Celebrate an Irish tradition on Saint Patrick's Day March 17th, even if you aren't Irish. The day in particular remembers Saint Patrick, one of Ireland's patron saints, who ministered Christianity in Ireland during the fifth century. Despite his Irish notoriety, Saint Patrick was British. His parents were living in Scotland or Wales and he died on March 17, 461.
The traditional meal is corned beef and cabbage. Although beef was not readily available in Ireland and was considered a luxury so their meal centered around ham, but when the Irish got off the boat in the new world they found beef was easy to get their hands on and it was cheaper then ham. The tradition of a boiled dinner started in New England. For this dish the corned beef, cabbage and root vegetables were boiled together.
The most traditional Saint Patrick's Day meal I have ever eaten was when I joined Larry and Ann Bitz for the celebration. Ann's grandmother Kathryn Lanik was Irish and celebrating Saint Patrick's Day with the same importance as celebrating Christmas or Thanksgiving. Kathryn's parents and grandparents immigrated from County Galway, Ireland. Her father came from County Kerry so her mother was a full blooded Irish woman. Ann remembers, "Grandma Kathryn would always put milk in her tea, that was very Irish."
Ann has her grandmother's recipe for corned beef, but she finds it easier to select a nice corned beef from the store. She prefers to buy the flat instead of the point because of the evenness of it. Place the corned beef brisket in a large kettle and cover it with water. Add spice packet that comes with it and boil it for about 50 minutes per pound or until it is fork tender. Remove and let it set, but keep it warm as the vegetable cook. Add potatoes, carrots, rutabagas, turnips, and onions to the brisket water. Add the cabbage and parsnips 15 minutes after the other vegetable as they take less time to cook. When the vegetablse are done, slice the meat ACROSS the grain and serve. Ann's traditional Saint Patrick's Day Menu is Corned Beef and Vegetable, homemade bread baked in shaped pans, and gingerbread with whipped cream.
For fun Ann adds some green food to the meal (see recipes below) and they always wear some green clothes and take on the Irish accent.
Spinach Dip
Ingredients
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, about 2/3 cup
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, stems trimmed and discarded
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
Directions
• 1. Thaw spinach and drain thoroughly, squeezing out extra liquid. Wash parsley; pat dry on paper toweling. In food processor, chop parsley using steel blade. Add spinach and remaining ingredients; pulse until combined. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Serve with thin wheat crackers, buttery crackers or celery and cheese sticks. Yield: 1-1/2 cups.
AVOCADO MUG CAKE TOTAL TIME: 5 MINUTESPRINT RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
• 2 tbsp. fully mashed avocado (see note)
• 4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp. granulated white sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 1/2 tbsp. milk
• 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil
*Please note, 2 tbsp. of mashed avocado is not the same as scooping out 2 tbsp. of avocado and mashing it. You need to mash your avocado first and then measure out 2 tbsp. I would start with mashing half a medium avocado. To fully mash, you will want to use very ripe avocados making them easier to mash and you want to mash until there are virtually no chunks remaining (otherwise you'll have bits of unsweetened avocado in your cake).
DIRECTIONS:1. Add all ingredients into a microwave safe mug. To get a cake that will rise to the brim, use an 8-oz. mug. You can use a bigger mug as well, it just won't rise as high. Make sure you don't use smaller than 8 oz., otherwise the cake will overflow. 2. Mix with a small whisk until a smooth batter forms. Make sure you have mashed any avocado pieces. Cook in the microwave for about 1 minute 20 seconds. Your time may vary slightly. Mine took exactly 1 minute 20 seconds on a 1000-watt microwave. Let cake cool a few minutes before eating. Cake is best consumed within a few hours of it being cooked.
St. Patrick's Day Punch
Ingredients:
1 quart softened lime sherbet
½ c. thawed limeade concentrate
2 T. sugar
2 (12 oz.) cans lemon-lime soda chilled
-2 c. crushed ice.
Beat together lime sherbet limeade concentrate add sugar ant stir in soda and crushed ice.
