Did you know? - Two authentic letters from him survive, from which come the only universally accepted details of his life. When he was about 16 he was captured from Britain by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After entering the Church, he returned to Ireland as an ordained bishop in the north and west of the island, but little is known about the places where he worked. By the eighth century he had come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland.
He could NOT be with us today so we substituted someone almost as old... Paul

Sue completes the preps and the beef is already cooking
Did you know? - In cooking meat by boiling, a grayish scum appears on the surface just before the boiling point is reached. This scum is caused by the gradual extraction of a part of the soluble albumin that is present in the hollow fibers of the muscle tissue. After its extraction, it is coagulated by the heat in the water. As it coagulates and rises, it carries with it to the top particles of dirt and other foreign material present on the surface of the meat. In addition, this scum contains a little blood, which is extracted and coagulated and which tends to make it grayish in color. Such scum should be skimmed off, as it is unappetizing in appearance.

Yes.... Those are purple and yellow carrots to be roasted
Did you know? - The carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus, Etymology: Middle French carotte, from Late Latin carōta, from Greek καρότον karōton, originally from the Indo-European root ker- (horn), due to its horn-like shape) is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, or yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh. The edible part of a carrot is a taproot. It is a domesticated form of the wild carrot Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia. It has been bred for its greatly enlarged and more palatable, less woody-textured edible taproot, but is still the same species.
The carrot gets its characteristic and bright orange colour from β-carotene, which is metabolised into vitamin A in humans when bile salts are present in the intestines. Massive overconsumption of carrots can cause carotenosis, a benign condition in which the skin turns orange. Carrots are also rich in dietary fibre, antioxidants, and minerals.

Cabbage pulled directly from our garden.... Sweet sweet sweet

Grapes from the market and strawberries from our garden and the market

The table is set

Everything is on the stove
Did you know? - An oven is an enclosed compartment for heating, baking or drying. It is most commonly used in cooking and pottery. Ovens used in pottery are also known as kilns. An oven used for heating or for industrial processes is called a furnace or industrial oven. In modern times the oven is used to cook and heat food in many households across the globe.
Settlements across the Indus Valley Civilization were the first to have an oven within each mud-brick house by 3200 BC.

Green carnations - The formal name for carnation, dianthus, comes from Greek for "heavenly flower", or the flower of Jove.

Paul watches all the activities

Greg and Dave

Jeanette empties her glass

Sue gets 30 seconds to rest -
Always green on St Paddy's day

We had to put green on Dave!

Asparagus and carrots are ready to go

The corned beef was magnificent

Cabbage and potatoes with Irish Soda Bread
Did you know? - Soda bread is a type of quick bread in which bread soda (otherwise known as sodium bicarbonate or baking soda) is used for leavening rather than the more common yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, bread soda, salt, and buttermilk. Other ingredients can be added such as raisins, egg or various forms of nuts.
Soda bread dates back to approximately 1840, when bicarbonate of soda was introduced to Ireland.
There are several theories as to the significance of the cross in soda bread. Some believe that the cross was placed in the bread to ward off evil (the devil) or to let the fairies out of the bread.[citation needed] However, it is probable that the cross is used to help with the cooking of the bread by allowing air circulation so that the bread rises better. The cross also serves as a guideline for even slices.
Soda bread eventually became a staple of the Irish diet and it is still used widely and baked in many homes on a daily or weekly basis.

The carrots turned out beautiful

"Is it time to eat???"

Greg proposes a toast

Connor with Flower

Dessert is served







