A Friend is a Mirror

A Friend's Eye Is a Good Mirror.

A friend’s eye is a good mirror.  This is an Irish quote I really like.  I had a few friends over last Friday night.  One was a new friend as she bought my alpacas recently; one I worked with and she helped me edit my book, one was my sweetest neighbor, three I have breakfast with at least once a week and three were friends from grade school and high school who surprised me by making the trek to my house finally after ten years!  At one point during the evening it was suggested that one say what they admired about me.  I know totally cool right?  Even so my stomached tightened just a bit.  Knowing some of these ladies as long as I have, they could say almost anything!  As we all know an “old friend” can have a lot of dirt on you when she’s known you since kindergarten.  She likes to tell people I pulled her hair the first day we met but that’s not true.  The teacher pulled her ponytail because she had stuck her tongue out at me and I only laughed!  (I am sure you would have laughed too!)  We later became friends and agreed our kindergarten teacher wasn’t very nice. 

At Birch Grove Elementary, my grade school, we would celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by making shamrocks from three green hearts cut from construction paper.  At some point we were told about leprechauns leaving a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.  I spent many hours after a rain looking for this pot.  I did find some interesting glass bottles and jars in the woods but none held anything more than a little dust and rain water.  It didn’t stop be from liking St. Patrick’s Day though, as green was my very favorite color! 

Mike and I were married a week after St. Patrick’s Day in 1998.  We asked our guests to write us notes with words of encouragement or marital advice.  We gathered them all up and read them on the way to San Francisco for our honeymoon.  I had two favorites:  Mike’s aunt wrote “I vowed that I would never get divorced but I never said I wouldn’t kill him.”  (As my mom would say, you better sleep with one eye open pal.)  Other had a more Irish flair:  “May the road rise up to meet you.  May the wind be always at your back.  May the sun shine warm upon your face; and may the skin of your ass never cover a banjo.”  (It was years before I realized the skin he was referring to was not actually mine, but the skin of a donkey.)  Throughout the reception there were heartfelt toasts, supportive conversations and in the end we were able to see ourselves as a couple through our friend’s eyes.  It’s a good mirror.  Peace to you.  Sandy

May you always walk in sunshine.
May you never want for more.
May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door.

Easy Irish Soda Bread

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 Tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

Irish Beef Stew made with Guinness Stout

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 bay leaves

2 pounds beef stew meat with some fat, cut in 2 inch cubes

1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme, whole

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2-3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup beef stock

1/2 cup Guinness stout

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

1/2 pound carrots, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a 6-quart stove-top casserole. Then add the oil and the bay leaves. Cook the bay leaves for a moment and then add the meat.  Brown the meat on both sides on high heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for a few minutes until it is clear.  Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, thyme, rosemary and flour, and stir well until smooth.  Add the beef stock and stout; simmer, stirring, until the stew thickens a bit.  Add the remaining ingredients and cover.  Place the pot in a 275 degrees oven for about 2 hours, stirring a couple of times.  Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Apple Pie "Dublin Style"

1 9-inch pie shell

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sliced apples (1 pound 4 oz. each)

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 Tablespoons butter

Preheat oven 425 degrees.  Combine undrained apples and all other ingredients except butter. Mix lightly.  Spoon ingredients into pastry shell. Dot with butter.  Bake for 40-50 minutes until crust is golden brown.  This Irish dessert recipe is delicious served cold, but even better warm, with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.