Coole Oysters

Moran's Oyster Cottage was a splendid place to eat lunch after a walk in Coole Park. Lady Gregory, owner of Coole 100 years ago, was often host to William Butler Yeats and his circle, and he wrote a book of poems called "The Wild Swans at Coole." (More about Coole elsewhere, later).



The peat fire was warm, and the oysters so fresh that the Moran family member who opened ours showed us a little sea worm still alive inside one. (I shuddered. A lot.) Other family members have won national and international competitions to see who can open 30 oysters the fastest without damaging them.





They were DELICIOUS!

After lunch, we watched the swans on the water in front of the restaurant. Yeats saw nine and fifty on Coole Lake, where we saw none at all, so they must have come down here for the day.

Coole Oysters

Moran's Oyster Cottage was a splendid place to eat lunch after a walk in Coole Park. Lady Gregory, owner of Coole 100 years ago, was often host to William Butler Yeats and his circle, and he wrote a book of poems called "The Wild Swans at Coole." (More about Coole elsewhere, later).



The peat fire was warm, and the oysters so fresh that the Moran family member who opened ours showed us a little sea worm still alive inside one. (I shuddered. A lot.) Other family members have won national and international competitions to see who can open 30 oysters the fastest without damaging them.





They were DELICIOUS!

After lunch, we watched the swans on the water in front of the restaurant. Yeats saw nine and fifty on Coole Lake, where we saw none at all, so they must have come down here for the day.

Travel Photo of the Day: Morning Dancers, Arequipa, Peru

In September/October 2006, we traveled for five weeks across Peru from Lima to Cusco, stopping in various cities along the way, eventually arriving at the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. When we stopped in Arequipa one clear early morning, the main square was already filled with the sounds of church bells and music and colorfully dressed dancers. Many of the dancers were young, still in their teens and in high school, but belonged to dance groups that performed on the weekends.

Arequipa was founded in 1540 by the Spaniards, although it was home to the Incas and other indigenous populations for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. On the outskirts of the city sit three volcanoes: the still active El Misti, and the now extinct Chachani and Pichu Pichu. The city is also the jumping off point for the impressive Colca Canyon and Cotahuasi Canyon, two of the world's deepest canyons and the home to one of the largest birds in the world, the Andean Condor.

Travel Photo of the Day: Morning Dancers, Arequipa, Peru

In September/October 2006, we traveled for five weeks across Peru from Lima to Cusco, stopping in various cities along the way, eventually arriving at the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. When we stopped in Arequipa one clear early morning, the main square was already filled with the sounds of church bells and music and colorfully dressed dancers. Many of the dancers were young, still in their teens and in high school, but belonged to dance groups that performed on the weekends.

Arequipa was founded in 1540 by the Spaniards, although it was home to the Incas and other indigenous populations for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. On the outskirts of the city sit three volcanoes: the still active El Misti, and the now extinct Chachani and Pichu Pichu. The city is also the jumping off point for the impressive Colca Canyon and Cotahuasi Canyon, two of the world's deepest canyons and the home to one of the largest birds in the world, the Andean Condor.

Travel Photo of the Day: Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Spectacular Iguazu Falls, which are divided between Argentina and Brazil, are a UNESCO World Heritage site and are considered by many to be one of the wonders of the world. The group of 275 waterfalls are spread over three kilometers (1.7 miles) and stand as high as 82 meters (270 feet). Many of the cascades, including the most impressive, seemingly bottomless waterfall, La Garganta del Diablo (The Devil's Throat), can be seen in the Robert de Niro movie "The Mission". 
 
Luis and I visited in May 2008, staying on the larger Argentine side and crossing over to Brazil for the day to see the falls more closely. Both sides have well-maintained national parks, easily walked with clean, safe paths and boardwalks, and very good transportation and facilities. It's best to take 2-3 days to visit the falls to allow for the sheer size of the area, border crossings and to visit other attractions such as the enormous and fascinating Itaipú Hydroelectric Power Station and Dam on the Brazilian side, the largest in the world, which operates daily tours.     

Travel Photo of the Day: Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Spectacular Iguazu Falls, which are divided between Argentina and Brazil, are a UNESCO World Heritage site and are considered by many to be one of the wonders of the world. The group of 275 waterfalls are spread over three kilometers (1.7 miles) and stand as high as 82 meters (270 feet). Many of the cascades, including the most impressive, seemingly bottomless waterfall, La Garganta del Diablo (The Devil's Throat), can be seen in the Robert de Niro movie "The Mission". 
 
Luis and I visited in May 2008, staying on the larger Argentine side and crossing over to Brazil for the day to see the falls more closely. Both sides have well-maintained national parks, easily walked with clean, safe paths and boardwalks, and very good transportation and facilities. It's best to take 2-3 days to visit the falls to allow for the sheer size of the area, border crossings and to visit other attractions such as the enormous and fascinating Itaipú Hydroelectric Power Station and Dam on the Brazilian side, the largest in the world, which operates daily tours.     

Chickpea Sandwich Filling/Spread/Dip

Vegetarian Chickpea Sandwich Filling Recipe

Healthy Chickpea Spread! Goes great with crackers and Whole Wheat/Multigrain Pita bread. 

The  dip is very tasty and flavorful due to the flavors that come from the dill and lemon. The ingredients used made the spread taste very light and fresh.  In a way this reminded me of an Egg Salad Sandwich spread, minus the egg (cholestorol???).

Instead of using Canned Beans, I decided to use Dried Garbanzo beans.  Some canned beans usually have a higher sodium content, which is why I'd go for the dried beans instead.   Dried beans are much more cheaper to buy than canned beans.  So I am very pro dried beans.  The only problem is that  dried beans are more time consuming to prepare, but overall it's probably worth it.  I used organic beans too.  

-Fueled By Food Blog