Green Beer Recipe

Green Beer

Ingredients:
One 12oz. Beer - any beer will do although lighter colored beers will display the green better
Green food coloring - one drop


Directions:
Add one drop of green food coloring to a clear glass. Pour the beer into the glass. That's it! This works for any beer. Darker beers like stout will have a nice green head atop their normally dark bodies. Serves 1.

Can also be done by the pitcherful.........adjust green food coloring accordingly!

Courtesy of:  http://beer.about.com/od/drinksmadewithbeer/r/GreenBeerRecipe.htm

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

Here's a simple recipe that you can start in the morning before work and with minimal preparation after work, have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day dinner!  Don't forget a fresh-baked loaf of rye bread from your local bakery and a cold glass of your favorite beer to go with it!

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ingredients
2 stalks celery, halved
4 carrots
1 medium onion, cut in 4 wedges
4 to 6 red potatoes, quartered
1 4-pound corned beef brisket
12-ounce bottle stout or dark ale
1 tablespoon corned beef spices or pickling spices (or spices that come with the brisket)
1 medium head cabbage, cut into 6 wedges

Directions
Place celery, carrots, onion and potatoes in the bottom of a large slow-cooker or crock pot. Rinse the corned beef brisket and place over vegetables. Add the bottle of stout, spices and enough water to just cover the meat. Cover and cook on LOW for eight to nine hours.

Remove the meat and vegetables from the pot and cover with foil to keep warm. Increase heat to high and cook cabbage until softened but still crispy, 20 to 30 minutes.

Slice brisket across the grain, serve with vegetables, mustard and horseradish sauce. Pass extra cooking liquid at the table.  Serves 4.
For serving: grainy mustard and horseradish sauce, recipe below.....
 
Creamy Horseradish Sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup drained prepared horseradish
dash hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Whip cream to soft peaks and then fold in sour cream and horseradish, to taste. Season with salt, pepper and a dash of hot sauce.
 
Recipes courtesy of::   http://search.foodnetwork.com/recipes/slow-cooker-corned-beef-and-cabbage-recipe/index.html

St. Patrick's Day in America.......Who, What, Where, When and Why continued.....

St. Patrick's Day Symbols and Traditions

There are many Irish traditions people follow to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and other Irish occasions, although not all of them are historically accurate. Some of the Irish customs people are more familiar with include wearing green, eating Irish food and drinking beer. Actually wearing green is strictly a U.S. custom, as the color green is considered unlucky in Ireland. Green is connected to the old green flag and a time when Ireland was not free. Americans have embraced their own St. Patrick's Day tradition of drinking large amounts of Irish beer or green beer, which has no real historical Irish references at all. Another new St. Patrick's Day tradition started by school children is pinching classmates who don't wear green on St. Patrick's Day. This tradition has grown with the times, and even if you aren't a school child, beware on St. Patrick's Day if you aren't wearing green!
Courtesy of:   http://www.americangreetings.com/events/st-patricks-day.pd

The Shamrock
The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.

The Snake
It has long been recounted that, during his mission in Ireland, St. Patrick once stood on a hilltop (which is now called Croagh Patrick), and with only a wooden staff by his side, banished all the snakes from Ireland.  In fact, the island nation was never home to any snakes. The "banishing of the snakes" was really a metaphor for the eradication of pagan ideology from Ireland and the triumph of Christianity. Within 200 years of Patrick's arrival, Ireland was completely Christianized.

Corned Beef
Each year, thousands of Irish Americans gather with their loved ones on St. Patrick's Day to share a "traditional" meal of corned beef and cabbage.  Though cabbage has long been an Irish food, corned beef only began to be associated with St. Patrick's Day at the turn of the century.  Irish immigrants living on New York City's Lower East Side substituted corned beef for their traditional dish of Irish bacon to save money. They learned about the cheaper alternative from their Jewish neighbors.

The Leprechaun
The original Irish name for these figures of folklore is "lobaircin," meaning "small-bodied fellow."  Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. Though only minor figures in Celtic folklore, leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure.  Leprechauns had nothing to do with St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, a Catholic holy day. In 1959, Walt Disney released a film called Darby O'Gill & the Little People, which introduced America to a very different sort of leprechaun than the cantankerous little man of Irish folklore. This cheerful, friendly leprechaun is a purely American invention, but has quickly evolved into an easily recognizable symbol of both St. Patrick's Day and Ireland in general.
Above courtesy of:  http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day-symbols-and-traditions

St. Patrick's Day in America.......Who, What, Where, When and Why

Erin Go Bragh

Americans celebrate this holiday with the drinking of green beer, the eating of corned beef and cabbage, wearing of the green and watching parades.  But do you know who he is and why it's celebrated?  According to my paternal Grandma, I have a drop of Irish blood in me, though I am mostly of German and Dutch descent.  So, I've decided to do some research and find out the who, what, where, when and why and report it here as a series over the next couple of weeks.

"St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th.  The Irish have observed this religious holiday for over a thousand years.  St. Patrick is the the patron saint of Ireland.  St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century. He is believed to have died on March 17, around 460 A.D.  At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity.  During this time, he worked as a shepherd, outdoors and away from people. Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian.  After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice-which he believed to be God's-spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.  Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission-to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish.  Familiar with the Irish language and culture, Patrick chose to incorporate traditional ritual into his lessons of Christianity instead of attempting to eradicate native Irish beliefs. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish.

On St. 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."


Information courtesy of:  http://www.history.com/content/stpatricksday/who-was-st.-patrick

Valentine's Day Favorite Find #2

I LOVE chocolate!  And what better way to show those you love by sharing a handmade chocolate treat with them.  Hershey's website has wonderful recipes of all kinds.  This one sounds delicious and seems pretty simple to make.  You could make a handcrafted candy jar (see below) and fill it up with these!   

Rich 'n Good Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

1-2/3 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 packages (4 oz. each) HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bar, broken into pieces and chopped*
1-1/3 cups HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, chopped*
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
COATING(recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Combine whipping cream and butter in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils; remove from heat. Stir in both chocolates until completely melted; continue stirring until mixture cools and thickens slightly. Stir in vanilla. Pour into shallow glass dish. Cover; refrigerate 4 to 6 hours or until firm.
2. To form truffles, with spoon, scoop mixture into 1-inch balls; roll in COATING. Cover; refrigerate until firm. Reroll before serving, if desired. Serve cold. About 4 dozen truffles.

* Food processor can be used for chopping chocolate.

COATING: Stir together 1/2 cup sifted HERSHEY'S Cocoa and 3 tablespoons sifted powdered sugar in small bowl.

This recipe was found at: 
http://www.hersheys.com/celebrate/valentines/recipes/detail.asp?id=3237&t=recipe

Valentine's Day Favorite Find

Valentine's Day brings back memories of those little cards that we would pass out in class in elementary school, hoping that you'd get one from that cute boy that sat on the other side of the classroom, or maybe one with a piece of candy taped to it! Once in awhile, a mom would bring in cupcakes to celebrate. And then, there was always that Valentine's Day craft we'd make in school for our mom, usually consisting of tissue paper and paste. I now have a box full of Valentine's Day gifts from my daughters that they made when they were in school. I still have one sitting on my desk here at work from 12 years ago (a little clay pot with silk flowers)! So, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I thought it would be fun to make a gift to give to someone special, be it your spouse, significant other, your best friend, your mom, your dad or your child!

Below you will find directions on how to decorate a glass jar to fill with your favorite candy! You can personalize it with your own colors and/or sentiments.  Make a miniature version by using a baby food jar. 

XOXO Jar

Supplies:

Outdoor acrylic paint (red and white)

Mod Podge ® Matte

Glass jar with lid (mason jar or recycled food jar)
Gingham red and white paper
Paper with love phrases
Red paper
Pink paper
Small sparkle heart piece
Red ribbon

Hot glue
Large craft stick
Scissors

Instructions:
-Paint the lid Engine Red. Allow to dry.
-Cut out a large heart to go on front of jar and a small circle to fit on top of lid from the gingham paper. Glue into place with Mod Podge.
-Cut out heart shape from pink paper to go on top of the gingham heart. Glue it in place with Mod Podge.
-Cut out a smaller red heart and glue on top of the pink heart with Mod Podge.
-Cut a large craft stick to the length of the word phrase using scissors. Paint it Wicker White. Glue the phrase to the front with Mod Podge. Allow to dry. Apply a finish coat of Mod Podge to the paper only that is glued to jar and lid. Put a finish coat also on phrase. Allow to dry and then hot glue the red bow and small glitter heart in place.

Courtesy of: http://www.plaidonline.com/projectDetail.asp?projectID=2437