Irish Stew

Some of the most delicious things evolve out of necessity. Nowhere has this been more true than in Ireland, where culinary tradition was built on making do with less.where food has never been a plentiful commodity among the people. Mothers and wives for over two hundred years have had to cook with what was available. Today many of us think of corn beef and cabbage for St. Patricks Day but on Irish soil stew is much more traditional. The ingredients are layered in a pot and cook all day in a slow oven. I must admit I dont care for lamb so I just substitute beef.


Irish Stew

Serves 4 to 6
Irish stew is traditionally served with buttered boiled carrots.

3 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled

2 medium onions (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise and cut into thin half-moons

2 1/2 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh thyme

3 cups homemade lamb stock, or homemade or lowsodium store-bought chicken stock

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh curly- or flat-leaf parsley


1. Preheat oven to 325°. Cut 1 pound of the potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; spread them out in a large (5- to 6-quart) heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven. Layer half the onions on top of the potatoes.
2. Place lamb cubes on top of onions. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; season with pepper. Add the thyme. Place remaining onions on top of lamb. Add the stock and 1 cup water.
3. Place whole potatoes on top of onions. Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Cover with a tight-fitting lid; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Transfer to oven; cook, without stirring, 2 hours. Sprinkle with parsley.

Shamrock Boutonniere

Saint Patrick would have approved of these little green accessories. According to popular legend, the fifth-century Christian missionary to “heathen” Ireland used a three-leaf clover to explain the Trinity. The shamrock later became the Irish national emblem, proudly worn on Saint Patrick's Day (March 17) to honor the Emerald Isle and its patron saint. This year, add a personal touch: Wear shamrocks of your own design.

Martha Stewart provides a template and directions on her website
Shamrock Boutonniere

Kids Books for St. Patricks Day

I found this great list of childrens books on Kids Domain and what better way to spend time with your child than reading


Ages 4-8
Crafts for St. Patrick's Day
by Kathy Ross,
Illustrated by Sharon Lane Holm
Twenty easy craft projects including a shamrock bird, leprechaun face mask, a shillelagh, a rainbow bracelet, and a pot of gold table decoration.

Daniel O'Rourke : An Irish Tale (Picture Puffins)
by Gerald McDermott
Join Daniel O'Rourke as he is whisked from a small brook to the moon and then to the sea.
An Irish Night before Christmas / a Leprechaun's St. Patrick's Day Audiocassetteby Sarah Kirwan Blazek
An Irish Night Before Christmas tells a satirical version of Father Christmas' yearly visit. A Leprechaun's St. Patrick Day is the day in the life of one family's celebration of the holiday on the Emerald Isle.

Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato
by Tomie dePaolaLazy
Jamie O'Rourke doesn't lift a finger, even after his wife hurts her back digging the "praties" they depend on; but he does catch a leprechaun, who gives him a seed that grows into a potato so large that it takes the combined efforts of the village to dig it up and eat it.

Jeremy Bean's St. Patrick's Day
by Alice Shertle,
Illustrated by Linda Shute
Shy Jeremy Bean forgets, much as to his humiliation, to wear green to school for St. Patrick's Day.

Leprechaun Gold
by Teresa Bateman,
Illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger
What happens when you save a leprechaun from drowning? He'll reward you with enough gold to last a lifetime! If you're Donald O'Dell, however, you'll refuse to take such a generous gift. What's a leprechaun to do but resort to matters of the heart to repay Donald for his heroic act.

A Leprechaun's St. Patrick's Day
by Sarah Kirwan Blazek,
Illustrated by James Rice
Five little leprechauns set out to make mischief for a rather large family during the St. Patrick's Day parade.

O'Sullivan Stew: A Tale Cooked Up in Ireland
by Hudson Talbott
The king's men take a beloved horse from an outcast witch but the Crookhaven community doesn't know what to do. Kate O'Sullivan, her two brothers and father take matters into their own hands, determined to return the horse to it's rightful owner. Unfortunately, they get caught trying to take the horse back and are sentenced to hang for their deeds. Kate cooks up a delicious story to save their lives.

Patrick : Patron Saint of Ireland
by Tomie De Paola, illustrated by Tomie dePaola
A brief, straight forward summary of the known facts about the saint's life.

The Ring of Truth : An Original Irish Tale
by Teresa Bateman,
Illustrated by Omar Rayyan
When Patrick O'Kelly brags that his blarney exceeds that of the king of the leprechauns he finds himself suddenly without the ability to fib, boast, exaggerate, embellish, or lie. How will he ever make his living as a salesman, much less win the county's blarney contest?

Shamrocks, Harps, and Shillelaghs: The Story of the St. Patrick's Day Symbols
by Edna Barth,
Illustrated by Ursula Arndt
Who was St. Patrick? And what do leprechauns, shamrocks, shillelaghs, and reed pipes have to do with it? These questions and more are answered about this early spring holiday.

St. Patrick's Day
by Dorothy Rhodes Freeman
Describes the celebration of Saint Patrick's Day which honors the patron saint of Ireland.

St. Patrick's Day in the Morning
by Eve Bunting,
Illustrated by Jan Brett
Jamie is determined to prove that he's not too young to march in the big St. Patrick's Day parade.

Tim O'Toole and the Wee Folk : An Irish Tale (Picture Puffins)
by Gerald McDermott
When the evil McGoons trick Tim O'Toole out of his fortune, he teams up with his benefactors, the Little People, to regain his treasure.

Ages 9-12

The End of the Rainbow: A Story about the Meaning of St. Patrick's Day
by Louise Mandrell
First a mysterious shamrock appears on Miss Wink's front door. Then Kate and Mickey find a sign on their new clubhouse: "The Green Shamrock Gang Was Here." Will the Dixon twins be able to solve this mystery?

Let's Celebrate St. Patrick's Day : A Book of Drawing Fun
by Pamela Johnson
A simple how-to-draw guide using St. Patrick's Day as its theme.

Mary McLean and the St. Patrick's Day Parade
by Steven Kroll, Illustrated by Michael Dooling"
In 1849, the potato famine forces Mary's family to leave their farm in Ireland and cross the ocean to settle in a basement room in New York City. Living in the drab surroundings, Mary dreams of the grand St. Patrick's Day parade, in which their local storekeeper, Mr. Finnegan, drives a gaily decorated horse-drawn cart. Mary can ride in the cart only if she finds a shamrock--an unlikely event, given the snow-covered ground. The appearance of a leprechaun finally helps her fulfill her dream."

The St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Mystery
by Marion M. Markham,
Illustrated by Karen A. Jerome
First a mysterious shamrock appears on Miss Wink's front door. Then Kate and Mickey find a sign on their new clubhouse: "The Green Shamrock Gang Was Here." Will the Dixon twins be able to solve this mystery?
Parent Helps


Book list contributed by Alecia Dixon and Nora McDermott

Shamrock Cookies

These wonderful cookies get their green color from the instant pistachio pudding mix so bake up a few with your little leprechauns !

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (3 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
1 1/3 cups baking mix
1 egg
1 tablespoon white sugar

Cooking Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheet.
2. Cream together the butter or margarine and the pudding mix. Blend in the baking mix, egg and sugar and mix well.
3. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 3/8 inch thickness and cut into cookies with a shamrock cookie cutter.
4. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 9 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Let cookies cool on rack. Frost with green colored icing if desired