St. Patrick's Day and Sauerkraut Balls

At the Irish Parade

St Patrick’s Day has always been a fun holiday for us and a reason to spend time with family and friends.  Our day always starts with a stop for breakfast then off to our favorite tavern, then an Irish parade, followed by the Irish Family Reunion and then back to our favorite St. Patty’s Day tavern, the Hey Hey Bar and Grill.

The Hey Hey serves traditional food on St. Patrick’s Day including Corned Beef and Cabbage and Irish Coffee. And their famous Sauerkraut Balls are served every day.  These delicious morels were even featured in MidWest Living Magazine!

The Hey Hey is actually located in an old immigrant neighborhood called German Village where my mother grew up. When young, my father (who was mostly Irish-German) was visiting his sister Mary, (who lived near German Village) and met my mother (who was German-Irish).  And I also married a 1/2 Irish- 1/2 German man.

Hearty Beer Bread

A rich thick hearty easy bread to make, this is I think the best beer bread I have made so far.  

There is no kneading or rising needed so it’s super easy to make. 

Beer adds its own unique flavor and because it's a product of fermentation, it also adds its own leavening agent.

The bread will take on what ever character or flavor of beer you use, so the bread can and will taste a little different each time you make it.

I like using Imports, stouts or stronger flavors of beer.  

But a domestic beer will work just fine too.

And in case putting beer in bread is of concern for you, a great percentage of the alcohol evaporates during the baking process.

There are many debates as to whether beer or bread came first in early civilization. But one thing is certain; both have been in the human diet for thousands of years.

Sauerkraut In Mason Jars

Cabbage History

Cabbage is one of the oldest vegetables and is believed to have been grown in gardens as far back as 3000 years ago. 

The Roman writers Cato and Columella are the first to mention preserving cabbages and turnips with salt. 

It is believed to have been introduced to Europe in its present form 1,000 years later by Genghis Khan after invading China.

Sauerkraut (sour rout) is chopped cabbage that is salted and then fermented in its own juice. The word, which in German means "sour cabbage," was first mentioned in American English in 1776.  

The dish has long been associated with German communities in the United States.

Dachshunds & Kitty Catch A Hawk

This is a story about my mean Dachshunds and their sidekick Kitty tricking a hawk.

A Red Tailed Hawk has been circling our farm all summer.
I suppose the delicious looking chickens are on his want list for dinner. 
And we are missing one of two young barn cats.

Well this morning, the hawk swooped down and tried to pick up one of my mini Dachshunds! But Lucas and Josie (2 of our dachshunds) turned the tables on that hawk and brought him down.

I ran out to save the doggies, only to end up saving the hawk from the killer Wiener dogs.

In case you didn’t know, Wiener dogs are not fluffy sissy lap dogs, although they love to snuggle. They are classified in the Hound Group by American Kennel Club (AKC).

So no matter how much I spoil and pamper these Dachshunds, dress them up in silly clothes, bath them, take them to the groomer, it does not change their nature.
All they want to do is track something down with those powerful sniffers of theirs and kill it.

If only the hawk had known that!