St. Patrick's Day EntertainingSt. Patrick, known as the Patron Saint of Ireland, was the man said to be responsible for bringing Christianity to Ireland. St. Patrick was born in Britain. As a teen he was captured and taken to Ireland where he remained as a slave for six years until he escaped back to Britain. In Britain he became heavily involved in the church and was named a bishop. His Church later sent him back to Ireland to help spread the word about Christianity during a time when the vast majority of Irish believed in Paganism. St. Patrick is said to have been successful in converting and baptizing the Pagans, making Catholicism the dominant religion in Ireland. St. Patrick died on March 17, 460 A.D. This date has become known as a religious feast day to celebrate the anniversary of his death. In 1845, during the famous Great Potato Famine, thousands of Irish immigrated to America to avoid starvation. Those Irish immigrants brought their Catholic beliefs to an almost entirely Protestant land. They were not well received. However, the Irish quickly figured out how to use their sheer numbers to their advantage through American politics. Politicians began to realize how important the Irish vote was. In an effort to gain acceptance, politicians began showing their support for Irish customs, including the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Today, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world and, although many have nothing to do with St. Patrick himself, all things Irish are thought to be symbols of St. Patrick's Day including shamrocks, leprechauns, and the color green. Did you know that traditionally, in Ireland, the typical St. Patrick's Day feast was bacon and cabbage?
After the Great Potato Famine, when many Irish came to the United States to avoid starvation, a large population of Irish immigrants settled in New York's Lower East Side where there was already a large Jewish population. The Irish learned from the Jews that corned beef was a lot cheaper than bacon creating the corned beef and cabbage that we Americans have eaten on St. Patrick's Day for years.
For your St. Patrick's Day feast, choose which version you prefer. The recipe for bacon and cabbage is more traditional, using fewer ingredients than the more Americanized version of corned beef and cabbage. Bacon and Cabbage:
Directions: Place the slab of bacon in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 30 minutes. Drain (there will probably be some white foam floating at the top - you want to get rid of this). Refill the pot with water and boil for another 30 minutes. Remove the outer leaves and the stalk from the cabbage. Quarter the cabbage and add it to the pot after one hour of boiling the bacon. Turn down the heat slightly and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Drain. Slice the bacon. Serve with boiled potatoes, carrots and brown mustard. Corned Beef and Cabbage:
Directions: Place the corned beef brisket in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Add the onions, carrots, thyme and cloves. Reduce heat slightly and simmer for 1 hour. Remove any sediment that may have risen to the top of the pot. Remove the outer leaves and the stalk from the cabbage. Quarter the cabbage and add it to the pot. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Remove the meat and slice. Serve with boiled potatoes and brown mustard. Whichever version you choose, have some traditional Irish Soda Bread on the side. Irish Soda Bread:
Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a round cake pan. Sift dry ingredients together into a large bowl. Add buttermilk slowly until a sticky dough is formed. You may not need to use all of the buttermilk. On a floured surface, gently knead the dough being very careful not to overwork it or it will not raise. Form the dough into a flat round and place in a round cake pan. Score the top of the dough across the diameter in both directions. Place the dough into the prepared cake pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Don't forget to end your meal with a big cup of creamy and delicious Irish Coffee. Irish Coffee
Directions: Brew a pot of good strong coffee. Whip the heavy cream until peaks just begin to form but not stiff peaks. To each coffee mug add 3 tsp. sugar and one shot of Irish whiskey. Pour in the coffee, stopping at least one inch from the top of the mug. Stir. Top it off with a large dollop of whipped cream and start sipping. Draw your inspiration from some of the classic symbols of the holiday: beer, the color green and shamrocks.
Cover your table with a green or white tablecloth, or just let the beauty of the wood speak for itself. Use your favorite green, white or gold dishes to set each place at the table, or mix and match your dishes, using some of each color. Create a beautiful centerpiece by filling your favorite pilsner glasses or beer steins with water colored with green food coloring or place green marbles or glass stones in the bottom of each glass and then fill with water. Place three green carnations in each glass so that the flowers appear to be resting on the rim of the glass. Create a cluster of vases in the center of the table or arrange them in a straight line down the center of your table.
Simply cut shamrocks from heavy weight green paper or craft foam. write each guest's name on a shamrock. Glue green pipe cleaners to the back of each shamrock. Twist the pipe cleaners around your napkins so that the shamrocks are on top. These festive napkin rings will make a fun addition to your tablescape.
Let your kids "try their hand" at making these lucky four leaf clovers.
Materials:
Directions: Have each child trace their hand onto four separate sheets of construction paper. Cut out each hand print. Cut a stem shape from a fifth piece of construction paper. Glue the hand leafs to the stem to make a very personal four leaf clover. Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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Create theme napkin rings that will double as place cards.
