Archive for August 25, 2013

How Jiggy! Traditional Irish Music on the Mountain!

Last Thursday night Adam and I went to hear a local Traditional Irish Music Band called “SLIP JIG”.  The concert was held at the Burritt on the Mountain Museum.  An added bonus was when we witnessed a lovely sunset from this mountain top.

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Sunset View of Huntsville from Burritt on the Mountain

SLIPJIG was the name of the band that thrilled us with their Irish Traditional Music.  I never heard the term “slipjig” before this evening.  Slip jig refers to both a style in Irish music and dance.  The slip jig is in 9/8 time with accents on 5 of the 9 beats in Irish music.  In Irish dance, the slip jig is one of the four most common Irish step dances, along with the reel, jig, and hornpipe.

Initially, Adam groused that did not want to go to the concert, but I dragged him there anyway.  Slipjig performed a fun, foot-stomping, hand-clapping concert for the audience.  Adam enjoyed their music so much he purchased two of the CD’s.  To any male readers:  “Remember the wife is always right when planning fun times!”   Wait a minute…”Remember the wife is always right. Period!”

One of the band members of Slip Jig is Alfred Trotter, MD.  He is an Ears, Nose, and Throat Surgeon at the hospital that I work.  He played the wooden flute and the pennywhistle.  This was the first time in my life I ever got to see a pennywhistle.  I also learned from the guitar player, Mike, that Nashville, Tennessee has a strong Irish music presence. Could this be another reason Nashville is known as the “Music City?”  The fiddler, Phil, informed us that when playing Irish Traditional Music fiddle in America, it is a bit more lively than in Ireland…that’s what “crossing the Atlantic” did to Irish music!

I am a big fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her “Little House” books.  This concert reminded me of the times when Pa Ingalls entertained the citizens of DeSmet, South Dakota with his fiddle.  It was fun to make pretend I was Laura Ingalls Wilder in the late 1800’s!

In closing, a BIG THANK YOU to Slip Jig for a great evening of entertainment!

THE BAND – SLIP JIG

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Nina’s Easy Homemade Sauerkraut

Adam and I are so lucky to have Nina as our dear friend.  When she visited us from Washington State in June, she made us tasty sauerkraut. Today we are polishing off the sauerkraut stash she left us.  Not to worry, here is her easy recipe so we can have more when it is done fermenting three days from now!

Nina’s Easy Homemade Sauerkraut

Ingredients:

2 cabbage heads

2 carrots (or more if you like a sweeter sauerkraut per Nina)

2 level Tablespoons of canning/pickling salt

1 Tablespoon Sugar

Directions:

Dice cabbage into small pieces.

Peel carrot and shred with grater.  Set aside.

Nina placed the cut-up cabbage and shredded carrots in my clean kitchen sink and mixed them together.  She sprinked a “handful” of pickling salt over these vegetables and began mixing the salt throughout the mixture.  Nina then started  “crimping” the cabbage/carrots to wring the moisture from the food.

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“CRIMPING AND SQUEEZING OUT THE EXCESS WATER”

The cabbage/carrot mixture was placed in a large bowl.  A tablespoon of sugar was mixed in, so the bacteria responsible for fermentation will have something to feed on.  The contents in the bowl were tamped down tightly and a plate was placed over the future sauerkraut.  To weigh the mixture down further, Nina placed a bowl of water on top of the plate.

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“HOW FUNNY!  USING AN ASIAN BOWL FILLED WITH WATER TO MAKE SURE OUR FUTURE SLAVIC DISH STAYS TAMPED DOWN!”

Patiently wait for three days and have fun watching the fermentation process! On day 3, enjoy eating yummy, nutritious sauerkraut!

For future use, pack tightly in glass jars and seal with canning lids. Refrigerate after opening jars.

THE LAST OF NINA’S YUMMY HOMEMADE SAUERKRAUT IN POLISH STONEWARE FROM POLAND (POLSKA IN POLISH!)

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Kicking Back in Kenosha!

Who would ever guess Kenosha, Wisconsin has great museums?  Formerly a hub of American Motors, this city is teaming with culture and history.

Adam and I first visited the Kenosha Public Museum last week to see the 37th National Exhibtion of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America.   (I first blogged about this exhibit on May 28, 2013.)  We loved the amazing display of watercolor paintings!  We were not allowed to take pictures of the paintings or  I would place a photograph of every one on this blog.  Indeed, every painting was a feast for the eyes.

I am currently living in Huntsville, Alabama in the Deep South.  There is no museum dedicated to the Civil War here.  Curious and curiouser, there is one in Kenosha, Wisconsin!  It is dedicated to the role the Midwestern States of Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa played in the Civil War.

I must say the docents of both museums bent over backward to help us learn.  What Wonderful Wisconsin Hospitality!

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KENOSHA’S CIVIL WAR MUSEUM

A great bonus of touring these museums is that they are located on the shore of Lake Michigan!  As a daughter of the the Great State of Wisconsin, the Great Lakes are a source of wonder and pride.  Consider visiting Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the most southeastern corner of the Badger State!

KENOSHA’S LIGHTHOUSE ON LAKE MICHIGAN

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