When our children were young, we enjoyed holiday meals and the opportunity to teach them a history or geography lesson. So with St. Patrick’s Day coming soon, I thought I would inspire you to do the same! You probably recall from a world history class that there was a great famine in Ireland in the 1800's. You may also remember that potatoes were the cause of that famine. Wikipedia has the history lesson for you to brush up on but MealEssence.com has some ideas for teaching it.
Traditionally, Corned Beef and Cabbage has been a safe bet for St. Patty’s Day. Grocery stores usually feature corned beef in their ads and cabbage is plentiful. Unfortunately, I have found that while you can serve this for St. Patrick's Day most children and even some adults may not be excited about corned beef and/or cabbage for their holiday offering. I do believe that we are probably safe with potatoes in one form or another!
MealEssence.com is suggesting a meal plan for this year:
Irish Potato Soup
with Irish Soda Bread.
Both are hearty and tasty and, hopefully, selections the whole family will enjoy! Irish Potato Soup is similar to my own recipe so I was anxious to try it. This recipe is sure to be a winner! I believe you will find the Irish Soda Bread is very easy-to-make.
While I found several dessert recipes, I chose Shortbread Cookies cut into shamrock shapes. You may want to add green food coloring to the dough or let everyone ice their own with green frosting, of course!
Now is a good time to pick up that shamrock cookie cutter (as well as the green food coloring) while you are looking for holiday wear! I, too, will be wearing green as I prepare these tasty recipes. Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!