St. Patrick's Lunch with the Sheep

When I think of Ireland, I think of green fields and beautiful women, like Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man.  I think of quaint accents, pastoral settings, and . . . sheep.

For the last couple of years I've begun collecting them, and now I seem to have acquired a small flock.

These are called Irish Galway Sheep from Colin's Creatures.  Colin goes all over the world studying sheep.  Besides the Galway, he reproduces other kinds as well, like the Cotswold, Dorper, Shetland, and many others.  They are made of porcelain, castable stone, and imported woven fur, chosen to best imitate the sheep.

Baby lamb is sticking close to mama.

There were only five of us this year, composed of those in our “pandemic pod.”  There's a light at the end of the tunnel, but we still need to keep safe a little bit longer.

Plaid napkins in the Irish National Tartan pattern, an Etsy find.

I gave these mini books with Irish blessings away as favors in a previous St. Pat's luncheon, but I had a new guest, my friend Fran, and she had never received one, so I set one out for her.

Irish Mules!  Who knew?  Simply substitute some Irish Whiskey for Vodka for an Irish twist.  I used Tullamore D.E.W Irish Whiskey and Rachel's Handcrafted Ginger Beer, along with freshly-squeezed lime juice.  They were delicious!

Here's the basic recipe:

• 4 oz. ginger beer
• 1½ oz. Irish whiskey
• ½ oz. freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 1 T. sugar (optional) - I didn't use any because Rachel's Ginger Beer is already sweetened
• Ice, for serving
• Fresh mint, for garnish
• Lime rounds, for garnish

In a chilled copper mug measure out the ginger beer, vodka and lime juice.  Add ice and stir with a cocktail spoon.  Garnish with lime rounds and mint and serve immediately.

We served Shepperd's Pie, and, unfortunately, as it frequently happens, I got so busy that I forgot to take pictures of the food.  Friends sent me their pictures afterwards.

I'd never made Shepherd's Pie before, so I spent a few days researching it beforehand.  Alton Brown's recipe was wonderful.  Everyone loved it and I highly recommend it.

And for dessert . . . Apple Pie!  It just so happens that March 14th is Pie Day (π Day - 3.14).  Served with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.  The pie came from Jarosch bakery, my favorite crack dealer.

Walkers Shortbread Cookies in the shape of sheep.

A pot of gold at the end of a rainbow hung from the chandelier.

The Irish Whiskey Mules were so good that we hardly touched the wine.  They were so refreshing!

Friends Angela and Leo, and my own husband, also a Leo, wore funny hats, and they insisted that we needed to as well, so I photoshopped a bow on my head, and a beret on my friend, Fran.  You'd have to have been there.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  May the road rise to meet you and all the rest!

Joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.  Please stop by to see the amazing work of some very talented table stylists.  Enjoy!

Just a little bit Irish

While I was on hiatus last year, we held a St. Patrick's Day dinner for some very un-Irish friends

The guest list comprised Cubans, Mexicans, and to provide that necessary soupçon of Irish blood, we invited my husband.  He's the guy with the green polo by the window, who looks a bit put upon to have to pose for a picture when he'd rather be digging in!  My husband doesn't really know how much Irish blood he has in his background and is not interested in doing a search, however, the litany when he was growing up was “I'm English, Irish, French, Scottish and Italian . . .” usually things would trail off after that, but occasionally he'd add other nationalities just to keep things interesting.

I'm 2nd and 3rd generation Cuban born, my paternal grandfather having emigrated to Cuba from the Canary Islands, and my maternal grandparents born in Cuba.  One of my relatives did some research on the Grimón last name and supposedly it may have originated in Belgium.  So you see, I cannot claim any Gaelic ancestry whatsoever.

And does not explain why I'm so fond of this holiday.  I got the shamrock napkins through a friend who gave them to me with the condition that I should use them once, and then pass them on to another person that might like to use them next, and that person should do the same.  My sister-in-law, Kathy (Kathleen, and of Irish ancestry), now has them.  I can't wait to see how she uses them!

I love party favors!  So, in addition to an Oxalis Plant, everyone got to take home one of these darling miniature books with Irish blessings!

I love the green in these goblets!  Don't they look great next to the green fields in the books?

I can't conceive of this dinner without some lovely Kerrygold butter, and what better way to enjoy this treat than by giving each guest their very own butter dish?  Some things are just to delicious to have to share.  

The napkin rings reminded me of a Celtic knot and they provided a nice contrast against the simple white dinner plates.

I scattered some gold and green fake coins for an extra dose of whimsy.  

Now for the food.  Two big platters of Corned Beef and Cabbage.  It's simple fare, but, oh, so delicious!

And for dessert, Bailey's Irish Cream Bundt Cake, and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream from Baskin Robbins, my son's favorite.

We "greened" the house a bit  . . .

Hoping that a leprechaun would stop by and find the house to his liking . . .

And maybe, just maybe, we'd find his Pot o'Gold!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Dishes:  Traditional by Apilco, from Williams-Sonoma

Flatware:  Jefferson by Reed & Barton for Monticello

Water Goblets:  Williamsburg by Reed & Barton

Butter Spreaders:  Rosewood hadles, by Laguiole

Butter dishes:  Amazon

Table runner:  Pottery Barn

Placemats:  Crate and Barrel

Napkin Rings:  Tortoise Knot by Juliska

Square Platter:  BIA Cordon Bleu, from Amazon

Cake Stand:  HomeGoods

Vote!

 We had our state primaries today . . .

And this is how we celebrated St. Patrick's Day this year!  Vote!

St. Patrick's Day 2018

One of my favorite St. Patrick's Day dinners, which took place in 2016, and I never posted the table!

I love this flower combination for St. Patrick's Day:  Bells of Ireland, Daisies, Carnations, and Chrysanthemums.

 

I found these cabbage rose napkin rings and the brown gingham napkins at Pier 1.  Those napkin rings make me think of vegetable gardens, like Mr. McGregor's, of Peter Rabbit fame, which then, lead me to ponder that they might work beautifully in a Spring or Easter table!  I can already tell I will be enjoying these rings for many years to come, in a variety of settings.

All set for a corned beef and cabbage dinner - a traditional American way to celebrate St. Patrick's!  What do you cook for St. Patrick's Day?

"If you lived on cabbage, you would not be obliged to flatter the powerful."  To which the courtier replied, "If you flattered the powerful, you would not be obliged to live upon cabbage."  

—Diogenes, ancient Greek philosopher's advise to a young courtier

(But I do like cabbage!)

The perfect excuse to indulge in some Kerrygold Irish butter.  Everyone gets their own butter dish, to go with the Irish Soda Bread!  I'm so glad that sanity has returned and butter is once again back on our tables!

And here is the happy bunch, a gathering of English, German, Italian, Mexican and Cuban ancestry, to celebrate St. Pat's!  Erin go Bragh!

A St. Patrick's Celebration

I'm not quite sure how it's come about that our family, who has barely a drop of Irish blood, ends up celebrating St. Patrick's Day every year . . .

Our celebration this year began in downtown Chicago, early last Saturday morning, where we went to see the annual dying green of the Chicago River . . .

A boat, manned by a small crew dumps about 40 pounds of a harmless vegetable dye into the river, turning its waters a bright green for a few hours . . .  Do you notice the brave little ducks trying to stay out of the path of the boat?  This article explains how Chicago's quirky tradition came about . . .

My husband is the guest photographer for all of the pictures taken downtown, since he has a shiny new smart phone with a cool new camera that he wanted to try out . . .

Me, I usually get so caught up in whatever is happening that I forget to take pictures . . .

We found a nice spot to watch on the Riverwalk, right across from Trump Tower, the skyscraper that has given so many Chicagoans heartburn because of its 20-foot-high Trump sign, which is seen as brash and tasteless . . .

Mr. Trump does seem to have a way of antagonizing folks . . .

The people watching was . . . marvelous . . .

The dyeing of the river was followed by the St. Patrick's Day parade . . .

But it was crowded, with so many young people walking in packs, and drinking, I felt like I was at Daytona Beach during Spring break . . .  

Even though we only stayed for a few minutes of the parade, by the time we got home our day was pretty much gone.  Chicago is always fun, but with a crowd like this, everything moves slowly.  We got home and collapsed on the couch and you wouldn't have been able to budge us if you tried . . . And I had to conserve my energy for our St. Pat's dinner party the following night . . .

Now THIS way of celebrating is more my style!  I really, really love my florist, Robert . . . He's made so many beautiful arrangements for me over the years, that I've lost count . . .

With minimal instructions from me via e-mail, this is what he managed to put together:  Three baskets that held white daisies, lime green button pom poms, white limonium, white wax berries, minty green carnations . . .

And, Bells of Ireland spikes gave the arrangements some height . . .

Robert placed the arrangements in brown rattan baskets, and that became the inspiration for the rest of the table . . .

I used my Spode Delamere Brown . . .  Somehow, this pattern feels right at home whether I dress it up or down, and seemed to get along very nicely with the rustic rattan baskets . . .

The napkins were an Etsy find.  I alternated the two designs throughout the table . . .

Each place setting included an individual butter dish that held delicious Kerrygold Irish butter to spread on Irish Soda bread . . . St. Patrick's Day is the best excuse ever for eating Irish Soda Bread . . .

And a great opportunity to bring out my Laguiole spreaders with the cute little bee on the handles . . .

The hurricane lantern votive holders added a touch more green . . .

Then I scattered some lucky charms on the table . . .

To hopefully lead us to the end of a rainbow, so we could find a pot o' gold!

These brownies with mocha cream frosting and chocolate chips would do very nicely for those who preferred chocolate to a pot o' gold . . . Especially when served with mint chocolate chip ice cream on the side . . .  After they finished their corned beef and cabbage, of course . . .

It was all so much fun, we were all happy to pretend being Irish for a little while! Éire go Brách!

Joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.  Please stop by!