A Positively Grande Tour

The life of Riley @The Park Hotel Kenmare

Last wednesday there was an  enormous storm brewing. It was my day off plus it coincided with my husbands and we had planned to take our Swiss guests, Sylvia and Jurg, on a day trip. 
Ireland, in deluge, was not what we wanted to indulge in, however there were definitely breaks of blue nestled in those big fat puffy clouds.
 Looking on the bright side  "I know" I said "lets go South to Kenmare,  it must be sunny over those mountains".
Our first stop was to my beautiful, secret hideaway - Cahernane House Hotel on the Muckross road.
Morning coffee was courteously served in the soft splendor of the stately drawing room, thus giving the storm a little lee way to abate.
Relaxed and positive we left for Molls Gap, Ladies view and the beautiful national heritage of Killarney Park - all gazed at through high speed window wipers. "Look the stream has burst its banks"mossy undergrowth and rocks poked through white water, the trees dripped with shiny prisms of light, it looked magical "The faeries must be out in full force today".
"Today is the yearly Horse Fair coinciding with the Kenmare weekly farmers market - a seven year wonder, it simply can't be raining there, that would be too cruel". my chatter continued, a barrage of fun and equally as consistant as the rain.
Can't it! We slowed down way before kenmare into a bottle neck of traffic and [I] kept smiling "think positive " I chirped, determined my day was going to be perfect.
Half an hour later we crept past the bedraggled stall holders at such a drowsy speed we could have bartered for trinkets from the car. My heart bled for the traders, although like the cat with the cream I felt snug and I waved like a queen at bedraggled colleagues, happy of course that the weather mattered not, at least not to me; I had no goods to keep dry.
"Ok then we are going to the Kenmare Park Hotel to lounge in luxory."
  I also wanted to say hello to Francis Brennan, my on screen mentor from the At Your Service TV show on which we had featured in last January.


Afternoon Sushi

And that is what we did, we holed up on comfy couches in the bay window in front of a moving sea of trees and a wild patch of sea,  and we listened to the wind howling and whistling on the other side of the Victorian windows. Francis, the good man that he is, was thrilled to see us and we felt warm, welcome and happy. Our friends loved the decor, the beautiful food presentation, the tastes and the great service from the staff, who were - well - all "At Our Service"; and very nice it was too.
Our next port of call was the closest grand house to the Phoenix home stead. Ballyseedy Castle is a treasure hidden away near Tralee on the Killarney road.There we relaxed and ate creamy tortelinni in yet another luxurious drawing room with the friendly dogs at our feet.

Lady Sylvia

 There was a rainbow too as we arrived at Ballyseedy which gently framed the noble trees and a sweet donkey and foal.
 We were not  looking for a pot of gold, but hey - our day was just about as golden as it gets.

Courgette & Chocolate Cake

Even though rain stopped play for a while, the courgettes plants have finally beaten the swamp and have, like they do every august, become abundant.
Spices are everything when it comes to ringing the changes around yet another tasty courgette dish.
Today at The Phoenix, I served them nestled amongst the oven roast veg simply sprinkled with salt, pepper, olive oil and a dash of balsamic, in a very fruity curry seasoned with darkly roasted cumin, cloves & mustard seeds. But what about puddings! My friend Cat licked her lips and mentioned a chocolate courgette cake she and her bother used to make "back home in Chigago".
All the C's Cats Chocolate Courgette Cake from Chigago.


After the Rain

And here it is an improvised version, a delightful moist flan and gluten free to boot.
2 mugs young courgette, coarsly grated
2 mug apples, grated
6-9 plums, chopped
1 mug quinoa flour
1 mug desicated coconut
1/2 mug organic sugar
200 grams dark chocolate in flaky chunks,
1 mug cream
2 eggs
3 tbls olive oil
a dash of lemon
1 teaspoon baking powder
beat the eggs and cream together and add to all the other ingredients, pour into a well oiled medium flan dish and bake until the mixture turns golden brown and sets.
Cool and serve with dark chocolate sauce.

Feldenkrais you make me as light as a Feather

 Cuban heat is always so relaxing

People called me relaxed. They think I never lose my temper, get stressed out or feel murderous towards my loved ones.
With convoluted thought patterns, I believe them, they perceive therefore I am.
 However there is always another side; I have made a secret discovery about myself with help of my sister in law Verena Gersbach who is a Feldenkrais practitioner.

flying was the most relaxing thing kyle could  do

Our session began with me standing - comfortably in front of her, or so I thought! "Now how do you stand? where is your weight ? how do you breathe and where?" So I lay on my back & my side for further questions,   "how do you sleep? how does your back feel in that position? Move this arm, make a right angle with your legs, how is that? and always the same droll enquiry "why do you make it so hard for yourself."


She moved my spine and turned my head, continuously asking - how does that feel?
Well it actually felt like awakening a part of my brain that had forgotten the "Yes you can relax " command.
I realise that in day to day tasks - like now - as I sit tap - tap - tapping at these keys I am using and sustaining enough strength to chop a basket of kindling. It is apart from the fatigue, so very ageing.
As a young child I listened daily to a story broadcast on the old BBC home service. It began with "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin"
I always was: legs thrown on a chair - laying on my back on the floor - the dog as a pillow, eyes wide open and gazing at nothing. Do you remember?  The childhood day time revere - abandoned, unplanned, unscheduled and non discussed; pure relaxation, experienced until boredom kicked in, and then, we really had to scour our brains for "Something to do!" Now most of us experience the exact opposite.
 Verena popped into the kitchen to see how I was after the session. "So tired, as if I had received a pummelling sport massage" I said as I put a cup back on a shelf, "Are you still carrying the weight of that cup? ask your body? can you release it now?" "Am I?" My mind fluttered - that tray, that heavy pan,  school satchels , push chairs, baskets, buckets, boxes, and countless bags of this that and the other. "Yes I am; I carry all the compound weights of the day the week, the month and the years, holding myself ready for it all with a tight lipped and professional smile .

Verena has gone back to Zurich now but she, in her ethereal form , which is very similar to her real physical body:  a supple trained dancer of slight proportions, is a voice in my head, reminding me to: simply find the easier way to use my body, to exert the energy I need for the moment and then to let go.

Catch yourself now in the pose in which you may be reading this - legs tense ready to sprint - curvacous hips and pelvis locked to the world - shoulders and back loaded up for a polar expedition - jaw tight - a slight frown and breath almost non existant? In other words "Are you sitting comfortably?

sometimes things can get too relaxed 

Verena   Gersbach will be facilitating a week long residential and non residential Feldenkrais  workshop @ The Phoenix in early April 2013.

Details will be posted here.

Taboule with a Twist

Taboule with a twist

On Saturday I hit killarney with my healthy, tasty morsels. It was The Summer Fest, that time of year again and Sarah O' Brien had decided to facilitate a "pop up market" with artisan foods and crafts in the Outlet Shopping Centre next to the station in Killarney. The weather [this years main topic] was  mixed. Loading up my car huge sheets of rain bounced around me. "Great the shopping centre will be packed, and with all those fantastic events for kids there will be lots of hungry parents looking for that healthy alternative"!  As i drove towards killarney the sun did what we were about to do: it popped up and shone like a real live summer day, fantastic.
Our beautiful healthy food created a stir from the beginning, and what was most popular was the Ten-a-day salad and an unusual Taboule salad made with a mixture of bulghar and wholemeal cous-cous.
The Former is something we have on every one of our markets and the recipe is easily found in The Phoenix Cookbook. The Taboule has a twist away from the classic Lebonese version and is equally good for festive occasions, big picnics and in this case - event markets.
This recipe makes lots, it will keep and is lovely used the next day as a stir fry.

1 mug [200grams] bulghar
1 mug {200grams] wholemeal cous-cous
[in both cases organic if possible]
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1heaped teaspoon vegetable boullion
2 mugs boiling water
1 mug cold water
2 tbs whole cumin
2 tbs Sunflower oil for frying
2 onions, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
2 small chilli, chopped
1 handfull currants or sultanas, chopped
2 sticks celery, diced
1 leek, diced
The Raw Ingredients
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cucumber , diced
1 handfull black olives, chopped
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
a few sprigs fresh corriander , chopped
The Dressing
juice of 1 lemon
pepper, salt
2 tbs olive oil

This recipe has three sections:
First mix the bulghar, veg boullion, and the boiling water, stir briefly, cover and rest for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile dry roast the cumin seeds in a wok, when hot to touch add the sunflower oil, onion, garlic, chilli, currents and saute until glassy. Add the leek, celery and fry briefly until the veg is barely cooked and remove from the heat.
Add the cous-cous, tinned tomatoes and cold water to the bulgur and then stir in all the cooked ingredients. The flavours will permeate. Cool and rest for about ten minutes.
Finally add all the other raw ingredients including the dressing and rest for one hour before serving.
This salad can be made hours in advance, which will even improve it; however if  the mixture is a little stiff before serving add more dressing or even a dash of cold water. Decorate with edible flowers, toasted seeds and serve with a colourful selection of salads from The Phoenix market stall.

The Power Of Raw Red Hummus

Sprouting is a wonderful way to squeeze every bit of nutrition out of seeds,  grains or pulses. It is so amazing that all you need is water to create a valuable and relatively cheap power food that can be used in salads, sandwiches, stir frys and more.
For this hummus soak the chick peas for about two days, they will begin the sprouting process quite quickly and if you don't want to use them pop them in the fridge where they will keep quite happily for about a week. Simply wash and rinse them every second day.

4 mugs sprouted chick pea
A dash of water
Juice of 2 Lemons
2 - 4 cloves of garlic
1/2 mug olive oil
2 freshly grated beetroot
2 juicy pears, cored and peeled
sprig of parsley, chopped
2 tbs. tahini
A twist of pepper and salt to taste

Place the liquid ingredients and the garlic into a blender and pulse.
Add the chick peas, beetroot, pears and seasoning and pulse until really smooth, you may need a dash more water, depending on the water content of the sprouts. Finally add the tahini.
This is going to be pink and potent. Sometimes I will add a fat red chilli to the blend for - when we like it hot! Now slice up bright orange carrot sticks, some long crunchy celery put your feet up and press PLAY.

Eggs Florentine a la Phoenix

Eggs Florentine [a la Phoenix]
I cook in our commercial kitchen like a house wife. I hate waste and because our bread is usually home made with organic spelt flour I  religiously  bake all the left over bits and make very healthy breadcrumbs.
Of course there are only so many breadcrumbs you can use, especially in a kithchen that is mainly gluten free.
My mum used to make Treacle Tart with hers, oodles of treacle - bread crumbs a handful of oats - all on top of a good rich pastry base; sugary, buttery and lots of calories.
Here is a delicate twist on an old classic and one of our breakfast specials.

1 Teaspoon butter
3 Teaspoons breadcrumbs
2 Leaves chard or perpetual spinach, finely chopped
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons cream
2 Tablespoons grated cheese
Sprinkle of garden fresh herbs -any that are in season
Grate of nutmeg
Twist of pepper
2 Baby tomatoes halved

Melt the butter in a small balti or mini wok .
Add the breadcrumbs and spinach, and gently saute until everything is warm to touch.
Add the egg, making sure the yolk stays whole.
Top with the cream, cheese, pepper, and nutmeg and arrange the tomato halves prettily around the edges.  Cover with a second wok or a piece of tin foil.
Set the timer for 4 minutes and allow to cook slowly.
Check the consistancy of the egg - the egg yolk must be soft and the white cooked; depending on the size of the egg it may need another minute..
Serve with bread soldiers to dip.
As an alternative vegan version: Soak a slice of tofu in tamari or soya sauce to replace the egg and use a little hummus lightly mixed through with  finely chopped spring onion or leek to replace the cheese, drizzle on some soya cream and cook in the same way.

Holistic Open Day @ The Phoenix Restaurant

Last sunday we hosted a Holistic Open Day at The Phoenix. As the restaurant filled up with therapists setting up their displays there was an atmosphere of calmness and anticipation. Who would come to a rural restaurant to talk about - Homeopathy- Sound and Chrystal healing- Herbs for Health- the Raindrop Massage Technique - Reiki - CBT and Tapping for Success? The day brightened and by midday there was enough sun to comfortably seat customers outside and there was already a steady stream of guests.
Each table looked inviting and all the therapists became  busy chatting to interested people.

Viveca magical turf figures
 from the bogs of Kerry 

All through the day there were talks in the original front room of the house,

Susan Browne EFT Tapping for Success-
a technique that is so simple and makes
 you feel good

Ruti Lach Music For Tots and more

During Erina Mc.Sweenies talk on nutrition some  one noted that it is a slow change in food reform and the majority of the people eat very unhealthy fast food. "We are the converted", where are all the other people "  said another. Looking around the lovely room with its original fireplace and cooking crane in place, and remembering that this was the room that twenty one years ago, before we bought the house, had bales of hay and cows wandering in and out; I thought change is inevitble and is happening here and now and  that The Phoenix has risen again.