St. Patricks Day Feast!

Having lived in the United States for over 15 years!! and having never really property celebrated the national Holiday of St. Patrick, this was finally the year to do it!  What better way than hosting an "Irish breakfast" - the "full Irish" as we call it back home with real Irish sausage, rashers, beans, grilled tomatoes, smoked salmon, soda bread and buttermilk scones, all accompanied with lashings of Irish music, a roaring fire and lots of friends!! Recipe for success right? Yes indeed, this was the best Irish feast and now we will make it an annual tradition. Everyone asked how is St. Patrick's celebrated at home and I had to tell them that during my days of growing up, the highlight of the day was attending mass at 8 AM, watching who wore the best sprig of shamrock that had been picked from the field that morning with fresh dew on it, and of course the break from the Lenten fast, which meant we could eat sweets that day, ah the joys of a time where everything was simpler, slower, more traditional and meaningful. Those days are sadly gone and probably don't really exist anymore in my homeland, but having and passing those sweet memories to my family and friends here in the USA somehow preserves them in time.