ST. PATRICK'S DAY DELIGHTS 🌈🍀
Top o' the morning to ya! New twists, classic dishes, and leprechaun bait.
Monday is St. Patrick’s Day AKA Chicago’s favorite holiday — when the Windy City opens up, the river turns bright green, parades crowd the streets, pubs bust at the seams, and of course, lots and lots of beer. And while we may have outgrown the bar-hopping festivities of the city, we still enjoy celebrating the “spirit of the Irish” with hearty food and Guinness, naturally.
Speaking of Guinness, this famous Irish stout known for its deep rich color, creamy head, smooth flavor (our friend Molly thinks it tastes like chocolate milk lol), and tedious pour from the tap is having a moment lately—and not just for the St. Paddy’s Day crowd. The New York Times even wrote a think piece in December about why it seems like “Everybody is Drinking Guinness” right now.
Part of its current popularity can be attributed to the resurgence of Irish culture (Cillian Murphy, Paul Mescal 😉), post-pandemic nostalgia of a drinking experience best had in person (nothing can replace that perfect long Guinness keg pour), and the viral trend known as “splitting the ‘G’”(where drinkers chug Guinness and try to get the line between the stout and the foam to hit the middle of the “G” on a branded pint glass).
And while Guinness has long been affectionately known as “a meal in a glass” it is actually a fairly low-calorie beer with a relatively low alcohol content (who knew??). It also happens to be the perfect stout for this week’s star recipe: Jalapeño Cheddar Beer Bread.
Not to be mistaken with cornbread (although they look similar) beer bread has a crispy exterior and a soft and moist interior. The beer flavor pairs perfectly with the extra sharp cheddar and slightly spicy jalapeños (bacon would also be a nice addition). And to get into the St. Paddy’s Day spirit, in addition to Guinness, I used Irish cheese and Irish butter. YUM!
Did you hear that crunch?
We served the bread alongside a delicious cabbage soup (also goes very well with corned beef and cabbage).
If you’d rather skip the meat-heavy Irish dishes this holiday, my vegetarian cabbage soup is a tasty alternative. Cabbage and potatoes still give it an Irish touch and beans add protein and additional heartiness making it filling enough for dinner or lunch.
IRISH FARE WITH PANTRY FLAIR 🇮🇪
Beer bread and cabbage soup isn’t exactly your traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal, so if you’d prefer something more classic here are our favorite Irish ol’ faithfuls.
Corned beef and cabbage— the quintessential and unofficial St. Patrick’s Day meal. This recipe is simple and traditional. The corned beef is boiled with spices and simmered for hours until tender. It’s served with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots, all cooked in the same corned beef simmering liquid. And if you have leftovers you can make a griddled corned beef sandwich or breakfast hash 🤤.
My guilt-free shepherd’s pie recipe has all the flavors of a classic shepherd’s pie without beef and dairy-heavy mashed potatoes. This is also one of the most popular recipes in our recipe library! Even without the beef, heavy milk, and mash, it still remains a cozy filling dish perfect for the last days of winter, and St. Paddy’s Day, of course.
This year, I plan on trying my recipe using a twice-baked potato. In this version, you bake potatoes and scoop out the center for the mash. Then fill the potatoes with the shepherd’s pie filling, top with your mashed potatoes, and bake once more…um yummm.
CATCH YOURSELF A LEPRECHAUN 🌈
You know we love a sweet treat, especially a festive one ☺️. “Puppy Chow” AKA “Muddy Buddies” is a popular homemade Midwest dessert snack made with Chex cereal coated in melted chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar. Growing up, we all had a friend whose family made puppy chow for birthday parties, get-togethers, and school events. Our St. Patrick’s Day version is a bright Irish green, and the perfect bait to entice a little leprechaun into your trap! And if you want to get the kids involved, have them sort the M&M colors and Lucky Charms marshmallows from the cereal.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! May the “Luck of the Irish” be with you! 🍀🇮🇪
THANKS FOR READING!
Cheers 🥂
Hil & Nat
Don’t forget you can access the entire recipe library with all your favs here.