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Soda bread.

Well folks tomorrow is Mary's birthday and party and my son just phoned and he is doing potato cakes too. I think it begins with br or ro not sure but they are an Irish recipe. He has two patio heaters for the night and I can't wait to get started tomorrow. I don't know which colcanon recipe to follow as one says bring to the boil in milk and simmer till the potatoes have absorbed the milk. The others just say boil in water and simmer as with any other mash. Have cabbage two sorts leeks and spring onions to do two dishes. Also doing just mash with Irish butter cream and pepper. Thanks a million for all your help and support and will put photo's ohttps://www.crawlersmileys.com/?d=1&src=wms&tbid=60280&sm=St.Patrick%B4s%20day%3A11740&n later. Bye. Jean.
 
Oh I forgot to say that one of the recipe's said the colcanon should be served with craic and I looked through all my books and couldn't find this ingredient. I then looked in the dictionary and it means Irish FUN. You live and learn don't you. Jean?.
 
He's still in bed Pat. I feel much better today thank goodness. What a lovely morning and if it stays warm will have to have another think about what to wear. Had it sorted but may change my mind. Just off to peel the potatoes. All those recepi's have done my head in but have made my mind up which two colcanon one's I am doing. Bye. Jean.
 
Hi Jean,

If the party really goes with a swing we usually say "The Craic was ninety"! Hope to hear that from you tomorrow!

Macca
 
Had a look at your cabbage Jean,made me think of my mate ( a Dublin man ) he said he had never seen white cabbage until he came to England.Well,years ago on my first trip to Ireland I went into a Dublin carvery,for dinner,you guessed it,the cabbage was white.
 
I am using the white for coleslaw for us tommorow. Got a large spanish onion and three carrots. Doing a bit of potato salad with smoked ham too. Bye. Jean.
 
Can I come bab...I do tend to slurp gravy down my shirt front,and can't use a knife and fork properly,but I am trying to improve.
 
Ray Barrett said:
Had a look at your cabbage Jean,made me think of my mate ( a Dublin man ) he said he had never seen white cabbage until he came to England.Well,years ago on my first trip to Ireland I went into a Dublin carvery,for dinner,you guessed it,the cabbage was white.
Click to expand...

Ray my BARwoman only eats White Cabbage an I eat anything
 
I always tell Mary the reason I do the cooking,is self preservation,The real reason is that when I was working it was on shifts,and would have dinner ready when she arrived home from work.So now it's habit...and also I love cooking.
 
Pete never cooks for me and Ray I pick the bones wiv me fingers too. Alf the only cabbage I don't like is spring but I love summer cabbage. Jean.
 
Jean,
Getting back to soda bread,did you have success when you baked it?,I tried but failed,in fact I just can't bake bread.I even went wrong with Australian damper bread,mine had the texture of a house brick.It would probably have been fine if you were starving in the bush,and would have been O.K.with grillled goanna,but otherwise yuk!.
By the way, it's quite acceptable to pick up with your fingers anything with a bone...that's my story and I'm sticking with it.
Any old how,I have a date with a spider I'm off down the garden.
 
I ended up buying two loves of the stuff as young Pete phoned and he is making it. I am giving it a go though. Ray at least you tried but I do make bread and pizza dough in my bread maker. Jean.
 
Morning all and yes Macca it was craic ninety. I have not even put the dinner on yet and still have the vegi's to see to. Here are just a few of the party photo's for now and thanks to all your help it was brilliant. We were the first to arrive as the potato's had to be put in the oven. We each had a shamrock with our Irish name on and mine was Shenade. Thirty two people came and it was lovely to see Mary [Coffee] looking so well for her age. Just off to take two more head ache tablets. Jean.
 
The bingo went well and Pete and myself won £15.00 between us. I was chief photographer but didn't take any of the bingo as I was playing at the time. The Irish music went down well too. [So did the drinks]. A few more photo's. We are going to do a repeat sometime and the food was great. Two large pots of stews and BBQ burgers and sausages with loads of onions and cheese. Pete did about 40 potato cakes and they all went as did the bread. He put bread rolls on for those who didn't like soda bread. Jean.
 
A few more photo's. There were four generations present last night the oldest Mary 87 and the youngest Harry 2. We came home at about eleven thirty as Pete still wasn't feeling too good but it went on till about one 30. Jean. I forgot to say that our name badges were written in Irish and I was Shenade. I also had the name meaning on. Jean.If you look closely at Mary's cake they even had her name iced in it's Irish form.
 
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Thanks Macca I thought that. Even the cat had one. It's a must for the next get together with our side of the family. All my potato went which pleased me but I did three sorts the colcanon one with onions and just plain old simple mash with fresh cream Irish butter and black pepper. OOOOOH those calories. The most important thing is that Mary had a wonderful evening and left about ten oclock. She did cry when she came in and saw that Pete and Annette had had gone to so much trouble. The bingo was so funny and we had about nine games with a one row call a two row call and a full house playing two cards at a time. Pete bought the TV version that calls the numbers and it is the fella on the sofa in the sit com Kiss my a..e. There are four versions the ordinary the posh the naked and the common or rude and for the last one if you have one you have to shout of Kiss my you know what?. Well guess who won??????. I would say it was a craic 100. Jean.
 
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