The Scottish Banner has reached out to our Scottish Community through our National Organization, Association of Scottish Games & Festivals. Their message follows:

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From: The Scottish Banner
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Subject: Reaching out to our Scottish community
 
Dear Friends,
 
During this unprecedented time, we are very anxious of what is happening across the globe. With Scottish events being heavily impacted by postponements and cancellations worldwide, members of our Scottish community organizations cannot get out to attend and celebrate Scotland as we have all enjoyed in the past.
 
Please find attached the latest issue of the Scottish Banner which you are free to distribute to your membership,  which I hope may play a small role in helping to keep members feeling connected to Scotland in this time of social distancing.
 
If you would like any recent past editions or future editions sent with our compliments do let us know.
 
If your group has any general news or is doing anything specifically during this extraordinary time, please share it with us so we can share with our readers and followers as now more than ever is the time the Scottish community needs to stand together and support one another. We host the world’s leading international Scottish events listing and our site is being updated daily, if your group has an event change please let us know so the wider Scottish community can keep up to date.
 
I look forward to when our community can get back to normal and celebrate our great culture, in the meantime the Scottish Banner stands ready in any way we can to assist and support Scottish community organisations both now and in the future.
 
Best wishes,
Sean Cairney
 
The Scottish Banner
E: [email protected]
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Instant Pot Skirlie can be made to accompany beef, mutton, turkey, chicken, pork. For purposes of this recipe, the ingredients will pair up for a Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey.

When making Instant Pot Skirlie with a roast, beef drippings and beef broth would be used. For a chicken dinner, chicken drippings and chicken broth. Basically, whichever meat is being cooked will determine the dripping and broth.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Skirlie
Pin Head Oats (UK) or Steel Cut Oats
Onions – lots of onions!
Turkey Drippings
Turkey Broth or Chicken Broth
Salt and Pepper
Butter, Suet or other fat
Fresh Thyme or Ground Thyme

What is Skirlie?
It is a savory Scottish dish made with pin head or steal cut oats, fried in oil, beef drippings, suet, butter, lard or other fat, along with lots of onions and fresh thyme. Traditionally, Skirlie is made in a saucepan on the stove.
Skirlie is used the way Americans use stuffing during the holidays. It can be served inside the turkey or on the side.
Beef drippings are used to cook Skirlie to accompany a beef roast.
In the Northeast part of Scotland, it is very popular as a side dish for Christmas dinner and is served along with potatoes and a turkey. 

Full recipe and instruction online at www.thisoldgal.com.

​Ingredients:
For the skirlie:
    •    50g unsalted butter
    •    2 white onions, diced
    •    3 cloves garlic, chopped
    •    250g pinhead oatmeal (it HAS to be pinhead)
    •    50ml cream sherry
    •    hot chicken stock (or veg if you want a veggie version)
    •    salt and pepper
    •    1 tsp dried thyme
    •    pinch dried chilli flakes
    •    2 tsp dried porcini powder (blitz dried porcini in a coffee grinder)

8 large savoy cabbage leaves
For the béchamel: (approx measures)
    •    50g unsalted butter
    •    40g plain flour
    •    400ml milk
    •    1 tsp dried onion granules
    •    1 tsp dried garlic granules
    •    2 tsp dried porcini powder
    •    few gratings fresh nutmeg
    •    salt and pepper
    •    2 handfuls finely grated strong cheddar cheese

Method:
Preheat your oven to its hottest setting. Blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling water, a few at a time to soften them, if the stalk is very thick at the base cut this out. Leave them to cool.
In a saucepan combine the butter, onion and garlic and cook gently just to soften, don’t colour. Add the pinhead oatmeal and stir well to make sure the butter coats everything.

It’s basically like making a risotto now, add the sherry and some hot stock and stir,once that is absorbed add some more stock and repeat until you can drag a spoon through the mixture and it leaves a trail on the bottom. Add the thyme and seasoning and porcini powder, stir well. You want the oatmeal to still have a bit of bite to it rather than be completely soft. Once it reaches that point simply turn off the heat and leave it to cool a bit whilst you make the sauce.

Make the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter, add the flour and stir, cook for a couple of minutes then whisk in the milk, keep stirring and cooking until thickened then add the rest of the ingredients and cook for a further minute whilst stirring.

To assemble take a cabbage leaf and a big dollop of skirlie and make a little parcel by folding over the top, then tuck in the sides and roll the whole thing up. Put in a roasting tray, repeat with the rest. Spoon over the sauce, grate over some extra cheese then roast until the sauce and cheese starts to turn golden.

Recipe from: It's Not F___ing Rocket Science  

We are happy to announce our 2018 Texas Scottish Festival & Highland Games Photo Contest Winners!

Photo Contest1st: CONNOR PAYNE "The Dog of Scotland"
2nd: ROB WOODSON "Untitled"
3rd: GORDON McNORTON "Untitled"
HM: JUSTIN HIRACHETA "Untitled"

Motion/Aerial Winner: JUSTIN HIRACHETA

Social Media Winner: @texansatplay Instagram

​The Texas Scottish Festival & Highland Games runs on Volunteer Power. Please share your talents and energy to ensure the longevity of this long established tradition. Click below to sign up online at Signup Genius.

US tourists believe haggis is an animal #texasscots #haggis #scotland http://ow.ly/e3fj30g2hDl ​