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Wishing you always…
Walls for the wind,
A roof for the rain
And tea (or a hot whiskey) beside the fire.
Laughter to cheer you,
Those you love near you,
And all that your heart may desire
For more Ireland photos and travel ideas, visit my Travel page.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day or Lá Fhéile Pádraig to all, and especially to my favorite Irish export, my lovely husband.
Tags: Ireland
Planning your St. Patrick’s Day menu? Below you will find an easy dessert that consists of just four ingredients (more, if you like add-ins like raisins and nuts), and requires no baking. It’s a bit lumpy and bumpy which makes me love it all the more; it’s Irish biscuit cake, a popular favorite in Ireland and the groom’s wedding cake for the royal wedding of Prince William and the lovely Duchess Kate.
Before we dive into the biscuit cake, here are a few ideas for your St. Patrick’s Day feast.
Irish Whiskey and Brown Sugar Salmon
As long as you don’t call anything a car bomb, you’ll be all set.
Back to the biscuit cake, which could not be easier. I used a recipe from Kerrygold, omitting the hazelnuts because I forgot to buy them.
First you’ve got chocolate.
And then there’s golden syrup. I got this in the Irish section at our local grocery store. I am guessing that grocery stores across the US don’t have Irish sections (which makes me even happier to live in Dorchester), so you can also use honey or corn syrup. I’d recommend finding golden syrup though, as it has a lovely, slightly burnt caramel flavor. Someone had to lick the spoon. . .
The final two ingredients are Kerrygold butter and rich tea biscuits. Thankfully, the recipe only used about half the sleeve, which means we have biscuits for tea for the rest of the week.
To make this dessert, you simply need to melt the butter, chocolate, and golden syrup together, either in the microwave or over a double boiler, then fold in broken biscuits. You can also add nuts and raisins, depending on your preferences. It’s that simple.
Once the ingredients are combined, pour into a wax paper lined container, and let cool until completely firm.
Cut into bars, and enjoy this sweet little tea treat.
Are you planning on any St. Patrick’s Day recipes this week?
Tags: chocolate, dessert, easy dessert, easy recipe, Food, Ireland, recipes, St. Patrick's Day
Spring definitely feels like it’s on its way here in Boston! We had the windows open for much of the weekend, and it was lovely to feel fresh breezes blowing through the windows. I love the change of seasons and the hope that March brings just as much as I love St. Patrick’s Day and my birthday season. Chilly nights still call for warm comfort food, and Sunday dinner was a delicious Guinness beef stew that I put together without a recipe.
Ingredients:
1,14.9 ounce can of Guinness
1 pound of stew beef
1 cup of beef stock
3 cups chopped red potatoes
2 cups baby carrots
2 cups butternut squash
2 cups peas and pearl onions
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter
garlic powder, black pepper, parsley, and sea salt to taste
I started by marinating the stew beef in Guinness, garlic powder, black pepper, sea salt, and parsley. It smelled so good! While the beef marinated, I prepped the veggies, saving time and money by using frozen peas and butternut squash.
When I was ready to get this all-day recipe going, I started by removing the beef from the Guinness marinade and dusting it with flour. I added the beef to an already-browning roux and cooked the beef on all sides until browned. Then I poured in the Guinness marinade and scraped up all of the beef bits from the bottom of the pan. I layered the veggies in, poured in beef stock, and added the tomato paste, stirred, and cooked on very low for five hours.
The result was a rich, flavorful, filling dinner that went perfectly with my favorite brown bread. The Guinness base of the stew added so much depth; this is definitely a Sunday dinner winner and a great option for St. Patrick’s Day.
I can’t believe it’s Monday already. I’m a little overwhelmed already by my workload for the week but excited because my fantastic father-in-law arrives from Ireland on Wednesday. We’re having a party for him Friday night, and I can’t wait to be with family and friends to celebrate him.
What are you looking forward to this week?
Tags: beef, Food, Guinness, Guinness beef stew, Ireland, St. Patrick's Day
