St Brigid Day 2011

St Brigid Display

Our celebration of St Brigid went fairly well for the things we were attempting to achieve.
I made a candle to light over dinner from a blue candle and printed out an image to be pinned on the candle. This is very quick to do for any special occasion actually.

Some of the children completed the sheets from our list of things to do.

I read to them Brigid's Cloak and the on-line stories as they coloured in and filled in the worksheets etc.

It was hard to get all our children together as we still don't have our little ones back doing lessons yet, so, it is  hard to get them actually in on the activities at the moment.

Of course what is a feast day without food and this is always a treat Irish Soda Bread:
OUR RECIPE  is:
4 1/2 cups of flour
3 TBSP soft butter
2 cups sultanas
2 tsp bi carb soda
2 cups of buttermilk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup of sugar

1. Mix butter with flour with fingertips until well blended.
2. Mix rest of all dry ingredients, including sultanas
3. Add buttermilk bit by bit until all dry ingredients are mixed together...mix will be sticky.
4. Flour hands and knead until mixture is held together.
5. Place on board cut in half to make two loaves
6. Loaves are round and cut a cross in centre.
7. Mixture can be made into scones or smaller loaves.
8. Bake at 425 degrees fro 5 minutes then at 350 degrees for 35-40 mins until golden brown.
9. Serve with butter.

Vellvin's St Brigid cloak cut into shape with blue cream and small 'stars' on  top from the stories we read today.

Scones with jam and cream- remember St Brigid is the patron saint of dairy maids as well as:

•babies •blacksmiths •boatmen •cattle •chicken farmers •children whose parents are not married •dairymaids •dairy workers •Douglas, Lanarkshire, Scotland •fugitives •infants •Ireland •Ivrea, Turin, Italy •Leinster, Ireland •mariners •midwives •newborn babies •nuns •poets •poultry farmers •poultry raisers •printing presses •sailors •scholars •travellers •watermen

Eden made our St Brigid Crosses- one from pipe cleaners which were quite difficult to tidy up at the end and two form native grasses we have on our property which were much easier to do.

Our Stew Recipe: (no photo)
Irish Stew:
This is a large recipe that feeds our family of 13 for 2 meals
2 1/2 kilos of gravy beef ( I find this is much more tender than stewing steak)
at least 1 potato for each person
4 sweet potatoes
8 carrots cut into small pieces
2 onions ( I often don't add this due to our older boys who don't like onion)
any other veges you want to add.
250grams of dried apricots (not the Turkish ones)
250-500grams of dried pitted prunes
1/2 jar of fruit chutney
garlic powder
onion powder
chicken stock
flour, salt and pepper.

Method~
cut gravy beef into chunks and coat with the flour that has salt and pepper mixed through.
Put into large cauldron
add cut up veges and dried fruits and seasonings.
cover with water and put INTO oven (NOT on top of stove)
Cook until done stirring periodically.

NB. The more flour you coat the meat with the thicker the gravy for the stew.
If it isn't thick enough when cooked just add a little cornflour to some water in a separate container, mix to a thick paste and pour into stew (now on top of stove) and stir until thickened.

Our prayer for you:
Everliving God, we rejoice today in the fellowship of your blessed servant Brigid, and we give you thanks for her life of devoted service. Inspire us with life and light, and give us perseverance to serve you all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, world without end.
Blessings to you and your homes,