Tuesday, February 23, 2016

St. Patrick's Day Celebration

I've been busy working on fun St. Patrick's Day food. Everyone knows about Corned Beef and cabbage. It's not an Irish dish but an Irish American dish.
For those in Ireland the traditional dish would usually consist of boiled bacon.

In the early 1900's the Irish were the poorest people in America and so they couldn't afford to eat meat every night. They could eat meat about once a week.

Photo from The Granger Collection, New York
The cheapest cut of meat was the brisket. Brining helped preserve the meat. Cabbage was another inexpensive vegetable and that became their special once a week meal.

When people started celebrating St. Patrick’s Day they wanted to eat a special Irish meal. Corned Beef and Cabbage was that meal. I thought of some dishes to serve along side,  and this is what I recommend.

First - a cold Sweet Potato Salad. My friend (and mentor) Janet and I went to a cafe down on the square here in Marietta and they had a cold sweet potato salad. I went home and tried to recreate it. I think I did a good job. Instead of raisins I used cranberries but either would work fine and of course I used doTERRA essential oils in all my recipes.

Orangemen Salad
(The Orange Order- named for William of Orange,  the Dutchman who seized the thrones of King James II back in the revolution of 1688). 


Ingredients:
4 sweet potatoes (washed, boiled till tender and skinned)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (more if you like it that way)
1 TBSP Agave or honey
1 drop of doTERRA Cinnamon essential oil (only one drop - no more)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
 2 stalks of celery finely chopped
 salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:
After the sweet potatoes cooled I cut them into chunks.
Whisk the mayonnaise, Agave and Cinnamon together first.
Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Taste it to make sure you have enough salt.
Then gently folded the potatoes into the mixture
Keep the salad in the refrigerator until it’s time to eat.

Photo Credit: CK Worley


Loch Ness Casserole:  
(Turns out to be a Scottish tale - don't get mad at me)!

Ingredients

1 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 summer squash  sliced into rounds
2 zucchini sliced into rounds
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 drops of doTERRA THYME essential oil
3 large eggs
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with butter cooking spray.

Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, and black pepper and cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
Add the squash and zucchini and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
Photo Credit: CK Worley


Combine the eggs, yogurt and Thyme essential oil in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Pour the mixture over the vegetables in a bowl. ( Make sure you drain the vegetables before you toss with the egg mixture.) Mix well and then place everything in the baking dish.
Sprinkle with Swiss cheese.
Bake until the mixture sets, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Cover the dish with foil until ready to serve.
Photo Credit: CK Worley

Lastly, I took a recipe I found in the Christmas edition of the Food Network magazine for Key Lime Crackle cookies and changed it up a bit.

Celtic Fairy Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
4 drops of doTERRA Lime Essential Oil
4 drops green food coloring (remembering that the color will get lighter when flour is added)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the LIME essential oil then beat in the food coloring. Reduce the mixer speed to low; gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.

Photo Credit: CK Worley

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and toss in the confectioners sugar to coat completely. Arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and cracked on top and golden around the edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.


Photo Credit: CK Worley

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St. Patrick was known as the patron Saint of Ireland. He was born to a wealthy British family in Roman England. At the age of 16 he was taken captive by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. While in prison he dreamed that God spoke to him.

He escaped and went back to Britain and later to France. He joined a monastery, where he spent the next 12 years. He became a bishop and went back to Ireland to convert the Pagans to Christianity. There he set up monasteries, schools and churches and was quiet successful.

Once the holiday was established we ended up with the leprechaun (a Celtic fairy), the Blarney stone  an ancient symbol for the goddess Brigit.( Brigit was the goddess of healing, farming crafts, poetry and fire) and shamrocks.

Photo Credit: CatholicCulture.org

And lastly an Irish Prayer -

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,

For every care, a promise,

And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,

A faithful friend to share,

For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

And if you are looking to purchase doTERRA essential oils -
Go here https://www.mydoterra.com/growit/#/
and click on  JOIN and SAVE! Be a part of my team. I will be happy to be your coach! And if you'd rather just order the oils - You can click on the link and do that as well! Happy Days!