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 Saint Patrick’s Day -Slainte - Good Health by Bonnie P Carrier
The History of the Holiday
Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years.
On Saint Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.
The First Parade
The first Saint Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.
Today, that parade is the world 's oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States, with over 150,000 participants .Each year, nearly three million people line the one and a half mile parade route to watch the procession, which takes more than five hours.
Above information source: The History Channel Visit the site for more information, videos and features on Saint Patrick’s Day.
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~ May Your Blessings Outnumber The Shamrocks That Grow And May Trouble Avoid You Wherever You Go ~ 
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Plan Some Family Fun
Begin your Saint Patrick’s Day celebration by gathering family and friends to watch a parade. Being able to actually attend a parade is a perfect way to really get into the spirit however, if your area does not have one check your local TV stations for one to watch.
Continue your celebration with a Saint Patrick’s Day party, which centers around food, beverages, music, games and most important fun.
Below are a few simple ideas from EHow to help get you started.
- Focus on Saint Patrick's Day colors: green and orange. Get a green tablecloth and napkins, green and orange balloons, paper plates and posters featuring shamrocks and other Saint Patrick's Day icons.
- Set up a buffet table full of green food and drinks. Adding a few drops of green food coloring to any food will give you the right look without affecting the flavor and consistency. Green beer, green cakes and green ginger bread are all traditional Saint Patrick's Day fare.
- Change your regular bulbs for green ones or hang green Christmas lights around the room for a softer look. Green candles are also a good idea.
- Buy confetti in the form of small shamrocks and use it to decorate by spreading it on tables and serving dishes. Choose plastic rather than paper, so it doesn't fly around and mix with the food.
- Play traditional Irish songs or invite guests to watch a show featuring traditional dancing such as Riverdance. Having the sound playing softly in the background is enough to enhance the mood, even if nobody actually sits down to watch. If you know anyone who can play the bagpipes, it's a huge bonus.
Saint Patrick’s Day Kids Activities
Kids love to make things, so what better way to get them involved in any Saint Patrick’s Day celebration plans than to have them help make decorations and food items.
Below are three web-sites I found that have a variety of fun projects and games for the kids. Craft projects to make, fun simple food items, printable books to color and puzzles. So many things to guarantee a day of fun.
Dinner At Home
If a simpler celebration appeals to you, perhaps dinner at home with the family is the ticket. Set a festive table with a simple pale green tablecloth, white dinnerware and light green or white cloth dinner napkin. Dress up the napkins with a holiday inspired napkin ring or wrap the napkins with white and green raffia tied in a simple knot.
A clear glass vase filled with green and white carnations, several types of greenery, green glass ornaments or candles becomes a simple yet elegant centerpiece. Other idea to consider would be a bowl filled with granny smith apples, a group of green bottles on a pretty try or several candles lined up on a plate.
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~ St. Patrick’s Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter’s dreams into summers magic ~ Adrienne Cook
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Dinner Recipes
If having dinner at home is your choice below are several recipes I found at Better Homes & Gardens that are a bit different from the normal Saint Patrick’s Day meal but never the less sound wonderful.
Beer Glazed Pork Chops
Makes: 4 servings- Prep: 30 minutes - Marinate: 6 hours - Grill: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork top loin chops, cut 1-1/4 inches thick (about 1-3/4 pounds total)
- 1/2 of a large onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
Directions
- Trim fat from chops. Place chops in a plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For the marinade, stir together the stout, onion, honey mustard, garlic, and caraway seed; pour over chops. Close bag. Marinate chops in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours, turning the bag occasionally.
- Remove chops; pour marinade into a small saucepan and bring to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until marinade is reduced by about half. Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper. Arrange preheated coals around a drip pan in a grill with a cover. Test for medium heat above the pan. (Hold your hand, palm side down, in the same place where the chops will cook. count one thousand one, one thousand two, etc. Being able to keep your hand there for a count of four is equal to medium.) Place chops on grill rack directly over drip pan. Cover and grill for 30 to 35 minutes or until the juices run clear, brushing chops frequently with marinade during the last 10 minutes of grilling. Discard any remaining marinade. Makes 4 servings.
- To broil: Prepare marinade and chops as directed, except place chops on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil with surface of chops 3 to 4 inches from the heat for 18 to 22 minutes or until juices run clear, turning once and brushing frequently with marinade the last 10 minutes of broiling. Discard any remaining marinade.
Sage Potato Rolls
Makes: 24 rolls - Prep: 45 minutes - Rise: 1-1/4 hours - Bake: 12 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 3/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes
- 2 tablespoons snipped fresh sage or 2 teaspoons dried sage, crushed
- 4-1/4 to 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 packages active dry yeast
Directions
- In a medium saucepan bring buttermilk, water, sugar, butter, and salt just to boiling. (Mixture may appear curdled.) Remove from heat. Stir in potato flakes; let stand until temperature is 120F to 130F (about 15 minutes). Stir in snipped or dried sage.
- In a large mixing bowl stir together 1-1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour and the yeast. Add potato mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total). Shape into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl; turn once to grease the surface of dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size (45 to 60 minutes).
- Punch down dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Grease 2 large baking sheets; set aside. Divide each half of the dough into 12 pieces. Shape pieces into balls. Arrange on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Loosely cover; let rise until nearly double in size (about 30 minutes).
- Bake rolls in a 350F oven about 12 minutes or until golden. Remove rolls from baking sheets; cool slightly on wire racks. Serve warm. Makes 24 rolls.
Chocolate Truffle Dessert
Makes: about 6 servings - Prep: 25 minutes - Freeze: 4 hours
Ingredients
- 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped, or 6 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces
- 1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur, Kahlua, Amaretto, or milk
- 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
- Melted white and/or dark chocolate (optional)
- White chocolate shavings (optional)
Directions
- Chill a small mixing bowl and the beaters of an electric mixer. Meanwhile, line an 8x8x2-inch pan with plastic wrap, extending the plastic wrap over the edges of the pan; set aside.
- In a heavy medium saucepan melt chopped chocolate or chocolate pieces over very low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate begins to melt. Immediately remove from the heat; stir until smooth. Set aside.
- In the chilled mixing bowl combine whipping cream and 1 tablespoon of the liqueur or milk. Beat with the chilled beaters on low speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours or until needed.
- In a heavy small saucepan stir together egg yolks, remaining liqueur or milk, and sugar. Cook and stir with a wire whisk over medium-low heat until mixture is very thick (about 8 minutes). Remove from heat; pour mixture into a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the melted chocolate, 2 tablespoons at a time, to the hot mixture, beating on medium speed until combined (the mixture will be thick). Add 1/2 cup of the whipped cream mixture; beat on low speed until smooth. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, spreading as necessary to make an even layer. Cover and freeze about 4 hours or until firm enough to cut.
- Invert the frozen mixture onto a waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully remove plastic wrap. Using 1-, 2-, and 3-inch cookie cutters, cut shapes from chocolate, dipping cutters into warm water between cuts to prevent sticking, if necessary. Cover and return shapes to freezer until serving time.
- To serve, drizzle plates with melted white and/or dark chocolate, if desired. Top with chocolate cutouts. If desired, garnish with shaved white chocolate. Store any leftovers, covered, in the freezer. Makes about 6 servings.
- Make-Ahead Tip: Tightly wrap and freeze the cutouts up to 1 day ahead.
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~ May the roof above us never fall in.
And may the friends gathered below it never fall out ~ Irish blessing
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Visit Better Homes & Gardens for more terrific receipts and inspiring decorating ideas.
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