Skip to main content

St. Patrick's Day Dinner Menu




I had two questions.  The first question was:  Why do we celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

The second question was:  What can I make for dinner to make St. Patrick's Day fun for the kids (and us crotchety grown-ups too, I guess)?

Well, to answer the first question, St. Patrick's Day is actually a catholic holiday, originally celebrated in honor of St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, who died on March 17. This holiday was originally celebrated as a feast day by the Roman Catholic Church.  However, over time, the holiday morphed into a celebration of Irish pride, and began to include other festivities involving consuming large amounts of alcohol and other green mischief.

Though I am not much Irish, and am not a Catholic, I still will try to wear at least a little green, so I don't get pinched, and pretend to talk like a leprechaun in a horrible Irish accent.  And I will eat green food.

Which brings me to my second question.  What should I make for dinner on St. Patty's Day?

I finally decided on a green menu of Herbed-Mustard Pork Chops, St. Patty's Green Mashed Taters (no yucky food coloring in this recipe), Kiwi Shamrocks, and a special rainbow treat for desert.  On to the recipes!


Herbed-Mustard Pork Chops (based on a recipe from Southern Living)

Ingredients:

4 1/2" thick, bone-in pork chops
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon coarse grain mustard
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 teaspoon sage

1.  Preheat your oven's broiler.

2.  Sprinkle the pork chops on both sides with the salt and pepper.  Place chops on a broiling pan rack.

3.  In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients.  Top each pork chop with a quarter of the butter mixture.

4.  Broil chops 5 inches from heat for 8-10 minutes or until chops reach an internal temperature of 155 degrees F.



St. Patty's Green Mashed Taters

Ingredients:

1 pound potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 cups broccoli crowns, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup warm milk or heavy cream
4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Dash of pepper

1.  Place potatoes in a large pot.  Add cold water just to cover.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium and cover.  Cook potatoes for 10 minutes, then uncover and add the broccoli.  Cover again, and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.

2.  Drain the potatoes and broccoli well.  Add back to the pot and mash with a potato masher until potatoes are smooth.

3.  Add remaining ingredients and stir well.



Kiwi Shamrocks



Basically, you are just cutting kiwi slices in to shamrock shapes using a cookie cutter. 
I do not actually own a shamrock cookie cutter, so I will be attempting this one free-hand with a knife.  Wish me luck.



St. Patrick's Day Rainbows

And finally, I found this adorable St. Patty's idea at Our Best Bites. 

She uses multi-colored Twizzlers to make the rainbows, cotton candy for clouds, and Rolos as the gold.  All of this is placed into little treat bags and tied shut with a ribbon.  Go check it out by clicking the link above, they are so cute!



And this concludes my St. Patty's Day dinner menu.  The only thing I am missing is the beverage.  Any ideas?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Soapmakers: Why You Shouldn't Use Vinegar if You Come into Contact with Lye

It was one of the first things I learned when I began making my own soap; I read it in books and on the internet: "Always keep a jug of vinegar on hand when you are working with lye.  Vinegar neutralizes lye." Soapers, have you heard this?  Do you practice the habit of keeping vinegar nearby when you make your soaps?  So did I, until recently, when I read an interesting post on a soap forum, and then decided to research the claim myself.

Khachapuri: A Delicious Cheese and Egg Filled Bread

If you love the taste of freshly baked bread, cheese, and eggs, this recipe is for you!  It is based on a dish called Khachapuri ( pronunciation here ), which comes from the beautiful country of Georgia, located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Asia.  The name Khachapuri translates to "curd bread," owing to the heavenly combination of melted cheeses inside a soft, fluffy bread boat.

Summer Squash and Wild Rice Casserole

Squash season will soon be upon us. Yellow Crookneck Squash The time will come when I will make my daily trek out to the garden and be delighted to see that my first yellow crooknecks and zucchinis  are ready for picking...and then there will be more the next day, and the next, and the next. It will eventually get to the point where I have grown weary of eating squash sauteed in butter, I've frozen enough of it to last me the winter, and even dehydrated thin slices of it into chips, and still, it continues to produce, and begs for me to pick it. Which is why I wanted to share this recipe--it was a winner (even my oldest son, who is not much into squash, said that it was good). Summer Squash and Wild Rice Casserole