Callie has been saving this shirt she found at DI for five weeks.
This morning I told Callie that St. Patrick was the missionary who took Christianity to Ireland. I have no idea if that’s entirely true, and I didn’t have four hours to spend on Wikipedia, not that it would take that long to look up, but when you add in the seventeen other things I need to know, it would be dinner time and this was a breakfast conversation.
Callie: “So . . . St. Patrick was a leprechaun? and green was his favorite color?”
I put green food coloring in the whipped cream for our pancakes. Lucy: “So our food won’t get pinched?” And as a hint, mint is not the best flavor for whipped cream, no matter the temptation. It’s too toothpastey. Better stick with mapleine or almond if vanilla is getting old, not that we eat whipped cream every single day so we feel the need to branch out.
Tara served us corned beef and cabbage a few years ago and ever since then I’ve thought that that would be a great idea, usually at about 5 pm on March 17th. So it hasn’t happened. But today I’ve got this crockpot version cooking away, with apple juice instead of water — reviewers call for beer but I’m out, and real carrots instead of baby-cut. And I made Irish soda bread, with a handful of craisins.
I think I cut the x a little deep.
If this sounds like a lot, please note that it’s the first time I’ve done anything for St. Patrick’s Day ever, and my kids also have no idea I love them because I didn’t give them Valentines. If it seems like a little (where’s the pot of gold place cards and shamrock centerpieces?), well forget you, it’s not a competition. (is it?)
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Oh yeah? We were so on the ball that we did green crepes AND a green dinner two days ago! We had green eggs and ham with green mashed potatoes and green beans. Then a green cake. (It may have had something to do with a kid’s birthday.) Feeling almost greened-out, we did manage to have green pancakes for breakfast this morning, but I told the kids I wasn’t sure they were going to catch any leprechaun fare with their leprechaun traps this year. I’m jealous of the dinner you’re having tonight, though.
I got the same sort of questions about St. Patrick. “Why is he called a saint?” And after a whole explanation on Catholics and Sainthood, “Wasn’t it about snakes in Ireland?” Um, I have no idea. “And he was a leprechaun, right?” Um, no.
I ran out of green dye right before the day, but luckily have blue and yellow for waffles tonight.
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LOL – I grew up just a couple generations away from Ireland and corned beef & cabbage was a staple at my Irish grandma’s dinner table all year round. I usually make it for St Pat’s day but this year I didn’t. We did reubens instead – not really Irish but yummy and sooo much easier.
St. Patrick – ahhh…good saint story. Captured by pirates, was a slave in Ireland, found God, was eventually released. After he went back to Britain, he became a priest and went back to Ireland to convert the Celts. Also known for using the shamrock to teach the idea of the Holy Trinity.
BTW, glad you posted about Japan. I knew you had lived there and I think that it’s only human to acknowledge the connection you have to a place and a people, especially when tragedy strikes.
Be well.