'm-in-the-middle-of that are in my nightstand-bookshelf.

crockpot Little Smokies

2 packages of Little Smokies (I like to use one beef, one cheese-filled)
1 jar of apricot jelly (18 oz)
1 bottle of chili sauce (12 oz)
1 tsp ground chipotle pepper
1 tbs stone ground mustard

Heat on high for two hours. Turn to low or warm until ready to serve.

This is an easy potluck dish.

Menu through 10/14

I thought this blog would be such a handy way to track our menu but I keep forgetting to use it. Too many plates to keep spinning.

So what did we eat this week?

Tonight: Pacific Reuben sandwiches (replace the usual corned beef with smoked salmon. mmmmm)
Saturday dinner: beerbrat sausages with porter cheese and sliced raw apples. Simple but fabulous.
Friday dinner: I went to a Creativity Night for Bible study ladies. I took little smokies (my own recipe. I'll post it)
Thursday dinner: sundried tomato sauce over fettucine.
Wednesday dinner: tamales.
Tuesday dinner: grilled salmon on a green salad. with capers and blue cheese dressing.
Monday dinner: Chinese takeaway.

Eggs Florentine

Dinner tonight

Serves 2 as a main dish entree. Accompany with a green salad for an easy dinner.

20 spinach leaves (washed)
8 big basil leaves, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup romano cheese (or a blend of romano and parmesan)
4 eggs
4 tbsp cream
salt and pepper
hummus (optional)
diced tomatoes (optional)
goat cheese (optional -- sometimes we use the goat cheese and not the hummus, or vice versa)

Preheat oven to 375. Spray two small oven safe dishes (ramekins) with PAM. Microwave the spinach, wrapped in a paper towel, for about one minute (til it's wilted). Divide spinach leaves and basil leaves between dishes. Sprinkle with half of the romano cheese, dividing the half between the dishes. If desired, place a couple dabs of hummus in each dish, and some diced tomatoes. Add a couple slices of goat cheese to each dish, if desired.Crack two eggs into each dish. Don't stir them up or try to blend the ingredients. Pour 2 tbsp cream into each dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and remaining romano.

Bake for 25 minutes or until eggs are set.

A wonderful Saturday evening dinner while watching Britcoms on PBS.

Korean food

I've heard good things about this Korean food blog, this recipe in particular:
http://koreancookingshow.blogspot.com/2007/08/korean-style-vegetable-pancake.html

I haven't watched the video yet.

Menu week ending October 5

I didn't keep track of what we ate every day. Migraines were keeping me from the computer part of the time. But we've had fabulous food!

We went to a family friendly Irish pub to eat Fish and Chips, followed by Sticky Toffee pudding.

At home, we had a British Isles dinner with English bangers (sausages) and colcannon (mashed potatoes with bacon and cabbage).

Dh made "bubble and squeak" from the leftover colcannon. (I could eat bubble and squeak every day.)

We also had welsh rarebit twice. These foods were all immensely popular with our children -- and with us. (Welsh rarebit is going to be served at our home quite frequently.)

Links:
Colcannon recipes: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_22600,00.html
http://www.ireland-information.com/irishrecipes/colcannon.htm

Welsh rarebit: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_26813,00.html

picture of a British version of sticky toffee puddinghttp://stickytoffeepudding.com/ and a recipe we haven't tried yet: http://www.recipezaar.com/113993

bubble and squeakhttp://www.anenglishmaninamerica.co.uk/british-bubble-and-squeak-recipe.php

Irish brown bread:http://paisleyteacup.blogspot.com/2007/06/irish-brown-bread-easy.html

We varied the across-the-Atlantic fare with some south of the border flavor: tamales!

Black Bean Taco Soup

Taco Soup is one of my favorite things to cook. My recipe has evolved over the last few years, and here is the current procedure:
1/2 pound sausage
1/2 pound hamburger
1 tablespoon baking chocolate (yes, really)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper -- ground
1 large white onion -- chopped
14 ounces crushed tomatoes
14 ounces diced tomatoes (sometimes I double this)
14 ounces black beans, canned (sometimes I double this)
1 1/2 cups beef broth,
reduced salt
1 tablespoon buttermilk powder (or a packet of dry ranch dressing mix)
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces sour cream, light
1 avocado
1/2 cup cheddar cheese -- shredded
2 tablespoons cilantro -- fresh (optional)

Brown the sausage and hamburger, adding the chocolate, cumin, and chipotle pepper when it's about half browned, then adding the onion for the last few minutes.
Place sausage, hamburger, onion, tomatoes, beans, broth, buttermilk powder, and salt in crockpot. Cook on high for two hours or on low for four hours.
Garnish individual bowls with sour cream, sliced avocado, cilantro (optional) and grated cheese.

Some people like to put tortilla chips on top, but we feel there are enough carbs in here already!

thoughts on a vaccine

I appreciated this blogger's comments:
http://carolonajourney.blogspot.com/2007/09/angry-about-gardasil.html

September Reading

Non Fiction
The End of Religion by Bruxy Cavey (a really challenging yet comforting book. I've always heard that Christianity is a relationship not a religion. Too often, though I have seen people treat it as a religion rather than a relationship. This book is really challenging about whether we are following a religion or getting nearer to Jesus-- and much more than that; hard to explain but I heartily recommend it)

Confessions of a Reformission Rev, by Mark Driscoll

The Desert Experience, by various authors including Sheila Walsh

Mommy Paints the Sky, by Danny Oertli

Get Out of that Pit, by Beth Moore (a good book but it doesn't really hold my interest; I keep forgetting to finish it)

Fiction
Miss Buncle's Book
Miss Buncle Married
The Two Mrs Abbots
The Four Graces
(all by D E Stevonson, the first three are a trilogy although they stand alone pretty well. The fourth has some of the same characters)

An Ameila Peabody book (the fourth book? I can't remember the name; it's been a few weeks)

I know I read more than that -- I just can't remember at the moment.

Menu this week

I want to see how often we repeat meals; I also want an easy way to find online recipes that we love. So, I'm going to track our meals here.

Friday night: amazing Garlic & Sausage Soup (Daisy Cooks)
http://paisleyteacup.blogspot.com/2007/09/amazing-garlic-soup.html

Saturday
morning: olive and garlic bread with sausage broth (from the soup last night) and coddled eggs
lunch: kids- bean and hot dog soup
adults- kefir-fruit smoothie, and a leftover asparagus tamale (purchased from WinderFarms http://www.winderfarms.com/default.aspx)
dinner: kids- Chicken Nuggets
adults- Welsh Rarebit (Alton Brown) http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_26813,00.html?rsrc=search
This was fabulous!

Sunday
morning: kids-cereal & cheese, me-Lara bar
lunch: nachos for the kids, chips and welsh rarebit sauce for me
dinner: in two courses. 1st -- Green Salad for us and peas w/pumpkin seeds and cheese for the kids; Later: ice cream!

Monday
morning: smoothies for us, cereal & cheese for the kids
lunch: potato cheese soup
dinner: Barilla penne pasta with tomato mascarpone sauce (tomato mascarpone sauce from Winder Farms, mixed with a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes) and sauteed diced zucchini.

Tuesday
morning: scrambled eggs for us, Cliff Z bars and fruit for the kids
lunch: nachos
dinner: avocado bean salad and squash soup
The squash soup recipe is here:http://rosemarysrestaurant.com/recipes/Squash_Soup.htm . It is simple but FABULOUS! The recipe includes a Spice Cream that we haven't tried yet. We've eaten at Rosemarys Restaurant several times, and the food is probably the best restaurant food we've ever had. It is a classy but comfortable environment.
The avocado bean salad recipe is here: http://paisleyteacup.blogspot.com/2007/09/avocado-and-bean-salad.html

Wednesday
morning: scrambled eggs again.
lunch: nachos again for the kids. leftover avocado bean salad for me.
dinner: avocado, bacon, tomato salad.

Digital Scrapbooking - a How To Book

I just bought this book:
http://www.simplescrapbooksmag.com/shop/item.ihtml?idx=318
It's a instruction book for digital scrapbooking. It looks like just what I need. It walks you through simple projects, gradually learning new skills. And it comes with a cd with templates and elements for digital scrapbooking.

The author's blog is here:
http://reneepearson.typepad.com/

a blog to remember

http://www.thyme2.typepad.com/
recipes from a french kitchen
(I want to be able to locate this blog again...)

Avocado and Bean Salad

This is so easy, and so delicious.
Two cans of cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
2 avocadoes (or 1 large)
diced roma tomatoes (2 or 3)
diced green onions (1 or 2)
any italian herbs (basil, oregano, chives, etc)
salt & pepper

Toss these in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.

Optional: serve with Italian herb croutons on top.

For a southwest variation, I use one can of black beans, and one can of cannellini.

An Interesting Candy Bar

http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/product/bacon_exotic_candy_bar/exotic_candy_bars

Bacon Exotic
Candy Bar - New Applewood smoked bacon + Alder smoked salt + deep milk
chocolate

Deep milk chocolate coats your mouth and leads to the crunch of smoked
bacon pieces. Surprise your mouth with the smoked salt and sweet milk chocolate
combination.

Bacon is awfully good with maple syrup, so this just might be very yummy...

Our Homeschool Blog

http://3desertprincesses.blogspot.com/

Kid Lunches

We have to limit wheat at our house, so sandwiches every day aren't an option, unless dh makes spelt bread (a loaf of spelt bread is $4 at our grocery store -- not the cheapest option!)

The kids often eat fruit salad (combination of canned and fresh fruits) with pumpkin seeds and shredded cheese.
They also like hot dog soup (baked beans with diced nitrate-free hotdogs).
Occasionally they have oatmeal with apples and nuts.
Sliced deli meat and wheat free crackers are popular, but not the cheapest option since I refuse to buy the cheapest deli meats (I look for nitrate free meats).
Peas or corn with grated cheese and pumpkin seeds and butter is another common lunch here.
We've also done "Pretend Soup" (from the kids cookbook with the same name) which is a yogurt sauce poured over fruit.

Amazing Garlic Soup

My dh has been making this recipe from Daisy Cooks. It is amazing. It sounded a bit odd at first, but I tend to choose recipes for that exact reason-- that they sound odd at first.

Garlic Soup
Sopa de Ajo
Makes 6 servings
¼ cup olive oil
2 links (about 6 ounces) chorizo, andouille or any smoked, garlicky
sausages, cut in half lengthwise, then into ¼-inch slices (we've used chorizo
and andouille and we like andouille best)
12 cloves garlic, sliced 6 slices (about ½ inch thick) Italian bread (we buy garlic & olive bread)
6 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
Fine sea or kosher salt
1 to 2 teaspoons white vinegar
6 eggs
Freshly ground pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a 4- to 5-quart pot over medium heat. Add the
chorizo and cook, stirring, until the oil takes on a bright red color, 2 to 3
minutes. Scoop the chorizo with a slotted spoon into a bowl. Stir the garlic
into the seasoned oil, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the garlic is very
soft and fragrant, without coloring, about 4 minutes. Scoop out the garlic and
add it to the chorizo.
2. Increase the heat to medium, lay the bread slices in the oil and cook
until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side. Set the
toasted bread aside on a plate.
3. Return the garlic and chorizo to the pot and pour in the chicken broth.
Drop in the bay leaf and bring to a boil and cook while poaching the eggs.
4. Fill a deep skillet two-thirds full with water. Toss in a small handful
of salt and add the vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Adjust the heat so
the water is at a lively simmer. Crack the eggs one at a time into a teacup then
slide them into the water. Cook until the whites are firm, but the yolks are
still runny, about 5 minutes.
5 . Meanwhile, taste the soup and add salt and
pepper if you like. Lay a slice of bread in the bottom of each of six soup
bowls. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, letting the water drain back into
the skillet. Set one egg atop each slice of bread. Pour in the soup and serve
immediately.

www.daisycooks.com

Irish Brown Bread -- easy!

adapted from goodgiver.com

BROWN SODA BREAD
Makes one loaf

You'll need a piece of foil approx 12in x 8 in

Preheat the oven to 425. Spray your bread loaf pan with the Pam that has flour in it, and line the bottom with parchment paper.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup oat bran flour or oat flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 oz Butter, melted
1 Egg
12 ounces buttermilk
Sesame Seeds

Place flour in bowl and sift in Soda, Salt and Sugar. Mix to combine.
Beat Egg with half of the buttermilk.Pour egg/milk and melted butter into flour.
Mix thoroughly with stand mixer,adding the rest of the buttermilk.
Pour mixture into lined pan. Sprinkle on Sesame seeds.
Make a domed lid for the pan with the foil and press securely around the rim (Mine didn't "dome" very well but it still worked)
Bake 1 Hour.
Remove foil and leave for about 30 mins before turning the loaf out of the tin.
Allow to cool completely before cutting or wrapping.

Serve with butter and marmalade or with chutney and cheese (brie is nice). This is especially nice with a cup of tea.

Today I read Psalm 1-3 and I Timothy 1.

Psalm 3:8 spoke to me:

Salvation belongs to the Lord; may Your blessing be on Your people.

My salvation BELONGS to God. How encouraging! He holds my eternal future securely.

I also found I Timothy 1:5 meaningful.

Now the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

I prayed those three goals for my children: a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

Remembering

Several people have asked me what my favorite part of Ireland was. It was all such a lovely place and a great experience -- it's hard to choose!

A few of my favorites are:

Scenery-- the green hills and the blue ocean and the rolling hills and the stone fences.

The FOOD and the TEA!!!!

Ancient ruins. I just don't get to touch something that was built in the 8th century everyday!

Fresh natural air -- fragrant with the ocean and the roses and the fields and even the hint of livestock.

Uninterrupted conversations with my husband.

Feeling amazingly healthy and energetic. Walking for hours every day, no back pain, no headaches -- even my dry skin cleared up!

Visiting a place we'd always dreamed of and finding it was even better than we imagined.

Friendly people.


Our only disappointment was that the weather was absolutely beautiful the entire time. Warm and 70 or 80. We have sunny and warm every day in Vegas and we had hoped for a cool and wet vacation in Ireland. It was ironic to leave Vegas and get a suntan in Ireland!

For future travellers to the British Isles

When we were looking at airfares to Ireland and various places around the British Isles, we found out something: flying to Shannon, Ireland was cheaper than flying to any other airport in the UK (and cheaper than Dublin too). Then, ryan air has CHEAP flights to other places around the British Isles.

We flew Continental to Shannon and stayed in Ireland, but we could have flown to Manchester, England, for about 30 dollars each. Flying to Shannnon was about $700 each. I think flying directly to Manchester was at least $1000 each. So it's worth checking into...

Monday -- Reluctantly Returning

We caught a bus at 8:00 to Ennis. We talked to a German lady at the bus stop while we waited. She said with her EU citizenship, she didn't even need a visa to come live in Ireland. She told us about the cheap flights that Ryan Air offers all around Europe. And she pointed out to us that the Bus labelled “Dublin” was the bus we needed to take to Ennis.

The bus driver was chatty, sharing the news of a rescue in Doolin with all the passengers. Apparently someone was diving off the cliffs and had to be rescued by helicopter. (We're guessing this was the same emergency that caused the sirens we heard on Sunday.) The bus driver seemed to know many of the passengers, and all the drivers of passing vehicles waved at him.

We waited in Ennis only five minutes before the Cork bus came to take us to the Shannon Airport. We had one last Irish Breakfast, then browsed a few shops.

Irish security is a bit more intensive than American, but the security guards are so friendly. After the security gate with the xray machines, after the Immigration desks where they stamped our passports, after the gate where they checked our IDs, we reached a desk where two security guards opened all the suitcases and glanced at the contents – but they were friendly and pleasant the entire time. (Quite a contrast to the Vegas security guards, barking orders at everyone in a grumpy authoritarian manner). There was a delay of half an hour or so, and then we flew away, over those lovely green fields.

At Newark airport, we landed very near our next departure gate, but we had to walk through half the airport first and go through security again before coming back to the departure gate. The plane was delayed a bit, and the next gate over had a departing flight to Glasgow. We sighed, wishing we could just take off to misty Scotland instead of returning to the oven that is Las Vegas in June.

Although the restaurants in Newark had smelled fabulous on our way out of the US, nothing appealed to us now that we had returned. I made the mistake of buying a scone, which was about as flavorful as cardboard.

We landed in Las Vegas and a friend from Bible Study picked us up. The house was clean and tidy and all the kids were asleep. L was awake very early the next morning and treated our return as nothing too out of the ordinary. The little girls gave us big sleepy smiles and hugs when we woke them up. L told me a few days later that she wanted us to go away for always so that Auntie N could take care of her.

Doolin Craft Gallery's garden and (right) view from Doolin Beach

Sunday - Church and a Crafts Gallery and the Beach

Our landlady was called out of town on Saturday afternoon, so she gave us our choice of staying at Lane Lodge or moving to another B&B. We were quite comfortable at Lane Lodge, so we stayed there and Theresa refunded the breakfast portion of our payment for the next two days.

Our Sunday plan was to awake early and buy breakfast along the way to church. However there aren't any breakfast-serving restaurants open before 10, and church starts at 10! So we went to church a little hungry. Neither of us had attended a Catholic Mass before (we didn't see any Protestant churches in Doolin, and we thought we wouldn't really get the whole Irish experience without attending one of their churches). There was a woman leading prayers or recitations or something when we entered. I couldn't understand her, but eventually the priest came out and began the service. Much of it was printed in the worship guide. He was a jolly person and it seemed like he would be fun to visit or have dinner with.

I was intrigued when I heard that the church commemorates the death anniversaries of people in the community. Although I find it odd that they pray for these people, I liked the idea of the entire church family remembering that it was the anniversary of when a loved one passed away. Perhaps because one of the people they remembered was “Baby Kennedy”, I found this custom both interesting and comforting.

The sermon was on the Feeding of the 5,000, and the priest made the point that Jesus ministered not only to people's spiritual needs, but to their physical needs as well. He was encouraging people to get involved in volunteer work, caring for and about each other – to do more than just attend church and listen to sermons.

A notice on the bulletin board told of a Polish priest and Polish services in the area.

After church we walked past the newer cemetery to the Doolin Crafts Gallery, which we hadn't known was so close when we explored the cemetery on Friday. They served us the most amazing assortment of cheeses, chutney and brown bread, as well as scones and tea. We ate in a charming garden, full of flowers and stone walkways. We took about fifty pictures – it was just the sort of garden I would have if I lived in a region where gardens grow lushly.

The store had some interesting jewelry and paintings and purses and hats and scarves and afgans. The owner of the shop was pleasant and chatty.

We returned to Fisher Street (the part of Doolin nearest Lane Lodge) for a little more browsing in the stores. I stopped in at the silversmith and told the lady that I appreciated their website and had planned our trip using it (http://www.celtic-designs.com/ –we got a lot of info from the Doolin Links page). The lady was happy to hear this and gave me the card I was admiring.

Back at Lane Lodge again, M watched a hurling game on tv while I napped. At dinnertime, we forgave O'Connor's because their seafood chowder smelled so good, and we went back – chowder for me and Irish stew for M. The man at the next table was wearing a “Hood to Coast” t-shirt, so we asked if they were from the northwest. They live in Portland – but the wife grew up in Las Vegas!

We walked to the beach after dinner, taking pictures of the rocks and the hillsides and Innisheer in the distance. Eventually we went back to O'Connor's to check out the music: banjo, two guitars, tin whistle, fiddle and accordion, and a musician's stomping foot. There was a woman singing some of the time, apparently some original songs. We had apple tart again.

One of the customers in the pub was a priest, wearing a black cassock. We overheard him telling someone else that he was from Phoenix, now serving as a priest in Rome, and staying in Doolin for a few days to celebrate his father's 73rd birthday. We heard sirens while we were there, and a waitress came and told the priest that perhaps someone was in trouble. He left his Guiness on the counter and went outside, soon to return saying “The woman is conscious and no one needs a priest.”

We walked out past Lane Lodge for a while in the late evening sun. We wandered past charming b&bs (one for sale), horses, cows, and a doberman. We got quite near a ruined tower that we'd been seeing in the distance all week. The sun slipped down behind the stone walls, and we headed back to Lane Lodge for the last night.

Far Left: a Galway street

Left: St Nicholas chuch in Galway

June 9 - Galway

We rose early to catch the bus to Galway. The driver said the usual route over Corkscrew Hill was closed, so we'd be taking a longer route through the Burren and near the sea. This was fine with us. The Burren is a very rocky area with limestone covered hills and surprisinglyvaried plant life (arctic plants growing near tropical plants).

The roads in Ireland are narrow and winding, edged with stone fences. I was a little concerned the first few times we met a car on those narrow roads; it really got interesting when we met another bus. The Bus Eireann buses are quite used to this, however, and they manage to squeeze past each other, usually with one bus pulling way to the side of the road 'til tree branches brush against it. We were slowed down a bit by a German tour bus. Our bus pulled over as far as it possibly could, and waited for them to pass. They scraped by – literally – noisily scraping a lens cap on their own bus against something on their far side. The tour bus stopped, after the crunch, and people got off and held the bushes back so the driver had a little more room. (Later when we shared this adventure with a friendly shop clerk we were talking to, he said , “Ah, the tour bus must have been feeling particularly German that day.”)

After that incident we continued on our way, past more quaint cottages, a few ruins, views of the ocean and eventually Galway Bay. We disembarked at the bus station in Galway and set out to explore the city. Galway is fascinating – young and ancient, friendly and mysterious, exciting and cozy all at once. In between the driveable streets are little narrow streets for walking. Shops and bakeries and cafes and a few bookie-shops (and even one casino) line the streets.

Our main goal was to see St. Nicholas church, where Columbus worshipped when he sought guidance from the Irish people regarding ocean travel. The church was interesting, full of monuments and plaques and stones in the floor engraved with the names of those buried under them. One very large monument on the wall commemorates a woman named Jane Eyre, buried there in the mid 1700s. She gave a donation to the city to be used to care for the poor after her death. (For a moment I confused Jane Eyre with Charlotte Bronte, and I told Mark this monument was too early for the familiar Jane Eyre. M reminded me that the familiar Jane Eyre was a fictional character, not an author.)

Outside the church on Saturdays there is a street fair, with booths selling jewelry, hats, carvings, cheese, incense, toys, produce, and plants. The sidewalk was crowded and festive. Soon we stopped for lunch in a cafe/pub where I had another chutney and cheese sandwich.

Next we visited the Galway Cathedral, a rather grand structure built in the 50s and 60s. The stained glass windows were lovely; one of them showed the Holy Family at home, Joseph working at his carpentry, Jesus bringing him a cup of tea, and Mary knitting. There are also numerous paintings, one of them of a risen Jesus, with a small painting of JFK positioned nearby so he appears to be looking towards Jesus. Apparently JFK is almost a saint in the minds of many Irish people.

We stopped in a small bakery for cake and tea, and then we went searching for the Spanish Arch – the only remnant of a medieval wall that surrounded Galway. At that time, Galway was a Norman city, with a wall to keep out “the Os and the Macs”.

We shopped a bit, wandering through a grocery store (most products are expensive compared to American prices, some hard-to-find-in-the-US-items like Branston pickle are quite a bit cheaper) and a shopping mall. Realizing that our dinner would be later than usual by the time we got back to Doolin, we stopped for sandwiches, tea, and toffee cake at a coffee cafe that seemed to be a citywide (perhaps a nation wide) chain. We noticed their menu offered a “soup of the moment”. One side of the cafe was open to the neighboring pub. There was a group of men in the pub who were all wearing mustaches, some of them obviously fake. We wondered if perhaps they were members of a bachelor party, especially as something like a bachelorette party seemed to be shopping the street outside (a bunch of women together, all wearing bunny ears).

Back on the bus for the ride back to Doolin. The regular route this time, as Corkscrew Hill was open. And it certainly deserves its name! The road makes four tight switchback-type turns. Along the way we saw a high cross, and some turf drying in the sun.

Back in Doolin, we had a late dinner at O'Connor's. They were quite busy, and the food was not as great as it had been previously. I think the secret to great pub food is to not visit at their busiest hours if you are ordering a main dish.

After visiting Galway, I learned that the Burke family figures prominently in Galway history. One book said a Burke started the city of Galway, another account said Galway was a celtic fort, captured by the Burkes (spelled deBourgh at the time), eventually becoming a Norman city with the wall built to keep out the Irish people. It fascinates me to think that my father's family helped build this wall for protection against the Irish (including my husband's family), while my mother's Scandinavian ancestors were passing by periodically, stealing sheep and burning a few cottages -- and now half a world away my children are descended from all three groups.

Doonagore Castle

Friday, June 8 – Cemeteries, Cottages and a Castle

We walked to the Doolin church, and wandered through the graveyard there. I didn't see any graves older than the 1940s. Irish gravestones often include the name of the person who erected the stone, as well as the deceased, and often several generations of deceased. An example would be “Erected by William Flaherty, in memory of his wife Bridget Flaherty, and their daughter Mary Flaherty.” The next generation might add “and in memory of William Flaherty and son Charles Flaherty and his wife Annie .” The modern graves are in neat rows, and each plot (large enough to hold several graves) is covered with gravel. M of course noticed that one would not need to mow this particular cemetery.

Our next site to explore was a ruined church from the 15th century, surrounded by graves of more recent date – I didn't see anything older than the 1850s, and there were some from the last decade. Many of the stones were almost overgrown with the lush grass, weeds and blackberry vines. Some stones rattled as we walked over them. Several stones were apparently erected by the person they honored. They had inscriptions like "Erected by Charles O'Connor, for Himself and for Posterity." Next to the ruined church was the McNamara's vault. The McNamaras were the landholders around Doolin a couple hundred years ago.

We had lunch at the Doolin cafe, in the garden. I had a roasted eggplant sandwich and we both had a wonderful black tea in the flavor “Cafe Latte”. There was a music store behind the cafe, with bodrahns and cds and unusual jewelry. I bought a ring and earrings.

Then we walked up up up to Doonagore castle, admiring panoramic views of the ocean, Doolin, rolling hills, hedges with honeysuckle and wild roses, and the most charming cottage I've ever seen. The fragrance of that hillside was fresh and natural with the roses and the honeysuckle and the grass and the cows. The road was longer than we expected; there are hills in front of hills, and everytime you go around a corner, you find the road curves around or up and over yet another hill. (I used a photo of the charming cottage as the background behind the heading of this blog.)

The inside of the castle is not accessible to the public but we took lots of pictures of the outside. Built in the 1300s, it was restored in the 1900s by an American millionaire.

Back down down down the hill to Lane Lodge for a nap and then tea with Theresa. I used her computer to go online and buy bus tickets to Galway for the next day. (There is no ATM in Doolin, and our cash was running low). We wandered through the Doolin Music Cafe and then walked through most of Doolin to get to dinner at Bruach na hAille. We enjoyed another variation of the seafood chowder, salmon potato cakes, and lemon bars. (We highly recommend that restaurant to any future travellers.)

On the way home we stopped at O'Connor's to hear the nightly music session. People come from all over the world to hear the music at the Doolin Pubs. It was fun to sit beneath the small stained glass windows and the arched inner doorways, guessing the nationalities of those around us. The musicians started out with guitar, banjo, and accordion. Soon they were joined by a tin whistle and fiddle. We thought the later arrivals were members of the same band, but after playing a song together they introduced themselves to each other! The atmosphere was full of a contagious energy, an appreciation of talent, and a holiday spirit.

June 7 -- Our 10th Anniversary: Biking Inisheer

We woke early, our inner clocks still a bit out of sync. It was already fully daylight at 5 a.m. Eventually we went out walking on the rocky lane past Lane Lodge, populated with horses and cows and b&bs. We returned to Lane Lodge for breakfast and more of Teresa's lovely tea. She serves Barry's Tea, and says it tastes better in Ireland because the water doesn't have chorine added to it. Everytime we had tea in Ireland, it was served with both white sugar and brown. Their brown sugar is similar to our raw sugar.

Theresa's Full Irish Breakfast includes
a rasher of bacon (which looks and tastes more like a thin slice of ham, about three times as wide as our American bacon),
black and white puddings (These have a little taste in common with meatloaf, but they are far more delicious. There's a sausage flavor, and the oatmeal the puddings contain give them a chewy nutty texture. Eaten with brown sauce they are heavenly),
Irish sausages (light and juicy and unfortunately not available in the US except by expensive mail order),
a fried egg,
a fried tomato,
and homemade brown bread, a yummy rustic companion to marmalade and Irish butter.

Theresa also serves fruit and cereal and yogurt but we concentrated on the foods that are harder to find in the US.

We talked with a couple from Connecticut, also staying at Lane Lodge, and they gave us a ride to the ferry to the Aran Islands. We bought our tickets and boarded the ferry moments before its journey to Inisheer. We stood near the railing of the ferry, getting splashed occasionally, but the boat ride was quite smooth.

Landing at Innisheer, we rented bicycles and set off to explore. The first interesting sight was a burial mound from 2,000 BC. The road curved around this short rounded mound with grass growing on the top of it. We saw an old graveyard on a hill and headed that direction. There were many stones from the mid 1800s, and some newer stones too. The grave stones are upright Celtic crosses, beautifully carved, some with Gaelic inscriptions. The cemetery is on a hill that has built up around a ruined church from the 10th century. The church was started by St. Coamhan, patron saint of the Aran islands, and he is buried in a small chapel there in the cemetary.

Next we walked the bikes up a steep hill to O'Brien's castle, built in the 1400s. Much of the castle has been filled in or gated off so that you can't explore it, but the bit we could enter was full of enchantment – it was so easy to gaze into a gated-off hall and picture medieval people there, celebrating a banquet or huddled together for protection against an enemy siege.

Near the castle was a signal tower used in the Napoleonic wars.

We rode all over the island on rocky paved roads. The homes are all close together near the dock, but the rest of the island is covered with small rocky fields fenced by stone walls, containing cows and sheep and potato fields and wildflowers. The bicycle renting people gave us a small map of the island, but it only showed about one-fifth of the roads, so we got a little lost and saw a bit more of the island than we had planned to. I don't regret this at all – in fact I'd like to spend several weeks on Inisheer.

We had tea and sandwiches (cheese and chutney) and porter bread at a charming tea room, then kept riding. We saw another very rocky beach, and an 8th century church called Cill Ghobnait. One of the shops we visited had an enjoyable cd playing. The artist was Lasairfhíona, a woman from the Aran Islands. (Her website is http://www.flameofwine.com/, and I ordered her cd after we came home.) After a bit more riding, we returned the bikes and got “ice burgers” (ice cream sandwiches).

We took the ferry back to Doolin, and had dinner at Fitz's Pub. This is a much newer pub than O'Connor's, with very little ambiance. I think it's a pub for American yuppies rather than for local people. I tried their fish chowder, which was nice. I preferred O'Connor's version, but it was fun to try different interpretations of this apparently common dish.

Near Fitz's was a jewelry shop. I chose a silver Celtic bangle bracelet to commemorate our anniversary and our trip.

Back at Lane Lodge we relaxed for a moment and took an unintentional nap, awaking at 10 p.m. We could hear music coming from O'Connor's. M identified the sound of a bodrahn drum so he headed out to hear the celtic musicians. I stayed in our room to do a little writing, slightly interrupted by the arrival of the biggest bumblebee I've ever seen. It took a nap in our ceiling lamp until M returned and dumped it out the window in a paper cup (which he retrieved from Theresa's back yard the next morning).

Photos from Inisheer

The tenth century church

and a view of the Inisheer landscape

Lane Lodge

http://homepage.eircom.net/~doolinaccommodation/

Landing in Ireland, Finding Doolin

Sunrise was spectacular from the air! We were above many clouds, but finally we could see a little glimpse of water below us, with the sun sparkling on it. The sun sparkles made a row just to the left and ahead of the airplane, a shining path leading us to Ireland.

Our first view of Ireland was just like the photos in those big glossy coffee table books: small square and rectangular fields covering the hills with forty shades of green. I was listening to The Northumbrian Community Daily Prayer CD, and as we touched down in Ireland, I listened to a prayer of St. Patrick:

Christ, as a light illumine and guide me.

Christ, as a shield overshadow me.

Christ under me; Christ over me;

Christ beside me on my left and my right.

This day be within and without me,

lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Be in the heart of each to whom I speak;

in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.

This day be within and without me,

lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.

Christ as a light; Christ as a shield;

Christ beside me on my left and my right.

It was a warm bright day; the cows in the fields next to the airport watched our plane land. Shannon Airport is tiny and peaceful, especially in comparison to the Las Vegas airport. (I think I've seen bigger parking lots at Walmart stores!)

By now we'd been awake for almost 24 hours and we were exhausted and drooping. We had a yummy Irish Breakfast at the airport with a fabulous pot of tea that revived us a bit. We bought bus tickets and waited for the bus in the sunshine. Near the bus stop was a bed of roses – the bushes covered with huge pink or red blooms.

The bus took us to the station in Ennis, driving through the most charming towns I've ever seen. Pubs and cottages with window boxes and a few ruined stone buildings. In Ennis we waited about an hour. Part of the time I sat inside the station, where I talked with three other American tourists. One was a girl backpacking through Europe, the other two were mother and daughter-in-law to be. The daughter-to-be was recently engaged – just the day before, at the Cliffs of Moher.

We took the Galway bus to Doolin (Doolin is between Ennis and Galway). The villages were even more charming, and the countryside more rural. We passed the Cliffs of Moher – huge black cliffs rising abruptly from the sea. The bus route took us above Doolin, through Lisdoonvarna, and then down into Doolin. We told the bus driver where we were staying and he let us off at the proper intersection. We left the paved road of Fisher Street and trudged up the rocky lane past two houses to Lane Lodge. The owner, Teresa, met us at the door and offered us tea in her breakfast room. Somehow we kept our eyes propped open while we drank her exceptional tea, and then we went up the stairs to our room and collapsed on the bed. After a couple hours we woke up and looked around. One of our windows looked out on a small field with a horse. The other window looked toward the Atlantic ocean and Inisheer. It felt exciting to be half-way around the world and yet it felt like home too.

First we walked to the beach – the rockiest beach I've ever seen, with views of the Cliffs of Moher and Inisheer. Then we headed back to Fisher Street and stopped at the first restaurant – O'Connor's Pub, established in the 1830s. A heavenly fragrance was wafting from their doors, and we found that it was their seafood chowder, a rustic delight that I shall dream of for years. They also served a fabulous goat cheese tart, and quite lovely fish and chips. We walked through Doolin, stopping in a few little shops. Doolin is spread out over a couple miles – one main road winding through the village. Shops and pubs alternate with pastures of cows, horses, donkeys and sheep. O'Connors Pub is at one end of the village, Doolin Church is on the other. We thought we saw the whole town that night, but later found out we'd only seen half of it. On the way back to Lane Lodge we stopped at O'Connor's for apple pie, then, still feeling travel-weary we went to bed before 9. It's light til after 10 in Doolin this time of year but we did not stay up to see the sunset on this particular night.

Photos of Doolin (not ours) http://www.doolinireland.net/doolin-photos.html

Why did we choose Doolin? I began researching our trip with a simple Google search for Bed and Breakfasts near the seaside in Ireland. Something in Doolin was the first on the result list. I read a little about Doolin and learned that it was the center for traditional celtic music in Ireland. The ocean and the music sounded like the perfect combination, it was near Shannon Airport (it's cheaper to fly to Shannon than to Dublin), and also not far from the Aran Islands and Galway. I looked at a few other locations rather half-heartedly, and kept coming back to Doolin. And we're thankful that I did.

Flying Away

Tuesday, June 5, 2007
A friend from church picked us up at 6:30 a.m. L was the only one up to see us off. (I’m sure she woke up Auntie N as soon as the door closed behind us.) We got to the airport in plenty of time to learn that our 8:30 flight was delayed til 10:15. We had a leisurely breakfast at the Prickly Pear and waited. And waited. After we finally boarded the plane, we waited a bit more for permission to take off. Thunderstorms were expected in the Newark area, so all the planes to that area were delayed by Air Traffic Control. The flight included views of the Rocky Mountains and a couple Great Lakes.

We were in a holding pattern for quite a while somewhere near Newark, still due to the expected thunderstorms. Eventually we approached the airport, and on the way we got an aerial view of the New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty.

We had expected to spend three hours at the Newark airport, but the delay meant that we had about ten minutes after we landed to rush through the aiport and find our departure gate. The restaurants at Newark smelled delicious as we ran past them. We reached our gate, waited perhaps fifteen minutes, boarded the airplane….and waited forty five minutes for approval to take off. A flight attendant handed out newspapers to all who wanted them. Our newspaper had an article about flight delays at US airports. Newark had the least number of on-time flights of any airport in the country.

Darkness fell soon after the airplane took off, so we didn’t have a glimpse of the Atlantic until sunrise.