St. Patty’s Day-Everyone Is Irish

I just love this time of year.  Daylight Saving Time has begun, the days are getting longer.  Spring is just around the corner.  The first day of Spring is Wednesday, March 20th.  March Madness is getting underway.

However, my favorite day of the season is St. Patrick's Day.  It really isn't day of partying and going to the Irish pub.  It's about gathering those nearest and dearest to me and celebrating our Irish heritage.

It's a day where I can wear my Notre Dame green jersey and not have it be football season.  It's a day I can spend with my family and have a wonderful meal together.  It's also a day that we can share the stories that our elders have passed down from one generation to the next. Oral tradition is not dead.

My wife Lori has  Irish, Scots and some German in her lineage and I have both Irish and Welsh in my blood.  My wife and I are both very proud of our heritage.  Our dream is to someday travel to these places to see if we might be able to find some records of our family.

The focal point of the day is the meal.  We have the traditional corned beef and cabbage, and I eat until I can't eat anymore.  We have the meal once a year, and I look forward to it just about more than any other meal in the year.

If you haven't tried corned beef and cabbage, make yourself Irish for the day.  Everyone can be Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Try this recipe.

Ingredients

• One three pound beef brisket with spice packet.
• 10 small red potatoes
• 5 carrots, cut and peeled into 3 inch pieces
• 1 large head of cabbage, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Place brisket in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spice packet that came with the corned beef.  Cover pot and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer 50 minutes per pound or until tender.
2. Add whole potatoes and carrots and cook until the vegetables are almost tender.  Add cabbage and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Remove brisket and let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Place vegetables in a bowl and cover. Add as much broth from the cooking pot as you would like. Slice meat across the grain and serve.

An Old Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.