Thank donkey it’s Friday

Thanks so much to all of you for your kind comments yesterday, we really appreciate it.

Things are OK. Jono is still disappointed, but I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.

So now we are going to make the most of Lucys mid term break from school. I’m so tired that I’ll be glad of a few days off from the school run.

This weekend is the Sligo Live festival so we are hoping to go to that. There is a French market down by the river and all kinds of live music also an Air Fiddle competition which sounds like fun.

We also have a bank holiday on Monday for Halloween or Holloween as they seem to call it on the local radio station. I bought a barn brack (or barm brack as it’s meant to be called) from Ballymote today. I remember having them years ago when we visited my nan in Galway. In those days they contained a pea, a stick, a piece of cloth and a ring. Whovever got in their slice the pea, would be unmarried; the stick, would be a fighter; the cloth would be poor; and the ring would get married.
The ones they sell now just contain a ring and Lucy usually gets it……mind you she makes bits of the brack trying to find it so that’s cheating 😉

I found a recipe if anyone wants to try making one:

1 Lb. of flour

6 oz Sugar.

1 lb. of mixed dried fruit.

1 teaspoon of Baking Powder

1 Egg.

1 Tsp. of All – Spice or

mixed spice.

A pot of hot Irish Tea

The trick to making a Barm Brack is soaking the fruit over night in the tea. While this makes the dried fruit softer and more appealing in general, one must be careful when mixing the dough not to over knead or the rehydrated fruit will break up and speckle the cake. Add the sugar and egg to the fruit mix the next day. Sift in the remaining dry ingredients. Mix gently. Use a 7″ round baking tin at 350°F for 80 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve with hot tea. (If you include a ring make sure no one swallows it!)