St. Patrick's Day Ideas

St. Patrick's Day is a little bit of a big deal around here. We typically spend the week before brainstorming, prepping, and visualizing the celebration. Green food? Shamrock shakes? Beer? Irish car bombs? Decisions, decisions....

I like the standard corned beef and cabbage dinner, but sometimes it's fun to mix it up a bit. Or maybe celebrate at breakfast. Or why not the whole day through?

Here are some of my favorite Irish recipes:

Slow-cooked Lamb in Red Wine
Irish Apple Cake
Irish Soda Bread
Irish Coffee
Irish Latte
Gathering of the Clans
Bailey's Chocolate Chip Cookies

What are some of your favorites?

Gathering of the Clans

This, my friends, is 'The Gathering of the Clans.' Simply one-third shot of each whiskey, combined with one shot of Bailey's. Think of it as an enhanced shot of Bailiey's.

It is a great means of getting in touch with your Celtic side.

Irish Latte

With a somewhat well-rounded liquor and other miscellaneous beverages collection, we are slowly making our way into the world of mixed drinks. I, for one, find the land of 'mixology' a bit foreign. My familiarity with it involves Sprite and orange juice (an essential hot-summer-day, poolside concoction). When it comes to the other brand, namely that involving alcohol, I am quite the novice. But I do enjoy creativity and experimentation, which, I find, will serve me well in the venture into the land of mixology.

Gathering a little assistance from our online resources, Steve ran across cocktail builder, an amateur drink-builder's dream. You simply enter in all of the available liquids you have at your disposal - alcoholic and non-alcoholic alike - and the cocktail builder will provide you with a nifty little list of possible drinks you can make with them. It is a great resource to expand your horizons for your next cocktail party.

However, with all that said, I am proud to say I followed none of it and branched out on my own. (I was always loathe to play by the rules.) Although, my creation is eerily reminiscent of another 'Irish' drink I have had....

Irish Latte

1/3 c. milk, heated and frothed

1 shot of espresso

1 shot of Bailey's Irish Creme

If you prefer mochas, add 2 tablespoons of your favorite hot chocolate mix. I prefer Ghiradelli's Chocolate Mocha.

Stay tuned for another creative concoction.....

Irish Coffee

Here, at the site of the world's first Irish coffee, The Buena Vista Cafe, in San Francisco, is where I learned to make this warm, delightful beverage. There's no better place to go than the source, right?

Our waitress took our order as she threw--no, I'm not making this up--napkins down onto the table in front of us. With a flip of her wrist and careful notice of any breeze, she managed to land them on our spots with barely any effort. She was rather cheeky, obviously well-seasoned at this waitressing business, and boldly shouted our order to the bar. 

We observed as we waited, the man in the white coat (perhaps a doctor during the week?) make a pour of this and a swirl of that, mixing in just the right order with just the right amount of all the ingredients, all that was necessary for an Irish Coffee.

Irish Coffee

8 oz. hot coffee

1 shot of whiskey (I prefer Jameson's or Tullamore Dew)

2-3 T. sugar or 3 sugar cubes

1/8 c. heavy cream

Place sugar into bottom of glass. Pour coffee over sugar and mix with a spoon until dissolved.

Place shot of whiskey in glass. Stir into coffee.

In a small bowl, pour cream and beat with a fork or small whisk to create a head of foam. Using a spoon to catch foam, slowly pour cream into coffee and scoop out foam to place on top.

Another great addition is a shot of Bailey's Irish Creme if you prefer your Irish coffee on the creamier side.

Irish Through and Through

Who says St. Patrick's Day can be celebrated only on the 17th of March?

Irish car bombs, Irish whiskey, Bailey's Irish Cream, Guinness Stout. Irish Soda Bread, Colcannon, Corned Beef, Irish Stew. These things are too good to be enjoyed only once a year.

Here's to a long life and a happy one. A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one. A cold beer -- and another one!

This quaint little pub in Auburn, California serves it up all year round. The food, drinks and atmosphere make you believe you are sipping a pint in Belfast. In addition to an impressive pub menu, including their famous sliders to munch while viewing the current football game on the big screens, they brew their own beer.

I wasn't in the mood for beer the other night, but when Stephen suggested Irish coffees, I couldn't -- no, wouldn't -- turn that down. Made with freshly brewed coffee, Jameson's Whiskey, Bailey's Irish Creme, and a large dollop of whipped cream atop, dyed green with a bit of Creme de Menthe, they sated an Irish soul and aided in a lively discussion on the nature of Truth.