Irish Movies for St. Patrick’s Day

quiet_man_poster I get awfully excited about St. Patrick’s day. Possibly more than I should. I guess I’m always looking for a reason to celebrate. Yes, I have Irish heritage, but I also get wrapped up in any holiday where I can make themed meals. Especially with potatoes.

This year, being that it’s on the weekend, I’m dreaming of watching any Irish film I can think of. The Quiet Man is one of my favorites. Even though its plot is sort of outdated, Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne make it all worth it.

itnotf_02 itnotf_03 itnotf_01 In the Name of the Father is an impeccable film, and while it’s certainly not light and fluffy, it is another great choice. It gives you a tiny glimpse into the struggles that have plagued Northern Ireland through the years. Daniel Day-Lewis is outstanding, as always.

roan_inish_02 roan_inish_03 roan_inish_01 The Secret of Roan Inish is a film I’ve loved since I was a child. It’s the way I always imagine Ireland looks, though I realize there are many more cities. It is full of mystery and fantasy and beautiful landscapes.

Other films worth mentioning: Once (mainly for the music) and The Butcher Boy. I also have to throw in Cremaster 3 for having a section filmed at Giant’s Causeway.

What are your favorite Irish films?

flea market

pasadena_flea_ 219 pasadena_flea_ 217 pasadena_flea_ 216 pasadena_flea_ 214 Another weekend gone in an instant. For a few days with not much planned, they ended up being really enjoyable. I started Friday night making almond cake and watching Jane Eyre which is pretty perfect for a Friday evening if you ask me.

We spent Sunday with Shawn’s brother and sister, strolling around the Pasadena Flea market. We weren’t looking for anything in particular but it was nice to just check out all the things. I’m always pining over some pyrex set or crystal punch bowl. Years ago I was much more fearless in my photo taking at the flea market, but I found I was a lot more shy this time around.

After our flea market adventures, we headed out to Inn of the Seventh Ray for brunch. I still can’t get over how peaceful it is up there. Good food and relaxing atmosphere, always a favorite for special occasions and family visits.

The time change felt like it gave us an extra hour at 4pm or so as light flooded in our apartment. I guess spring is really here. St. Patrick’s day is just around the corner too. When did time start slipping away so quickly? Busy weeks ahead and though March seems like it just started, April will be here before I know it. I need to come up with a strategy to balance relaxation and creative work in my free time. Have anything that works for you?

vegan king cake

vegan_king_cake_ 220 vegan_king_cake_ 214 vegan_king_cake_ 215 vegan_king_cake_ 216 vegan_king_cake_ 217 vegan_king_cake_ 218 vegan_king_cake_ 219 vegan_king_cake_ 221 Last weekend our friends Jenn & Scott came over and made King Cake. I took a few photos of the process of rolling it up. We lived on this cake for a few days in all its cinnamon sugar glory. You can find the recipe here.

baked spinach artichoke dip

spinach_artichoke_dip_ 214 After having some awesome spinach artichoke dip at a restaurant recently, I couldn’t stop thinking about making some at home. The Oscars were the perfect excuse (although, I wish I had just made the dip and skipped the show).

This recipe consists of blending and mixing so it’s really easy. I made my own cashew cream cheese to use, but you could used the store bought kind instead if you like. Also, I used 3 cloves of garlic but it turned out REALLY garlicy so maybe just use one or two.

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Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 1/4 cup chopped frozen spinach, thawed with water pressed out
1 10 oz can of artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
3/4 cup non-dairy sour cream
1/2 cup cashew cream cheese (recipe below)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsps nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
bread bowl (optional)

Cashew Cream Cheese
1/2 cup cashews
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
water for blending

For the Cashew Cream Cheese, soak cashews in water for 8 to 12 hours. Drain and rinse. Blend with vinegar and lemon juice until it is silky smooth. Add water if needed for blending.

Preheat oven to 400°

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Spoon into an oven safe dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve as is or put in a bread bowl.

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winter passing

green_life_ 216 green_life_ 215 green_life_ 217 green_life_ 214 I was mourning our lack of winter, I love the cool weather and change of seasons, but I went outside today and was smitten with the beautiful weather. I wouldn’t say that it’s spring, and I’m still holding out for some more rain and whatnot, but it was nice to open the windows and let our apartment breath.

It is apparently mercury retrograde, which everyone seems to be complaining about, but I was reading that while the there are problems with technology, it’s a great time for creativity. I’ve been thinking lately about how I want to express my creativity. Often times I feel like I have my hands in so many different pots and I wish I could just focus in on one thing. I have been wanting to paint lately, something I haven’t done in years now. Do I really need another outlet? I find that I generally work better at one thing when I can switch between focuses but, it would be nice to be a little more expert at one thing, rather than dabbling in so many.

Which brings me to another thought, one maybe for another blog post, but when thinking about all my different projects, I can’t help but think about how many paths I’ve left behind, how many times I’ve changed course. Maybe I’m starting to get to an age where I feel like I need to have clearly accomplished something, clearly be on a road to somewhere. Sometimes I think I am, other times I surely don’t. I try to reassure myself that this is something a lot of people probably go through (do you? speak up!).

After seeing physicist Clifford Johnson speak the other day, I couldn’t stop thinking how I wish I had stuck with science rather than going to art school. I guess it’s never too late for major life changes but it does make everything seem so distant. One of the reasons I moved away from biology when I was younger was the amount of time I would have had to spend in school. I really need to just figure out what I’m doing in general.

Ok, enough of all this esoteric life pondering. For the moment anyway. Off to make appetizers for Oscar watching, which will of course be on the blog later this week.