Dishes | Gloria McBreen

Written for Charli’s 99-word story. January 30, 2023, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about the dishes. It can be the every-single-day activity, a precious collection, or any other interpretation of dishes as objects or activities. Who is stuck with the dishes and why?

Lily pulled on her warmest woolly jumper and stepped into her oversized wellingtons. She always liked her wellies a size bigger, so that she could wear two pairs of her dad’s socks to keep her toes nice and warm.

She trudged through the marshy field to where the thickest rushes grew. With her small scissors she snipped sixteen long rushes. She sat on a tuft of grass and weaved them together to make a St Bridget’s cross.

Her belly rumbled. Her mam always made one of Lily’s favourite dishes on St Brigid’s Day; colcannon. Lily made her way home.

***Colcannon – mashed potato, cabbage, salt and butter.***

Thank you for reading!

If you enjoy my writing, you might be interested in checking out my debut novel; Secrets in the Babby House.

It’s a story of love, deception, and stolen diaries filled with sins and secrets. Set in a gossipy small town in Ireland at a time when marriage is for keeps and sexuality is repressed, Secrets in the Babby House is a family saga over three decades that starts in 1956.

Day 48 #100DaysOfOldDays

A friend gave me this little book a couple of years ago because she knows I love delving into the past and I also love food and cooking.

I wasn’t born into a posh family; dinner parties didn’t happen in our house. I didn’t know what a dinner party was until I was well into my 20’s.

However, I’ve had a few dinner parties down through the years and I love to experiment with food. I contemplated throwing a 70’s dinner party but after looking through the dishes in this little book…I’m not so sure I have the culinary skills to pull it off. My dinner guests would usually expect to be served pasta dishes, curries, one-pot meals, salad dishes, and ice-cream for dessert.

The effort it must have taken to put these dishes together. The detail and presentation involved. This is like something out of MasterChef!

Today we’ll look at some of the canapés from this little gem of a book. These creations have me respecting the 70’s housewife in a whole new light!

As you can see, the images are ingeniously captioned by the humorous author, Anna Pallai.

***I’ve no idea what the grapes are stuffed with!***

I found a recipe for the next one – if by any chance you fancy giving it a go! Sardine Egg Canapés Recip e .

I have absolutely no idea what’s in this goldfish bowl!

I found a recipe for these party cheese balls. Here you go, if you want to make an impression on some of your cheesy friends! Party Cheese Ball Recipe. I’ll pass, thank you!