Just recently I moved into a little house with a large front lawn and a very large back yard. All needed some tender loving care. The house, a darling early fifties bungalow constructed during LA's post-WWII boomtown days, has good bones, and a little creative cosmetic work has enhanced its dormant beauty. The outdoor areas, on the other hand, require major help. All the other … [Read more...] about Sláinte: Four & Twenty Blackbirds Baked in a Pie
Slainte
Sláinte: Let Them Eat
Irish Christmas Cake
Not so long ago, when my daughter was a child, life was very different. The world moved at a slower pace and I had time on my hands. It was the era before cable TV and the internet. The phrases "fast lane" and "couch potato" and "net surfer" had yet to be coined. Time stretched like soft taffy, begging to be filled and I industriously did so – especially in the weeks preceding … [Read more...] about Sláinte: Let Them Eat
Irish Christmas Cake
Sláinte! When an Apple is Ripe, it Will Fall
Several years ago after a rigorous day of exploring County Laois, I pulled into a pub for a well-deserved pick-me-up pint. It was a wee bit early for the local drinking crowd and the long bar held only one customer, a young man who looked more like a fellow whose regular haunt would be a Dublin watering hole rather than a remote country pub. His tweed jacket hugged the … [Read more...] about Sláinte! When an Apple is Ripe, it Will Fall
Sláinte! The Hedgerow Harvest
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
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