Rosemary's Irish Bread

4 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
one teaspoon of baking soda
one teaspoon of baking powder
one teaspoon of salt
One stick of butter, softened
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/2 cup of golden raisins
2 to 2 1/2 cups buttermilk

Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in butter as in pie crust Stir in raisins - make sure to coat them with flour. Mix in buttermilk.
Pour into 4 mini loaf pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Cook 45 minutes- 1 hour at 400 degrees
Turn out of pans onto a cooling rack immediately for a crunchy crust.

Eat with a cup o'tea and lots of real butter!

courtesy of Rosemary Browne

Irish Stew

1-2 lbs. lamb or mutton, cubed
1-2 onions (sliced)
1-2 lbs. potatoes
*other vegetables of your choice (I throw in carrots, celery or rutabagas too)

Layer potatoes, meat and onions in a dutch oven or heavy pot. Salt and pepper each layer.

Add:
2 cups boiling stock or water
2 tblsp chopped parsley

Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently or bake in the oven (350 degs) for 2-3 hrs. or until meat is tender. Shake pot periodically to keep potatoes from sticking. When done, all the moisture should be absorbed by the potatoes.

from the Joy of Cooking Cookbook

Tribute to the Ball, March 2006

Another Emerald Ball
Has now come and gone
And it was a great success
Athough so much went wrong.

The weather was stormy,
windy and wet,
The hotel made changes
That caused us to fret.
Our auction was bumped
from Our scheduled room,
And at first we thought
It meant certain doom.
But we got all the items
In the foyer arranged,
And everyone was pleased with
The last minute change.

Susan had basket frenzy
The night before,
She kept making irish baskets
Til we said, “Susan, no more!”
She knows every auction item
And where the missing ones should be,
So I’ve learned not to ignore her
When she says, “Is anyone listening to me?!”

Wayne, Winnie and Sharon
Helped with all the auction stuff,
And Jack and Tim chipped in
So it wasn’t really so tough.

Joanne got in all entered
in her massive database,
The seating, items, and dinners
She can easily trace.
She can tell you who’s divorced or married
Or the new boyfriend you’ve got,
The only thing she can’t record
Is how many drinks that night you bought.

Rosemary was solving problems
With her usual leadership skill,
Juggling people, conflicts and changes
With speed and goodwill.
She arranged table seating
With everyone in the best place,
She can tell you exactly where to go
With style and with grace.

Chris had his share of troubles
With the setup for the ball,
Is the music too loud? Is the stage
And floor too small?
He handled every detail
In his calm, Irish manner;
The show, music and dancing
Proved he’s a great event-planner.

Liz and Robin rushed around
Decorating with candles and shamrocks,
Then Liz and the girls asked, “Do, pray tell,
Where can we don our frocks?”
Alas, for grooming and primping,
In the Inn, there was no room,
So the bathroom was jammed with curlers,
Lipstick, pantyhose and perfume.

Jack Daley was there with his
Great big Irish smile,
Schmoozing friends to spend their money
In traditional Irish style.
Tim read us poetry
In his gentle, priestly way,
He was the peaceful beacon
In our chaotic day.

So thanks to all the helpers
who I’ve neglected to mention here,
I hope you’re still inclined
to be helping again next year.
‘Cause every year we say to ourselves
“No, nay, never, no more!
Will I play the Wild Rover,
That Emerald Ball is a chore!”
But who knows? We’re getting old and senile,
Our memory’s not that long,
By next year we probably will forget
How hard it was to put on.

We wined and dined and sang and danced
In spite of rain and cold,
We made some money after all the work,
All the auction items were sold.
The Pipers got a little wet,
The dancers reeled with joy,
Michael Pat thrilled us with his trebles,
And we cried to “Danny Boy”.

So Happy Saint Patrick’s Day
To all the Emerald Isle crew,
Thanks for the Ball, thanks for the laughs,
Thanks for that thing you do!

Joanne Diggins,March 17, 2006

Rosemary's Irish Bread

Irish Stew

Tribute to the Ball, March 2006

2007 Emerald Ball

2006 Tir na nOg*

2006 Emerald Ball*