Good things come to those who wait.

I present you even more of their nice slogans after the break!

Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness (1725–1803) at St. James’s Gate, Dublin. Guinness is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide. It is brewed in almost 50 countries and is available in over 100. 850 million litres (1.5 billion imperial or 1.8 billion US pints) are sold annually. (Source: wiki)

As promised, some more slogans:

Guinness is good for you.

Guinnless isn’t good for you.

Lovely day for a Guinness.

My goodness, my Guinness.

There’s nothing like a Guinness.

Which of these slogans is your favorite?

As you can tell from some of my recent posts and my plate, pictured above, from the Flying Saucer (that’s a future blog entry), Guinness is one of my favorite drinks in the world. Arthur Guinness started the St. James Gate Brewery in Dublin in 1759, so the brewery has had many, many years to get things right – especially the beer’s thick, creamy head, which comes from mixing the beer with nitrogen when poured.

You may be surprised that a 12 oz. Guinness Draught only has 125 calories. And according to the BBC News (2003), researchers believe that the ”antioxidant compounds” in the Guinness, similar to those found in certain fruits and vegetables, are responsible for the health benefits because they slow down the deposit of harmful cholesterol on the artery walls (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3266819.stm). Of course, the company that manufactures Guinness does not make “any medical claims” for its drinks. Whatever. I just like it because it tastes great, whether I’m drinking it or using it in some of my favorite recipes.

While I like the cans of Guinness that contain the nitrogen, I’d rather have a pint of it on tap (preferably in Ireland, of course). Sometimes I like to mix it up and will get a Black and Tan, which is a combination of Guinness and Bass.

Or I might try a Cream of Wheat, which is Guinness mixed with a Belgian witbier.

If my sweet tooth is calling, then I might get a Lava Lamp, which is Guinness mixed with a pale lager and Lindeman’s Framboise, which is a raspberry lambic (you can see a bit of it in the foam.) Yum!

I tried a Black Velvet, which is champagne floating on Guinness. To be honest, while not bad, I prefer not to mix the two – it’s almost sacrilegious.

As I mentioned earlier, Guinness is great to cook with – in addition to being a great tenderizer, it also adds a wonderful flavor to many recipes, like my corned beef and cabbage:

My Traditional Shepherd’s Pie:

My slow-cooker Irish Stew:

And even Guinness and chocolate cupcakes:

So on this St. Patrick’s Day, sit back and enjoy a Guinness. I’ll take mine with a shot of Jamesons, thank you.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Wow, I can’t believe it’s already March! Since St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, I’ll be sharing a few recipes over the next couple of weeks that you may want to use for your celebration of Ireland’s patron saint, which is usually characterized by parades, the wearing of the green, shamrocks and lots of drinking. If you drink, then you need to eat – I promise you will thank me the next day.

When I visited Ireland in the late 1990s my friend Lee and I loved to stop by little pubs and try out their wonderful soups and stews, not to mention the great bread that accompanied them. Pair that with a Guinness (because Guinness is good for you) and voilà – instant comfort food!

This recipe is for a hearty Irish stew made with lamb (or beef, if you prefer) and Guinness – did I mention that it is good for you?

I like to make this stew in a slow cooker so I can leave it to cook on its own once everything is in the pot. When the stew is ready, it has the consistency of a rich soup that you may want to eat with a spoon or else sop up the liquid with some good, crusty bread. If you have leftovers (which freeze well, by the way), the stew thickens up some after being refrigerated, so break out your fork instead and dig in. Either way – yum!

Ingredients

• 2 ½  lbs. boneless lamb sirloin, cubed (use stew beef if you prefer)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 small turnips, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 sweet onion, quartered
• 2 cups baby carrots
• 5 cloves garlic, whole
• 2-3 stalks of celery, cut into large pieces
• 4 cups (32 oz.) beef stock
• 1 can (14.9 oz.) Guinness Draught beer (2 cans if you want to drink one while you’re making this, which is recommended)
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• ½ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped fine
• 4 bay leaves
• Salt (I used Penzeys 4S), to taste
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon cold water
• 2 cups frozen green peas

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the lamb (I usually do this in a couple of batches), sprinkle with salt and brown – a couple of minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Place the lamb and potatoes, turnips, onion, carrots, celery, parsley, garlic and bay leaves in the slow cooker. Add the Guinness and the beef stock. Place the rosemary sprigs on top.

Cook on high for 2 hours and then change the setting to low and cook for 5-6 hours. I usually remove the rosemary when I switch the temperature to low.

When you are about ready to serve, mix the cornstarch with ¼ cup of water. Add this to the stew and cook for ½ hour or so, at the high setting. Add the green peas at the very end – they will cook quickly in the hot liquid.

Serve with crusty bread and a glass of good red wine (or a Guinness, since it is good for you.)

By the way, if you love lamb, check out my previous post “Lamb Two Ways: Grilled Loin Chops and Greek-inspired Pita Pizzas.”

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

Keith, I can’t thank you enough for making my homecoming easy. I’m totally exhausted, somewhat jet lagged, and looking forward to sleeping over Shabbat.

If my parents actually read my blog, I’d thank them for a lovely week in Dublin – it was really special to spend time alone with them, for the first time since 1976 (and no, I’m not exaggerating, that’s what happens when you’re the eldest of 4, and you leave home at 17!). And I’m thrilled that after almost 70 years of living in Dublin, and a lifetime of having the family dental business right around the corner, that Dad finally got to Guinness – and that he skipped the museum and went straight to the bar. Not bad for a teetotaler…

Shabbat Shalom from me, safe and sound, back in sunny, warm Boca.

Our Sidewalk

4 feet of snow + wind + 15 foot drifts = snowed in for 3 days

snowed in for 3 days + tv channels out + Ran out of Guinness + constant cabin fever TallBoy = I would soo rather be at work

 I took crap for pictures (these were taken with my phone) because I basically lost my mind after the third straight day.  It is too bad, cause we actually had to hire a guy with a tractor to come break down the wall of snow the plow left in front of our driveway – and that would have been some cool pictures.  We had power though, and many many people did not. So I can’t complain…to much…Ok, I’ve pretty much been complaining for 5 days.

If you have a burning desire to read more about the infamous South Dakota Blizzard of ’08, you can start here:

Blizzard pummels South Dakota, stranding motorists

My Freaky Frank that I built at thesneeze.com

*No turning back now * Luckily, I brought a change of pants*

You don’t know me very well at this point, but I can assure you that jumping out of planes (note: by myself!) is completely out of character. 

I am usually the “old-fogy” that follows poor TallBoy around telling him to Slow Down! and Be Careful! and The Box Says You Should Wear Safety Goggles When Using This Power Tool!!! or, Shouldn’t We Be Carrying Bear Repellent Out Here?! I already plan to require our future children to wear helmets at all times…because, really, we should probably all be wearing helmets.

But, there is also a side to me that is stupid stubborn.  TallBoy has learned that if he tells me enough times (in a slightly mocking -it’s okay that you’re scared – I understand you’re a chicken crap and I still like you usually – when you’re not berating me for not using my turn signal properly – manner) that I am not brave enough to do something, I get pissy.  Usually just pissy enough to show him that I can, in fact, do impulsive (crazy) things.  I held out on the skydiving activity for years, but TallBoy, who is a somewhat experienced skydiver, was hell-bent on making it happen.  For four years, he recounted his thrilling, non-terrifying, completely safe, and all around Awesome! skydiving experiences…I initially agreed and we both began counting down the days, though probably for different reasons (I think I’m sick with the bird flew today hon, I can’t go.  Or it could be whirling trout disease – I’ve been spending a lot of time swimming at the fish-hatchery lately).  But, we had put down a non-refundable deposit, so that was that. 

And, I was assured that we would in fact be wearing helmets. And safety goggles. 

 There is a term at the drop zone used to describe the non-jumping spectators.  They are the “What For They Do That For” or the “WhoaFos.”  Why would you jump out of a perfectly good plan? (I mean, really, why would you.)  But this “WhoaFo” climbed out on the strut of a moving plane and (after some serious self-talk) let go.

The jury is still out on the entire experience and whether or not I will skydive again.  But, I think I now understand What For They Actually Do It For.  TallBoy has already made several more jumps over the last few weeks…and, I don’t think he is crazy for doing so (believe me, this is definitely an ‘a-ha’ realization). 

*Hot Stuff*

And, I learned something that I hope will stick with me.  There is a difference between being cautious and always expecting the worse case scenario.  I don’t need to be afraid of taking a risk every once and a while, to hope for the best.  Sometimes, I just need to shut-up…and JUMP!

Purchase this poster and more right here.