St. Patrick’s Day is one of our favorite holidays. We love the green and magic, the legends and lore associated with the stories of one of our favorite Christian missionaries, the iminitable St. Patrick.
Our youngest son is getting married next month. As I’ve been introduced to his fiance’s style, I learned a new term COTTAGECORE. Lighter and more feminine than Boho, this lifestyle embraces the simpler life, a handmade aesthetic focusing on health and happiness above wealth and prestige.
Cottagecore is not a new phenom, it dates back to ancient Greece when city dwellers became enamored with the simpler life of the country folk. When I was a newlywed, prairie style and handmade just-about-everything were in. We cooked and baked from scratch, made clothes, quilts, gifts and dried flower arrangements and reared our own kids. I remember laying a freshly washed quilt on tall grass to dry.
Don’t forget to read good books; a well-read mind is a marvelous companion to the simple pleasures and lifestyle of Cottagecore.
Read how cloistered Irish priests saved the civilization of Western Europe in Cahill’s classic.
Take an painting class and enjoy the confidence and joy that come from creating art.
For St. Patrick’s Day treat your family and friends to this special roast corned beef – no soggy sodden meat on our table!
Our Delicious Celebratory Roast Glazed Corned Beef, Dijon Buttered Cabbage and Leprechaun Treasure Dessert
GLAZED CORNED BEEFThis is so tasty, you may never go back to old-school corned beef. Preheat oven to 350. Place fat side up in a baking pan
1 corned beef brisket, rinsed, don’t use the spice packet
Cover with foil, bake for 2 1/2 hours or until fork-tender. Drain, score with a knife, stud with
whole cloves
baste with
ginger ale
brush on glaze, return to oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes uncovered. Let cool for 15 minutes,
slice across the grain
BROWN SUGAR MUSTARD GLAZE
Stir together
1/2 C prepared mustard
1/2 C + 2 TBSP brown sugar
DIJON-BUTTERED CABBAGE
Cut in half, remove core and cut into 1/2″ slices
1 medium head of cabbage
Steam covered for 6 to 8 minutes until crisp-tender, drain, drizzle with Dijon butter and season
with sea salt and pepper.
DIJON BUTTER
Melt
1/2 C butter
Stir in
2 1/2 TBSP Dijon mustard
LEPRECHAUN TREASURE DESSERT
The leprechauns keep this hidden until the end of the meal for good reason. You might wish to dig out a Halloween cauldron to serve this dessert sprinkled with gold (chocolate) coins; this treasure has layers of rich chocolate goodness. You may wish to make your own or buy these ingredients:
1 pan of brownies (9″ x 13″ size)
1/2 gallon good-quality mint and chip ice cream
fudge sauce
whipped cream
shaved chocolate
BROWNIES
Bake brownies according to package directions, then cool and break into large chunks
FUDGE SAUCE
Warm in a sauce pan
1 1/2 C heavy cream
Add and stir until melted
16 oz. milk chocolate chips or chocolate bars
1 tsp vanilla
WHIPPED CREAM
In a chilled bowl, whip until soft peaks form
1 1/2 C heavy cream or whipping cream
1/4 C powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
ASSEMBLE LEPRECHAUN TREASURE DESSERT:
In a cauldron or other container layer:
brownies
fudge sauce
ice cream
brownies
fudge sauce
ice cream
fudge sauce
whipped cream
Sprinkle with shaved chocolate and serve with gold coins
