Born and raised on a farm in the countryside near Belfast, Trish DeSeine fell in love with France on a childhood visit.  Little did we know that she would later become a celebrated French cookery writer and television personality living in Paris. {Don’t you just love how life works sometimes?}

After 20+ years in Paris, Mme. DeSeine could be dubbed a real Parisian…but she’ll always have that warm Irish spirit and charm in her heart. I am honored to be able to share a little about about Trish and her Irish heritage with you this week.

Bon Appetit!

What was it like growing up on a farm in Ireland?

Of the three of us (I am in the middle of two brothers) I was probably the one who took most interest. I would spend many Saturday mornings with my father as he  did his weekly check on the cattle over at Belfast’s Cavehill. We helped out a bit when the hay was made, and that was great fun, but my father had an ace team of 5 burly brothers from Belfast who looked after everything. My mother was a teacher, so away during the week, but diligently cooked for any farmhands needing sustenance on Saturdays. This was nearly always mince, potatoes and carrots.  Or sometimes a pot roast or chicken and vegetable soup with barley.

Which Irish dishes do you miss…or have redesigned to be more ooh la la?

None really, you can get most ingrédients all over the world now, and happily Irish ones are pretty simple.  I do love cream and butter from home, though, and barmbrack and wheaten bread.  I certainly would not redesign Irish food. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It’s true attraction is in its very simplicity, quality and purity. I cannot imagine destructing an Irish stew or beef in Guinness !

Are there Irish traditions or sensibilities that you get nostalgic about?

I ‘d like to be romantic and affectionate but, you see, I grew up in County Antrim, in a fiercely Unionist, Presbyterian family and community during the worst of the Troubles. Irish traditions, ie « Southern » were certainly not celebrated ! My family’s affinities leaned more towards Scotland and Great Britain. Therefore, both traditions and cultures got a bit diluted, somehow.  I studied  English in school, a Protestant Grammar school in Belfast, where only a few Irish authors and poets found their way onto the curriculum .  It’s only now that I can see how biased our upbringing was. It’s very sad, I think, that due to the violence , our entire childhood we were being prepared to « get out »  The result of this is not true nostalgia, but a type of retro-nostalgia, for an imaginary Irish childhood I would loved to have had.I always suspected people on the other side of the border were having a hell of a good time . I realise now this was absolutely true.

When I did my TV shows for RTE, this  fantasy came alive for me a little, I started to believe that the nearly unified Ireland was indeed now ALL mine, and that it embraced me right back. Now, with the situation so bad again, I’m not so sure. People  in the street or in pubs and shops are adorable when I’m in Dublin. But I was treated very shabbily by RTE Cork, despite my shows’ good ratings and that spoiled the homecoming expérience slightly.

I guess I miss the way folk would pop in unannounced, for a cup of tea and a piece of cake, and how we would call with friends in a very unceremonious way.  The Irish kitchens of my childhood always had a good stash of traybakes, scones or Victoria sandwich.

Do your children love their Irish heritage..what do they like about Ireland?

They know very little of it, having spent much more time in Scotland and London. They feel more what the French would call « Anglo Saxon »  or « from an English speaking culture » than Irish.  Hopefully we’ll have time in the future to go back and explore a little more.

Do you ever use Irish slang?

Rarely, I don’t get much of a chance in France ! But my nows and my downs with that NornOrn impossible vowel sound are still perfectly intact. My children have a slight NIrish accent in their English which is really lovely.

Any tips on acclimating to another culture?

Fall in love !

What are some of your favourite places in Ireland that you would recommend visiting?

The Hugh Lane in Dublin and the Bacon exhibit in particular. Ballyvolane House near Cork for a long lazy weekend and fantastic food .

Would you ever move back to Ireland?

No. Home is here in Paris with my children.

Luckily, even though she now calls Paris her home, we can still have her via her remarkable culinary treasures.

Trish has written a hugely popular series of illustrated cookbooks. Her most recent is “Comme Au Resto” which shows how to take the latest trends and le presentation from restaurant meals to give your own entertaining a bit of glamour without all the cheffy fuss. My favourite? “I Want Chocolate”, you will never think of chocolate in the same way again. You can find Trish’s books available worldwide on Amazon, Barnes & Noble & Easons or for more information visit her beautiful website Trish DeSeine.com

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Tags: Ballyvolane House, Belfast, chocolate, Cork, Dublin, farmer, Hugh Lane, ireland, married, Northern Ireland, paris, RTE, Trish Deseine, Troubles

courtesy of Easy Living

When R and I first met he insisted that I was the midwest’s equivalent to Carrie Bradshaw. While I found this idea flattering, if not humorous, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the episode in which she and Aidan go to his rustic cabin in the country and how she barely survived two days there. I thought to myself, oh yes, that would be me. Then I thought to myself, oh nooo!…I am falling in love with a farmer!  A real live F-A-R-M-E-R. Farmers live in the country surrounded by animals and well water.  I won’t even drink filtered tap water and I never leave the house in flat shoes. Ever.

Fast forward six years. I married him. We live in the Irish countryside and the closest thing to my former Sex and the City lifestyle is a walk-in wardrobe filled with the residual Mui-Muis and Manolos of days past. They seemingly have no use in these parts. Nope, nowadays life is more like an episode of “Sex and the Country”. Not saying it’s not fascinating…even entertaining, just “tis different”. Quite different indeed…

Life then: Sunday breakfast or a bagel and coffee at the perfect city café around the corner chatting away with friends followed by reading the beautiful New York Times newspaper and magazine.

Life now:  Sunday morning awake with fingers crossed that we have everything for me to make breaky in the fridge because the store is ages away and I can’t be bothered to drive it.  Followed by reading the news on nytimes.com followed by witnessing two cows getting it on in the pasture.

Yes, cows getting it on. Or “bonking” as an English friend calls it. With all the mating rituals I’m witnessing round’ here I think it is safe to say that there is definitely more sex in the country than sex in the city that I used to live in.  I have to admit, I just could not believe my eyes the first time I witnessed a cow mounting another cow. A bull just wanders around the pasture jumping on random heifers whenever the mood strikes him.  Very aggressive.  It just doesn’t look right. They’re too big for heaven’s sake! The act appears to be really clunky and awkward. Not sexy AT ALL. Plus, it looks like the girl cow is not happy. Plus, they are in the middle of a pasture and there’s no privacy…just not right. And it looks just as strange to me with all of the animals out here; sheep and horses too (yes, it is shockingly true what they say about horses.eeeewwwwww) Even our dogs seem to constantly be humping around with eachother and they are all males. Way too many country pheromones in the air for me to handle at times. Way too many indeed.

R is in charge of animal health and animal reproduction at the farm. He sees that the heifers hook up with the bulls and if that doesn’t work he works his A.I. magic.  A.I., or artificial insemination, is quite an interesting process to go through with cows.  Let’s just say that there is a 3-foot long glove which needs to be worn whilst doing the procedure.  And it’s not the cow wearing it. I’m sure now you’re wondering where the “inseminatory” fluid comes from to begin with, aren’t you? (yes, I made that word up because I don’t think you can say the S word on a blog or at least I’m not going to).  Well, I just happened to find out whilst watching a farming program on the telly the other night. Let me try to paint the picture…generally speaking, there is a very important man in County Meath who is an aficionado in this area and he goes in and intervenes and collects it just as the sire is mounting the cow. He uses an apparatus that he designed that so realistic that the bull doesn’t know the difference. Again, really TMI to watch.

I’m not sure why all this animal breeding business makes me feel so uncomfortable. What I do know for sure is that writing about it has made me feel the urge to immediately book a divine, girly city holiday as soon as possible.  {Ok sweetie?}

Coming up: I will be featuring a very different kind of Irish sexiness, Trish Deseine, the best-selling author who was born in Belfast, now living in Paris and whom has been dubbed “The Irish woman who is France’s Nigella.”

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Tags: Aidan, Artificial insemination, bagel, Carrie Bradshaw, cow, farm, heifer, Irish, Living, Manolo, Mui Mui, New York times, Nigella, Sex and The City, sire, Trish Deseine

Sean and Kieran Murphy

One of the first wonderful things I discovered whilst living in Ireland is also one of the most important things a girl could needs when she moves to a teeny-tiny, medieval village in new country far, far away from her family, friends, cat and career. This all-important saving grace would be: ICE CREAM. And I don’t mean just any ice cream. Ice cream that will take your homesickness and melancholy away. Ice cream that will sooth your aching, grieving heart. Spend time with you. Be your friend. This ice cream has to be top notch, crème de la crème, or for me, at least as good as Sebastian Joe’s, Izzy’s, Mad Martha’s or any beautiful custard ice cream from Door County. It must be creamy and rich, but not too sweet; really fresh and light, but not full of air. I was very lucky to find it within a week of moving over. This Irish ice cream is extraordinary and it is called Murphys.  Murphys is so entirely perfect and delicious that it immediately became my BFF.

Now, just so you know, R and I both basically had a love affair with Murphys Ice Cream. We did everything together: day trips to Dingle to visit the café, sourcing it shops in Limerick and other venues, always asking at restaurants if they had Murphy’s on offer for dessert.  We’d stock up from Ivan’s so we’d always have some on hand when the urge set in for a few scoops of (me)honeycomb or (him)chocolate. (the Brown Bread flavour is my close second, yummmm.)

So, imagine my complete and utter joy when Kieran Murphy of Murphys Ice Cream sent me a message saying that he thought this blog one of the best he’d seen in a long time. A tear welled up in my eye. And then I immediately went to Ivan’s for a couple pints of Murphy’s to celebrate with.

Irish brothers Sean and Kieran Murphy were born in NYC and started Murphy’s Ice Cream in Dingle, County Kerry in the year 2000. Their goal was to make the best ice cream in the world. Over the next two years the business grew, the ice cream became more refined, and customers from outside Kerry became more insistent on having Murphys Ice Cream closer to home. In 2005, Murphys Ice Cream opened a second shop on Main Street in Killarney. In a bid to support the indigenous breed and because the milk is so wonderful, Murphys Ice Cream uses milk from the magnificent Kerry cow. In 2008, the “Book of Sweet Things”, composed of gorgeous Murphys ice cream recipes was published. Murphys Ice Cream has won numerous awards and accolades, but what they’re really interested in is exciting and delighting their customers. An interest that really does shine through.

Kieran was kind enough to let me interview him for this post so I’ve asked him a few questions about being an expat and just what he loves about Ireland.…

1.   What was it like moving to Ireland after growing up in America.. What was(is) the greatest thing about being here? (and for me personally, what were the biggest challenges?)

I moved to Ireland originally because I became tired of the US – specifically the one-sided, all-consuming attitude toward work, and having work define you so much as a person. Here, I have always felt life was fuller and more varied. Since I grew up with Irish citizenship, moving here was quite easy, and I always felt welcome. The challenges have been the same anytime I have moved – make new friends, and find your way into the community. The only other big challenge has been coping with the gloomy weather!

2.    What is Murphy’s relationship with Irish farmers and producers?

We try our best to support farmers and food producers as best we can. In terms of farmers, we are buying in local, free range eggs as well as our direct link with the farmer supplying us with our Kerry cow milk. We also try to buy what we can as flavours - fruits in season, local honey, etc. For food producers we helped set up Blas na hÉireann – the Irish Food Awards to highlight the excellent produce about the place, and we do our best to always plug Irish foods in the press.

3.    What Irish dishes do you love?

My aunt made her own Irish soda bread, which was a big source of excitement in our family growing up, since it meant a special occasion (served with jam and cream). I think, however, rather than the dishes, what really makes me drool is the quality of our raw ingredients here in Ireland – amazing fish, best dairy in the world, spuds, certain fruits and vegetables, etc. Of course, we can’t forget the excellent whiskeys and stouts as well

4.   What are some Irish traditions or sensibilities that you love..

I love that traditions are alive and well in this part of Ireland – Wren’s Day, Nollaig na mBhan, traditional music, naomhóg races, Lunasa, the Irish language, etc. Sensibilities would include ability and need to have fun, balance in life, community spirit, less social stratification than elsewhere (at least in rural areas).

5.    Fave places in Ireland that you would recommend visiting?

Kerry, of course!!! Specifically I love Dingle, including the Blaskets, Killarney National Park and all of our amazing landscapes. Outside the Kingdom, I’m very partial to Donegal, Connemara, and the Antrim coast. Slightly off the beaten track, I’d suggest Clonmacnoise, Killaloe, Ardmore, and all the archeological treasures in the Boyne Valley. There are so, so many wonderful places around Ireland, though, and a short list is very hard!

6.  Would you ever move back to the USA?

I certainly am not planning on it, but I never count anything out because the moment I do, life takes me in that direction! There’s a lot I love about the US, and I could be happy there. However, I’m happy very here.

7.   Anything else new in 2010 for Murphy’s that you’d like to share?

2010 is our 10th year in business, so we hope there will be lots of celebrations, specials, and fun. We’d like to expand a bit this year, but so much will depend on how the year progresses. Most important to us is to use our 10th Anniversary to spoil our customers, who have been so loyal and supportive over the years. Now, if we could only arrange a bit of sun for the summer…

The “Book of Sweet Things” is available to international customers online through Mercier Press. You can also find more info on Murphys Ice Cream at www.murphysicecream.ie or check out Kieran’s blog at www.icecreamireland.com

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Caveat: because I grew up in the Midwest of the USA and am accustomed to such Fargo-like isms such as “ya betcha” and “pret’near”, I feel I can write about this topic in an unbiased, non-judging manner. Oh, and even poke fun a little bit.

This post sets out to help you avoid any embarrassing moments of confusion or shock when confronted with some commonly used Irish slang words or expressions while you are living in or visiting Ireland. After nearly 5 years of living here, I’ve heard so many new terms and phrases that I would venture to say that clever Irish communication style is one the of the top things Ireland has on offer. It most certainly makes my day on a regular basis!

So, without further adieu, here is Part 1, A-J, the shortlisted glossary of my favourite Irish slang words and phrases derived from both farm country and city life alike:

Ask Me Arse: (v) (rhetorical) What do you take me for.  “You need a lift to Dublin to go shopping? Ask me arse! That’s tree (3) hours away!”

Bang On: (adj) Correct. Perfectly accurate. “Ohhhh, that Tiffany key necklace is bang on sweetie. May I please have one?”

Banjaxed: (adj) Broken. Severely damaged. “Me head is totally banjaxed after last night’s (drinking) session with the lads”

Babby (n) Baby. Small Child. Name of Imen’s forthcoming babywear line. “Me ma had her first babby when she was 12 and never looked back”

Bejeebus: (expr) By Jesus. “Bejeebus! The magpies are savage round here this year!”

Black Stuff. (n) Stout. “I’ll take a pint of the black stuff and a half-pint of Bulmer’s for the lady”

The Business. (n) Something cool. “Monart Spa is the business, don’t you think sweetie? We really must get away for a weekend soon”

Call. (v) to drop by someone’s home. (usually unexpectedly). “I think I’ll just call over to Imen’s this morning, I’m sure she’ll be well prepared for guests.” {yeah right}

Craic. (n) pronounced “crack”.  Fun. “There’s great craic to be found at the pub round the corner”  {and you most likely won’t get arrested for it}

Chancer (n) Untrustworthy person.  “That aul chancer, he’d better put it right”

Cow. (n) crabby lady. “She’s a right old cow, but sure, she always goes to mass on time so she’s grand”

Da. (n) Father. Irish for father.  “Me and me Da used to go sloe picking in the fields.”

Doss (on the) (n) Failing to show up for work/school during specified hours. “I swear I wasn’t on de doss, I really did have a brain transplant yesterday!’

Dub. (adj) Someone from Dublin. “Once a Dub, always a Dub”

Eejit. (n) Person of limited mental capacity. Complete moron. “That eejit is back on Fair City again”

Fair Play. (expr) Well done. “Fair play to all of ye who finally put grit down on the icy roads!”

Fanny. (n) Female genitals. {and I don’t mean your bum} “She had on no knickers and you could see her fanny, to think!!”

Feck. (v)(n) Politically correct term for f**k.  “Oh feck! I said f**k!”

Full Shilling. (not the) (adj) Mentally challenged. “All those loud Americans…definitely not of the full shilling”

Gas. (adj) Amusing. Funny. Hilarious. “That Des Bishop sure is gas”

Give out. (v) To yell. Scream. Reprimand.  “Me mum’s giving out to me again fer wearing too much mascara and me tacky white leather boots!”

Grand. (adj) Fine. Good. “Who me? Sure, I’m grand”

Happy Out. (adj). To be content. “Just leave me at Brown Thomas for the afternoon and I’ll be happy out”

Holy Show. (v) To make a big deal out of something. “Bejeebus! he really made a holy show of things!”

Hooley.(n) Raucous celebration involving drinking and singing. “There’s a hooley on tonite at Kelly’s!”

Howaya/Hiya/Heya. (greeting). Hi. Hello. “Heya, anything strange(new)with you?”

Jacks (n) Toilet. Restroom. “Did you see the state of de jacks in there?! They couldn’t be arsed to have em cleaned” note: the term toilet is used here more so than bathroom/restroom…”I need to go to the toilet” is a very common expression or “I’m going to the loo”.

Janey Mack! (expr) Expression of utter disbelief. Wow! “Janey Mack! That See by Chloe bag would be half the price in the USA!”

Jar (n). A pint of beer or stout. “Okay so, let’s dander down to the local for a jar or two”

So that’s part one, stay tuned for part two…

Thank you for all of your emails for last week’s drawing to win Donal Skehan’s, Good Mood Food. And the winner is: Cathy Stephens of Baton Rouge, LA. USA. Congratulations!

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Tags: Bulmers, Des Bishop, Fair City, Fargo, farmer, Good Mood Food, ireland, Irish slang, married, See by Chloe

One of my favourite things about living in Ireland is discovering exciting new people, places and things (and, of course, food!). Last week, I discovered one such remarkable person whom I am delighted to share with you all—that is, if you haven’t already heard of him. His name is Donal Skehan, a bright new star in Ireland’s culinary world and according to RTE (Ireland’s largest broadcasting network), “Ireland’s Answer to Jamie Oliver”.  Pretty impressive stuff for a 23 year-old fellow from Howth.

Donal’s book, “Good Mood Food” hit the stores in October and has been flying off the shelves ever since. Based on the blog that he started 2 years ago, Good Mood Food, is filled with delicious recipes that maybe even my husband could make (yes, that’s a hint honey). He’s young and fresh and his recipes mimic that style…healthful and light–many of which you’d think were coming from Northern California rather than Ireland. And let’s face it, sometimes on a gray, rainy Irish day it would be grand to have one of Donal’s yummy sunny recipes on hand just to put a little spring into your step.

When he’s not cooking, blogging or shooting, he’s recording music with his band, Industry, which makes him all the more fascinating. Still, the best bit about Donal is that for all the press and publicity he is an undeniably friendly guy with a genuine love for all things food (including a wonderfully quirky addiction to reading cookbooks). This lovely spirit of friendly foodie enthusiasm comes through in his book, blog…even his tweets.

Donal graciously took the time to share with me a little more about himself and his relationship with Ireland:

What was is the best thing about growing up in Ireland?

I grew up in Howth which is a fishing village 30 mins from Dublin city centre and as kids we had the run of huge green fields filled with horses behind the house, so one of my favourite things was to be lucky enough to have the freedom to spend the whole day out in the open air!  It’s only now that I really appreciate it and realise what a special thing it was.

Which Irish dishes do you love…or have you redesigned to be “good mood food”?

You can’t beat a good Irish stew and like most families, we have our own version, the recipe for which is on the blog. I also love baking Irish soda bread, it’s a flavour which tastes so distinctly like home to me.

In what ways do you support Irish farmers and producers?

I think one of the most important thing is to buy veg that is in season, Ireland produces fantastic fresh fruit and vegetables and by choosing home grown seasonal veg, we as consumers are not only helping the environment, but we end up eating more fresh food.  I actually got to visit a free range Turkey farm before Christmas and it was hugely inspiring, the birds lived a happy life, were extremely healthy and had a farmer that was incredibly passionate about what he did.  In the world we live in it’s becoming more and more important to know where our food comes, and the step by step process its goes through before ending up on our plates.

What are some Irish traditions or sensibilities that you love?

I think growing up I would always have been a little dismissive of Irish traditions, the music, the language etc, but having grown up a little more and travelled, I am so proud to be Irish and I love showing off our fantastic culture to any visitors we have!

What are your fave places in Ireland that you would recommend visiting?

In the last two years I have travelled more in Ireland than ever before and it’s been great because you get to see the amazing sights we have to offer on our doorstep.  We took a little road trip to the Burren and drive up to Galway from there and the views are just amazing.  I also went to Irish college on Achill Island in Mayo in my teens and it’s a really special place too!  Lots of good surf!  Of course I also have to mention my home village of Howth as well, it gets huge numbers of tourists right through the year, we have an amazing cliff walk which is a must see!

In your words, describe your book, Good Mood Food.

Good Mood Food is all about simple, healthy homecooking.  It’s full of really easy healthy recipes that are perfect for even those who haven’t done too much cooking before.  I like to think that I write recipes that become part of a routine, simple family meals which can be done with your eyes closed!

Donal is currently filming an episode of Market Kitchen for the BBC’s Good Food Channel which will air later this month. You can read his blog at: http://www.thegoodmoodfoodblog.com. His book, Good Mood Food is available online at http://www.mercierpress.ie/

I have decided to give one priviledged reader a copy of “Good Mood Food”. If you’re interested, please email me at imen.producer@ireland.com before Monday. I will be drawing a name and announcing the winner next week.

In the weeks to come I will be featuring more extraordinary Irish talents as well as blogging about my wee life as an Irish farmer’s wife.

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Tags: blog, Burren, Donal Skehan, farmer, Galway, Good Mood Food, Howth, Imen McDonnell, Industry, ireland, Jamie Oliver, married, RTE

Our Dromoland Wedding – Keith Woodard Photography

The Irish Wedding. A divine specimen to behold. And to imbibe. And imbibe. Oh, and did I say imbibe? There is no leaving an Irish wedding until at least 3AM. Not even if you are the bride and groom. In fact, the bride and groom are always the last to leave. It is customary that the two lovebirds maintain their life-of-the-party-personae until every last guest has turned in or collapsed at their feet from “too much drink taken”.  And yes, wedding ceremonies usually begin early in the afternoon as in the States so it is one long, lush, lovely day in which to participate. This is particularly fresh in my mind as we attended a friend’s wedding this week in Tipperary (pronounced Tipper-RARE-ee).  And I am still recovering (2 days later).  But it was such a beautiful day; a fabulously fun-loving couple, their sentimental church ceremony that began with the Irish Uillean pipes, a lovely part of the service which was recited in Irish and a reception that took place at a hotel at the foot the dramatic Glen of Aherlow. (sidebar: I love that Ireland has glens and reeks and skrees and gorgeous folkloric topography like that).

As weddings do, we were reminded of our very own romantic Irish wedding and began feeling nostalgic. Our day, to an American girl, was the stuff that fairy tales are made up of… The ceremony took place in the most charming old church, which is said to be the finest remaining example of the “barn” church in Ireland. We borrowed Seamus, the spirited violinist from Bunratty, and he gleefully performed our chosen music. We also enlisted the help of Michelle McDermott, a brilliant wedding planner since I didn’t have much knowledge of the who’s who/what’s what here at the time. Our reception was carried out at the idyllic and distinguished Dromoland Castle in Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co Clare. When we arrived at the gates, we were greeted by two beautiful white stallions and a vintage carriage awaiting to transport us into the estate (see photo above). We meandered down a path passing by ponds and geese which eventually lead to a walled garden. I had never felt so taken away by feelings of awe and joy and love in my life as I did on that day, it was truly spectacular. (For those of you who don’t know, I should tell you that these fabulous feelings set in AFTER the actual ceremony…the before and during part is, well, you’ll find out).

Because I am American (and a former “particular” producer) we had to keep some of my traditions, however, little did I know that almost all of what I was strenuously requesting during the planning process was exclusive to weddings in the States so all of my wishes could not be granted, but still a good few were. I really wanted commercial hair and makeup for myself and my girls so we hired an editorial makeup artist from Dublin that I had read about in an Irish fashion magazine to come down and be there for the day. The hairstylist stayed on for the evening for touch ups. Very OTT for Irish standards and possibly everyone else, but I wanted to look my very best all day AND night. Also, we designed the wedding invites with a studio in the States and used a die-cut embossment of the McDonnell family crest which were produced using a combination of letterpress and engraving techniques. Die-cut embossed invites in Ireland? Again, OTT for Irish standards, but hopefully respected (jury’s still out). Here, the bride and groom to-be actually handwrite the name of each guest on the inside of the invitation on a line as shown here. I initially thought that seemed a bit slapdash, but perhaps that does add more of a personal touch.

Our meal at Dromoland may have been the best I’ve eaten in Ireland to date (really, I am not just saying that). To start, a delicate monkfish and crab velout with garlic and chives (so unforgettable that my mouth is watering writing this) followed by a gorgeous and light savory parsnip and thyme soup and after, a smooth pomegranite sorbet was offered to cleanse the palate. For the main course, a filet mignon that was so gloriously juicy and tender that you could cut it with a butterknife served with fresh organic potatoes and various roasted vegetables. Our wedding cake was round  and 4-tiered with little vintagey strands of icing creping and beading across each level. To me, it looked very timeless and classic which is exactly what I had hoped, but I had to make a serious compromise on the top tier, for when we met with the cake maker I was informed that the top is always fruit cake. What!??? How not tasty. I seriously thought she was joking (we really do make jokes about fruit cake in the States you know). But she wasn’t and R really preferred it that way too so there was no way out of it. I just could not fathom why anyone would want to eat fruitcake at a wedding.

We hired an 8-piece traditional Irish music group to start the entertainment who performed beautifully and encouraged many guests to do jigs and reels on the dance floor, the most popular being the Siege of Ennis. An example of the Siege of Ennis (or as I like to call it, the Electric Slide-Irish style) from the Tipperary wedding can be seen here. When the trad music was ended we had a deejay who creatively served up tracks until every last person left in those wee hours of the morning.

But, as any proper married American couple, R and I disappeared into the night long before that and began our life anew…..

Next week: 3 Fabulous Irish foodies-2 living in Ireland and one in Paris-and their deliciously scandalous cookbooks. And, for a few lucky food-loving readers, a free copy will be sent to you!

Slán Abhaile and Happy New Year!

Imen

Tags: bunratty, clare, cratloe, dromoland, farmer, glen of aherlow, ireland, love, marriage, siege of ennis, tipperary, wedding

Traditional Irish Christmas Cake

Well tis’ the season to be jolly… and sure enough, things can get quite jolly ‘round here. But, I must admit, being married to an Irish farmer also means that he can’t really be home with us for the entire holiday as the animals need to be tended to every day of the year. I guess I’ve taken for granted that the holidays are about loads of time off to spend with family and friends relaxing with a little cheer and reflecting on the year that was behind us (hint: never take this for granted). Still, we make a big effort to enjoy the time we do have together and are grateful for that.

In Ireland, Christmas Eve is not the big draw, possibly because Christmas Day and Christmas Day Eve are when the real festivities happen and then there’s a whole other lively day of celebration on the 26^th, called St. Stephen’s Day. (Or Boxing Day in the UK) St. Stephen’s Day or the Feast of St. Stephen is a Christian Saint’s day and is  a national holiday in Ireland. It is also known as the “Day of the Wren” in many areas, ours included. We have another big feast on this day and then are visited by the “Wren Boys” who traditionally come into country homes and perform traditional Irish music through song and dance.  They come to the door playing their beautiful instruments such as the tin whistle, the concertina, Bodhráns and fiddles.  One person always has a (artificial)wren bird in a nest to symbolize the hunt of the wren who historically brought good luck to the villagers. Here is a link to a snippet of last year’s performance at the farmhouse. Geoffrey loves the Wren Boys and I can’t say I blame him as they are quite entertaining, and for me, something totally festive and different.

We’ll open the gifts at our holly-strewn home on Christmas morning and then Richard will go to work until later in the day when we have the big dinner at the home farmhouse. Peggy is preparing the meal this year and I am bringing the desserts—this year I’ll be trying my hand at an Irish Christmas Cake. No Irish Christmas would be complete without the this cake and for all of it’s elaborateness, it’s basically a fruit cake made to look pretty so I should be able to handle it. (wait a minute, is there a little personification going on there?). The frosting and little trimmings are made from marzipan, a staple here for cake decorating. We also have a new arrival in the family this year, D & R’s new beautiful baby girl, Gwynn, whom will be our guest of honour. Michael will prepare his plum pudding which is another gooey fruit-cakey concoction made with plums and raisins and something yucky called minced suet. The only good thing about plum pudding is that it’s served with a creamy brandy sauce or home-made rum raisin ice cream which are both delicious. Mince pies are always a given–they make mini ones which you see everywhere here and they are dusted with powdered sugar making them look really tasty which, of course, is totally deceiving. So, by now you must be wondering if there are any desserts that I would actually eat for the holidays! Why yes, the best one of all, trifle! I love trifle. It is much like a parfait in a big pretty glass bowl: boozy sponge cake layered with golden custard and luscious fruit covered in cream.  I also love the crunchy meringues with mixed berries and dollups of fresh cream.

When we sit down to dinner on Christmas we begin by opening the Christmas crackers.  A cracker consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper, making it resemble an oversized candy-wrapper. Two people pull and it breaks unevenly (making a popping sound) and leaves one person with the bigger half which holds a paper crown (which you then happily wear for the rest of the day) and a little surprise, perhaps a small trinket, a riddle or some other fun tchotke. I personally think everyone in the world should celebrate with Christmas crackers. They are loads of fun!

When all of the Christmas and St. Stephen’s Day cheer is complete there is still yet another Christmas to celebrate, and that is called “Little Christmas” or Nollaig na mBan which falls on Jan 6^th.  It is also referred to as “Women’s Christmas” because it is a day where the men traditionally donned aprons and did all the cooking and cleaning whilst the women relaxed and were taken care of for the day. Despite the fact that this seems terribly un-pc, I’ve read that it is being picked up as a tradition in the USA more and more. My father-in-law makes dinner for us all on this day..usually a goose, and it’s quite humorous to see him doing all the work inside as Peggy usually rules the roost. It’s certainly nice to see her get a break from being the domestic goddess of Dunmoylan for a change.

This will be my last post until the New Year. So Nollaig Mhaith Chugat and a Happy, Happy New Year to you all!

Slán Abhaile,

Imen

Tags: christmas, ireland, Irish, marzipan, mince pies, st. stephens day, trifle, wren boys

Galtee Mountains, Counties Limerick, Tipperary and Cork, Ireland

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a snow worshiper. No, I am not an avid skier, nor do I create elaborate sculptures out of snow and ice, but indeed, I have a loving relationship with snow. From the first dainty “dusting” to a full on white-out blizzard, I adore it. Powdery, heavy, sparkling, icey, fluffy, packy, soft, clean, dirty, slippery, flakey…love it all.  For me, it symbolizes the beginning of the holidays and makes everything more merry. The joy of making snowmen and snow angels and going sledding followed by sipping hot cocoa with marshmallows is absolutely priceless. I’ve never found it particularly annoying to drive in the snow, on the contrary, it’s just been a part of life.  I grew up with it and yes, I remember the days when the snow was as high as our house, and when deer would get trapped on icebergs on Lake Michigan and all that jazz. Loved it. And there it was again in the summer when the town council dug up the snow they’d buried in the winter and brought it out for the “Snow Festival” parade and made children’s eyes wide as pies.

Nowadays, everyone back home seems to complain that it just doesn’t snow like it used to and I am here to tell you that AT LEAST IT STILL SNOWS! Sure, Ireland gets a wee bit of snow, but it usually falls short of us by landing on top of the mountains or other highlands. The photo above depicts a beautiful snowfall on the Galtee Mountains which are near us so if I am driving to Limerick I can see this winter wonderland, but not fully experience it. One day last year it began to snow at our house and Geoffrey and I were so happy we nearly fell down the stairs in excitement.  We put on our outdoor gear and ran outside only to find that the flurries had stopped and all of it had melted upon impact. It’s just too mild here for the snow to stick, but I’m forever optimistic; each winter I still think maybe it will really snow this year…

Many of the Irish and English make do by taking trips to Lapland, Finland, located in the frozen Arctic Circle. The twinkling snow covered forests and northern lights-filled night skies are meant to be simply breathtaking. Perhaps we’ll go to Lapland one day, but for now Richard says he’s going to buy some type of snow machine and hmmm, I wonder about that. Would it be the same? Who knows, but there’s no doubt that I’d love it because for me, snow in Winter is like the icing on the cake {with a cherry on top!}.

Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg & Coosje Van Bruggen. Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Happy Snowy Holidays!

Slán Abhaile,

Imen

Tags: Galtee, holidays, hot cocoa, Irish, mountains, snow, snow angels, snowmen, Walker Art Center

Farm Fact: as a kid here in the Irish countryside you don’t necessarily have loads of neighborhood friends. Your “neighbors” might live a mile away so it’s not as easy to meet other children (if there are any) and have a constant stream of neighborhood playmates as you might have in the city. Thankfully, Geoffrey is meeting a few new friends at his Montessori (who will attend the same grade school as well), but at the moment most of his mates are my girlfriend’s children who live in Limerick City so we don’t get to see them as often as we’d like to. (note to self, must get out more!)

We usually spend summers in the USA, which is when differences in farm vs. city life really come to light. This past summer we stayed with our friends who live in a lively city neighborhood. So, as it goes, the street is right in front of their house and all around there are loads of small children playing away in their yards. Geoffrey, the social butterfly that he is, thought this was just the bee’s knees and kept trying to run across the road, not realizing how dangerous it was. (second note to self, maybe those harnesses aren’t such a bad idea). Basically speaking, he had no real concept of how a city street operated and so he had no fear. Glad he had no fear because I now need a triple bypass.

City Fact: there is a lively stream of colourful and exciting things to do with kids when you live in the city….children’s museums, art galleries, science museums, the zoo, karate, the pool, gymnastics, yoga, T-ball, the State Fair—everything is go, go, go and it seems that there is never, ever a dull moment. Nearly every restaurant in the USA is child-friendly (the opposite of Ireland) which is so brilliant. All summer Geoffrey enjoyed nonstop playtime with friends, relatives and neighbors and was in absolute heaven. I personally grew up in a beautiful small Midwestern town where summers meant playing outside with loads of friends until at least dusk every day…we would use an entire 3-4 block area to play kickball, hide & seek, kick the can or ring-doorbell-run (ssshhhh). It makes me happy to know that my son will be able to experience at least some of the same quirky people, places and things of my childhood as he grows up too—as this is very important business!

On the flip side, I have to remember that through his eyes Geoffrey is basically living a child’s dream here in the Irish countryside…what we read in his books and see in movies, he lives!  Charming castles, enchanting forests, sweet calves, little lambs, huge trucks, noisy tractors, busy building sites, prickly hedgehogs and red foxes with big fluffy tails…this is the “stuff of his life” here. What’s more is that he positively adores all things farm. He gets to go with Daddy or Grandad on various machines(the cool new John Deere models have an additional small seat and harness for your child)and do his “work” and he loves helping to feed all the farm animals on a regular basis.  Sure, we have to use our imagination a little more and be more creative to make our fun here, but that’s not such a bad thing. He loves playing outside with the dogs and going on “adventures”. We have planted an area of trees on one part of the land and that is now his “magic forest”(thank you Cat). There is also a lovely little stream running through the front yard over which he has built a bridge for his fishing “trips”. Our two Pyrenees dogs are “polar bears” and Ted is.. just Ted I guess. I love that Geoffrey much prefers gallivanting around the yard than playing on his swing set or his toys when we are here at  home in Ireland.

My only concern is that our little boy is beginning to become sensitive to the sun. He complains when it is sunny (which is hardly ever) and when we went to the States last summer, it took a couple weeks for him to adjust to the intensely sunny days..it was really blinding to him. But of course, after he adjusted, he couldn’t get enough of it (SPF 50) and by the time we got back to Ireland the weather here really started to get to him. He kept asking Daddy when it was going to stop raining. “Because if it doesn’t Dad, we’ll just have to go back to America!”

Thank you so much for your loyal readership.  I really enjoy writing and sharing these pieces with you all. I also want to say a special thank you to Liam and Corey of Irish Fireside whom interviewed me for their holiday podcast–we had a lot of fun! They have a great website and are currently featuring a holiday gift guide with lots of Irish goodies…so have a look.

Mind Yourself,

Imen x

Tags: beach, children, children's museum, city, farm, Irish, irish fireside, John Deere, karate, kid, pool, summer, sun, zoo

Here I go writing about food again, but how can I resist when Thanksgiving is right around the corner? I have always had an affinity towards Thanksgiving.  It may possibly be my most favorite American holiday. We had the same lovely tradition for so many years of traveling to my grandmother’s house where all of my wonderful extended family would come together on a (usually) pretty snowy day and celebrate with loads of turkey and all the trimmings. The best bit of it all? The PUMPKIN PIE of course!

Now, pumpkin pie would not be something that the Irish love…even though the famed Jack-O-Lantern has it’s roots in Irish lore, the pumpkin is something of an anomaly here you could say.  I’ll never forget the time when Richard and I were still dating and I was visiting Ireland during Thanksgiving. I decided that I would make Thanksgiving dinner for his whole family. I brought over pumpkin and cranberry and other pantry items to be on the safe side..along with my trusty Martha Stewart recipes that I had chosen for that year. We used a turkey from the farm (don’t ask the details about that) which was lovely and I began making this extravagant meal that I thought everyone would surely love and appreciate. (well, okay, maybe I just wanted them to love and appreciate me (wink).

So. The first thing that went wrong was that I was oblivious to the fact that there would be differences in oven temperatures. Here, we use Celsius, not Fahrenheit so I had to do some major conversions which really made me tense. Then, the same with the measurements! Everything is in metric here so instead of cups I had to work in mls and grams. The last time I used grams for anything I cannot discuss here, but let’s just say it was a long time ago so as you can imagine converting ounces to grams to mls to cups and back again really did my head in.  Still, somehow I sorted it out and made a gorgeous meal for everyone.

We sat down in the formal dining room and started to eat. I was happily taking in all the compliments and actually feeling a little chuffed when I was posed with the question of “So is Thanksgiving a Jewish holiday?”.  Huh?  I told myself not to snicker. And I answered it eloquently, explaining the history of Thanksgiving (Charlie Brown style of course) and that it was not Jewish, but that Jewish people do. in actual fact, observe the holiday with all the other Americans. They were fascinated and nearly ate every last morsel that I had prepared. Success!

Then came dessert. The famous pumpkin pie. I wish I had videotaped the faces on everyone as they took their first bite of this yummy sweet/savory delicacy that we love so dearly in the USA.  Surprise. Delight. Terror. No expression just fast gobbling. Sheer happiness (me).  And then, out of the blue, a quote uttered by Grandma McDonnell, “Tis Different”.  A phrase which I learned much later had meant “It’s Rotten”.  I find this quite humorous and touching. She actually thought it tasted rotten, but ate it all and never said a bad word to me.

Oh well, it’s still my favorite. And Richard and Geoffrey love it too. (Really!)

Mind Yourself,

Imen

Tags: family, farm, holiday, ireland, Martha Stewart, Pie, Pumpkin, snow, Thanksgiving, turkey