Happy St.Patrick's Day!!

St Patrick's Day is here! What a great holiday... An excuse to wear green, which we blondes look especially good in, to drink many beers...

St Patrick's Day is here! What a great holiday... An excuse to wear green, which we blondes look especially good in, to drink many beers perhaps beginning at an early hour, and to cook an Irish feast! Now I know you're all thinking, "That's just what she does every day..." but March 17th is special. The green is much more elaborate, I almost always break out the kelly green, the best shade of green. The beer-drinking is accompanied by the rest of the participating country, and the beer is often green. Of course the feast is special too. I make Irish stew many times throughout the year, yes... But I don't serve it alongside beer-braised cabbage, colcannon, and loaves upon loaves of Irish soda bread. See? Holiday.

 
Irish Stew... One of the most comforting soups you can make. Traditionally, it's made with lamb and is just a glorified beef stew. But since I am very untraditional, and vegan, I make some steamed seitan and simmer it inside. The broth is homemade usually, to reach the deepest darkest depths of flavor imaginable. Oh, and beer goes in too. Got to make it Irish.
 Colcannon is just creamy whipped potatoes with spinach and kale spread into a casserole dish and baked until browned. But it sounds very festive to call it "Colcannon." Instead of cream, butter, and whatever goes into traditional Colcannon, I made a roasted garlic cashew cream to pour in while my potatoes whipped. You can achieve the the highest levels on the "creamy" scale when using cashew cream. The cashew phenomenon is in full swing right now, and I'm totally on the bandwagon.
 Beer-Braised Cabbage is my cabbage addition to the feast. The cabbage is always what people push off their plates, try to hide it in their potatoes, or under their soda bread to make the cook think they ate it. Everyone is always convinced they don't like it, even before trying it. So I tried to make it look as appetizing as possible so that it wouldn't get the plank straight away. Along with green cabbage, I braised onions and garlic in a ton of beer and topped it off with crispy fried shallots, and a little parsley, a little green keeping it festive.

Irish Coffee Cupcakes
Star of the show, incredibly moist with a Jameson butterscotch filling, these cakes are vanilla base with the addition of espresso and topped with an almondy buttercream and a green sugar drizzle. I used to drink Irish coffees all the time before I was poor. They serve it to you in a big mug and top it with whipped cream and green drizzle, so if you've ever had one, you know what I'm talking about with the fluffy buttercream and green sugar drizzle.. Jameson on the inside... Get it? It's an Irish Coffee. Cupcake.
A solid favorite for sure. 

Happy St Patrick's Day Everybody!

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