"The Cottage"

 

Cottage on Inisheer, one of the Aran Islands, Ireland September 2010   

Whitewashed walls tinged rose by sunrise’s blush   

sashes—a splash of sky   

new thatch mixes with dew’s perfume   

while flowers and ferns embroider the path of home       

Door opens with smiles and cheer       

Enter!       

Enter!       

Peat banked in the hearth       

black pot nestles in amber embers simmering Guinness stew         

Lace daintily drips from the table        

—tatted by Grams’ steady hands       

Oatcakes totter on a platter       

sheep’s cheese, churned butter, honey, cream       

and tea brewed black—a midnight sky swirling with galaxies        

From the loft flows the fiddle’s enchantment        

a boy’s toe tapping, keeping the beat        

drowning out the past’s lament        

tears of yesteryear hidden in another song        

Cottage at Bunratty Castle

Share a pint   

Share a verse   

Share our life     

Welcome home!   

Welcome home.   

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

Cottage at Bunratty Castle

 During our entire trip through

 Ireland, a place I'd never visited before, I felt    as though I was returning home.

Cottage on Inisheer

"Guinness"

         I rule the world when it comes to high cholesterol. Year after year, my total pushes to 300 or nudges above a tad. When this first happened, my doctors slapped me onto a statin. I danced along happily for several years. The initial body aches and pains I experience I attributed to adding weights to my cardio workout. The crippling hobble I developed came from the higher heels I wore to a new job. When I felt like a steamroller had pressed me into the pavement, I mentioned it to my sister because the pain pulsed from the tips of my fingers down to my toes.

         “That’s your statin!” she cried. “Stop taking it now. Call your doctor on Monday.”

       I followed her advice and began, with my doctor, the rollercoaster ride of experimenting with various medications to control my cholesterol. Inevitably, we went through everything on the market with side effects punching me down immediately or sneakily creeping up to surprise me months down the line.

     After a while, we agreed to embrace my high cholesterol levels until something else came along. I tried adding red wine (specifically the dry Italian ones) to my diet, but found my stomach hated even a single nightly glass. I bumped up my oat intake and ate avocados daily. I burned out on the diet, and it barely made a ripple in any of my levels.

      About six months ago, I read an article about the benefits of adding one bottle of Guinness to your evening meal. It contains “antioxidant compounds that slow down the deposits of cholesterol on artery walls which reduces the risk of blood clots and ultimately heart attacks.” I decided immediately that this was a delightfully easy experiment for me! I don’t drink. Beer tastes like piss to me. But Guinness? There’s nothing like sipping a pint in an Irish pub that pulses with music and good cheer. I knew this challenge, a pint a night, could be successfully slipped into my daily routine.

         Yesterday, I sat across from my doctor’s PA as she read off the brightly red flagged numbers. She puzzled that my HDL levels were extremely high—higher than they’ve ever been, and my triglycerides had dipped down low enough for me to add Fish Oil to my diet to possibly nudge the numbers even lower. My overall “score” hadn’t changed, and she wondered about the cause of the shifts she saw.

         “That’s the Guinness,” I exclaimed.

         “Guinness?”

         “I read a study about its benefits and added it to my evening meal back in January.”

         She turned back to the computer screen, musing, “I read the same study. Good to know that it’s an option I can discuss with other patients.”

         Granted, the red warning boxes on my test results flag every medical professional I’ve ever talked to. I’m in perfect health EXCEPT FOR . . . those little squares. To see some kind of difference after a few months gives us hope that the trend may continue in a downward direction.

         In the meantime, anyone want a pint?

Copyright 2018 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman     

"The Cottage"

Cottage on Inisheer, one of the Aran Islands, Ireland September 2010    

Whitewashed walls tinged rose by sunrise’s blush

sashes—a splash of sky

new thatch mixes with dew’s perfume

while flowers and ferns embroider the path of home

Door opens with smiles and cheer

Enter!

Enter!

Peat banked in the hearth

black pot nestles in amber embers simmering Guinness stew

Lace daintily drips from the table

—tatted by Grams’ steady hands

Oatcakes totter on a platter

sheep’s cheese, churned butter, honey, cream

and tea brewed black—a midnight sky swirling with galaxies

From the loft flows the fiddle’s enchantment

a boy’s toe tapping, keeping the beat

drowning out the past’s lament

Cottage at Bunratty Castle

tears of yesteryear hidden in another song

Share a pint

Share a verse

Share our life

Welcome home!

Welcome home.

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

Cottage at Bunratty Castle

During our entire trip through Ireland, a place I'd never visited before, I felt as though I was returning home.

 

Cottage on Inisheer

"Beef in Stout"

 

            Comfort food. We all have those dishes that make us feel warm inside, and it’s not from the hot peppers! As a child, I loved my mother’s roast with mashed potatoes and homemade noodles. Give me a bad day, and I’ll pop a roast into the oven. I’ll crack half-a-dozen eggs into the bowl, mix in flour and roll out and cut the noodles. Even if the outside temperature matches the oven’s heat, my craving for comfort food on rough days overrides the desire for cold macaroni salad.

            Over years, the comfort foods have shifted. At one time, only fried chicken would suffice if I’d suffered through a horrendous event. The year my father died? I’d take an Ambien almost as soon as I got home from work since it knocked me out for twelve hours. If I took it too late in the evening, I couldn’t wake up the next morning; so I had to take it no later than five o’clock. I never stopped to think about it, but somehow, a Big Mac would find its way into my hands. I would rouse myself from drugged slumber just enough to scarf the burger down.

            Last year I discovered Beef in Stout when we visited Ireland. This easy dish shifted quickly to the top of my Comfort Food list. I hope you love this dish as much as I do.

             

 

 

“Beef in Stout”

Recipe from  Favourite Irish Recipes: Traditional Fare from the Emerald Isle

other recipe books aat www.jsalmon.co.uk

Stew that dates from the 19^th century

1 tablespoon oil                                   2 tablespoons flour

A walnut of butter                              Salt and black pepper

2 lb. stewing steak, wiped                  2 carrots, peeled and sliced

   and cubed                                        ½ pint stout

2 onions peeled and sliced                  1 teaspoon soft brown sugar

 

                Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
 

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan and cook the meat until lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add the onions and fry until softened. Stir in the flour and seasoning, then return the meat to the saucepan with the carrots, stout and sugar. Stir well and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the meat is tender. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and accompanied by mashed potatoes and a green vegetable. Serves 4 to 6.

If desired, a half-and-half mix of Guinness and water can be used for the gravy and a few sliced mushrooms added to the stew. Alternatively, this dish can be cooked in the oven at 350 F or Mark 4 for the same length of time.

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

"The Cottage"

Cottage on Inisheer, one of the Aran Islands, Ireland September 2010   

Whitewashed walls tinged rose by sunrise’s blush   

sashes—a splash of sky   

new thatch mixes with dew’s perfume   

while flowers and ferns embroider the path of home       

Door opens with smiles and cheer       

Enter!       

Enter!       

Peat banked in the hearth       

black pot nestles in amber embers simmering Guinness stew         

Lace daintily drips from the table        

—tatted by Grams’ steady hands       

Oatcakes totter on a platter       

sheep’s cheese, churned butter, honey, cream       

and tea brewed black—a midnight sky swirling with galaxies        

From the loft flows the fiddle’s enchantment        

a boy’s toe tapping, keeping the beat        

drowning out the past’s lament        

tears of yesteryear hidden in another song        

Cottage at Bunratty Castle

Share a pint   

Share a verse   

Share our life     

Welcome home!   

Welcome home.   

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

Cottage at Bunratty Castle

During our entire trip through

 Ireland, a place I'd never visited before, I felt as though I was returning home.

Cottage on Inisheer

"The Cottage"

Cottage on Inisheer, one of the Aran Islands, Ireland September 2010   

Whitewashed walls tinged rose by sunrise’s blush   

sashes—a splash of sky   

new thatch mixes with dew’s perfume   

while flowers and ferns embroider the path of home       

Door opens with smiles and cheer       

Enter!       

Enter!       

Peat banked in the hearth       

black pot nestles in amber embers simmering Guinness stew         

Lace daintily drips from the table        

—tatted by Grams’ steady hands       

Oatcakes totter on a platter       

sheep’s cheese, churned butter, honey, cream       

and tea brewed black—a midnight sky swirling with galaxies        

From the loft flows the fiddle’s enchantment        

a boy’s toe tapping, keeping the beat        

drowning out the past’s lament        

tears of yesteryear hidden in another song        

Cottage at Bunratty Castle

Share a pint   

Share a verse   

Share our life     

Welcome home!   

Welcome home.   

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

Cottage at Bunratty Castle

During our entire trip through
 Ireland, a place I'd never visited before, I felt as though I was returning home.

Cottage on Inisheer

“Beef in Stout”

 

            Comfort food. We all have those dishes that make us feel warm inside, and it’s not from the hot peppers! As a child, I loved my mother’s roast with mashed potatoes and homemade noodles. Give me a bad day, and I’ll pop a roast into the oven. I’ll crack half-a-dozen eggs into the bowl, mix in flour and roll out and cut the noodles. Even if the outside temperature matches the oven’s heat, my craving for comfort food on rough days overrides the desire for cold macaroni salad.

            Over years, the comfort foods have shifted. At one time, only fried chicken would suffice if I’d suffered through a horrendous event. The year my father died? I’d take an Ambien almost as soon as I got home from work since it knocked me out for twelve hours. If I took it too late in the evening, I couldn’t wake up the next morning; so I had to take it no later than five o’clock. I never stopped to think about it, but somehow, a Big Mac would find its way into my hands. I would rouse myself from drugged slumber just enough to scarf the burger down.

            Last year I discovered Beef in Stout when we visited Ireland. This easy dish shifted quickly to the top of my Comfort Food list. I hope you love this dish as much as I do.

             

“Beef in Stout”

Recipe from  Favourite Irish Recipes: Traditional Fare from the Emerald Isle

other recipe books aat www.jsalmon.co.uk

Stew that dates from the 19^th century

1 tablespoon oil                                   2 tablespoons flour

A walnut of butter                              Salt and black pepper

2 lb. stewing steak, wiped                  2 carrots, peeled and sliced

   and cubed                                        ½ pint stout

2 onions peeled and sliced                  1 teaspoon soft brown sugar

 

                Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan and cook the meat until lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add the onions and fry until softened. Stir in the flour and seasoning, then return the meat to the saucepan with the carrots, stout and sugar. Stir well and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the meat is tender. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and accompanied by mashed potatoes and a green vegetable. Serves 4 to 6.

If desired, a half-and-half mix of Guinness and water can be used for the gravy and a few sliced mushrooms added to the stew. Alternatively, this dish can be cooked in the oven at 350 F or Mark 4 for the same length of time.

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman