Holidays and Events Recipes

It's almost St. Patrick's Day, and for many that means boiling up a nice authentic Irish dinner of corned beef and cabbage. The original Irish recipe actually used a type of lean bacon, made with a cut of pork similar to Canadian bacon. Corned beef came into the picture as a lower-cost substitution, to replace the more expensive and harder to find cut.

This is an 'Irish' way to deal with the leftover corned beef after the American corned beef and cabbage feast. My husband considers this a wonderful part of the corned beef cycle. I use red potatoes with skins on, substitute ham for the corned beef, and leeks for the green onions, depends on what's in the fridge.

This is not the dark bread you see in every restaurant in Dublin or Galway these days but I promise, it's authentic Irish Soda Bread, exactly how my late Irish grandma made it. Serve warm or cold with butter. This freezes great. I've made several loaves before St. Patrick's Day, or family parties. I freeze them, take them out the morning they're needed and warm up in a hot oven for 5 -7 minutes before serving.

St. Paddy's Day done right: Meat, potatoes, and Ireland's best beer. I tossed some parsley on it at the end b/c I happened to have some. Not necessary.

This is a meal on a bun. My Mother used to make this for us when time was limited or when meat wasn't allowed. You can serve it alone with rice and vegetables or on a bun with tomato and lettuce. Delicious and filling.

Brought over from Poland by my great-grandmother, these little fruit-filled cookies are traditional for the Jewish holiday Purim where they are put in gift baskets and given to all one's friends. We always make extra so there are some left over for us, they are the best! (The filling can be anything, for a shortcut, you can substitute any flavor of jam, but this is the original filling.)

A bittersweet, dark, Guinness®-chocolate layer sits atop chewy caramel and salty pretzels for a rich dessert that's sure to wow. Plan ahead as this takes quite a bit of prep and cooling time. Make sure to read through the entire recipe before starting. Serve this tart at room temp, topped with some whiskey whipped cream, extra pretzels, and a sprinkle of sea salt to taste.

Soda bread farls are ideal for frying after they have been made a day or so. These taste great with a poached egg on top. Fried soda is also one of the essential ingredients in an Ulster fry.

They're the ultimate union of sweet and tart.

St. Patrick's Day only comes once a year, so make it count with one of these festive drinks.

Parmesan cheese adds a salty, savory component to sweet, tender asparagus. Try it next to grilled fish or lamb.

Crisp edges, chewy middles, and so, so easy to make. Try this wildly-popular chocolate chip cookie recipe for yourself.