St. Partick's Day

This is the first year since 1940 that St. Patrick's Day didn't fall on the 17th. Why? Because Easter is so early this year the Pope didn't want everyone getting drunk during Holy Week so the moved it back to Saturday.- you can't make this stuff up! The only problem, they forgot to tell anyone. I was in Dublin a the week prior and no one seemed to know the date had moved. I am pretty sure they wouldn't have changed their long weekend plans much even if they did know :-).

We celebrated on the 17th (we found out the change in date too late too) with our friends John and Sarah (and Hank) by having them over for an Irish dinner.

The Menu:

• Black Velvets (Guinness and champagne - Greg's peanut butter in my chocolate, two great tastiest that are better enjoyed separately in my opinion)


• Selection of Irish cheeses from La Fromagerie (served American style - before dinner)


• Soda Bread (Cooks Illustrated recipe - very easy for bread)
  
• Lamb Stew (Greg tackled this with the Cook's Illustrated recipe and it was really, delicious)
  
• Green salad (Nothing fancy, but needed to get a bit of veg in there)


• Chocolate Guinness Cake (Nigella Lawson recipe)
  

It was all really good if we do say so ourselves - I think this menu will become an annual tradition. This photo doesn't really do it justice - the orange carrots and the parsley really don't pop the way the did in real life. Our lamb came from our favorite butcher, Allen's in Mayfair and was delicious.

It was a fun night even if it wasn't really St. Patrick's Day!