Holidays - St. Patrick’s Day
We’ve always acknowledged and celebrated St. Patrick’s Day here in our home. “Everyone’s Irish on St. Paddy’s Day” is a saying, but in our house, it’s really true for one of us! David’s mom was born in Ireland and still has relatives who live there. So, on this March 17th, we had Irish music playing, stew simmering and Guinness to pour! One of us wore green and the other was pinched. When I taught preschool and led chapel, I always used the leaves of the shamrock plant to teach the children about how St. Patrick used this beautiful plant to explain the Trinity and God’s love for them.
One of my sweet friends gave this shamrock plant to me “for old time’s sake”. She and I worked together at preschool and I would borrow her shamrocks to teach the kids about St. Patrick.
I transplanted it into this cutie bird pot I received as another gift, years ago. The adorable planter is from Sophie’s.
I just so happened to have this charming Baggu reusable bag for my St. Patrick’s Day food shop. I’m a sucker for gingham. Lucky me. ;)
I found the bag in Manhattan at the Baggu store when I visited Hannah last spring. If you’re ever in the city, go to this amazing shop! They have every size and color you could imagine. They also have other types of bags and purses.
Our local grocery store featured an Irish cheese assortment and it was scrumptious! It was fun to try cheeses we’ve never had before. They included Kerrygold Dubliner with Irish Stout, McCalls Grass-fed Irish Sage Cheddar (my fave), McCalls Grass-fed Irish Porter Cheddar and McCalls Grass-fed Irish Whiskey Cheddar. We nibbled on the cheese and crackers while I made the beef stew, mashed potatoes and scones.
Our mini charcuterie looked yummy on the pretty board Hannah gave to me a few years ago. The fig jam was perfect with the cheeses and crackers.
veggies ready for the stew, in Irish colors, I might add (chop as much celery, green pepper & carrot as you like)
This is my mom’s beef stew recipe. Traditional Irish stew calls for lamb but we prefer beef. I brown the beef in about one tablespoon of canola oil, then add onions and tomatoes with a tablespoon of salt, cover and let simmer for one hour. (you can use fresh of canned tomatoes and any kind of onion)
While the stew cooked, I peeled, chopped and boiled the potatoes (I used a baking potato) for about 20-30 minutes until tender. I drained them, popped them into a bowl and added butter (Kerry Gold, of course), sour cream, garlic and salt & pepper. I used a potato masher to mash them and then scooped them into a serving bowl.
After cooking the beef, onions and tomatoes for one hour, I added the veggies and barley (I like to add 1/4 cup), bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 50 minutes.
I made scones from a recipe in a little cookbook given to me by our dear Irish cousin, Gay, when we traveled with them in Ireland back in October. They tasted so good with the Kerry Gold butter spread on them!
We sat down to a steaming bowl of hearty goodness, with the stew sitting atop the mashed potatoes.
David
He didn’t wear green but did wear his Guinness hat we found in Doolin, Ireland. I did, of course, still pinch him.
Me
I would never dare not wear green on St. Patrick’s Day but even if I didn’t, my green eyes count. ;)