Irish Slang - Craic

Craic: The Quintessential Irish Word You Need to Know

If you’ve ever set foot in Ireland — or chatted with an Irish friend — chances are you’ve heard the word “craic” thrown around. But what exactly is “craic,” and why does it seem to be the lifeblood of every Irish gathering? In fact, a lovely Irish play titled “The Craic” was recently performed at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater.

Let’s dive in.

What Is Craic?

Craic (pronounced “crack”) is one of the most beloved and versatile words in the Irish lexicon. It means fun, good times, enjoyable conversation, or general merriment. But really, it’s more than that — craic is a feeling, a vibe, a shared moment of good energy.

Some common uses:

• “What’s the craic?” = What’s up? / Any news?

• “The craic was mighty!” = It was an absolute blast.

• “No craic at all.” = It was dead boring.

It can describe a night out, a good story, a funny person, or just that magical spark when people come together and something clicks.

Where Did It Come From?

Interestingly, “craic” is actually a reclaimed word — it originally came from the English word “crack” (meaning news or gossip) and was “Gaelicized” in Ireland to give it a new identity and a new spelling.

Craic in Action

Spend an evening in an Irish pub, and you’ll see the craic in full swing — music playing, laughter rising, pints clinking, and stories flying. It’s not about fancy surroundings or big budgets. It’s about connection, humor, and warmth.

Why You Should Love It

In a world that often prizes hustle over heart, the Irish remind us that a life full of good craic is a life well lived. So go out, share a laugh, tell a story, and keep the craic alive — wherever you are.

Slán go fóill (goodbye for now), and may the craic be ever in your favor!

Lime-Glazed Sugar Cookies and Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays! After a lovely most-of-December, polar vortex-like temps are upon us.  Paul is working and the store is open right up until Christmas, but the rest of us are staying in until temps climb to more respectable levels. Fortunately, we have a lot of crafts and projects to keep us busy. Last year we made cookies and brought them out to all of the people working in Cedarburg on the 24th. The kids made me promise that we would do it again this year. So, we are working on cookies and dipped pretzels for our cookie bags.

Baking with the kids these days is so much less messy than it used to be. Which really brings home the fact that they are growing up. I was watching them glaze cookies yesterday and couldn’t believe how well they did it and how little mess was made.  Honestly, it was bittersweet, no pun intended. These days I enjoy doing more activities with them without it turning quickly into inattention, followed by major cleanup, executed by me. But their competence and independence also signals the end of an era.

I usually have little patience for the overly sentimental, but I guess I’m not immune. The growth of ones children puts the passage of time into sharp relief like nothing else. There is also a whole new world of fun, interesting conversations, complex personalities and a web of inter-family relationships developing. A lot to love and celebrate. 

Finding a cookie that we can all get behind is definitely something to celebrate. Sugar cookies with lime glaze. These little guys are sweet and tart and Christmasy with a little sophistication. But most importantly, we all love them! They are also simple. So simple! I like to make all of my cookie dough in the food processor. I find that it’s so much easier to dump everything in and let the processor mix it for you. It also eliminates the need to soften butter and therefore, to plan ahead.

I don’t refrigerate the dough before rolling out. I hate trying to roll out rock hard dough. With these, I find that if the butter is not too soft, the dough stays cool enough to roll out and cut out right after processing. No waiting! No listening to little people complain about having to wait!  I take the cut out cookies, put them on a cookie sheet and freeze for 10 minutes before slipping into the oven. It could not be easier. Once we roll and re-roll the dough a few times, I shape the remaining dough into a log and keep it in the freezer. They make great cut-and-bake cookies. 

Sugar Cookies with Lime Glaze 

For the Sugar Cookies 

1 cup sugar

2 ½ cups flour

¼ tsp baking powder 

½ tsp salt

1 ½ sticks butter

1 egg 

2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Lime Glaze 

Juice and zest of 1-2 limes (Depending on size)

1-2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F

Place sugar in food processor and process a few seconds

Add flour, salt, baking powder and process about 15 seconds

Add butter, egg and vanilla and process until sandy in texture

Roll out onto a floured surface or piece of parchment and knead until the dough forms a ball

Roll out into a sheet and cut out into desired shapes

Place on baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes 

Bake for 15 minutes until the top and edges just begin to turn light brown. 

Remove from oven and cool completely on rack.

Glaze cooled cookies and allow glaze to set before eating. 

We’ve had many a tantrum over which cookies to make and who gets to decide. So, finding that everyone loves these is a gift.  I think we should make them our Barry-family Christmas Cookie. We have so much more than cookies to be grateful for this year. We are especially grateful for Cedarburg and Greater Milwaukee, and Long Grove and Greater Chicago for supporting our family business. We are so incredibly grateful for our health, our family and all of our friends who are like family.  Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year! xoxo

Memories and Masoor Dal

At the beginning of the pandemic, we lost someone very close to us. She was a parent, a close friend, and someone who taught me so much about life. She moved here from India in the seventies to marry her husband, who was studying engineering alongside my father-in-law, Paddy. She was beautiful, smart, independent and overflowed with personality. Her life was cut short by COVID-19 - there was so much she still wanted to do and see. Despite this, her impact on the lives of everyone she knew was immeasurable. There is not a single memory I have of her that doesn’t make me smile. 

I loved her stories about when she first moved to America, how she didn’t know anyone and found herself bored. One day she went out for a walk and came home with a job.  She taught herself to cook because she missed foods from home and because, before they got married, her husband used to eat a pint of ice cream from Walgreens for breakfast each morning!

I love her stories about when her children were born, and when they were small and what her life was like at the same stage as mine is now. She had a way of reminding me to let go of all of the small worries that come with motherhood and see the big picture - without ever trivializing any of those small worries. 

I love how every single time she crossed the threshold of our home she brought something for me. Oftentimes it was my favorite lentil dish. If we were having dinner as a group, she would squirrel it away in the depths of the fridge before anyone could see, because she knew I wanted it to keep it all to myself. Other times, it would be a piece of jewelry for me or clothes or toys for the kids. Usually it was several of these things. But what I always looked forward to was just her.  Her presence. Her effervescence.  Her  effusive nature, her expansive hugs, the joy she flooded the room with, the way she made you feel significant, like she was so excited to see you, and also like she really saw you. She did. 

I love that invariably, just as everyone would start assembling on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter while everyone was in the kitchen finishing and warming up dishes and the atmosphere was generally sort of chaotic, she would say “I need a cup of tea! Do you have anything sweet? It’s teatime for me!” If it were anyone else, I would tell them to get out of the kitchen and wait for dinner to be served. But not her, she charmed me so thoroughly and so constantly, I could never refuse her, nor did I ever have the desire. So cookies and tea it would be, one year she fell in love with the brittle that would later top our pumpkin pie, “What is this?” she said, “It’s perfect with my tea!”. And I haven’t forgotten, so the pumpkin seed brittle will be on the menu this year along with so many fond memories of her. 

She would love to see these smiling faces, eating her food.

She lived across the earth from so many of the people she loved. She lost so many people she loved as well, yet she carried all of the best parts of those people with her all the time. She spoke about them often and brought them to life with her vivid descriptions, reliving good times and funny events, moments that changed her, always with love and joy, never sadness or regrets. Her fortitude and the optimism she walked through life with is inspiring. Even as it hurts, remembering her gives me comfort.  It reminds me to see the big picture and to keep trying to be the best parent, friend, spouse, person that I can be, no matter what is happening in the world.  I will keep her close always.

Trying to make Masoor Daal like hers is basically an exercise in futility. Even if I had her recipe, which I don’t, and followed it to a T, which is not my forte, I know it would never be as good as hers. It’s like how sandwiches always taste better when made by someone else? Why is that? It’s definitely the love. There’s no other explanation. Still, it’s tough to ruin lentils. They are pure comfort food to me which is just what the chill in the air calls for.

As much as I didn’t want to, I shared the dal with my family who LOVED it! Even the picky eaters ate it and went back for more. Then, in tribute to this wonderful woman who I miss so much, the leftovers were immediately squirrelled away, deposited in a nondescript container in the back of my fridge where they will become my work-from-home lunch until they’re gone.

Masoor Dal 

Ingredients

1 cup masoor dal (split red lentils)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2.5 cups water

½ large or 1 small tomato or ½ can diced tomatoes (if using the juice, reduce water accordingly), diced

Lime juice from one juicy or two not-so-juicy limes

1-2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Pinch of cayenne

Pinch of asafetida (optional) 

Directions

1. Combine lentils, salt, turmeric and bay leaf with tomato and water in the insert of your electric pressure cooker.  

2. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally. You can do this in a pot on the stove also, just cook lentils until they are soft and mushy. 

3. Stir in lime juice. 

4. Heat ghee or oil in a small frying pan. 

5. Once the ghee is melted or oil is hot, add cumin and mustard seeds until they begin to sputter and sizzle (this will happen right away). 

6. Remove pan from burner and add red pepper flakes, cayenne and asafetida if using. 

7. Swirl the seasonings around in the pan, then pour over the cooked lentils and stir.