Tomorrow is another holiday and you know what that means for my house – a St. Patrick’s Day celebration! We love celebrating holidays and try to do something fun for each one. We’ve done all sorts of crazy things for St. Patrick’s Day before but one of the traditions is the food. We have the same thing for dinner every year – corned beef and cabbage. My kids actually love it and request it every year at St. Patrick’s Day because it is usually the only time I make it.

We usually have the corned beef and cabbage with Irish soda bread. It is a tasty and easy bread. For dessert we usually do something simple and add green to is somehow. Cookies, cake or brownies with green frosting are always a fun and easy idea. Green mint ice cream or green grasshopper pie are also super yummy and fun ideas for a St. Patrick’s Day dessert.

Here are the St. Patrick’s Day recipes I use to make the corned beef and cabbage and the Irish soda bread. Try them tomorrow and let us know how you like them!

Corned Beef and Cabbage – Makes 5 Servings

Ingredients:

3 pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet

10 small red potatoes

5 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces

1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges

Directions:

1. Place the corned beef in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spice packet that came with the corned beef. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 50 minutes per pound or until tender.

2. Add whole potatoes and carrots, and cook until the vegetables are almost tender. Add cabbage and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove the meat and let set for 15 minutes.

3. Place the vegetables in a bowl and cover. Add as much broth (cooking liquid that was in the Dutch oven or large pot) as you want. Slice the meat across the grain.

Easy Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of the buttermilk and egg. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form the dough into a round shape and place it on the greased cookie sheet. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk then brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an X into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in a preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Start to check after 30 minutes. You may want to continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.