It does not feel all that long ago since my last one. I am sure that the iPhone alarm, going off all day to alert me that my birthday is all but upon us, is wrong.

Apple malfunction for sure.

I had tea earlier today with a friend and we reviewed the ‘book’ together. As she was listening intently to me describe our life and world on the pages she mentioned that I was ‘very brave’ to put myself out there and share our story. I really never gave it much thought to be honest. The Chef and I have had a very open relationship all along. No secrets. No games. Just a lot of fun and love-kinda-mush stuff.

But it struck a chord with me and I thought, seeing as it’s my birthday (February 23rd), I would share a little bit of (very useless) information about me – to kind of get all that stuff out of the way before the book comes out in July – ok?

So. Who is this WiseMóna girl anyway?

1 am almost 6 ft tall and love to wear high heels.

I only buy shoes on the internet because I have very large feet.

I wear a 36 inch inseam on my pants leg and only shop for clothes online because ‘Tall’ jeans or trousers in Ireland are not the same as ‘Tall’ in the US.

I still have, and wear because they still fit, my favourite pair of pants that I bought to wear to the rehearsal party the night before our wedding (12 years ago).

I suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. One of the misinterpreted signals from the pain suffered from this nerve condition is depression.

I also suffer – for eleven years now – from a Thyroid dysfunction called  Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. One of the symptoms of this disease is also depression.

I am not depressed. I do not blog or talk about these issues because I can’t let them define who I am or who I want to be. But they are real, and cause pain, and steal my time when I have to go see a doctor about the next course of treatment.

I am a really well trained ‘home cook’. But, because I have been blessed with a husband who is a chef and much better at cooking than I, I have no love for cooking.

I love washing dishes. Gloves on, bubbles loaded. Take me away.

I.Do.Not.Like.Chocolate. – Do not try to change my mind. I could win a competition for eating the most potato chips.

I used to be afraid of the dark. Now I know I was just afraid of my husband who used to lay on the floor (in the dark) waiting to grab my ankles as I walked up the stairs.

I hate big crowds. Anything more than eight people and I get seriously claustraphobic unless I am working behind a bar and can keep my distances from the crowd.

I am claustrophobic. My first kiss with the Chef was in a glass elevator. ’twas lovely.

I am a very fast walker. There are very few people that can, or want to, keep pace with me. The Chef, who has shorter legs, is faster.

I am afraid that my first book will not be a rip roaring success. This is apparently a very normal fear.

I love ironing and cutting the grass. A day where I do both of these activities sees me revved up and very relaxed at the same time.

I am at my best when I am walking on my treadmill every morning around six am. I feel like I can conquer the world.

I am at my ugliest when I am walking on my treadmill every morning. Sweat, spluttering, gasping for water.

I go to bed early every night. Sometimes as early as 9:00pm.

I hate television but do watch ‘selected’ and ‘recorded’ shows like ‘Downton Abbey’ and anything the Chef thinks I need to watch like ‘farming show’s’ and the like.

And last but not least……..

I am a nerd. I like to read. I like to format and organise text and draft newsletters and make things pretty.

I hope I am chasing the right dream.

Are you?

Photo courtesy of the lovely and talented Annie Atkins

There you have it folks. Let the Birthday festivities begin and last all weekend!

Those are all the WiseWords I have for today.

WiseMóna

I assumed it was a house plant. I hesitated to get excited about receiveing this in to my home because, and here is a huge big dirty fact folks, the Chef and I kill houseplants. Not intentionally mind. We just can’t seem to manage to keep them hydrated enough. Everything flourishes and grows in the garden outside and in the polytunnel, but bring it indoors and you can kiss it goodbye.

Buttermilk plant envelope

A friend of ours dropped off a – kind of smelly – jar with something like a fungus growing in it. White and curdy…a little like cottage cheese without the cream. There was a sealed envelope with it, from our friends Mum. It had instructions.

Instructions for Buttermilk plant

I was a little apprehensive at first. It did smell sour and felt a bit funny. Dry and rubbery but easily smushed between the fingertips.

So, seeing as the Chef is the chief baker around these parts, and clearly the buttermilk is for him, I let him wash the plant and set it up for its first milking.

Dry Buttermilk Plant

And then we waited. While we waited for a day or two,  I did a bit of googling to discover that  if you are so inclined, you too can have a buttermilk plant of your own by following the instructions on this website.

Make a bit of buttermilk

The reward, after adding a bit of milk and waiting for two days, is a beautiful rich creamy buttermilk. Now, before you go all ‘shur could you not run out and buy some buttermilk’? on me – I know. If you have to use milk to actually make the buttermilk it might end up costing the same or more as buying buttermilk from the shop. I get it. The reason bakers love to have this in their home, and now in our fridge, is because at any given moment you can bake anything you want – especially something that requires buttermilk. It is a convenience thing. One my Chef is tickled pink with.

Add a little milk after washing

So, seeing as there is buttermilk a plenty in the house…… then you know as well as I do what that means.

We are more than well prepared for Pancake Tuesday (which is next week!).

Are you?

Stack of buttermilk pancakes

Those are all the WiseWords I have for today!

WiseMóna

Mexican Wedding Cookies – Lovely slate tiered cupcake stand from Slated

He called them ‘Hit or Miss’ cookies because he had not made them in a very long time and had no idea how they would turn out.

He gave me clear instructions to watch them like a hawk and not let them burn.

He popped out to go to the shop – for fifteen minutes.

They burned – a bit. I forgot all about them the minute he walked out the door.

Ah – hello Chef. Did you think to take any of the FOUR distractions with you?

Eh, no. No you didn’t.

There was harumpfing and powdered sugar flying everywhere. At the time I thought it was all part of a huge cover up because we were expecting company, only later to find out that the recipe (had I read it) dictates that indeed you do toss these lovely little treats in powdered sugar, right before you pop them in your mouth, accompanied by a perfectly brewed cup of tea.

Oh. The drama I hear you say. Yes. There is always drama in this house because the Chef has such high expectations of me, his partner, now, of almost 16 years.

He cannot come to terms with the fact that:

A baker I will never make,

I have no craving for the cake.

But his dishbitch I’ll forever be,

as long as he always bakes for me.

There. That is about as romantic as it gets around here for Valentines.

We have, what I like to call, a very ‘real’ relationship. We are not always very ‘nice’ to each other but never really cross over into the ‘name calling’ field either. Hands are thrown up in the air in frustration when cookies burn because a supposedly responsible adult was left ‘watching them’. That same responsible adult was also washing her favourite pots and daydreaming out the window about how nice it will be once the daffodils and tulips start to bloom and the lambs start … * hears car in driveway. Quick flashback of all other times cookies/cakes etc. have burnt. Rescues slightly well done cookies from oven in the hopes that no one notices their singed bottoms * … hopping and jumping around the fields behind the house.

Yep. I got a good talking to. See, there was a girl coming to visit. A friend of good friends, so to speak. So, the Chef felt under pressure to ‘show off’ because he would be mortified if the guest went back to the friends saying that the cookies were underwhelming etc. Like. In fairness. That could have almost happened. BUT it did not. Because he tossed them in powdered sugar and they were fabulous.

The recipe for these Mexican Wedding Cookies has been sitting in his recipe book since the late eighties when he originally wrote it down at the CIA, Hyde Park, New York, where he went to Culinary School. He has made them once, maybe twice since then. He loves chocolate. So, if there is no chocolate in the cookie chances are the recipe gets forgotten about. Poor little cookies.

Me, not having a sweet tooth, I never feel the need to beg for a dessert or a cookie around here but I do like finding something to bake for him and the kids. Ok, I do not like the baking part at all, but they all get so happy when there is something nice in the oven. Even Granny needs a bit of sweetening up now and then.

A friend of ours said this looked like the 'Dead Sea Scrolls' only with food …

Because I let them burn first time around, I decided to make a batch last night, in my small effort to show that if I focus on the task at hand I can be competent in the kitchen. This recipe kind of has a ‘shortbread’ feel to it except you do not have to go through the ‘waiting’ for the dough to chill and all the cutting before baking nonsense that, yes, might be worthwhile, but feels like it will take for ever before you get to actually have a cookie.

Not with these cookies. All ingredients into the mixer. Get the little people to make them into little balls.

Bake ‘em, sugar ‘em and eat ‘em. I have untold delegating skills. This should never be overlooked when one is trying to impress.

So so so tasty and bite sized. Dangerous but cute.

Being the sneaky Mum that I am, I hid a few Peanut butter chips in a few of them and a few Chocolate chips in a few more. I told the kids whoever got the peanut butter ones had to load the dishwasher and whoever got the chocolate ones had to sweep the floor after dinner. They were SO EXCITED about finding the surprise in their cookies that they neglected to complain once about the chores.

Why is no one giving me an award for my mothering skills? Clearly, this deserves some recognition people.

Ok. There you have it.

This is what y’all need to make n’ bake for Valentines Day. You can drizzle them with chocolate if you want to. You can add grated orange or lemon zest too.

I do like these cookies.

But I would leave them well enough alone. They are perfect the way they are.

Those are all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

* Full Disclosure *

No one asked me (or paid me) to write this blog post. I am doing it of my own free will in the hopes that I might rescue someone from the brink of boredom, by providing a tasty recipe and a little giggle over my story. If you would like to taste these cookies then come along to my next talk on Food blogging, which takes place next Monday, February 13th, 2012, for the KLCK blogging group. 7:30pm at Kavanaghs Pub in Portlaoise.

]]> http://www.wisewords.ie/index.php/2012/02/mexican-wedding-cookies/feed/ 44 http://www.wisewords.ie/index.php/2012/01/grannys-jelly-roll/ http://www.wisewords.ie/index.php/2012/01/grannys-jelly-roll/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:13:06 +0000 WiseMóna http://www.wisewords.ie/?p=5256 I can’t tell you the number of times my Mother (aka ‘Granny’) has made a ‘Swiss Roll’. She can make this with her eyes closed and with one hand tied behind her back and a bold child on her hip. I know this, because this was the one dessert she baked – throughout my entire childhood – that never burned. I am not sure why, or what miracle occurred as she never made claims to love baking. She had the Swiss Roll gods on her side; every time.

My eldest brother, who now lives in Switzerland but probably has no idea that the Swiss have no ‘right’ to stake claim in this cake, was the only person in our family to out do her when it came to making a better roll. He mastered the art of whipping larger air pockets into his cake batter (bigger hands I guess – more ‘air’ power) and his cakes rose higher and rolled better everytime.

I, accepting defeat without trying, stuck to my happy task of washing the dishes. I have still never attempted to make this easy treat.

The kids are completely OBSESSED with ‘Grannys Jelly Roll’ so a few days ago she came over to ‘show the Chef’- who bakes for a living – how it is done. Lessons like these, from a Mother, or Mother-in-law, are not to be sneezed at. While, in this instance, there is nothing unique or especially difficult about the ingredients, recipe and method, it is more a sharing of technique and tips that needs to be documented. Because lord knows, if you screw it up, the first ones to complain will be the kids; Especially our brats anyway.

When Granny comes to give a lesson…it is with wooden spoon in hand

One of the reasons Mum would have leaned towards making this cake, as opposed to others, is because there was always a surplus of eggs in the house from the hens and ducks. We have the same daily delight here at Chez Wise. I am particularly proud of the misshaped ones.

Egg Love

The Chef always eager to be better than everyone else at everything he does eager to learn Granny’s technique for making such a lovely light sponge, was rearing to go on this one. They would make two Jelly Rolls. Her making the first one and him observing, then he making the second one. The children were beside themselves with excitement. So much so I had to send them outside to work up an appetite, and take advantage of the half hour of dry weather we were blessed with that day.

Seems easy enough?

Get busy big red!

This cake takes very little time to make and bake. Even the extreme novice should attempt it and have a successful and tasty result.

How many hands does it take to make a cake?

This is the hardest part. Trying to get the air into the flour cake batter mix. Things were starting to heat up in the kitchen here and I felt ‘in the way’.

Layers of love … cake batter going on thick

Once the batter was poured … and the cake popped in the oven it was time for a spot of ‘clean up’ before they moved on to make the second cake…..

So eager to help 'clean up' …

Before you set the sanitation police on us, yes yes yes I thoroughly sterilized the equipment before we moved on to cake number two.

But first, Granny, after standing outside the door to demonstrate ‘rapid sponge cooling’ technique, got her sponge all jammed up with apricot and raspberry jams and a nice helping of freshly whipped sweetened cream.

There might have been a healthy debate over whether or not one should actually ‘sweeten’ the cream. I had to bow out of this one, as I am not a fan of confrontation. The Chef believes the cream should have vanilla and sugar. Granny does not and her wooden spoon is bigger.

The end.

Layering on the love …. Jelly (or Jam) and cream

A small crises arose as we turned the corner ready to get started on the second cáca milis.

We had run out of eggs because the Chef had blown them all earlier on the first cake and the pancakes he had made for breakfast.

A quick jaunt out to the coop and he came back in with a beautiful big handful of eggs.

Found a few beauties …

A quick run under the tap and we were all set for the rest of the lesson.

All spit shined and polished

Granny encouraged the Chef to layer this one with fruit and ‘unsweetened’ cream. He did exactly as he was told, except he used a rubber spatula, instead of the metal spoon, when whipping the air into the cake batter mix. He is a bold one.

A bit fancier with the fruit ..

The rolling of the cake is the most ‘stressful’ part of the whole operation. You need to make the parchment paper work for you, in order to keep the Jelly Roll tight so it does not unravel once you get ready to slice it.

Carefully we roll …

Cakes all done, Granny took one to her friends house to share with a spot of afternoon tea and ours was devoured by the children after they had eaten their supper.

A very nice Sunday afternoon distraction . . .

The overall result is an incredibly light sponge cake flavoured any way you like.

The next one is going to have a Peanut butter and jelly filling.

AND I might get him to make me a Pumpkin one for my birthday.

Right. Down to business. There is still a few days for y’all to enter the drawing for the very cute Le Creuset pot.

and this week, if you find yourself with a bit of free time on your hands, you should come along to the first annual ‘Foodie Forum’ at GMIT.

The line up of speakers is right here …. and I am sure there are plenty you would like to learn from.

Those are all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

It can come in dribs and drabs; all shapes and sizes. It might be an image from months ago that keeps cycling on your slideshow or it could be a funny story told table-side with the kids.

There is never a shortage of blog fodder in my head. And yet I have not blogged. This random fact was thrown in there for good measure because it has catapulted me into a new realm of self-doubt. As if the old realm was not doubtful enough.

This past weekend, with a few serious deadlines looming for my monthly magazine article contributions, I figured there’d be loads of blog fodder to choose from and my mojo would be back in full swing and I’d get to blogging. I was right. The only problem I have now, is what to do with all the blog fodder.

It all started with me being a dumbass. This story can only get better folks.

Velvet Crab – alive

Instead of going to the place where I usually buy my fish I decided to cut some corners, saving on fuel and time in the process, by shopping at a fish store near the grocery shop.

Spying their nice large fish tank I caught a glimpse of several different types of crab. The smaller and sassier of the bunch being right on top. I asked the fishmonger, a young fella, what they were and he said ‘Velvet crab’. I, loosing all sense and sensibility which could be the segway into explaining exactly how dumb I really am, queried with raised eyebrow and hopeful intonation ’Velvet crab as in soft shell crab?’ And he said ‘yep. Softshell’.

Six in the bag with care, because they are mean little buggers, along side a few firm pieces of hake and a few bags of mussels and clams, I drove home on cloud ninety nine dreaming of the po-boy sandwich I was going to get the Chef to make me for lunch. Salivating at the thoughts of the creole, cornmeal, and cajun flavours that were about to whirl around my (ha ha), ahem HIS kitchen, I could hardly wait to sit at the computer and start blogging-all-about it.

Except, and this is the important part showing my dumb-assed-ness, they weren’t really soft shell crabs, were they.

Velvet Crab – dead

The Chef, in his loves-to-humiliate-me kind of way, pointed out my grievous error as soon as I walked in the door. He may have even laughed a bit. Chef in his slow sarcastic drawl: ‘You’ve been had honey. These are hard as a rock. There ain’t no softshells in these cool Irish waters’. Me with my over-the-top-defensive-beeatch-tone :’ well ain’t is not a word and you can’t use ain’t no in a sentence as it is a double negative!

Sensing, and he is not very perceptive God love him, that I was on the brink of having a nervous breakdown over the crab disaster, he busied himself about the kitchen and put the little crabs to work.

First – he popped them into a bath of boiling saffron water and much to the childrens delight they turned a gorgeous orange colour. Then he fried some chicken. WTF?

Hey – I have to live with him so it is only fair that you be dragged along in his thought process.

The Fried Chicken

So, eh, Chef. Why the fried Chicken? He gave me one of those looks that every woman loves to get from their husband. You know, the ‘Jesus, how thick are you?’ look.  So there I was, already annoyed and humiliated over my lack of knowledge when it came to ‘obvious differences?’ between velvet and soft shell crabs, racking my brains to come up with something, anything, smart to retort back to the saucy Chef. I had to redeem myself.

I am a slow thinker lads. Way too slow. Nothing. I just stood there.

‘Jambalaya crawfish pie and file gumbo’ he sang and danced me around the kitchen.

Grrr….it might have been obvious to him in his own head but NO ONE else would have put those two together! I mean, there are no crawfish in the shopping bag or prawns! Apparently, if you are the Chef, you can use whatever you want when making Jambalaya.

I gave up and slunk off like a battered slinky to collect my thoughts. I did a spot of ironing and felt all the better for it.

The smell of the brown roux engulfed the house and before you say ’cause tonight I’m a gonna see my machez a mio’… we were all sitting table side eating Cioppino. Yes. I really did write Cioppino.

I mean, he was eating Jambalaya. Here – look. It was lovely.

Jambalaya

Yes. So back to the Cioppino. Well. This is how he works.

I have trouble digesting bell peppers. Not all the time, but when you cook ‘em in a hurry and do not roast ‘em they spend days trying to find there way out. So, I tend to steer clear of them. He knows this and is most sesnsitive to this.

Seeing as he had the saffron broth all set aside from steaming the crabs he decided to throw together a bowl of Cioppino for me. Because it is my favourite dish of all times. I was feeling the love.

Cioppino Love

This recipe uses a diavolo sauce. Click here for that recipe!

So anyway, to make a long story even longer, what exactly happened to all the crab meat? I mean, there was a bit in the Jambalaya, and a bit in the Cioppino, but not huge chunks of it.

Smoky BBQ Sauce

I was suspicious until all was revealed later that night for supper.  I am sure some of you have already guessed it.

Crabcakes

Yep. Crabcakes. Perfect, round, delicious, dare I say ‘velvety’ freaking crabcakes.

Now, we all know why they are called ‘Velvet Crabs’.

Go home. Eat dinner with someone you love and laugh about this.

I remain, still clueless, on most topics.

Those are all the WiseWords I have for today and thank you all for being here!

WiseMóna

Job security, money, oil/gas prices, education costs, health insurance. I would venture to say, on a global scale, these are at the forefront of most peoples ‘things to worry about’ list.

Right now my list of things to worry about is very very long and fairly serious. I thought it would be wise to let you know I am worried too because you know as well as I do ‘a problem shared is a problem cared’.

I find that instead of getting bogged down by all the things everyone else is worried about, it is best to have a mooch around the house and find things that make you happy. Like this:

A photo of my beautiful hen and duck (and possibly guinea fowl) eggs. Imagine, in the dead of winter we are still reaping the most beautiful rewards of our (obviously) very happy birds.

Beautiful 'Wise' Eggs

Now back to the worrying …..

Oh. I worry about the fact that I will never be a good baker. Mostly because I am too heedless when it comes to all that measuring and timing of things in the oven. Daydreamers rarely make good bakers. Fact.

Breaking my heart….baking.

I worry that sooner or later the clothes will just fold themselves and march up to their respective rooms rendering me useless. I have had this worry for years and thankfully the clothes have refrained from taking the initiative to do so, just yet.

A nightmare of a worry that just grows daily

I worry, and this is real, that people with all their healthful filled notions will start eating more beans and less meat (which is a-ok with me) but not treat them properly and suffer the consequences because of it.

Soak overnight and boil for a good few hours, low and slow.

Here is a quick how to guide for beans:

Dried beans (uncooked) need to be soaked in A LOT of water overnight and boiled the next day in fresh water for at least two hours. If they are undercooked they play havoc with your stomach and cause other gestational problems that are not pleasant to discuss or experience. If you are wondering whether or not they are cooked enough just smush one between your thumb and fingers and if it disintegrates easily then they are cooked. If there is still a bit of firmness to it put them back on the stove and cook some more.

Tinned Beans are already cooked! Just open the tin and consume or heat ‘em up a bit if you need to eat them warm. You can make BBQ beans (which requires a bit of baking) but only to meld the sauce and seasonings together. One of the things we like to make on a regular basis around here is bean salad. The Chef, being from Alabama where this is a tradition, likes to start of the New Year with a big pot of Black Eyed Peas and this year we ended up making one of my favourite salads for lunch.

Give it a try. Remember with the kids maybe a bit less heat and more fresh herbs but make sure you get plenty of colour in their diet. This is a winner every time with ours and a nice (refreshing) change from the old bachelors beans or van de kamps pork n’ beans.

Lots of vibrant colour to brighten up your plate!

Blackeyed pea salad

Now after you have made this salad – which takes no time at all by the way – you should think to yourself ‘how can I incorporate a lot more salad and healthy stuff into my diet this year?’

Eat more colour on your plate – add garlic too!

Isn’t it time you stopped procrastinating and started ‘doing’ instead of just talking about it. Beets, and they are easy to grow, come in the ready to go packages at every grocery and convenience shop in town. A little bit of garlic, diced chili and balsamic vinegar with salt & pepper to taste and you have the fastest salad in the west. And pretty too. The kids like to eat their beet salad with cottage cheese. This is not so pretty. Hence no photo.

These mate well together

I find that you can get stuck in a salad rut using the same bagged salad and bottle of thousand island dressing. Another quick and very tasty salad that we love is tomato and pomegranate. Cut the tomatoes in quarters and toss in olive oil. Drizzle with balsamic, salt & pepper and add a few little crumbles of Cashel Blue Cheese. Go to bed very happy.

The seven layered salad – this is not for amateurs.

Once you get out of the salad rut you are stuck in then the world is your oyster. Left over lentils become eye candy. The remnants of an almost empty bag of grated cheese – food confetti. That half dead bag of lettuce in the fridge that you are holding onto for emergencies – picked over – can give oompf to a side salad. And frozen peas, fresh from the freezer and  still a bit frosty, add a delicious cold contrasting bite to your evening meal.

Isn’t it time you started to think outside the salad box?

NOW – seeing as you have stuck with me to the bitter endive (hee hee) here on WiseWords you may squeal with glee to discover that this is indeed a ‘goody giveaway’ blog post.

But first the rules. You must be signed up via email to receive WiseWords updates via email. You can do that right here. If you end up signing up and then dropping off after the giveaway that is fine with me – but you will not be allowed back on the mailing list for the next giveaway. Think of it as you being put on the bold step for a few weeks, ok? AND the second rule is you need to leave a comment of course because I am using that cool plug-in called ‘And the winner is‘ so get chatting!

I want to know why you want this and what you intend to do with it.

What is it I hear you say……..

A little pot of love ….. from Le Creuset. This is not a big pot folks. Dinner for two adults and a small child at the most.

The winner will be chosen at random sometime on February 5th giving us plenty of time to get it delivered for a Valentines supper. Good luck to y’all and thanks thanks thanks so much for reading WiseWords.

OH – and before I forget -

I am giving a few talks in February. First one is on Thursday February 2nd 2012 (at high noon) ‘Blogging for Business‘ at GMIT’s first (and annual I hope) Foodie Forum 2012 and the second one is for KLCK Bloggers network on Monday February 13th (7:30pm) at Kavanaghs Pub in Portlaoise where I will be talking about having fun with food blogging!

And finally .. . . because I think this is waaay cool….. check out this list of ‘Incredible Irish Food Blogs‘ paying close attention to number five.

Ok – thats all for today folks, Back to the writing and editing I must go.

Thanks for reading and staying tuned!

WiseMóna

Congrats to you!

A bunch of flowers for all my friends

Day three of the new year and not a peep out of me. My tweets are flabby, my facebook presence is vapid and my blog posts are non existent, but every stitch of clothes in my house is washed, ironed, folded and put away and my floors are clean. The children are also relatively clean and have me run ragged. You can thank them for my absence.

The Chef was underfoot for the last two weeks here at home and we enjoyed a quiet family Christmas and a bit of a rowdier New Year. We have eaten, we have drank and we are very merry. Because he firmly believes that the internet and social media is a passing phase, he, and quite a few of our friends, have no time for tweeting. This means that I have had to turn of the Twitter and occasionally upload a Facebook status from the loo. I’m just saying that my life can be very complicated. I am sorry for not being around more to chit and chat. I have missed you all – A lot.

I toyed around with the idea of doing a blog recap of the last year, but you have read it already.

I also thought about writing a really depressing piece about how freaked out I am over where the next few months will take me and how I am lying awake at night sweating bullets over the big ‘F’ word that lingers and looms. Failure. Yep. What if, when I finish this beautiful book, no one buys it or reads it? But why would I write a blog post about that? Depressing, right?

Then, I thought, well seeing as everyone is detoxing and dieting and starving themselves I should bake a nice big pie and eat it. That way, at least I would feel better for all those starving people. And the Chef, who was feeling a bit poorly over the last few days, is feeling much better now too, all from having a slice of this pie.

December is a month that delivers such a flurry of emotions and I think most people feel a little run down and wrecked from all the celebrating. January rolls in and the feeling of ‘meh’ hits you and it is usually followed by a nice bout of  ’aaaaargh’ and even a spell of ‘@4&*%’ until you start chatting with your friends and realise that everyone is going through the same thing and there is no need to pack your bags and move to Australia.

So. What are you waiting for? Have a slice of pie!

Oh – one a side note and worth mentioning – I actually did make this pie. All he did was eat it. You should know that I used frozen pastry. That is why it looks a bit wobbly.

Pecans are pricey here on the island ..

So pricey one would not be running out to make this pie every week.

Pecan Pie – Oven ready

We made a double recipe pie this time around, and only used Maple Syrup. We gave half the pie to our friends when they left to go home on New Years Day. A nice treat for their breakfast the next day!

Pecan Pie – Pass me a fork …

So now that you have had your pie, tell me all about your Christmas. Did you make (or already break?) New Year Resolutions? What are you lying awake at night worrying about? Do share.

Looking forward to hearing from you xx

WiseMóna

The item most photographed at our house this year (2011) was Salad. Lots and lots of salad. More than 300 (different) salads.

In a few weeks, when everyone is full from all the Christmas food and festivities, you will welcome this blog post with open arms and feel inspired to add a few more leafs of green to your diet. Other blogs will start down the road of ‘New Year Resolutions’ or ‘Slim down for Spring’ or ‘Trim the holiday fat’ but not me.

I just want y’all to look at the photos and come to the understanding that you can, and should, eat more salad and there is no time like the present to get started.

Just out of curiosity, how many of you are serving a nice salad with your Christmas dinner?

Spring will be here before you know it….. are your seeds ready?

And while we are going all 'green thumb' why not plant a bit of Garlic too…

It does help to have a very cute 'salad harvester' at your disposal…

Rocket ready to go ….

Sometimes, the sunshine makes things taste better….

It is ok to eat your salad on a pizza…

Sunshine and salad seems to be a reoccurring theme in my photos…

Or shadows and salads …. yes, that seems popular too…

Layered salad seems to be a favorite … and shur why not?

A pretty salad

Tuna fish salad….

We ate a lot of tomato salad….

Ah – one of my favorites…. Beet salad

And it is totally ok to drink your 'fruit' salad….

Oh – sweet spring pea salad

Occasionally

 we added salad to our dinner – right at the last minute.   

Or maybe a few loaves of bread. Ah go on….

Why not put an egg on your salad? Everything tastes better with an egg on it.

And sometimes we let little artists have their way with the salad bowl and we pleasantly surprised at the outcome

We even stole nasturtiums from Dad's grave to put in our salads. Happy Anniversary Dad. We miss you so much and wish you were here with us to enjoy all this salad.

A few more Salad photos right here on our Facebook page.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

Móna xx

Now that you are all the wiser, you should give this sauce a try.

The original dish serves the putanesca sauce over pasta but in our ever increasing efforts to force ourselves to eat potatoes at least once a week, we are in Ireland after all, we decided to serve this alongside some redskin mustard mashed potatoes and a side of swiss chard (from Oldfarm) sautéed with garlic and olive oil.

Find a nice piece of fresh Hake

Buying a piece of fish whole is recommended for a few reasons (a) it is much cheaper (this whole guy cost €12) and (b) you can use the head and pieces to make fish stock which you need for this dish and (c) OMG your hens will love you all the more because They.Love.Fish. Cooked or raw. They are like vultures when we give them the leftovers.

Count his teeth…..

After you have the fish all filleted and skinned (if you choose to) then cut it into a few nice size portions. We got 12 pieces out of ours. He was a fine fish, all the way from the waters off the coast of Kerry mind you.

Sauté gently in olive oil….

Once the fish has a bit of colour on the flesh then it only needs about ten minutes in a medium heated oven to finish it. A little knob of butter would not hurt but that is entirely up to you.

Line up your ingredients

This is one of those dishes that can be explosively hot or you can keep it middlin’ hot if you are expecting company.

It is best if you get everything you need lined up because this is a very fast sauce to make and you do not need to be fustering around looking for a can opener when the anchovies start to sizzle.

 6 cloves of garlic, finely diced (more if you are a garlic nut)

500 g kalamata olives, pitted and chopped  (packed in oil but drained)

2 teaspoons of capers

5 anchovies (even though I hate odd numbers)

Parsley

1 tablespoon of Chili flakes (dried) as much as you like

2 tins of tomatoes (crushed)

1 cup of fish stock

Get someone to get it all ready for you …

Start by sautéing the anchovies in some olive oil and then add the garlic to the pan. The anchovies will dissolve pretty quickly. Do not let the garlic get any colour. Just soften it a little. Add the chili flakes and mix well.

Cook some worms…… no, I mean anchovies….

 Next Add the tomatoes, fish stock capers and parsley and olives.

Putanesca sauce…..

Pour over your (already cooked) fish and return to the oven for a few minutes while you ready your side dishes. Do not leave it in the oven for a long period of time or the fish will turn to mush and dry out.

Pour sauce over fish and bake for a few minutes

This time of year we are fortunate to be still getting greens from the ground. Our friends at Oldfarm had brought us a beautiful bunch of rainbow swiss chard. A quick spin around the pan with a huge amount of raw garlic, black pepper and olive oil, our supper did not take long to materialize.

Swiss chard from our friends at Oldfarm …

The first time I tried this dish I fell in love with it. The richness of the tomatoes coupled with the saltiness of the olives and anchovies makes for a delicious sauce and we have found many interesting ways to use it.

Let me know if you try it!

Those are all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

Excerpt taken from the Tuam Herald the week of December 7th 2011.

Try some Cherry Pie for Christmas this year!

Some new twists on the traditional feast

By Siobhán Holliman

APART from Santa’s never-ending wish list, the other inventory that seems to incite equal amounts of panic and excitement over the coming weeks is the Christmas shopping list.

Trolleys towering with everything from bread to Brussel sprouts slowly move through the supermarket aisles as their despairing drivers sink deeper and deeper into the vinyl tiles. Yes, we do have a tendency towards shopping for Christmas like we’re stocking the kitchen in the ark – even Noah had the sense to take just two of everything – we choose the multi-packs.

The absent-minded few who dare breeze around with a mere hand-basket receive scornful looks from those fighting over the last aluminium roasting tray, and are forced to leave in shameful record time through the ten items or less checkout.

Even if you’ve edited your list to within an inch of the last lemon, the peer pressure of others wielding a trolley in either hand while they nestle ten litres of milk next to the super-dupersized 50-pack of assorted crisps, and boxes of luxury Belgian chocolates for when starving visitors call, can’t be fought off and you succumb to picking up a tub of brandy butter that you know no one at home can stand.

When it comes to the calorific feast itself, those who fail to produce some type of previously feathered form on the plate obviously are undercover alien invaders, and while a legless turkey might be acceptable as a new-age Christmas craze, a suggestion of steak will have the traditionalists calling the Croí ambulance on speed-dial.

No matter how many ways or twists the celebrity chefs offer us with the traditional feast; whether they suggest cooking the bird inside out, upside down or drowning in Guinness – we don’t stray too far and tend to release our experimental side elsewhere on the menu.

How you cook yours (bird that is), is really up to you and while it may be tried and trusted, a family secret, or more often, a mystery to yourself, as long as it doesn’t end up in flames you’re doing pretty well.
Instead we’re offering a little inspiration for the before and after – to liven up those pale melon balls or give the stodgy pudding a miss for once.

If you’re going to really challenge your digestive system on December 25 with a possible 6,000 calories, at least give it a surprise from last year’s menu.

So here are some suggestions. (for the entire article please click here).

Cherry Pie

Christmas would not be the same without it, says Claregalway-based food author Móna Wise.

“I know. Not terribly Irish, right? Being married to a Yank has opened up a door to a whole new world of food tradition in our house. With myself hailing from Claregalway where Christmas would not be right without Christmas pudding smothered in rich, yellow custard, and him, the chef, hailing from Alabama where Christmas cannot be had if it is not finished with a nice cherry pie.

“We have ‘Christmas compromise’ down to fine art here at the Wise household; it is easy. He makes it, we eat it and I do the dishes. Cherries are not the easiest fruit to come by at this time of the year but you can find them in the freezer at most of the larger grocery shops. The good ones mostly come from Belgium and it is best if you use the sour (or tart) cherries. We have used the tinned (in syrup) variety you can find at the shops but always find the fruit to be a lot nicer with the frozen variety. Seeing as we are preparing for Christmas, you can take it easy on yourself and get the pre-made pastry.

Ingredients:
1 box of pre-made pastry, ready to roll.
Filling
360 g sour cherries
90 g sugar
Arrowroot, for thickening

Glaze:
1 egg
Sprinkle of light brown sugar

Method:
• For the filling, put the cherries and sugar into a heavy-bottomed pot and allow to simmer for ten minutes.
• Mix a spoonful of arrowroot into a cup with a little water until it has dissolved. You could use cornflour (with water) also but arrowroot is better with fruit and cornflour is better in stews.
• Add the arrowroot (liquid) into the cherry mix in the pot and stir until the mix turns clear (not cloudy). Once thick, you are done. Take the cherries off the heat and set aside for a few minutes.
• Butter a tart pan (or pie dish) and set aside.
• Roll out the pastry to a nice thin size and line the tart pan.
• Trim off the extra dough and roll it out into a square.
• Cut the trimmed or extra pastry into thin strips (half inch) and use them to top the pie in a criss-cross fashion.
• Glaze, using a beaten egg (with a drop of water) and brush liberally over the pastry. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
• Bake for 45 minutes at 190˚ C.
• Serve with a nice dollop of vanilla cream and a spring of mint.