St Patrick's Day Twists

 Corned beef and cabbage along with soda bread are traditional St Patrick's Day dishes.Yet it's time to change it up a bit. Shake up tradition with delicious spins on these foods and others.

Corned beef sliders are a better choice than just the slices served with cabbage. You can added cabbage, just shred it. Sauerkraut can also work well here or sauteed cabbage. This is just sauteing the leaves in a mix of olive oil and butter>Leave out the salt when seasoning because the corned beef is salty as is. What rolls should you put the filling on? Hawaiian rolls are good. Their sweetness counteracts the saltiness of the corned beef and the sauerkrauts' tanginess. Regular slider rolls work too.For a fun St Paddy's Day brunch try a conred beef strata. This is made not with cabbage but tasty layers of spinach and cheese.It's like a savory egg custard with layers of corned beef ,spinach and cheese. If you want cabbage to go with it. then think a light coleslaw .If you want a quicker meal then air fry the corned beef and cabbage. Doing such will also give the meal a light crunch too.

Most home bakers will be baking a loaf ro two of Irish soda bread tomorrow. Any homemade loaf is tasty but how about changing it up a bit? Try the recipe as muffins. THis makes for a great side to the corned beef and cabbage or perfect on their own with butter as a light dessert afterwards. You could also try Ballymaloe brown bread which is an easy dense loaf and slightly different than soda bread. The New York Times Food section published the recipe on Wednesday and it's an easy bake that requires just yeast, water and molasses mixed in with whole wheat flour and Kosher salt. THis is perfect for those next day sandwiches too. Colcannon that wonderful mix of mashed potatoes , spinach and garlic can also benefit from a twist. Try fried colcannon balls for a tasty spin. Add a center of sharp cheddar for a flavorful side or hors d'ouevre. They're formed int balls and dipped first in egg and then breadcrumbs. Use panko if you want,.

Update these St Paddy's Day treats with new spins. The result is tasty alternatives that make the meal sing. They're fun and perfect for a day of celebrating.

Your Favorite Holiday Recipe

 Not surprsingly this March has a lot of holodays. From Purim to Easter to Nowruz to St Patrick's Day. what is your favorite holiday recipe? GOlden rice for the Persian new Year? Prune hammentasch  to celebrate Queen Esther? Or the traditional glazed ham for your Easter dinner/ Wht about corned beef followed by stout cupcakes on St Patrick's Day? 

Let us know here. It's always fun to share holiday memories and recipes.

Getting ReadyFor St Patrick's Day

Tomorrow is St Patrick's Day and it's the day when most people get their yearly dosage of corned beef and cabbage. Yet Irish cuisine is much more than that. There are some phenomenal potato and turnip recipes along with interesting combinations that celebrate Ireland's love of both the land and of the sea.



You should already have your cabbages. What to do with them? Make a buttery dish of colcannon, a mix of mashed potatoes with cabbage and kale. Fry this up in butter and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Some Irish add bacon (usually the streaky kind ) along with garlic and onions to give it more oomph. Serve this with lamb or mutton, which are traditional meats. You can get the ingredients tonight for a hearty lamb stew for tomorrow's party. Seafood has been popular since the Vikings ruled the island and the Irish love a good oyster stew too. Buy your seafood this evening and get it shelled for tomorrow.



If you're going to go a more Irish American route then you should be starting to bake your soda bread tonight. Remember this is made with buttermilk instead of regular milk . It also is made with currents and raisins so if you want more authentic , then make sure you have the correct ingredients. Bake two breads because everyone loves a fresh slice of the stuff for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the festivities but get ready for them today. You'll have more time to down that Guinness and enjoy whatever Gaelic treats you decide to make.