2010 December | {farmette}

Happy Holidays

24 Dec 2010

Warm Wishes

For A

Nollaig Shona Duit

Merry Christmas

Happy Hannukah

Happy Kwanzaa

Or Any Other

Festive Holiday

That You

May Be

Celebrating!

See you

In The

New Year!

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It wasn’t until my first Irish family Christmas that I was introduced to the quirky splendor of the Christmas cracker. Ever since, I get giddy with excitement when I see them nestled up next to our plates at Christmas or St. Stephen’s Day just calling out to be pulled apart with a loud snap and lots of laughter.

When our little boy brought home a holiday activity book from school that included a how-to page for constructing Christmas crackers from scratch, I knew we had to sit down and give it a try.

We had loads of fun making crackers for our family and friends on a snowy Sunday afternoon. Fill them with a little tissue paper crown, a handwritten riddle or perhaps a fortune like we did {“I see many lovely pressies for you in the near future”} and some tiny treats-either kiddie-style (choccy gold coins, finger puppets) or grown-up (small biscuits or a small handmade ornament).

You can buy the snap tape in specialty shops and I’ve been told the Euro store as well, they are lovely with or without the pop. These crackers make lovely hostess gifts or gifts for workmates + friends during the holidays.

Happy Cracker Making!

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photo by Imen McDonnell. Assisted by Master Geoffrey McDonnell

Tags: christmas, Cracker, farm, holidays, ireland, Irish, Married an Irish Farmer

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5 Cows A Calving?

17 Dec 2010

“Shouldn’t You Be Watching Desperate Housewives?”

Well, it was bound to happen. There was no way around it. I mean, I married a farmer, right? I just thought I’d be better at it.

One recent evening, the hubs came home after having a particularly long and hard day on the farm. He was completely and utterly shattered. So tired that he nearly fell asleep at the supper table. I felt horrible for him because I knew that his day was not over as he would still have to go out into the cold night and check on five cattle that were nearly ready to calf.

Since the cows were in a paddock that was relatively near our house, I knew that if it looked like any of the girls were about to become mommies, I could sprint back and alert Richard. If not, he could catch up on some much-needed sleep. So, I excitedly offered up my amateur farmette assistance and told him to get some rest.

He happily agreed, telling me to dress warmly and take the torch. He gave explicit directions: if it looked like A. the cow was dropping milk or another substance, B. her back pins had come down, C. she was sitting in closely to the hedge, or D. her tail was sticking straight out, I was to come back immediately and report it to him.

I put on my farm parka, wellington boots and wooly cap, grabbed the torch and went out quietly into the night. It was pitch dark and I was a bit frightened. Always a city girl at heart, I find that the total and utter darkness of the countryside, while beautiful and serene, can still feel very intimidating to me. The torchlight beckoned, but in the thick of the night it only projected about two meters of light.

After walking for several minutes, I could finally see the cows in the paddock. Their presence made me feel more secure. I began flashing the light at each of them individually, with a specific focus on their behinds. They looked at me with puzzled expressions. As if they knew that I had no idea what I was doing out there. I kept saying in a sweet, hushed voice “Hi sweeties, how are ya? How are ya doin there?” They must have thought I was mental. I swear one cow looked up, shook her head and walked away. As if to say, aren’t you missing Desperate Housewives or something?

Just as I was feeling self-conscious about being snubbed by a cow, another one walked into my ray of light and turned her back to me. I couldn’t believe my eyes, there appeared to be two little calf legs hanging out of her bottom. She also seemed to be having difficulty walking. I rubbed my eyes and looked harder. Wait a minute, was it two legs hanging out or was it just her own hind legs? I squinted and looked again, this time confirming in my mind that there was indeed something dangling from her. Either way, this was a situation that couldn’t be risked, right? I’d have to go in, wake himself up and tell him right away.

I ran back to the house, my heart beating a million miles an hour with adrenalin. I was going to see a calf being born in the dark of the night. I had been useful on the farm! I rushed into the bedroom and breathlessly told my peacefully asleep farmer the news. He asked if I was sure and I nervously replied, “I’m pretty sure!” He got up and we ventured outside.

When we arrived at the paddock, there she was, still standing. She turned her back to us and lo and behold,

there….

was……..……

nothing!

My eyes had played an awful trick on me. All of the cows were fine and would probably not calve until the morning by the looks of it. I felt ridiculous. I only wanted to help. I am sure it took all he could not to make fun of me or be angry, but he was calm and said, maybe next time you’ll know.

And, yes, I’ll make sure of that!

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

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Visions of Sugar Plums

14 Dec 2010

Twas two weeks before Christmas

And all through the house

Mommy was madly baking cookies

With her child and spouse…

I really look forward to the holidays each year as it gives me the perfect excuse to inject a little bit of American tradition into our ever consuming Irish country life. As a child, I grew up making delicious cookies and candies with family and friends during the holiday season. Pfeffernüsse, Snowballs, Peanut Butter Kisses, Spritz, Snickerdoodles, Peanut Brittle, all so yummy. But my all-time favorite Christmas cookies have always been the sugar cutouts. It was always so exciting to be able to get to roll out the dough, use the cookie cutters and then frost and decorate each of our masterpieces.

Over the years, I have tried many recipes for these simple sugar cookies and always go back to the one that we always used at home. It calls for sour cream, which makes it more cake-like and creamy. It is absolutely necessary to leave the dough in the fridge overnight or it will become too soft when rolling and cutting. Be sure and use loads of flour on your rolling surface as well to prevent the dough from sticking.

This year I drizzled Royal Icing instead of using a buttercream frosting, both are gorgeous tasting, but the Royal Icing is perhaps more decorative.

I thought it would be fun to gather a bunch of candy cane cookies,place them in mini milk pails tied with a festive red tag and ribbon bow. They make lovely little hostess gifts.

Nollaig Shona Duit,