St. Patrick's Day - March 17

O.k. so we're having this celebration today, late but better than never.  
I must confess that I have a different perspective on St. Patrick's Day this year.  I grew up thinking that I was Irish and every year we celebrated with corned beef and cabbage in March.  This year however, I found out that yes, the Caldwell brothers came from Ireland to America, but they came to Ireland from Northern Italy!! to escape persecution for being Protestant.  So I need to do more family history research!  
Another confession, we're having Indian Roti bread along with our Corned Beef and Cabbage, because I forgot to start a loaf of Irish Soda Bread early enough and because I can just fry up the Roti quickly on the stove.  Sometimes it's the idea of a celebration that matters more than making sure everything 'matches'.  


Health and a long life to you.
Land without rent to you.
A child every year to you.
And if you can't go to heaven,
May you at least die in Ireland.    Irish Toast


Menu - 

Corned beef & cabbage

Carrots & potatoes

Green Beans

Irish soda bread

Grandma Caldwell’s pistachio pudding

Corned Beef & Cabbage

3 lb. corn beef roast

1 bay leaf

6 whole cloves

1/4 tsp pepper

In large sauce pan, cover beef with water.  Add spices.  

Cover and simmer over low heat 3-3 1/2 hours until tender.

6 potatoes, peeled & cut into quarters

6 carrots, peeled & cut in half lengthwise

Add vegetables.  

Cover and simmer 15 minutes. 

1 medium cabbage cut into 6 wedges

Add cabbage, cook 15 minutes.  

Cut meat into pieces and serve.

Grandma Caldwell’s Pistachio Pudding

2 boxes Pistachio pudding

2 small cans crushed pineapple

1 cup mini marshmallows

2 containers of Cool Whip

½ cups chopped nuts

Stir together, and store in refrigerator until ready to eat

Mardi Gras! - Tuesday, March 8

Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in French and is known in countries other than France and the United States as Carnival.  What began as a pagan fertility celebration and to ward off evil for the new year became a time of fun and merrymaking before abstaining from meat and making other sacrifices during Lent to honor Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness.  

Cities worldwide host festivals with elaborate parades, colorful face masks, parties, balls and feasts. You can have a little fun with your family by creating your own face masks and enjoying this New Orleans inspired Mardi Gras menu...

*Jambalaya

Fluffy rice

Crusty bread

Green Salad

*Pecan tarts

Jambalaya is a Cajun dish originating around the bayou, combining the French word for ham and the African word for rice and you can mix and match a variety of seafood and meats depending on what you have available. In other parts of the world, Fat Tuesday might be called Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday and crepes’ will be served with superfine sugar and fresh lemon juice, delicious!  Another idea is to hide a coin (for wealth), ring (for marriage) or thimble (for becoming a tailor or seamstress) in the dessert and could be easily baked into the delicious southern Pecan Tarts recipe I’ve included here.  

Jambalaya w/ Rice

2 Tbsp flour 

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 chicken legs cut in half

Combine flour & spices in plastic bag and coat chicken

2 Tbsp oil

1/2 lb. pork sausage cut in half

Brown coated chicken in oil for 20 min. Remove. 

Brown sausage for 10 min, remove.

2 medium onions chopped

1 green pepper chopped

2 garlic cloves chopped

2 stalks celery chopped

Save 2 Tbsp fat

Add onion, pepper, garlic, celery, cover, cook and stir for 30 min.

1 can (16 oz.) whole peeled tomatoes

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce

Stir in tomatoes, 1/4 cup water, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, spices.  Return chicken and sausage to pan, cover, simmer, stir 20 minutes.

1/2 lb. frozen shrimp

1/2 lb cubed ham

Add shrimp and ham to jambalaya.  

Cover, simmer 15 minutes.  

Serve w/ rice.

3 cups water

1 1/2 cup rice

Cook rice in water 20 minutes

Pecan Tarts

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

For Crust - 

2 1/4 cup flour

2 sticks butter (1 cup)

8 oz cream cheese

Blend and divide into 12 equal parts and press dough into bottom and sides of muffin pan cups

For Filling - 

2 eggs beaten 

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla 

Whisk until blended

2 cups chopped pecans

Stir in to filling mix and divide among the 12 mini tarts.

Bake for 25 minuets at 350 degrees.  Let cool and enjoy!

Happy Birthday PattyCake!

In honor of my youngest sister's birthday today I'm posting the recipe she requested for Coconut Macaroons. Sure cake and ice cream may be traditional, but anything delicious is a celebration, especially when made with love!

Coconut Macaroons - Makes 8 large macaroons

adapted from Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess 

         Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2 large egg whites

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

          Beat egg whites until frothy - no more - then add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft             peaks form.

1/3 cup sugar

          Add sugar, 1 tsp at a time and whisk until the peaks can hold their shape and are shiny.

2 Tbsp ground almonds (optional) 

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract (or coconut extract if you have it)

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp shredded coconut

          Fold in almonds, salt, vanilla and coconut.  

          The mixture will be sticky but should hold its shape when clumped together.

Form into clementine-sized domes, 2-3 inches in diameter.  Don't make them too flat, they look best when nicely rounded:)

If you make them half as big cook them for half the time.

1 baking sheet, lined with parchment or wax paper

Cook for 20 minutes or until they are just beginning to turn golden.  

4 oz. bittersweet/dark chocolate

1/2 cup heavy cream (optional - but I prefer it)

Melt on stovetop on low heat - drizzle over macaroons.  

Enjoy!