Recently I had an opportunity to visit Kauai, The Garden Isle of Hawaii. While pouring over tourism info prior to leaving LA, I noticed a place that locals are so proud of it's marked on maps in red. Tiny letters named it a `tree tunnel.' Anything special enough to be highlighted always piques my curiosity. The spot was close by the airport, so as soon as I picked up my rental … [Read more...] about Sláinte! The Hedgerow Harvest
irish recipes
Sláinte! Rhubarb:
The Sweet & Sour of Irish Pies
Often when I sit down to write Sláinte! I find myself ruminating about my Dad's favorite foods, which writing this ongoing series has revealed to me are almost always directly related to the dishes his Fermanagh-born and raised mother had prepared. This month, I drew a blank.
"What is there," I mused, "that is connected to both spring and Irish food that I have not already … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Rhubarb:
The Sweet & Sour of Irish Pies
Sláinte! The Irish Roots of Halloween
Ask anyone to name five favorite holidays, and it's a sure bet Halloween will be on the list. Then ask how the celebration came to be. More than likely you'll be told Halloween means All Hallows Eve the night of prayer preceding the Feast of All Saints. Yes, but there's more to it than that. The night we celebrate by dressing in outlandish costumes and traipsing about the … [Read more...] about Sláinte! The Irish Roots of Halloween
Sláinte: Summer Blessings
One of summer's finest gifts is its long hours of sunshine. This is especially true the farther one travels from the equator where a midwinter's night is so long that only a few hours of pale gray twilight feebly light the day. Halfway around the seasonal wheel, the sun blazes forth in the same locale for nearly a whole 24-hour period. This phenomenon has a very scientific … [Read more...] about Sláinte: Summer Blessings
Slainte! The History of Soup
Come fall, the days grow shorter, temperatures drop, and trees shed their leaves. Just as certainly, as soon as there's a chill in the air and a hint of winter weather creeps onto the scene, we all begin longing for what cookbook authors are fond of calling `comfort food.' For some folk, that's a hearty scoop of macaroni and cheese. Others pine for a plate of meatloaf and gravy … [Read more...] about Slainte! The History of Soup