Sunday, March 13, 2011

The Day of the Kilts


We aren't quite sure, but we doubt there is little to no
Irish in our heritage... however, with names like Heath and
White, who knows??? But my father had an affinity for bagpipes and kilts.  'Drove my Italian mother crazy out of her mind  playing his bagpipe records. My father loved this picture taken while on furlow during WW II. As you can see the picture was taken in Scotland. He was always a little embarrassed that he was wearing his Army-issue boots with his kilt. We loved to tease him about his knees showing and wearing a "skirt" but he took it good-naturedly and I enjoyed the twinkle in his eyes. What I believe he saw in the wearing of the kilt were actual warriors of a by-gone era.
Strong men who never feared battle.
That would be my father.
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When my father passed away in October of 2008 I was determined that he would have a bagpiper at his funeral. He would escort my father's casket in and out of the church and then to the cemetery. He would have loved it!
I know he did.
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Wednesday we will celebrate the "wearing of the green" and
we will eat Colcannon.
Believe me... here in deep south Texas it is difficut to find much that is Irish here, so what I know is only from research. This recipe is from a Tyler Florence show from several years ago. I have prepared this twice for church and it's been a hit both times.

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Colcannon
Tyler Florence

3 lbs. potatoes, scrubbed
2 sticks butter
1 1/4 cups hot milk


Freshly ground black pepper


1 head cabbage, cored and finely shredded
1 (1-pound) piece ham or bacon, cooked the day before
4 scallions, finely chopped
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish


Directions
Steam the potatoes in their skins for 30 minutes. Peel them using a knife and fork. Chop with a knife before mashing. Mash thoroughly to remove all the lumps. Add 1 stick of butter in pieces. Gradually add hot milk, stirring all the time. Season with a few grinds of black pepper.


Boil the cabbage in unsalted water until it turns a darker color. Add 2 tablespoons butter to tenderize it. Cover with lid for 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly before returning it to the pan. Chop into small pieces.


Put the ham in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes until tender. Drain. Remove any fat and chop into small pieces.

Add cabbage, scallions, and ham to mashed potatoes, stirring them in gently.


Serve in individual soup plates. Make an indentation on the top by swirling a wooden spoon. Put 1 tablespoon of butter into each indentation. Sprinkle with parsley.



Colcannon

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I have found a new friend, Kathleen, who has inspired me to post the very little
that I know about being Irish.
Jig on over for her

St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl

You'll be wearin' the GREEN
and joining in on the blog crawl for sure!

also

Check out


at
Holiday Haven

I believe in the sun when it's not shining
I believe in love even when I feel it not;
I believe in God even when he is silent.
                                                                     an Irish Toast

Update: Our First Real Irish Dinner
Yes, and it was cooked by a real Irish lassie!
We were invited to our friends' home for corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes. She also served green cake!
It was so delicious. And y'all will surely laugh about this...
we poured vinegar over the cabbage.
Who knew?
Well,  Irish do!
Thanks, to our dear friends.





Lucky Enough - Las Islas Weekend



We have a saying at Las Islas...
"If you're lucky enough to be at
Las Islas, you're lucky enough!"

Las Islas is a deer lease. It's a way of life in Texas and probably in other states as well. We lease the land from private owners. There is a season to hunt mature deer and it lasts for several weeks during the winter months. There is also quail, turkey and dove to hunt during a certain season. We also use our deer lease for entertaining and relaxing. We had some upkeep to take care of this weekend, so we arrived Friday in time to visit a little and get a good night's sleep.
Saturday was spent with my husband and another man repairing some water lines for water troughs for the animals. A friend and I spent most of the afternoon doing what we do best out there... visiting and relaxing. 
We enjoy cooking and last night we grilled tilapia for fish
tacos. We enjoyed a huge salad with that and a few brownies. 
As you can see from the pictures a javallina visited me. Their eye-sight is very poor but their sense of smell and hearing is superb. I had to be very, very still to get this picture.
I wish I could say I took the picture of the bluebonnets but mine did not turn out well. This picture is almost identical to what I saw. 
The picture of the men sitting around the fire is located in what we call the center court of the camp. It's the gathering place and many good times have been had here. My husband is the farthest man to the left. 
The cactus is growing and wildflowers are coming out. Soon there will be fields of wildflowers and hopefully we'll get the rains that are predicted this week so the ground will be blanketed with beautiful colors! 
All rested now and ready for the week. That's what a weekend at Las Islas will do for you.


I'm linking to Little Red House this Monday
for Mosaic Monday
Make a visit to see some beautiful photo mosaics!