Such a wonderful week!!! My son is home from college on Spring Break, and I am making sure to fit in all of his favorite meals. Last night we had a rack of lamb, roasted in the oven with garlic and onions, rosemary, thyme and oregano…I coated the outside with mustard and horseradish, then added a breadcrumb mixture containing garlic and herbs. On the side I served mashed sweet potatoes – mixed with butter, a little brown sugar, chipotle powder and salt – a green salad, bread (leftover rolls I found in the freezer from Thanksgiving – yum) and a sour cherry sauce to go over the lamb. As I told my boys last night: “That lamb died with purpose!” My whole house smelled delicious, and when I woke up this morning I could still smell the aroma from last night’s dinner. It made me hungry all over again!

Tonight I will be making another favorite I am sure I have mentioned on here in the past: Beef Short Ribs Braised in Porter – topped with a maple syrup-horseradish glaze. I will serve that with mashed golden potatoes and salad. He has requested Corned Beef for tomorrow night since he will not be here for St. Patrick’s Day. I anticipate serving that with mashed potatoes and glazed carrots. I make an Irish Soda Bread that I serve with ‘Irish Whiskey Butter’ every year on St. Pat’s, and I plan to make that to go with it as well. It’s the butter that makes the bread special…it is softened butter mixed with Irish Whiskey and brown sugar. Any leftover corned beef makes a delicious hash for breakfast the morning after. When served with a fried egg on top it is raised to a new level, and served with leftover Irish Soda Bread (including that yummy butter) it is just so very over-the-top!

To end I leave you with this Irish quote I found: “•A boy’s best friend is his mother and there’s no spancel stronger than her apron string.” It somehow seemed appropriate….

Last week was a devastating week for several friends and family members. One friend experienced a fire whereby the house they had grown up in was completely burned to the ground; another family member had a huge tree fall on her house, which destroyed the house, but fortunately no one inside was hurt; and the most devastating: a friend lost her husband, who she has been with for more than 25 years, in an automobile accident. Just tragic. This has left me in a state of shock, yet also has given me a renewed sense of gratitude for my family and friends, and a fresher outlook on what truly matters in my life. It is so easy to get bogged down with everyday life and get caught up in life’s trivial dramas. It is so easy to let the little problems of life take over and become large ‘mountains’. It is so easy to forget to say ‘I love you’ to our loved ones. And it is so easy to hide behind a computer instead of actually spending time with one another…

If you are reading this, please take a moment to acknowledge those in your life who mean so much to you – give them a hug, write a note, pick up the phone…anything. Just let them know how important they are to you. I hope that at the very least something good can come from all of last week’s tragedy…and I am pulling for a much brighter week this week.