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St. Patrick's Day Feast

© Becky Doland

"May the face of every good news and the back of every bad news be toward you" - Irish toast

'Tis March, and that means St. Patrick's Day! Gather your friends together and celebrate this most popular of all Irish-American holidays. Of course, the predominant color in decorations for St. Patrick's Day is green. Right now the grocery store, florists, and nurseries have some lovely little pots filled with shamrock plants, so set these around the party area, in windowsills, even on the bathroom counter. Accompany with green and white candles, some pillars of varying sizes along with small votives. Irish whiskey (Jameson is a good one) makes a nice cocktail, on the rocks with a little soda. And of course, beer (just try to restrain yourself from tinting it green - eewww!)

"May you live to be a hundred years old, with one extra year to repent"

Now, here are a few wonderful recipes to dazzle your guests with:

Irish Bread:

1 stick of real butter 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ cup sugar ¼ teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup whole milk 2 ½ cups all purpose flour 1 cup raisins Cream butter with sugar. Mix flour, salt, baking powder together. Add to butter mixture a little at a time, alternating with milk. Stir in raisins. Pour into an 8" square pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Roast Pork Loin in Sweet Whiskey Sauce ;

6 lb. Boneless pork loin Score well with sharp knife. Sauce: 1 Tbs. Vegetable oil 1 onion, peeled and minced 2 cloves garlic, minced ¼ cup honey 1 cup Irish whiskey 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbs. Ketchup the juice of 1 lemon 4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth In medium saucepan, heat the oil and cook the onion and garlic until soft, about 2 minutes on a medium heat. Add all the remaining ingredients, stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook 15 minutes. Brush generously over pork loin, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast until meat thermometer inserted in thickets part of meat registers 170 degrees, about 2 ½ hours. Occasionally brush with whiskey sauce. When done, transfer pork loin to serving platter and slice.

Top off your dinner with a dessert table of apple cake, Irish shortbread cookies, vanilla ice cream, and scones with clotted cream. Fabulous!

"May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and the road downhill all the way to your door."