Snow on the clover!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  Hopefully the rest of the world is having GOOD weather and you can celebrate safely on NON ice slicked roads!  In Mid America, where I live, I woke up to snow and ice on our clover patches.  We’ll be staying indoors, where it’s safe and warm 🙂

To celebrate, in our own very simple way, I’ll be making my Irish Beef and Guinness Stew.  If you haven’t tried this recipe yet, today’s a VERY good day to give it a whirl!  Remember, it looks like this when you’re all done (and taste even better!).

Can’t stop there though!  I’ll be making a different potato dish other than the usual mashed!  lol  I get my Irish recipes from a cookbook called, Ireland’s Comfort Food (Pidgeon Press Publishing) and I haven’t come across a bad recipe yet!  The recipe’s I’ve tried have been PACKED with flavor.  That’s what I look for in a good recipe 🙂

*Note:  This recipe calls for Durrus Cheese and from what I’ve been learning, the closest that I can come to Durrus Cheese is Gouda or maybe even Swiss.  Today, I’ll probably use a mixture of Gouda and cheddar.

Durrus & Potato Melt

2 pounds waxy potatoes, cubed (I use small red, quatered)

2 onions, finely chopped (I use sweet or Vidalia)

2 TBSP butter

1/2 LB bacon slices, cut into small pieces

1 LB Durrus Farmhouse Cheese, cut into cubes (I will use some Gouda and shredded cheddar)

8 oz tub of creme’ fraiche (I will use sour cream because that’s what I have)

butter, enough to butter an ovenproof dish

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Parboil the potatoes and set aside.  Meanwhile, saute the onions in butter until translucent or clear.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Meanwhile, fry the bacon until crisp and crumbly but not burnt.  Mix the creme fraiche, potatoes and Durrus cheese together.  Add onion and bacon, mix well and pour into a buttered, oven proof dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Place in preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring gently, halfway through cooking.

What are YOU doing for St. Patrick’s day?

Oz The Great and Powerful, Movie Review and trailer

This story is based on L. Frank Baum’s Oz novels. It’s the prequel to the “Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and is set 20 years BEFORE the story that we all know and love.

What’s the story? (according to: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/oz-the-great-and-powerful)

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL opens in the familiar black-and-white landscape of early 1900s Kansas. Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a charming magician nicknamed Oz, charms a pretty country girl with an obviously fake story about his grandma’s music box. During his show, a young girl in a wheelchair (Joey King) asks him to make her walk, but he demurs and has to stop the show in relative disgrace — until he sees the one local girl he cares about, Annie (Michelle Williams). When a fellow carnie comes after Oz for flirting with his girl, Oz escapes in a hot air balloon that flies directly into a twister and then crash lands in … somewhere that’s definitely not Kansas. Confused by his colorful surroundings, Oz meets the beautiful Theodora (Mila Kunis), a young witch who explains that he must be the prophesied Wizard of Oz sent to deliver the kingdom from the evil witch. Theodora’s older sister, the powerful Evanora (Rachel Weisz), promises Oz the throne if he kills Glinda and destroys her wand, but once he meets Glinda (Williams), it’s clear that someone’s story isn’t quite right. With an adorable monkey Finley (voiced by Zach Braff) and a brave little China Girl (King) by his side, Oz must decide whether he’s just a con man magician or if he can truly be the Wizard of Oz.

Is it a good movie for kids? I personally think so. My husband and I sat in a movie theater that was 90% children, mostly 7 years old and up. There are very dark images and sometimes a little scary but I watched the kids surrounding us and they seemed non phased or afraid. Maybe it speaks to the society we live in? IDK. I WOULD bring my small children. I didn’t find it any more scary that the original Wizard of Oz.

Did we like it? I’d give it a two thumbs up for sure. I was prepared to hate it. I’d heard good and bad but I wasn’t prepared for how MUCH I’d love it. I completely got lost in the beauty and the story. I didn’t want to leave when the movie was over. I don’t usually see movies (especially in the theater) twice, but I’ll be bringing my daughter to this one.

Oh I HIGHLY recommend seeing this in IMAX or 3D! In fact, I can’t imagine NOT seeing it this way. It reminded me of the beauty of Avatar. You just have to experience it in 3D.

My favorite characters were Glinda, played by Michelle Williams. She’s PERFECT and I can’t imagine anyone else playing Glinda. I fell in LOVE with the little China Doll, voice of Joey King and Finley, the monkey, voice of Zach Braff, had me in stitches!

What struck me most is how I was transported back in time, back to a day when I was able to laugh and be amazed, freely. Back to when I was a child. I was in complete AWE, just like the other children sitting around me.

PLEASE go see this!