Weather ~ St. Patrick's Day ~ My Irish Side ~ Picture of the Day ~ President's Birth Order ~ Irish Cream Cake ~ St. Patrick's Day and National Corned Beef and Cabbage Day

Good 38º  SUPER foggy St. Patrick's Day morning.

Yesterday the snow melted away before 10am. It was still up on the mountains...

Then the sun came out and it was all melted off ....

My Father's side of the family was Irish...

The surname of LANEY was an Irish surname meaning 'the son of Dubslaine' (the son of Slaney) which was derived from the Gaelic de Slaine. It is one of the few Irish place-names, meaning, one who came from Slane in County Meath. Local names usually denoted where a man held his land, and indicated where he actually lived. 

The River Laney in Ireland...

Picture of the Day... my Maggie was a Scottish McNab, but she wore the Irish jewels good!!!  

Interesting about President's birth order...

 

Throughout history, the majority of our commanders-in-chief have been middle children. Abraham Lincoln, JFK, and Donald Trump were all middle children. In fact, just over half – 23, exactly of U.S. Presidents have been middle children. Firstborn children made up the second largest group among the 44 commanders-in-chief. Firstborn children may often be natural leaders, but only 14 U.S. Presidents were the oldest in their respective families. Seven presidents were the youngest in their birth order. There has yet to be a president who was an only child.

From Mr. Food...

Although there's no doubt our Irish Cream Cake is perfect for St. Patrick's Day, here in our Test Kitchen, we think the luck of the Irish should be enjoyed all the time. What gives this cake a little something extra is the Irish Cream liqueur in the batter, and we know everyone is gonna love it! This easy Bundt pan cake made from a simple mix will have everyone green with envy every time you bake it. 

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 (16.5-ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (4-serving) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup water, divided
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup Irish cream liqueur, divided
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 1 cup sugar

 

1. Preheat oven to 325º. Coat a Bundt pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over bottom of pan.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on high, beat cake and pudding mixes, eggs, 1/4 cup water, the vegetable oil, and 3/4 cup liqueur for 2 minutes. Pour batter over nuts in pan.
3. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes in pan.
4. To make the glaze, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, sugar, and remaining 1/4 cup water. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; remove from heat and stir in remaining 1/4 cup liqueur.
5. With a fork, prick holes in top of cake and pour half the glaze slowly over cake. After glaze soaks into cake, invert cake onto a serving platter and pour remaining glaze over cake. Let cool completely then cover lightly until ready to serve.

Historically this date....

1963 – Mount Agung erupted on Bali killing 11,000.

1969 – Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.

1985 – Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the "Night Stalker", commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles, California murder spree.

2008 – Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer resigns after a scandal involving a high-end prostitute. Lieutenant Governor David Paterson becomes New York State governor

And births this date include...

1919 – Nat King Cole, American singer (d. 1965)

1930 – James Irwin, American astronaut (d. 1991)

 

1936 – Ken Mattingly, American astronaut

1938 – Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-born dancer and choreographer (d. 1993)

1951 – Kurt Russell, American actor

1955 – Gary Sinise, American actor

1964 – Rob Lowe, American actor

All I know. Nuff said. Happy St. Patrick's Day. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

St. Patrick’s Day kicks off a worldwide celebration that is also known as the Feast of St. Patrick. On March 17th, many will wear green in honor of the Irish and decorate with shamrocks. In fact, the wearing of the green is a tradition that dates back to a story written about St. Patrick in 1726.  St. Patrick ( c.  AD 385–461) was known to use the shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity and to have worn green clothing. They’ll revel in the Irish heritage and eat traditional Irish fare, too. 

In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated since before the country was formed. While the holiday has been a bit more of a rowdy one, with green beer, parades, and talk of leprechauns, in Ireland, it the day is more of a solemn event. It wasn’t until broadcasts of the events in the United States were aired in Ireland some of the Yankee ways spread across the pond. One tradition that is an Irish-American tradition not common to Ireland is corned beef and cabbage. 

HOW TO OBSERVE

Remember to wear green. Read up about St. Patrick’s Day and cook up an Irish feast! 

SAINT PATRICK’S DAY HISTORY

The Feast of St. Patrick started in the early 17 century. The day marks the death of St. Patrick and was chosen as an official Christian feast day and is observed by the Catholic Church. The day is also a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world, especially in Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.

And..... today is also......

On March 17th National Corned Beef and Cabbage Day coincides with St. Patrick’s Day in the United States.

To “corn” something is simply to preserve it in a salty brine (the term corn refers to the coarse grains of salt used for curing).

Corned beef is a salt-cured beef product. In the traditional Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage recipes, salt pork or bacon joint was used instead of corned beef.  Sometime in the mid-1800s when the Irish immigrated to America, they found that Jewish corned beef was very similar in texture to bacon joint (pork). As a result, corned beef was used as a replacement for the bacon when preparing corned beef and cabbage meals. Soon after, Irish-Americans began having Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day.

Corned beef and cabbage remains a popular food in many areas of the United States.

In Ireland today, the serving of corned beef is geared toward tourist consumption.  Most Irish in Ireland do not identify it as native cuisine.

• In the United States, corned beef is often purchased ready to eat in delicatessens.
• Smoking corned beef and adding spice mixes produces a smoked meat such as pastrami.
• Corned beef can be found sold in minced forms and cans.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with one of the traditional dishes in the United States. Many restaurants across the U.S. will be serving it but you can make it yourself, too. We even have a recipe for you to try. If you go out to celebrate, be sure to give the restaurant a shout out. They’ll be glad that you did. 

Try the following recipe, you will love it!:

Crock Pot Easy Corn Beef and Cabbage Recipe

NATIONAL CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE DAY HISTORY

While the original creator of this food holiday is lost to history, corned beef and cabbage has long been associated with the St. Pattrick’s Day celebration.