Jacky Hackett: Cooking, eating, reading, riding my bike that goes nowhere — living my best porch life.
My mom is one of the main reasons I come back to this blog. She always encouraged me to get back to it, she enjoyed reading my posts. I have been unsuccessfully attempting her Irish Soda Bread recipe for years. YEARS. It is always a fail despite following the recipe exactly, right down to the…
My simple syrup making goes way back. Back to the days of helping my mom grocery shop, only to have first dibs on the food as it came in the house. In a house of eight people, the food didn’t last long. On grocery day we lived like kings, not so much by the end…
Winter was nothing if not persistent. I loved all the snow! The time change and St. Patrick’s Day are welcome signs of spring, even if there is snow in the forecast again tonight. The St. Patrick’s Day parade this year was snowy and cold but fun as always. We’ve had a lot of fun celebrating…
2013 was a spectacular year, I am a little sad to see it go. But I appreciate the time to reflect on the past, plan the future, and use the new year as a reset button. Besides, there are a lot of great things ahead in 2014. No specific resolutions for me, though I really…
I’m back! Arrived from Dublin just in time to head to a local Irish bar for a big St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Go figure. Today is all about relaxing, oh and laundry I guess. I have my favorite St. Patrick’s Day meal cooking away in the slow cooker. Actually, this is one of my all…
St.Patrick’s Day comes early to our parts, it kicks off today with the local parade. One of the highlights of the year! It has been a busy few weeks, months, and I am heading out of town Sunday night so I haven’t had much time prepare. If I had more time I would be in…
Even though I worked a bit over the holiday break, it still felt like a two week break from the normal crap. The kids were off of school and we both had the majority of the time off. It was a busy few weeks but believe me I found plenty of time to sit on…
I am enjoying a busy holiday season with family, friends, and lots of fun. A tiny little glimpse. The gingerbread house tradition… A house in our Christmas village… The stockings are hung, breakfast is prepped, I wish I could say all the presents were wrapped. Guess I better get to it!
I can’t believe I have never been on the CTA Holiday train! I think this train is the happiest place in Chicago. The outside of the train is decked out in lights, the inside of the train even more decked out. The seat coverings are even a Santa themed velour. Elves are on board handing…
Long weekend, I am very thankful for the long weekend. I am thankful for a lot, but this year the long weekend wins top honors. We headed out-of-town for Thanksgiving, always more relaxing than a house full of chores staring you in the face. Thanksgiving day was gorgeous, great day for a walk on the…