Want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day but wish to keep it simple? Decorate with Irish blessings and devour a warm bowl of colcannon!
I must confess that I delight in decorative touches in my home for various holidays. However, I don’t wish to invest a great deal of time or money. Christmas is a bit of an exception, but even then I’m looking to spend time and money wisely.
Choose from Many Irish Blessings
I decided to start by choosing one of many Irish blessings to center my St. Patrick’s Day decorations around. Sweet and simple caught my attention:
Old Irish Blessing
May green be the grass you walk on, May blue be the sky above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you, May true be the hearts that love you.
Next I asked Connie to design a frameable print featuring that Irish blessing. She gave me two versions. Find your favorite Irish blessing online to print and frame.
Grow Some Grass!
By the time March arrives, I’m longing for a little green grass. In fact, I’m desperate enough to grow some. And if I can grow it, anyone can. After all, just $3 will buy you an easy-to-grow grass seed kit of organic oat grass. It looks great in a display with a framed Irish blessing print and Irish blessing ornament. Moreover, your oat grass makes a healthy treat for your cat after St. Patrick’s Day.
Add a Celtic Cross for Irish Blessings
Your options are endless with your Irish blessings! For example, switch up your frame and display your print with a Celtic cross and Irish creed ornament. Add a little decorative paper shred as the finishing touch.
Looking for a little more DIY fun? Craft Yourself a Great St. Patrick’s Day!
Colcannon Recipe
By now your stomach is beginning to growl. In other words, you’re ready to sit down and enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day decorations over a warm bowl of colcannon. (Recipe submitted by Dietrich Bronner.) You can find this and many other great recipes in “Bronner’s Flavorful Favorites: Book 2.”
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium potatoes, unpeeled, cut into quarters for mashing (thin-skinned like red or gold is best – may use an additional potato or two if some are small)
- 1/2 cup milk, heated (more if needed; use cream or half-and-half in place of milk if you wish)
- 1/2 head cabbage, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
- 1/2 red onion, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 slices center-cut (lean) bacon
Directions
- First, boil potatoes beginning with cold salted water until fork tender.
- Meanwhile, fry bacon in a large pan over medium heat until crispy. (Or cook bacon on a foil-lined, rimmed pan in a 400-degree oven for 15 to 25 minutes depending on its thickness.) Remove, crumble and reserve bacon. (If you cooked your bacon in the oven, drain the bacon drippings into a large skillet.)
- Next, wilt the cabbage and onion in the bacon grease until softened but still slightly crunchy, 5-10 minutes, adding garlic toward the end and stirring frequently to prevent burning. (Deglazing the pan with a splash of your favorite vinegar is always a good idea.) Season with salt and pepper of choice.
- In a large bowl, mash potatoes, adding milk, butter-flavored salt (or 2-3 tablespoons butter), and pepper to taste.
- Lastly, stir in bacon, cabbage and onions, and serve. Great add-ins or toppings are melted butter, shredded cheddar, crumbled feta or blue cheese, sauteed leeks, green onions and parsley.
- Finally, serve as your main dish or a side.
Can one ever have too much bacon? Try our Bacon wraps recipe as an accompaniment to your colcannon!