Corned Beef & Cabbage at a Mexican Restaurant

The traditional Irish corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day was eaten at Ophelia's in Old Town Arvada. It surprised me that a Mexican restaurant would serve the Irish dish, yet, thankful that I could enjoy the corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes today. It seemed to be a hit with all the customers because I saw many corned beef and cabbage plates being served to customers.

I have lived in Arvada for over 36 years and have seen the restaurant on the west side of Old Wadsworth many times, but have never eaten there. Today was the first time I went into the bar/restaurant and it probably will not be my last.

It reminded me of an old neighborhood bar with booths, tables and a long counter. One waitress took care of the fifteen or so customers.

"The big thing here is corned beef and cabbage.

In Ireland, you'd have to go looking for it.  

It's not served on St. Patrick's."

Dermott Reid

Once A Year Tradition

Most of my close friends and family know that I do not like to cook. I very seldom prepare large meals. In the past when I would invite family or friends over, I was never satisfied with what I had fixed though everyone told me it was good. But then, I thought, who is going to actually say that the food tastes bad! Every once in awhile, I do enter my kitchen with a recipe in my hand. I may begin all gung-ho but before long, I wonder why I ever started cooking. Especially when I see all the dirty dishes in the sink after I have made something I thought looked interesting. I wish I could enjoy cooking like some of my friends. They seem to love being in their kitchens and preparing different foods while I much prefer to buy something already made.

My sister-in-law whips up delicious meals all the while chatting with a visitor and drinking a glass (or two) of wine. If anything needs to be cut up, my brother will do the chopping of whatever for her. She presents salads in an attractive way and I have never had a bad meal at their home.

Today, was one of those days I decided to cook. I baked an Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick's Day. It's become a tradition since this is the third year I have baked the bread. It's a bread with a bit of sweetness and when I add raisins it's even better! Tonight I fixed the large, round loaf and can honestly say that I'm glad I only do this once a year.

"It is impossible to think

of any good meal, no

matter how plain or elegant,

without soup or bread in it.

MFK Fisher

Four and One To Go

A few weeks ago I went on a reading binge. One of our book club selections was titled  Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer. The story ended abruptly with no answers to the mystery. I was very disappointed and mentioned it to a friend. Her reply was, "It's a trilogy and you have to read the rest of the books to find out what happens to the Clifton Family." I ordered the next two books and when I finished the third book I was left hanging as to what was going on. I looked up Mr. Archer's bio and among his many books, the Clifton books are in a five book series. I ordered the fourth book and will order the fifth book once the price comes down. I was able to get the first four books for $3.99 each but the fifth book is around $27.00. I either have to pay the extra or wait until that fifth book also comes down in price.

The Standly library in Jefferson County had good news and bad news when I checked to see if they had the fifth book. "Yes, we have 25 books that are out, and we have 28 persons waiting for it."

For the past two weeks I have been reading non-stop. While I eat my kindle is in front of me, if I go to the bathroom I take my Kindle with me, if I go on errands I take a few minutes to read before the light changes, and even at a movie, I do not watch the previews because I am reading. I figure I have read 1537 pages so far and by the time I finish the Clifton mysteries I will have read 1952 pages!

Archer has a way of writing that has me addicted to the story. Page after page I think I know what will happen and then a big surprise pops up. I like how he separates each chapter by different members of the family. The fourth book is covering his twenty some year old son Sebastian. Many other characters are in the stories and some you hate and some you love. Archer calls the five book series, The Clifton Chronicles.


If you decide you want to read the interesting and exciting stories, begin with the first one which is Only Time Will Tell. Followed by The Sins of Our Fathers, Best Kept Secret, Be Careful What You Wish For and the last one (I hope) will be Mightier Than The Sword.

In some respects I am a very patient person, but not in this case. I need to find out what happens to the Clifton Family and today I have ordered the fifth book through Amazon for $12.99 (a bargain) and in a few seconds it will be on my Kindle I will find out, once and for all, what happens to the Clifton Family!

My assumption of the Harry Clifton series ending was so wrong. As I finished the fifth book I was informed that book number six would come out in 2016. A whole year to wait to see what happens to all the characters I have come to know so well.

Sardines

Growing up my Mother did all the cooking for us. My Father worked outside the home and in his garden. My Mother took care of my brother and me, cooked/baked, cleaned house, did laundry, ironed and kept the house clean. There were three things that I remember my Father "cooking" in the kitchen. One was a flat bread that he baked. I remember it was thicker than a cracker but it didn't rise like bread. I used to love to smear jelly on it and liked the crunchiness of the "pan." (bread)

Dad would thinly slice beef and place it in the red coals of our stove. The meat would get toasty black and my guess it was like our modern day jerky. The flavor and the smell of the meat made my mouth water as we stood around the stove waiting for the sliced meat to cook. The third thing I remember my Father fixing came in a rectangular can with the word "sardines" on the top. The tin was filled with six small fish, about 3 1/2 inches long. I did not like the odor of the fish but when he chopped up onion, green pepper and cheese and mixed it into the fish I liked the combination. We would put the mixture on saltine crackers.

The other day I was at the grocery store and purchased a can of sardines in his memory. I don't know if I will like them now, but maybe it will bring back those memories of when my Father would have us eat the sardines because "it was good for us."

When I Googled Sardines I found out that there are many nutrients in sardines and they support cardio- vascular health. Sardines are loaded with Omega-3 Fatty Acid and they are a good source of Vitamin B12.
I sure hope I like eating sardines because it sounds as if they are good for me, just like my Dad used to tell us!

The Party That Wasn't

For the past three days I looked forward to attending my friend's sixteen year old daughter's birthday party. This friend knows how to throw a party with super delicious food, interesting friends and lots of music. My favorite is when her two daughters entertain with one on the guitar and the other one on the violin. She sometimes has mariachis to entertain her guests!

Saturday I did not do much other than hang around the house and I kept thinking about the party on Sunday.
Sunday I got myself ready for mass and the day was so warm that I decided to come home after mass to change into a summer outfit. I made sure I had my camera and a card for the birthday girl and knowing how I always arrive early, I was about 45 minutes late. There were no cars on the street or in the driveway. The husband was working in the yard in a t-shirt and khaki pants. The dog was with him. He did not look as if he was ready to party.  My first thought was, here I am again, early for the party. At one party in the past, I arrived on time while her guests showed up three hours later.

We greeted each other and I said, "Am I early for the party?" He looked at me with a sadness in his eyes, and said, "The party was yesterday." The shocked look on my face prompted him to say, "I'm sorry but let me call my wife." He got his cell phone out and dialed a number. He told her I was at the house and ready to party and he put her on the line.

She apologized and said she was shopping with her daughters and that she had missed me at the party on Saturday. I told her, "That's okay, I wrote it on Sunday on my calendar.  I must have gotten the day wrong."
We decided to get together soon and I left.

I kept thinking that my age had something to do with putting down the wrong date. I realize that I am going to have to focus more on times and dates. How could I have made such a mistake. I beat myself up all the
way home and got on the computer to see how I possibly could have gotten the wrong day. There, in black and white was written: Sinday. All of a sudden, I felt good. Well, good and bad because I wish I could have been at the sixteen year old's party and  good that it was not me that had the wrong day!

Through A Mother's Eyes

On Friday 13, 2015, I went to the Stations of the Cross at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community. These Stations were not what I had grown up with, but the Stations were about how Mary, Our Blessed Mother,
must have felt as she saw her son being condemned, tortured and led away to be killed. There were seven readers, two deacons, and members of the congregation at the special Stations. It wasn't a very large crowd but those in attendance must have felt, as I was feeling, the sadness of Our Blessed Mother.

In front of each Station, everyone repeated: "We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world." At each Station, new pain was felt by Mary. As she saw him condemned to die, carrying the large wooden cross, falling down, looking into his eyes, seeing a woman wipe his face, watching a man help her son with the cross, feeling the pain as every nail was hammered into her son and watching her son die. These are pains that none of us will ever have to experience but our imaginations can allow us to think how it must have been. As I heard the words of what she was going through made me feel sad that my sins had helped to put Christ on the cross.

There were many sentences that moved me, but the one I remember most is, "A deep sorrow engulfed my being. Yet, I also felt a deep joy. Life had ended cruelly for my son, but it had brought life to all of us."

The Marian Stations are beautiful because they show the agony Jesus' mother went through during the Passion of Our Lord. They made me see that it doesn't have to be a big sin, but how little things can also cause pain. All of the prayers touched my heart, yet the one that I believed hit close to home was:

Lord Jesus, I beg you to forgive me for the many times 

I have added more weight to you cross by closing my eyes

to the pain and loneliness of my neighbor. Forgive me for

gossiping about others and for always trying to find excuses

to avoid certain people who wish to talk to me. Help me be 

like Mary, always seeking to enlighten the crosses of others.

Please forgive me.

Fish Fry During Lent

A few years ago I went to a Fish Fry at one of our local churches. The hall smelled like fish, which I did not like, and the tiny piece of white fish on my plate was dry. I decided to forgo any other fish fries put on by a church.

Yesterday I went to the Fish Fry at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community and was treated to a delicious meal of baked potato, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese and my choice of salmon, tilapia or hoki. The lines were so organized that people went through the  line getting their food and then  moved on to another table where butter, tarter sauce or malt vinegar could added to their plates. Another area  had drinks of water, ice tea and  lemonade. I noticed a large bowl of onion rings at the table where the pastor and his assistant were sitting.

Over 410 persons attended the fish fry and I was told by one of  the Knight of Columbus personnel that he had purchased 125 pounds of tilapia, 120 pounds of hoki and 100 pounds of salmon. I ate the salmon and tilapia and marveled at how well they were prepared, especially for such a large group.

Not only was the meal prepared in a tasty way but the servers were pleasant when asking, "Would you like more?" Everyone I saw in the hall seemed to be enjoying themselves and the friendly people attending the fish fry made the atmosphere one of joy and happiness. The Knights of Columbus, who sponsored the dinner, do a tremendous job of putting on a great dinner!