St. Patrick's Day Recipes

My life seems to move in themes. One month, my focus is school. Sometimes all I can concentrate on is starting a business. And so it goes with writing, sewing, service projects, genealogy, losing weight, and heaven-knows-what-else at the moment. As I was pondering this yesterday, I realized that I hadn't had a cooking theme in a while. I thought to myself, "Well, you're just not in the mood to cook right now."

Ironically, later last night, Mom reminded me that she needed cookies for a St. Patrick's Day work party. And so I found myself baking, despite my earlier internal insistence that cooking was not (pardon the pun) the order of the day.

It was my first time making macaroons, i.e., whipping egg whites. Thanks to the new KitchenAid stand mixer we got for Christmas, getting the egg whites to form stiff peaks was not nearly as challenging as I'd thought it would be; at high speed, they took less than two minutes to form. As I've recently googled, though, it is possible to overbeat egg whites, just as it's possible to overbeat whipping cream (but instead of making butter, as whipping cream does, overmixing eggs will just yield a liquidy mess). After folding in the coconut, I added some green food coloring to the mixture. Then each individual cookie was topped with some green decorating sugar. The first batch came out a tad too well-done for my liking, but the second batch was better.

Fast forward to this afternoon, when I decided it would be brilliant to pull off a St.-Patrick's-Day-themed dinner. Several hours of work later, we dined on raisin-less Irish soda bread (unbelievably moist and delicious), and corned beef and cabbage (an amazing stew-ish classic of our family's). Inevitably, kneading the bread dough led to a sticky cutting board and hands, and a portion of the stew was unusable after burning to the bottom of the pot, but that just adds to the charm of cooking, don't you think?

The modified recipes are listed below, with bonus commentary. Enjoy them year-round (though admittedly, making red, white, and blue macaroons might not work so well).

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Yield: 6-8 servings

2 cans (12 oz.) corned beef (the leaner, the better)

1 medium head cabbage

4 pounds potatoes (about 5-6 gargantuan-sized ones)

lots of water

salt and pepper to taste

Peel and roughly cube potatoes (this will likely take a while, so keep peeled/chopped potatoes in a large pot half-full of cold water until you're finished to keep them from browning). Strain potatoes in a colander and return them to the pot. Wash the head of cabbage and remove outer leaves. Quarter cabbage, then roughly chop into chunks, adding cabbage to pot (don't worry about making the chunks small, since the cabbage will wilt and shrink down a lot). Open cans of corned beef and remove any visible fat. Break up the beef using a fork and/or clean hands.

Add about 1 to 1-1/2 quarts (4-6 cups) water into the pot, cover with lid, and cook over medium to medium-high heat for 30-45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender (or mushy, if desired) and cabbage is cooked. Stir frequently and add more water, if necessary, to keep stew from sticking to bottom of the pot. Add more water, if a more soupy consistency is desired, or less, for a thicker consistency.

Note: Thick stew freezes well.

Irish Soda Bread (photo courtesy Taste of Home)

Yield: 1 loaf (8 servings)

1 package (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°)

3 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 cup warm buttermilk (110° to 115°)

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup golden raisins, optional (or regular raisins, or currants, or even chocolate chips)

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1 tablespoon sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Beat in the buttermilk, butter, salt, baking soda, 1 cup flour, and remaining sugar until smooth. Stir in raisins and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (try not to use too much, as more will likely be needed while kneading).

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes (dough will probably be sticky after a few minutes, so sparingly add more flour as needed). Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover (if using plastic wrap, be sure to grease it before putting on top of bowl) and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead for 2 minutes. Shape into a round loaf. Place on a greased baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut a 1/4-in.-deep cross on top of loaf. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350° for 30 (up to 35) minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack. Cut into 8 wedges, and if possible, serve while still warm.

Note: Warmed buttermilk will appear curdled. Also, for a substitute to buttermilk, use 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to equal one cup.

Coconut Macaroons

Yield: 3-4 dozen

6 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 package (14-16 ounces) flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar. Beat until egg mixture stands up in stiff peaks. Do not overbeat. Sift powdered sugar and flour together. (Don't skip the sifting step, or you'll end up with powdery lumps in your cookies.) Fold into egg mixture; add extracts and coconut. Drop on greased cookie sheet and bake, checking after about 22 minutes.

What a Novel Idea!

So for the last couple weeks I've tried to pick up where I left off with National Novel Writing Month. After determining that the plot I'd attempted in November was unsalvageable, I stole my main characters from that story, and am now writing a new story featuring the two of them. I haven't gotten terribly far along yet in the actual writing phase, but I'm going strong on creating backstories for all my characters and in creating the world and history (it's a fantasy novel).

I've been doing a fair amount of reading on the side to get ideas for improvement. I'd recommend my favorites so far, Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell, and Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card (although, if you're looking for an updated version that includes exercises, try Characters, Emotion, and Viewpoint by Nancy Kress).

Easily the best book on novel writing in general, though, would have to be The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman. I can only compare the quality of this book to that of Strunk and White's classic Elements of Style. The First Five Pages gave just the kind of specific instruction that I've been craving.

One rule to concise writing that Lukeman describes is to improve the quality and limit the overall number of adverbs and adjectives you use. Similarly, a longtime favorite of mine, On Writing the College Application Essay by Harry Bauld, offers profound advice on the subject: "Nouns are the bones of writing; verbs are the muscles....An essay flabby with adjectives [and adverbs] weighs a reader down." This gem by Mark Twain also illustrates the point: "Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very;' your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be."

And now I should probably be getting back to my writing (and the cleaning of my room). My space is littered with mind maps detailing various internal conflicts, and I have yet to determine which character is screaming for a Magenta personality/aura. Perhaps I'll try this exercise, lifted from Inspired Creative Writing:

"Having trouble visualizing a new character? Write a list of twenty objects she might carry or wear. Don't think too deeply about this, just write down whatever comes to mind. Next, write a series of short sketches describing exactly how your character came by these items. Try to describe what the item means to her, and how she would feel if she lost it. You may never use these character sketches, but...they will give you--and your reader--a clearer sense of who your character is."

"Reaching" and Memories of Lady and Dad

"We are reaching for the future
We are reaching for the past
And no matter what we have, we reach for more
We are desperate to discover
What is just beyond our grasp
And maybe that’s what heaven is for"
--chorus from Carolyn Arends' "Reaching" (from Hilary Weeks' album, "If I Only Had Today")

I too find myself reaching for what I can't have so much of the time, especially lately. Yesterday we found our almost-two-year-old kitty, Lady, around the corner of the busy street next to our house. My oldest sister and her kids came over, and we all had a funeral of sorts for our cat. And yes, we unabashedly buried her in our backyard.

Things are just never the same when someone that you love passes away. Lady's passing reminded me that now I'm the only living person to remember the day we picked out her and her brother from the batch of kittens that the kindly fellow on craigslist was offering.

Despite his earlier objections, Dad too secretly wanted another cat, so eventually he caved in when I begged and begged to get another one. The two of us went to check out in person the six kittens that had been listed on the craigslist ad. They were all spread out on the hardwood floor of the fellow's bachelor pad. They were so tiny, so cute, so furry, and oh my, had such sharp claws! The blue and pink collars, which were set as small as they could go, still hung off the kittens' necks. We picked out the two kittens that seemed the friendliest (and cutest) and gently placed them in the pink and black kitty carrier I'd gotten only days before for that very purpose. As I drove home, Dad held the carrier and tried to keep the kittens from soiling it in their fear. (I have never known a cat that enjoyed car rides.)

My biggest regret is that we never took any pictures of Lady and Oreo as kittens. We got the kittens in mid-May of 2008, and it was just after Christmas of that year (if my memory serves me accurately) that Oreo left us and took up residence with another family. Lady has been an "only cat" for over a year, and we all, especially my Dad, came to love her dearly. We even mentioned Lady in Dad's obituary.

I will miss her quirky way of burying herself under the covers, of (as Dad put it best) "kneading the bed dough," and her patient way of waiting to be let outside, seemingly herding us to the door.

And words cannot convey how much I still miss Dad and think of him daily. A person only ever gets one Dad, and I can't help but feel that I got one of the best ones ever.

And so, when I hear the words that Hilary Weeks sings, I too feel that I am reaching for something that just eludes me. I usually have fallen into the "reaching for the future" category, but lately, I've also felt that I'm "reaching for the past." I have been so blessed in my life, yet still, "no matter what [I] have, [I] reach for more." I will end this post by posting the full lyrics to her song, which I have been unable to find anywhere on the Internet.

"There’s a time I can recall

Four years old and three feet tall

Trying to touch the stars and the cookie jar

And both were out of reach

And later on in my high school

It seemed to me a little cruel

How the right words to say

Always seemed to stay just out of reach

Well I should not have thought it strange

That growing causes growing pains

'Cause the more we learn

The more we know we don’t know anything

But still it seems a tragic fate

Living with this quiet ache

The constant strain for what remains

Just out of reach

We are reaching for the future

We are reaching for the past

And no matter what we have, we reach for more

We are desperate to discover

What is just beyond our grasp

And maybe that’s what heaven is for

There are times I can’t forget

Dressed up in my Sunday best

Trying not to squirm and to maybe learn

A bit of what the teacher would teach

And later lying in the dark

I felt a stirring in my heart

And though I longed to see what could not be seen

I still believed

I guess I shouldn’t think it odd

Until we see the face of God

The yearning deep within us

Tells us there’s more to come

So when we taste of the divine

It leaves us hungry every time

For one more taste of what awaits

When heaven’s gates are reached

We are reaching for the future

We are reaching for the past

And no matter what we have, we reach for more

We are desperate to discover

What is just beyond our grasp

And maybe that’s what heaven is for

I believe that’s what heaven is for

There’s a time I can recall

Four years old and three feet tall

Trying to touch the stars and the cookie jar

And both were out of reach"

Reflections on Stake Conference: Be Optimistic

Today was the culmination of a three-day string of events that made up stake conference. There were so many wonderful speakers (including one of our old stake presidents whom I've only heard of before); even so, if I had to pick the one talk that made the greatest impression on me, I'd have to pick the talk of our current stake president, Chris Funk.

President Funk spoke last night on how we must never lose hope, and followed it up this morning with the thought that although many of us are called to bear extreme trials in our lives, there is cause to be optimistic.

We can take comfort in knowing that we have an all-loving and omniscient Father in Heaven and a perfect Savior who are ultimately in charge. Furthermore, we can find peace and optimism in doing three things.

First, know that light really does come after there is darkness. In the Book of Mormon, we learn that after the tempests, earthquakes, fires, whirlwinds and the three days of physical darkness that took place in the ancient Americas following Christ's crucifixion, those who survived the catastrophes did hear Christ's voice come to them. In our own lives, in our own upheavals and darknesses, we must remember that light will once again come to us if we but endure our trials.

Second, minister to others. After the people in the Americas heard Christ's voice come to them, Christ himself came down and ministered to them. If we expect more in blessings than we are giving in service, then we are not following the Savior's counsel. By serving others and following Christ's example, we will find great hope in our lives.

Finally, seek revelation. In Doctrine and Covenants 88:63, we are given the following commandment and promise: "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." If we will but pray for inspiration, it will be given to us.

By doing these three things, we really will find peace and great cause to rejoice, even in the midst of our struggles.