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please
pass
the blarney a
st. patrick's day dinner party by
Kelly
Beachell Gasner | 1
2 3 4
continued from page 1
Of course, the table isn't
really finished without flowers and candles. Instead of going for those
cheesy green-dyed carnations so horribly prevalent at this time of year,
make a low-and-wide arrangement of greens, babies breath, and orange day
lilies or (easier to find) alstromeria (tiger lilies) to capture the
colors of the flag and pretty up the table. Add any arrangement of white
candles - - votives, pillars, tapers, whatever you like - - to symbolize the
pagan Celts, whose fire festivals celebrated the changing of the
seasons.
food
Think Irish food
and you automatically think potatoes. Indeed, no traditional Irish
meal would be complete without them. The Irish place a heavy
emphasis on eating fresh, local food (a good practice, I'd say),
so their cuisine is heavily based on what's available to them.
North Atlantic seafood (lobster and cod), farm-raised lamb, beef,
pork and root vegetables (especially those ubiquitous potatoes)
are the foundations of Irish cooking. |
Now
don't get me wrong -- globalization has made exotic ingredients
readily available on a once isolated island, and new Irish cooking
can get pretty gourmet. But for a traditional feast, go for the
warm and filling, stick-to-your-ribs cooking of the Irish
countryside. Offer a starter of boxty (potato pancakes) with apple
sauce. Follow it up with corned beef and cabbage and warm homemade
Irish soda bread (don't forget the butter). Or, for something
simpler, serve a steaming bowl of hearty Irish stew. If you feel
like making an effort, make a gorgeous Strawberry and Bailey's
Fool for dessert, or simply whip up an Irish sundae -- a mixture
of ice cream, whiskey, liquor, and milk. |
Irish
Sundae
2
scoops vanilla ice cream
1 ½ ounces Irish whiskey
2 tsp. white cream de menthe
Milk for topping
Put
the ice cream into a parfait or other tall glass.
Combine whiskey and crème de menthe, pour over ice cream.
Top up with milk.
more
recipes
From
IrishAbroad.com community web site
Boxty
(potato pancakes) with Apple Sauce
Corned
Beef and Cabbage
Irish
Soda Bread
Irish
stew
Strawberry
and Bailey’s Fool |
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on this-a-way for more
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