Hello Spring and a Recipe

Our first few days of spring have been cold ones -- 26° F yesterday morning and only in the 40's throughout the day.  Brrrr!  Things are looking green and flowers are blooming, but it's still cold.  However, if our weather forecast is to be believed, the temps. will reach 80° on Friday.  Seriously?!  Yesterday, while talking with my mom, I reminded her it was the first day of spring, and "Friday is the first day of summer," I said.  😁  Welcome to North Carolina.   
Did you have a fun St. Patrick's Day?  We ate at Hal's parents' house on Friday evening; we had corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots, rye bread, and an Irish apple cake I made for dessert.  Have you seen this recipe?  It's all over the internet, and I finally decided to try it.  I'm sharing the recipe with you, and if you like apples, it would be good any time of the year, not just for St. Patrick's Day.   

Happy St. Paddy's Day 2020

Hi everyone!  It's a dreary, rainy day here in central North Carolina, but I want to wish you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day.     

Welcome March!

Hi everyone!  Are you happy to turn the calendar page on another month?      

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

March 2014

Beef and Guinness Stew

Hi folks!  Winter just refuses to leave this year.  We've had snow today here in North Carolina -- how about you?  It looked like Spring yesterday when I walked Duncan at lunchtime.  There were daffodils blooming and Bradford Pears and Japanese Cherry trees in our neighbors' yards, but it didn't feel like Spring.  Hal and I were out yesterday evening, and one of the coldest winds I've ever encountered was blowing straight through our clothing.  Brrrr!   It's supposed to be cold here the rest of the week, with more chances of snow, so I thought I'd share this recipe with you for some good comfort food. I made Beef and Guinness stew this weekend for St. Paddy's Day, and I think it was a hit.  It was my first time to make this, although I have eaten it before.  We used to have an Irish restaurant in the next town over, and the owner had immigrated here from Ireland.  We found her food to be more authentically Irish than a lot of the Irish pubs around here.  

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, Northern Ireland

Recently, I came across these pictures among our many hundreds of old photographs.  My husband had taken these snaps on a business trip to his company facility in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland.  While there, he visited Armagh, the county town of Armagh County and a civil parish.  The town of Armagh is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland.  Following are some pictures of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh.

A Cottage With A Touch of the Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!  Are you wearing your green today?  We've just returned from a quick trip to the coast.  We had three whole days there, and even though it rained all day Saturday, we still had a wonderful time.  It's always good to get away when we have a chance.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!  Unfortunately, things aren't looking real green and cheerful around here today.  More dismal weather, filled with gray skies and cold rain.  To be fair though, it rains an awful lot a wee fair bit in Ireland, too.  That's why everything is so lush and green there.  They're not plagued with the hot, humid weather that we get here in the summer, or the frequent periods of drought.

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