Calendars Aren't Just for Dates

I woke up this morning thinking about the blog and came to the realization that it has been a while since I posted anything about our apartment here in Ireland. Being a renter again, and a short term one at that, has left me with little flexibility when it comes to transforming this place. With a full overhaul out of the question, I am left to find simple and inexpensive soulutions to help brighten up my new digs and turn them into something a little more me.  Before moving on may I remind you what it looked like the weekend we moved in?

Kind of gloomy hun?

This is the artwork that was hanging on the walls between the windows.

Before we came over to Ireland my mother gave me this beautiful Flora & Fauna calendar for Christmas. She gave it to me knowing full well that I would not be using it to to keep track of my busy schedule, meetings, and appointments (mostly because I currently don't have any!). She thought the pages of the calendar would be perfect for framing and make for a quick and inexpensive artwork fix! Of course, she was right.  

I selected four of my favorite images, trimmed them up and popped them into some €4 frames I picked up at a discount store here in Cork. I would have preferred a more substantial frame and a mat around the illustrations, but then it may have been too heavy to hang with velcro picture hanging strips, and driving nails into the 150 year old plaster walls was not an option.

Once they were framed and up on the wall they were looking a little puny, until I came across these for €2 a piece at TK Maxx!

They are perfect because they are melamine (aka plastic), therefore lightweight and easily hung with more of those handy dandy picture hanging strips! Also I'm a sucker for red as an accent color, and they added more height and balance to the arrangement of frames between the windows.

So take one more look at the dark and drab BEFORE:

and now the brighter and more colorful AFTER:

It's amazing what a few splashes of color, and a mix of patterns can do! Already feeling more like home!

Savory Southern Cusine, and I Ain't Talkin' bout Southern Ireland!

I returned to Ireland with the sad realization that while I was back in North Carolina visiting I neglected to eat any BBQ! For my Irish friends and my US friends not from North Cackalaky I want to make sure you have a clear understanding of what North Carolina BBQ is all about, and why it is so sad that I didn't have a chance to tantalize my tongue with that tangy delight!

Barbeque is a hotly debated topic in the USA, and I cannot even begin to cover all aspects of it in this one post. In fact, I would have to create an entirely different blog just to deal with the complex issues of competing regional barbecue styles.Think about it!? I've already spelled it (Barbeque, Barbecue, BBQ) three different ways, and that's just the spelling! Besides, there are already oodles of BBQ blogs out there like this one www.bbqguyblog.blogspot.com and this one www.bbqjunkie.com.

Pit Master Ed Mitchell at The Pit in Raleigh. Adam managed to stop in for some BBQ when he was back, but I forgot.

With so many different regional styles out there people tend to take sides, and I am no exception. Growing up in the Midwest I was raised on Kansas City style BBQ, which uses a thick tomato and molasses-based sweet and smoky sauce. For the first 20 some odd years of my life that was the only BBQ I knew. It wasn't until Adam and I moved that my taste buds were awakened to the delights of the spicy, tangy, vinegar-based sauce that they were serving up with their whole hog chop in Eastern North Carolina! One bite and it was love, I was a barbeque convert.

Whole hog is the only way to go! I love me a good pig pickin'!

Why stop with BBQ!? In the years we spent in North Carolina I grew to love many other Southern treats like: Shrimp & Grits, collard greens, pimento cheese, fried okra, country ham, hoppin' john, cornbread, buttermilk biscuits, chicken and dumplings, Brunswick Stew, hush puppies, etc. We got our fix on many of these delectable delights from our friend and true Souther gentleman, Lee Fleming, a caterer, who Adam worked with for several years.

There are however some Southern foods that never grew on me, and I'm fairly certain they never will. This first one may cause some of my friends to draw back in horror, but I just do not like Sweet Tea. I am sorry but I just can't do it. Also can't do: sausage gravy, chitlins, liver mush, pecan pie, or boiled peanuts.

Sorry to veer so far off track! I guess it's about time I share with you What's Cookin' Wednesday! Today I have made Spaghetti and Meatballs!

Ha ha, just kidding! Of course I made BBQ, as well as a few other tasty Southern treats! I even made my own Eastern North Carolina Vinegar style sauce. I had trouble finding cider vinegar, maybe it doesn't exist here, or maybe I just wasn't looking in the right place. So I made my own by mixing white vinegar and apple juice. That combined with sugar, crushed red pepper, worcestershire, and a little ketchup, and voila!

Pork Butt ready for slow cookin'!

Eastern North Carolina vinegar sauce

Alas, we do not have a grill or a smoker here in Ireland, so it was not exactly authentic, but I did my best! I decided to slow roast a pork shoulder with a dry rub of sugar and spices on low heat for about five hours until it was tender. Then I shredded it up and tossed with my vinegar sauce. Tasty! The best way to deliver that yummy pulled pork from plate to mouth is on a bun topped with tangy coleslaw!

I also made deviled eggs just for my husband because he loves them so much, and I tried my hand at making Pimento Cheese spread for the first time ever. Pimento cheese was always so readily available in North Carolina that I never considered making it from scratch, but here in Ireland it is unheard of. So I had to look at this as an opportunity to expand my culinary catalog!

With the spirit of the South welling up inside it got me thinking about adding buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy to the catalog as well. Even though the gravy is not something I enjoy (see above), Adam loves it, and I reckon a good southern woman does those sorta things for her man! However biscuits and gravy will have to wait, as this Southern spread was enough for now.  Bon Appetite - Y'all!

Kickin' it in Killarney!

This past weekend Adam and I decided it might be nice to spend some time together catching up after three weeks apart. So instead of sleeping in on Saturday and being lazy we hopped in our little Toyota Corolla hatchback and drove one county to the West (aka Kerry) to check out Killarney National Park.

The park is 26,000 acres of lakes, lush green fields, woodlands, waterfalls, and mountains. In fact it includes the highest mountain range in Ireland. 

In addition to all the lush nature the park has to offer, it is also home to the Muckross House and Gardens. This amazing 19th century mansion is available for touring, but Adam and I opted to simply check out the exterior and grounds. There is a lovely greenhouse and walled garden where the last of the spring flowers were still hanging on.

 When we arrived the Kerry Greyhound Rescue group happened to be congregating on the lawn preparing for a charity walk that day. I was able to enjoy a few moments meeting two very sweet rescue dogs before moving on with our hike. Gotta get my doggy lovin' wherever I can!

Muckross House

On the road leading up to the Muckross House

Greyhounds Everywhere!

I could not resist snapping a picture of this poppy, it was just so vibrant!

We stuck to the trails just South of Muckross lake, wound our way up past the Torc waterfall, through the woods, back past the Muckross house, and over to the Muckross Abbey, to Grandmothers house we go!

The Abbey was founded in 1448 as a Franciscan Friary. The building remains well preserved and the land around it is host to a small but beautiful cemetery covered in wildflowers. Just outside of the abbey was a field with huge black cows laying in the green grass enjoying the beautiful spring day.  I've been thinking Ireland should steal the "Happy Cow's Come from California" campaign, because there is no way California cows are as happy as these guys!

Happy Cows Come from Ireland!

We packed PB&J's and enjoyed them on the trail. Adam was sporting his sweet Kerrygold backpack claiming to do a little marketing for the Irish Dairy Board. We chatted, laughed, and acted silly; and at one point we had a question we did not know the answer to, so Adam pulled out his phone to look it up! Nature and technology coexisting, what a crazy world we live in! Overall we lucked out with a lovely day and enjoyed our time together exploring another little piece of Ireland.

Enjoying my PB&J on the go!

Adam, technology, and nature in perfect harmony!

To give you some idea of the ground we covered below is a map of the park. We hiked in the areas marked in pink. We still have lots of park to see, so hopefully we'll make it back sometime soon!