Happy St. Patty’s Day, Everyone!

I hope, like me, you celebrate all things Irish today and revel in this great day by having at least one pint of your favorite Irish beer, e.g. Guinness, Murphy’s, Harp or Smithwick’s, with at least one small taste of your favorite Irish whiskey, e.g. Jameson, Powers, Paddys or Bushmills, while listening to your favorite Irish music, e.g. Irish trad (aka Irish traditional), U2, The Pogues or Van Morrison. While in the moment, win your friends over with this cheerful Irish saying:

“Here's to a long life and a merry one; A quick death and an easy one; A pretty girl and an honest one; A cold beer -- and another one!”

I have to give a birthday shout out to my favorite (and only) sister, Eileen. E- I hope you and your friends find your way into an Irish pub and cause a little trouble. I’ll make sure that we celebrate your birthday during your visit, which is now less than two weeks away! With 36 inches of new snow in the past 72 hours, get ready for some killer snowmobiling. -J

For those of you that won’t find yourselves holding a pint in an Irish pub, you can enjoy this holiday by making traditional Irish soda bread. The recipe is:

Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Yield: 2 loaves 5 cups sifted all-purpose unbleached flour 3/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter 2 1/2 cups mixed light and dark raisins, soaked in water for 15 to 20 minutes and drained 3 tablespoons caraway seeds 2 1/2 cups buttermilk 1 large egg, slightly beaten Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter 2 (9 by 5-inch) bread pans. Stir together the sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Cut in the butter and mix very thoroughly with your hands until it gets grainy. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds. Add the buttermilk and egg to the flour mixture. Stir until well moistened. Shape dough into 2 loaves and place in the pans. Bake for 1 hour. Test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool in the pans for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

You can thank my Mom for this recipe.

Slainte (Irish to English translation: Cheers),
John Patrick