Here are five ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at HOME with family, friends or solo during social distancing. Sad that you can’t hit the bar at 8am for green eggs and ham? River dyeing and bagpipers canceled this year? Utilize the resources you have- this is the time to dig through your closet for the most ridiculous green clothing, use the green food coloring, and pipe in some music via your favorite streaming service.
Irish Coffee
Kick off the top o’ the morning the Irish way! Even if you are headed in to work or have responsibilities that don’t jive with alcoholic java, Fire Dept. Coffee has an Irish Whiskey-Infused Coffee to get you into the spirit. 10% of net proceeds from every order goes towards supporting ill or injured firefighters and first responders. Get 25% off when you sign up for texts through their website and free shipping in the US with code FREESHIP. Here is a recipe for a kicked up Irish Coffee!
Egan’s Irish Whiskey and Fire Dept. Coffee-Mixed Coffee
What you need:
4 oz freshly brewed Fire Dept. Coffee
2 tsp brown sugar
1 ½ oz Egan’s Irish Whiskey
1 oz lightly whipped cream
Now put it all together:
- Brew the Fire Dept. Coffee
- Combine the brown sugar and coffee in a cup
- Stir until completely dissolved
- Add Egan’s Irish Whiskey into the mixture and stir thoroughly
- Lightly whip the cream
- Pour the cream over the back of the spoon very carefully
Optional: Add a sprinkle of nutmeg on top of the cream as garnish
Non-Alcoholic Bonus:
Do everything above, but instead of using straight Egan’s Irish Whiskey, brew the Egan’s Irish Whiskey-Infused Fire Dept. Coffee.
PS- Fire Department Coffee is a small business, owned by Luke Schneider and his wife, Kate. They met at a coffee shop where Kate was working. Listen to their story here:
Dogs Want to Celebrate, too!
Is your pup an Irish Setter? Or just loves to celebrate with their humans? You can use the ideas to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at home to make them a part of the party! You can easily create DIY shamrock dog treats. Add a green bandana by cutting a green t-shirt into a triangle and using fabric markers to decorate.
Recipe:
1 cup frozen peas thawed; pop in a blender to make a paste
1 egg
1 Tbs coconut oil
1 cup flour (whole wheat if possible)
Directions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.
- In a bowl mix together the pea paste, egg and coconut oil until it is combined.
- Add the flour and mix until dough forms. Too sticky? Add flour. Too dry? Add water.
- Roll out onto a floured surface. Using cute cookie cutters, cut out and place the treats on a greased baking tray.
- Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until cooked through and slightly golden.
- Make sure treats aren’t too hot when you serve!
EASY Corned Beef & Cabbage Sliders
I make these every year for St. Patrick’s Day and they disappear in minutes. You don’t have to be a culinary expert to create these- merely an expert assembler. You get all of the components of the traditional Irish dish of Corned Beef & Cabbage without cooking a thing!
Recipe:
1 package Hawaiian Rolls
Corned Beef
Coleslaw Salad Mix
Coleslaw Dressing
Mix Cole Slaw Mix with Cole Slaw Dressing. Assemble sliders by slicing rolls in half, piling with corned beef and adding prepared coleslaw. Yes, it is that easy.
Guinness Dessert
Beer pairings have grown in popularity, and desserts pair Guinness with rich, decadent chocolate to create a silky, creamy dessert with a bit of a bitter twist. You can make a Guinness Cheesecake, Guinness Float, Guinness Pretzel Truffles or if you are like me, Guinness Brownies…from a Box. With homemade Guinness frosting. This is one of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day at home activities- incorporating booze into cooking.
Guinness Brownies (from a box)
1 box Brownie Mix
1/4 cup Guinness Beer
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1 egg
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients and pour into greased pan. Bake according to directions- brownies are done when a toothpick comes out clean.
Frosting:
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2-3 Tablespoons Guinness
Beat butter until fluffy. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Add in the vanilla extract and Guinness. Add more powdered sugar if it is too runny or more Guinness if too thick. Spread over cooled brownies.
Irish Dance
You’ve seen Michael Flatley’s fast feet in Riverdance, but have you ever given it a shot? Pipe in your own music and try the basic step- you can learn the 1, 2, 3 in a minute! Make sure to decorate your home for a final performance and video it to share with friends.
Cheers to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at home! You can still wear green, listen to bagpipers through Alexa (tell her to play “Irish Bagpipe Music”), and have a beer (many liquor stores are doing curbside delivery, shop local!).
