Good, Jaybird, celebrate every holiday. For Leap year get a Kangaroo for your desk and give out cookies. Cookies make everyone happy! I don't get upset if non Irish wear Orange on St. Pat's Day, as long as they are not sitting at MY table! LOL. Actually, we never did that decking ourselves out in green thing. I think it is getting a bit overdone with the green hair, and green BAGElS! But whatever makes them happy... Patty, I saw a show on the Food Network about the Garlic Festival, and Pickle too. I know all over the country they have food related festivals. We have Strawberry Festivals in June and Clam Chowder Contests in the summer. I get a mag called TASTE OF HOME and there are always stories about cherry, apples, etc festivals. Sounds like fun!

I only saw salad/cake plates when I was there. No dinner plates at all. In the ad they have the teapot sitting on the salad plate. I try to go at least ones a month because it's an hour and half from my house and I have to travel enough for work that during offtime I don't feel much like roadtrips.

I made Dublin COddle a few years ago and though everyone ate it, they all said they would prefer the Corned Beef route so there you have it. They way I made it was Sausage, Ham, potatoes, cabbage, etc all sort of cooked together. So this year we are back to the traditional CB & C, with parsnips, carrots, onions... Irish Soda Bread on the side, probably a few Black & Tans, a tot of Bushmills for me and Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes for dessert. I made those last year for the first time and they were a huge hit! Of course, the kids only get 1 LOLOLOLOL! Alexa

These are some goodies I've made for years for our St. Patrick's Day Hoolies (parties). -Grainlady McCann's Irish Oatmeal Cookies (Source: box of McCann's Quick Cooking Oatmeal) Cream: 1-1/4 c. margarine (I use butter), 1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar, 1/2 c. granulated sugar, 1 egg slightly beaten, 1 t. vanilla Combine together: 1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour, 1 t. baking soda, 1 t. salt (optional), 1 t. cinnamon (optional) 3 c. McCann's QUICK Cooking Oatmeal (don't use steel-cut oats), 3/4 c. raisins (I omit), 1/2 c. walnuts. Cream margarine and sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, add to shortening mixture. Mix well. Stir in oats, raisins and walnuts. Drop rounded teaspoons of batter on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes at 375-degrees F. Cool 1 minute before removing to wire cooling rack. Yield: 4-1/2 dozen. [Grainlady note: these are crunchy cookies, not chewy, and any brand of quick oats will work.] ------------------------------------ Broonie (Irish Gingerbread) 2 c. flour 1-1/2 t. baking soda 1 t. cinnamon 1 t. ground ginger 3/4 t. salt 1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened 1/2 c. sugar 2 eggs 1 c. molasses 1/2 c. quick-cooking oatmeal 1 c. hot water Measure flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Sift together onto waxed paper. In mixing bowl, combine butter with sugar until well blended. Add the eggs. Pour mixture into greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake in a 350-degree F. preheated oven 25-30 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness. Cut into squares and serve warm. ----------------------------------------------- Kerry Apple Cake 1-1/2 c. flour 1/2 c. sugar 1 t. baking powder 1/2 t. cinnamon 1/4 t. ground cloves 1/4 t. salt 1/2 c. butter or margarine 1 egg, slightly beaten 1/3 c. milk 3 medium size apples, peeled and thinly sliced, (about 2-1/2 cups) 1/4 c. brown sugar Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and spices. Cut in butter or margarine with a pastry blender until mixture is coarse crumbs [Grainlady note: use an electric hand-held mixer for this step.]. Add egg and milk and blend well to a stiff batter. Mix in apple slices and spread in a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle top with brown sugar, bake in a 375-degree F. oven 25-minutes. Serve warm, with whipped cream if desired. ------------------------------------------------- KILLARNEY CHERRY CAKE (I've posted this recipe so many times on the Internet over the years that you can now Google it and find the recipe. I found this recipe in a cookbook that was compiled by Home Ec. Teachers in the "Foreign Section". How authentic to Ireland it is is somewhat doubtful - although cherries are an Irish favorite - but this cake is always a hit and easy to make.) 1-lb. 2 1/2 oz. pkg. chocolate fudge cake mix 1/4 c. plus 3 T. creme de menth or 1 1/2 t. peppermint flavoring (I use peppermint flavoring) 1/2 c. chopped red or green Maraschino cherries 1 1/2 c. heavy cream 2 T. confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) 1/4 c. whole green (or red) Maraschino cherries Chocolate curls (take a potato peeler to a cold or frozen Hershey Chocolate Candy Bar) Prepare cake according to package directions, substituting 1/4 c.creme de menthe for 1/4 c. water or adding 1 t. peppermint flavoring and using the same amount of water as called for on the box (Grainlady note: I prefer the peppermint flavoring to the creme de menthe - creme de menthe tends to burn the cake). Stir in chopped cherries; pour into two greased 9-inch layer pans. Bake as directed on cake mix package. Cool. Whip the cream with remaining creme de menthe or 1/2 t. peppermint flavoring and confectioners sugar. Spread one-third of the whipped cream between cake layers. Heap remaining whipped cream on top. Arrange whole cherries on the top of the cake (Grainlady note: drain and blot the cherries on paper towels first to prevent cherry juice dripping on the whipped cream), add chocolate curls over whipped cream. Note: If you want to save time and money, frost the cake with a tub of Cool Whip (regular or Extra Creamy, the Low-fat stuff doesn't hold up well) with either creme de menthe or peppermint flavoring in it instead of whipping the cream. Make sure this cake is refrigerated until time to serve.