Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. I happen to live in an area that has a big parade on St. Patrick's Day.
Giveaway Alert
Details at the end of this post. Prize: 1 free copy of my Irish Romance Short Story, Liam's Wild Irish Rose.
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day
I'm not a beer drinker so I'll pass on the green beer, but I do like a good Irish coffee. I'll also take a handful of four-leaf clovers if you have any. I need all the luck I can get.
Ever wonder why four-leaf clovers are good luck? When I was a little girl, a bunch of us would sit in a clover patch, eagerly looking for the rare four-leaf clovers.
With everyone having their yards treated to grow healthy weed-free emerald-green lawns, patches of clover are a thing of the past in most subsdivisions.
I'm always curious how superstitions develop. In the case of four-leaf clovers, Celtic priests, aka The Druids, believed they could see evil spirits coming if they carried a three-leaf clover, commonly called a shamrock. Thus forewarned, they could run away.
What's the origin of that phrase which means extreme good fortune?
A little research shows that phrase originated in the California Gold Rush of 1848.
It became apparent to thousands of unlucky prospectors that many of those who did strike gold were of Irish descent thus the unlucky ones apparently grumbled, "Luck o' the Irish."
Irish Soda BreadMy grandparents were Scotch-Irish, and my grandmother made soda bread. My mom said it was a treat when she was a little girl. I thought I'd share a recipe for it. Maybe you can surprise your family with an artisan loaf of this treat.
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup raisins or other dried fruit, optional *
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- In another bowl, whisk together 1 of the eggs and the buttermilk. Add this to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. * Stir in raisins or other dried fruit. My grandmother only added fruit for special occasions.
- Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 6-8 times. Don't over knead because you'll be squishing out the carbon dioxide created by the baking powder, soda, and buttermilk.
- Shape into a round loaf and place on a greased baking sheet.
- With a knife dipped into flour, make a shallow cross on top of the loaf.
- Whisk the remaining egg briskly and brush over the top. This makes it achieve a golden brown color.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Immediately remove from baking pan to a wire rack.
- Serve warm with butter. Delicious with butter and Red Plum Jelly.
Of all the women in the world, Liam had to fall for the one who seems to have no interest in him—outside of the bedroom. A lot of men would think that was the perfect arrangement—hot sex with a beautiful woman who doesn't want a relationship.
Liam isn't one of those men. He wants Maura, and he wants more than sex. He wants her heart. Will he have the luck of the Irish on St. Patrick's Day and finally get Maura to make a commitment to him?
- Prize: 1 ebook copy of Liam's Wild Irish Rose.
- Winner chosen March 21 by Random drawing and notified by email.
- Comments can be left until March 20.
- Leave comment with email address written out, not as a hot link, and answer this question: "Do you embrace St. Patrick's Day as a holiday?"
I love all things Irish (and Scottish). St. Patrick's Dad is a fun holiday for me, even though I don't drink green beer. I do like a small glass of Bailey's Irish Cream (keep the coffee). Here's the Irish Blessing I give to you:
ReplyDeleteThose things I warmly wish for you-
Someone to love,
Some work to do,
A bit O' sun,
A bit O' cheer,
and a guardian angel always near
Aw, thank you, Caroline.
DeleteI may not be Irish but I certainly can appreciate a good parade and the festivities that follow. I do drink green beer. Liam's Wild Irish Rose will be on my iPad soon.
ReplyDeleteHey, we're all Irish on St. Pat's Day. Hope you enjoy Liam and Maura's story.
DeleteI, too, love all things Irish, and in the case of The Outlander, all things Scotish. LOL
ReplyDeleteHere's my Irish blessing: May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.
- CaronCae
Thank you for the Irish blessing. I'll take all the blessings I can get.
DeleteSince my granddad (my Mom's dad) was Irish (with a wee bit of Scottish) I love all things Irish. Don't drink the green beer either, but a cup of Irish Coffee will keep away the winter chill.
ReplyDeletefionalwoods(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks for entering the giveaway.
DeleteSince I am not a drinker of anything harder than apple cider, perhaps I don't embrace it as much as others but I enjoy the lore and blarney
ReplyDeletelaurasreadingblog AT gmail DOT com
Blarney is a wonderful word, isn't it? Thank you for entering the giveaway.
DeleteOn St. Pat's Day, everyone is Irish! My husband is Scotch-Irish. As a (Polish) farm kid I always liked: "There’s no need to fear the wind if your haystacks are tied down." Nice post.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the post. Nice Polish proverb. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteGrowing up, I thought I was part American Indian and Irish- my Grandmother had red hair and we all have fair skin. After taking my DNA test, I found out I am .03 American Indian and 39% Scottish- and the rest English. I have always been fascinated with all things Celtic - Great posts and Thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteI'm Scotch-Irish, Welsh, French, Cherokee, English, and German. Glad you enjoyed the post.
DeleteThe Irish Soda Bread sounds delicious. I'll write down the recipe. RE: 4-leaf clovers, I had a friend who could look at the ground and spot one right off. She had an eye for them. I never have found one.
ReplyDeleteYour friend must have had eagle eyes! Hope you enjoy the bread. I made a Cottage Pie and the Soda Bread on St. Patrick's Day. Very delicious. Had a wee dram of Bushmills Irish Whiskey too.
DeleteTwo Readers left a comment with their email addresses. Thank you both for entering. Look for another Giveaway from me in April. RANDOM NAME PICKER selected Fiona W. as the winner. Fiona, I have contacted you by email to deliver your free copy of LIAM'S WILD IRISH ROSE.
ReplyDelete