St. Patrick's Day Multi-cultural Celebration

Making food from scratch...

We love St. Patrick's Day! It's the beginning of spring and everything's green. The rain blends into sunny days and all we can think of is the hope of gold at the end of every rainbow. 

Our family is not accustomed to strong cultural traditions, but we stretch our Irish genes on this special day and have created our own tradition of making food from scratch. It all begins with that mess of green and shrub under the weight of my crystal ball.

What is it?

That is our beef brisket from Markegard Ranch in Half Moon Bay, soaking in fresh-pressed celery juice, salt, Sonoma Brinery pickle brine, and pickling spices. We will leave that mess on the counter for 3 days until we rinse off the salty brine and slow cook our corned beef and cabbage.

We won't be making the soda bread that we usually make, because our wheat grinder is visiting an in-law’s house. But do read my post from 2 years ago to see how we made the butter, saved the liquid whey to soak the fresh ground wheat, and made this delicious spotted dog bread in my daughter's third-grade class. 

This weekend I was giving a talk to a group of really smart teachers and parents. I was discussing adding 1 tsp turmeric to rice which is anti-inflammatory and has a very mild flavor and Kat had a great idea. "We should call it Pot of Gold Rice". 

I love it! Thank you Kat!

I love to add broth to rice to bump up the nutrition and spices to change the color. So, this year we will be making a pot of gold rice. Check out how cool it looks, and by the way, it was just as delicious with a pat of our homemade butter. 

My kids are now having so much fun with the idea of St. Patricks Day is all things Irish, green, or homemade that they came up with this list of healthy treats.

St. Patrick's Day Ideas for A Multi-Cultural Celebration

• Gnocchi with pesto - for our Irish Italians with potatoes and green sauce
• Chips and guacamole - for our Irish Mexicans
• Homemade hummus and green veggies - for our Mediterranean Irish friends
• Green salad with lots of sprouts - because they look like 4 leaf clovers
• Corned beef and cabbage - let the slow cooker take care of dinner while you work
• Homemade soda bread with homemade butter - soak the raisins in whiskey for an authentic treat
• Pot of Gold rice with green curry - for our Indian Irish friends
• Stewed apples - this is the most beneficial dessert you can feed your gut

Ok, so none of my photos will win any awards, but I promise you this dish is delicious. Top it with some plain yogurt and it's like eating apple pie. Only this one is good for your gut.

Whatever you decide to do for St. Patrick's Day, try to relax, and enjoy your friends and family. In my 20s that meant to drink a few Guinness, in my 30s it meant to grab take-out from Harry's Hofbrau or somewhere else cooking dinner. Now I just sit back and make food from scratch, relax, enjoy the process with my kids, and try to add a little humor.

This is another final treat shared by my good friend Erin Garay of Angel Birthdays. In her house the leprechauns come and make mischief. They wake up to find chairs on their sides, toys all over the floor, and laundry out of the basket. This isn't entirely different for my kids so we have to go a little further, but the fun is in the story. Our leprechauns get into the booze and don't even come on the appropriate day which takes a huge stress out of timing for us. We end up celebrating most of March on our less busy evenings.

I hope this day of saints brings you joy, new traditions, and a little humor me healthy.

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