"Erin Go Bragh"...Happy St. Patrick's Day

There are SO many adorable St. Patrick's ideas floating around the blogosphere. Sadly, I'm not really contributing to them. Between baby week & my out of town trip, the sick little guys, and birthday party planning (more on that to come), St. Patrick's Day crafting just kind of slipped passed us. So, instead of sharing any cute little crafts, I'll share with you the special place in my heart for Ireland.

11 years ago today (I totally can't believe it was 11 years ago!), I was in Dublin marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parade!

 

To say the experience was AMAZING is an understatement! Celebrating this day in Ireland was fantastic--the orange & green, the people, the fireworks, the food, the Guinness! It was an incredible experience. It's one of many wonderful opportunities that my music brought me! 

We spent a week there, spending time in Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Galway, and little places in between.  The GREEN everywhere was amazing-the countryside is absolutely beautiful (these old film pictures don't do it justice)!!

 

And, yes, I kissed the Blarney Stone!

 

Every year on March 17th, I can't help but remember performing in Dublin and the whole wonderful trip that I was lucky enough to be a part of!

And, even though we didn't get fun crafts & decorations made, I am hoping to have a fun St. Patty's Day dinner. Food made with Guinness (the "perfect pint" in Dublin) seems appropriate. You can check out the Corn Beef & Cabbage recipe I posted before. 

 

Or, I'm also super eager to try a Guinness Shephard's Pie recipe. We had that at an authentic Irish Pub in Australia and it was TO.DIE.FOR!  I think the Hungry Housewife's recipe looks quite good!  

And, I just had to show you these adorable little Shamrock's! They remind me of my snowflake pretzels! 

These cute little Shamrock snacks are the work of Rachel at Sun Scholars and I love them! 

Did YOU make anything fun/special for St. Patrick's Day? Please share in the comments! Would love to see what you made!

For today, I'll leave you with the Irish Blessing spoken to us by bus driver & tour guide as we said farewell to the Emerald Isle:

"May the road rise to meet you;

May the wind be always at your back;

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

the rain fall soft upon your fields, 

and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Crock Pot Corned Beef & Cabbage for St. Patrick's Day!

We're interrupting our scheduled "Reading Week" to remind you to keep an eye out in the upcoming ads for your St. Patty's day meal ingredients. For many St. Patrick's days as a kid, I remember my mom making corned beef and cabbage. While there is some controversy about just how traditionally Irish the dish is, there is no doubt that the dish has definitely become associated with Ireland and March 17th. Although I'm not Irish (save for a couple of distant ancestors), I do have a special place in my heart for Ireland (come back around St. Patty's day to hear why)!

If you're thinking about making a fun and Irish-inspired dish, you can try this recipe my mom used--with my addition of the "perfect pint"!

Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage 
Ingredients:

- 3-4lbs corned beef brisket*

 - 6 potatoes (peeled & quartered)

 - 4-6 medium carrots (peeled & cut into 3-4 pieces)

 - 1 medium onion (cut into 4-8 wedges)

 - 1 head cabbage (cut into 6-8 wedges)

 - 1 (12oz) bottle of Guinness

 - 1-2 garlic cloves, minced

 - 1 bay leaf

 - 2 T brown sugar + dash of cloves mixed on meat

Directions:
 - lightly coat the inside of the crock pot with cooking spray
 - wash, peel, and cut vegetables
 - place potatoes, onion, and carrots into crock pot
 - rinse meat and rub brown sugar & clove mixture onto meat
 - place meat in crock pot on top of vegetables
 - add garlic and bay leaf
 - pour bottle of Guinness over all ingredients (if you prefer to not use the Guinness, you can substitute for 1-1.5C water)

 - cook on low 8-10 hours (or until meat is fork tender)

 - 30 minutes - 1 hour before cooking time ends, add cabbage wedges

 - continue cooking until meat is done and cabbage is "crisp tender"

 - remove bay leaf before serving

Not only should the taste be good, but it's so easy to do! You can put this on before work, and have a fun St. Patrick's Day dinner (almost) all ready to go when you get home!

*Smart & Final will have First Street Corned Beef Brisket on sale @ $2.59 PER LB next week.

Are YOU planning making anything fun for St. Patrick's Day?