The air seems to be thick with tired,angry,frustrated people. These are indeed tough times.
Haven't we been here before? In some shape or form?

Remember the famous exhortation of America "give me your tired,your poor,your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" What other nation offered this kind of sanctuary....
Over 35million people came.

Now,it is time to give back. Whether you are Irish like me (after all, 7 million of them were Irish) Polish,Italian,French,German,Sweedish...the list goes on. We can do this again.

With a strong worth ethic and integrity,it can and will be great again. So lets move on, so much talk. Lets work. Its what our ancestors did.

"I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best"
This has to be my all time favourite quote ! The great OSCAR WILDE.............

And on that note ...being satisfied with the best....Today IRELAND V SCOTLAND at MURRAYFIELD. I will be watching my brothers friends play their hearts out for Ireland. Namely ,Peter Stringer and Ronan O'Gara. Lets beat the scots,then the Welsh and bingo...Grand Slam..........I'm off to TRINITY HALL for some Irish Breakfast and to watch the match with my English husband and some other Irish friends.........GO IRELAND GO..... I see my name sake Alan Gaffney is the assistant coach for the Irish Rugby team ! It just had to be a GAFFNEY !

What a day. I suppose you could call this my SUPERBOWL !! St Patricks Day....
My childrens school host faculty lunches once a month for the staff. Today they had an Irish theme and me being the resident cailin was aked to help !

I baked fresh Irish soda bread and served it with Kerrygold Butter. For dessert I baked Brady's Irish Cream Cheesecake with a RACHEL GAFFNEY SHORTBREAD base.
Main course,I hear you ask? Well they served Shepherds Pie and Rueben Casserole !!!
Shepherds Pie hails from the U.K. For those of you who are unfamiliar with geography,England and Ireland are in fact separated by a body of water known as the IRISH SEA !!

Tonight I am chatting live with KATE DELANEY,who tells me she hails from Cork. Kate is the host of AMERICA TONIGHT. 1160am Talk Radio. We will be discussing Irish Food & Drink. I am really looking forward to this. This show is syndicated around the country,so the American public are just going to have to endure me.............Tune in tomorrow for more........

In my spare time I try to look after my family ! and in doing so I have to feed them also !! So today I have been to multiple grocery stores and I am now more motivated than ever about my mission......I don't think I can handle seeing any more green sprinkles on cupcakes, or groupings of wasabi peas with green bottles of water !!

Today,I chatted with a lady by the name of Kate Delaney who is host of the syndicated talk radio show "America Tonight". Originally from New York,living in Dallas,Kate's family hails from Cork,Ireland. So tomorrow night she and I will be chatting live on her radio show at 11.15pm,
1160am. Tune in...and dont forget to join the blog !
Rachel

St Patricks Day is almost upon us. I am already in the mood. I have been cooking Irish food for the last 3 days ! What fun. On friday Morning March 6th,I appeared on "Showcase Minnesota" preparing Celtic Crossing Ice Cream Cake. I spent Friday & Saturday cooking in the culinary school in Byerly's,St Louis Park. Its official .....I have groupies !!!!!!
One in particular stands out, Mary O'Shea. She sits at the front of the class. Good student! Interestingly enough, Mary told me during class that she had the dilema as a child to decide to be a nun or a Vegas Dancing girl....she decided on neither !!!!


My intent was to dispel the myth about Irish Food. I wanted to bring the Ireland I know to people. Before the class begun,I made my mums Irish Soda Bread. On arrival,it was piping hot and ready to be served with some KERRYGOLD butter. As I have already mentioned,I have spent quite some time perfecting the RACHEL GAFFNEY SHORTBREAD recipe. Its flavor is so unique that we made an Ice Cream Cake from it.
I took 4 cups of RACHEL GAFFNEYS SHORTBREAD crumbs and added 2 tablespoons of melted butter. This was packed tightly into a 9" springform pan. The oven was preheated at 325 degrees and baked for approx 7 mins. Meanwhile I took 1 gallon of Vanilla Ice Cream and mixed 3/4 pint of raspberries,and 3 tablespoons of CELTIC CROSSING LIQUEUR adn mixed together. Next,this mixture was poured in to the springform pan and placed in the freezer until ready to serve.

The rich buttery taste of the RACHEL GAFFNEY shortbread combined with the tart of the raspberries and the sweet of the ice cream and liqueur was something to be savored............

Well,today I am preparing for my trip to Lunds & Byerlys in Minneapolis,Minnesota.
Thursday evening I will be prepping for my cooking segment on SHOWCASE MINNESOTA, Friday March 6th. In this segment I will be showing people how to make "Celtic Crossing" Ice Cream cake with my traditional Irish Butter shortbreads as the base.

Following the TV segment I will be hosting culinary classes in the Byerlys,St louis Park.

The Menu is as follows:

-Smoked Salmon and Crab Roulades with Walnut Vinaigrette

-Lamb Follain,made with KNAPPOGUE CASTLE IRISH WHISKEY

-Turnip Gratin

-CELTIC CROSSING Ice Cream Cake made with RACHEL GAFFNEYS SHORTBREAD

My good friend Margaret Johnson is the Author of "The Irish Spirit" Cookbook. "Recipes Inspired by the legendary drinks of Ireland" The photographs are fresh,the history accurate,the recipes depict the Ireland I know to be true. Thank you Margaret for yet another lovely book.

The classes are always fun...we cook and banter .....eat and relax...slowing down just a little to sample a bit of Ireland.....RACHEL GAFFNEYS REAL IRELAND.........

Perhaps it is no accident that I am making a truely melt in your mouth shortbread, with, what I consider to be one of the finest butters in the world. Irish Butter. I mentioned that I was born and raised in Cork. Back in the late 1770's , Cork was home to the famous"Butter Exchange" This was the largest Butter markets in the world. Every morning the farmers would bring their butters to the market in wooden containers known as "Firkins". These were made of a really good hardwood, often oak. The butter was transported to tropical parts of the orld in these Firkins.

Now, you too, can enjoy the taste of Irish Butter. When I make my shortbreads, the butter and sugar is creamed first. It looks like golden sunshine in the mixing bowl. This butter makes the perfect shortbread. Melt in your mouth shortbreads . I am so proud of them that I have put my name on the box RACHEL GAFFNEYS TRADITIONAL IRISH BUTTER SHORTBREADS....

BUNRATTY CASTLE & KNAPPOGUE CASTLE

In the beginning, my business as I mentioned earlier ,was started so that I can pass along the rich cultural heritage that makes up this fine tapestry that is known as Ireland. It is steeped in history and tradition. When you visit you cannot help but succumb to its power. I own admit that. Fine craftsmanship encompasses all areas. From music to food , buildings to fine crystal &Linens. We are a nation that has a strong work ethic and take pride in what we do. My mother and grandmother took pride in everything that went on the table. I learned from the best. In this world of fast and processed food,people are losing a keen sense of taste. What a dis-service we are indeed doing to that sense !!!! I only use the finest ingredients. No cutting corners. You CANNOT cut corners if you want to deliver a superior product.

I remember going on a school tour to Bunratty Castle,Co Clare when I was 13. What a wonderful treat for ALL the senses. In the grounds of this castle,lies Bunratty Folk Park. Here they have captured the Medieval Lifestlye. As I wandered through the park ,I came upon one of the homes where a woman dressed in medieval attire was baking in the kitchen. She was kneading dough. To some it appeared tedious and boring. To me it struck me as theraputic and methodical. She was a crafstman. The aroma was too much for me. I had the opportunity of wandering on with my friends and escape the nuns or wait to try the bread !!! Well you can guess what I chose.....I can still taste it today at the ripe age of
39. All of these little experiences ,unknown to me at the time of course were going to lead me to my passion. Its not just baking,its craftsmanship and taking pride in what we do. We owe it to our kids to re teach this.

Little did I know then that I would happen upon a castle called "Knappogue Castle" located in Quin,Co Clare. Oh but it wasnt when I lived in Ireland. Ironically it was only in the last few years that I was introduced to this magnificent feat through a working relationship with a company known as Castle Brands here in the U.S. What a wonderful story. Why do I mention this? Because on further discovery I learned that the owners are from Texas and they personally restored a castle to its former glory. I urge you to research and read for yourself the wonderful story about Knappogue Castle. They have fine whiskeys,in fact some of the worlds best and rarest. I cannot do it justice,you must read for yourself. It is inspiring and hopeful. Try a sip while you are reading and re ignite your senses. I dare you...