Everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day
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Celebrate and Conquer: Explore the Irish and St. Patrick's Day while learning about colon cancer.
Whether you're Irish by birth, by marriage, or just by loose affiliation, this is the place to be from now through the end of March!
St. Patrick's Day is the perfect time to celebrate life and possibilities... and to bring a little Irish luck as well as prayers to all those doctors and other ambassadors trying to prevent and cure colon cancer. Because even though March is the month for wearin' of the green, it's also National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month!
So let's banish the banshees and colon cancer, too!
Come on -- jump right in -- there's a lot going on here -- and it's always grand to have fun while also "doing good"!
March is Also National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
...or, yes, even leprechauns need colonoscopies (short scopes)
- Colorectal Cancer is Preventable
- I'm dedicating this lens to my mother, who passed away from colon cancer in 2001. I am convinced that if she had early detection she might still be around today. Her cancer was found at Stage 4, after it had spread throughout her lower abdominal areas.
But are you wondering why I've made this odd connection between colon cancer and St. Patrick's Day? The reason is that even though she had approximately .005% (or less?) Irish blood, my mother LOVED St. Patrick's Day, and celebrated it with gusto! Luckily, her contagious enthusiasm for St. Patrick's Day was passed along to me. Celebrating holidays with spirit was a wonderful part of who my mother was, and I'd like to continue her traditions while raising raising money to continue the fight against cancer.
Any proceeds generated directly through the "Everyone's Irish" lens will be donated to the American Cancer Society specifically for colon cancer research. - What's Happening in Colon Cancer Research?
- Leading researchers paving the way for the eventual eradication of colon cancer.
- Read about Debby Hudson, and the 5KRoad Race to Support Colon Cancer Awareness
- You can donate funds to a number of colon cancer advocacy groups, including the American Cancer Society. A 5K road race being held in Inverness, Florida on March 27 to support Colon Cancer awareness. By clicking on this link, you can read the story of Debby Hudson, a special needs teacher in FL who is being honored by this race.
My Mom, Barbara Frost, a victim of late-discovered colon cancer.
Helpful Little Links...
...and not so little, too
- American Cancer Society
- Colon and rectal cancer with the experts.
- Who was St. Patrick?
- St. Patrick was actually born in Scotland - for this and more information on him, visit this Catholic Online page.
- Young and Young-at-Heart will enjoy this!
- Spy on a few areas of Ireland where leprechauns are said to dwell. It's fun!
- Beer on St. Patrick's Day???
- Everything about brew -- don't go here if you're at work and a sudden thirst has taken over...
- ...and Whiskey on St. Patrick's Day?
- You've got to be kidding -- anyhow, this site actually brings you to a Boston Pubs site that explores Irish whiskey and other Irish spirits.
- Celtic Knots
- For the artsy-craftsy types, this site is very interesting -- check out the Arts and Crafts for examples of projects using the Celtic Knot Fonts available through the site.
- 10 Best Irish Pubs in New England
- From the mountains of NH, to the streets of Newport, RI, 10 pubs to visit
- Hibernians
- Ancient Order of Hibernians in America: Preserving Irish Traditions.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians is a Catholic, Irish American Fraternal Organization founded in New York City 4 May,1836. The Order can trace its roots back to a parent organization, of the same name, which has existed in Ireland for over 300 years. - Collectible Irish
- A very comprehensive collectibles website; the link provided brings you to the Irish gifts section. Hope someone buys me the Waterford ring holder on page 7. My mother, to whom I've dedicated this lens, gave me the set of porcelain ornaments on page 6 - something special to take out each Christmas.
- Free Crafts eBooks, eRecipe books, Kids' Crafts, and more! From Favecrafts.com
- Lots of free things to make and do. That's "free" as in no $$$ required.
- Adorable free cutouts for St. Patrick's Day from TomKatStudio (HGTV)
- Shamrocks and beyond!
My photos of Ireland
My first and only trip so far in 2006
Would like to visit again this year. Especially longing to re-visit Dingle, Cobh, Kinsale, Conamara, Sligo.
These are mainly of the west coast of Ireland.
These are mainly of the west coast of Ireland.
Cooking Up Light on St. Patrick's Day
...or how to keep those little leprechauns healthy
A few recipes for St. Pat's Day weekend and beyond.
- The Traditionalist: Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Okay, so it still has fat and cholesterol -- keep the portions small -- load up on the vegies rather than the meat
- More Traditional: Irish Soda Bread
- Irish Soda Bread - yum - great for breakfast. This recipe uses one half whole wheat flour, raisins (I use currants - more discreet but still very sweet), and buttermilk or yogurt. Have to admit, I have not made it with yogurt. This also has butter in the recipe -- what can I say except Portion Control is the name of the game -- have a small piece of bread and a very large cup of coffee (no, not Irish coffee - at least in the morning).
- Description of Irish Ingredients
- Short on time and want something healthy?
Here's a recipe for Weight Watchers Irish Stew:
Weight Watcher's Irish Stew
Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1-1/2 pounds lean boneless lamb, cut into 1-1/2-inch squares 1/2-inch thick (or boneless chuck)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1 bay leaf
6 whole new red potatoes (5 ounces each)
15 ounces small onions, peeled
1 cup Irish ale or beer
1 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp cornstarch
Chopped parsley
6 slices Italian bread (1 ounce each), optional
Instructions
In a large heavy saucepan, heat 1/2 of the oil. Add 1/2 of the lamb or beef and cook until well browned on one side, 5-7 minutes. Stir and cook 1 minute longer; remove meat and set aside. Add the remaining oil, the lamb (or beef) and the chopped onion to the pan and cook until browned, about 8-10 minutes. Return the first batch of meat to the pan.
Add broth and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add thyme and bay leaf; lower heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.
Add potatoes, onions, ale and salt. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
To thicken stew, add cornstarch to 1/4 cup cold water in a small bowl; stir until smooth. Add to simmering stew; stir gently until thickened. Garnish with parsley; serve with bread.
Yield: 6 servings
Serving (with 1 slice of bread) provides: 1/2 Fat, 1 Vegetable, 3 proteins, 2 breads, 37 calories (if served without bread, subtract 1 bread).
Per serving: With bread: 409 calories, 29 g protein, 9 grams fat, 644 mg sodium. Without bread: 332 calories, 27 gr protein,8 gm fat, 478 mg sodium.
Credits
Recipe from: Weight Watchers Magazine, March 1994
Updates from the student in residence in Cork, Ireland
Our daughter provided her viewpoint as I was writing this lens in 2006, while she was studying abroad in Ireland
This time it's in response to my update of recipes for St. Patrick's Day:
helpful food tips from the researcher who was in residence...
- soda bread is not made with fruit over here. If it is, it's called a fruit soda, and has currants, and sometimes marachino cherry pieces. They don't really have raisins here-- they are usually made from white grapes and called sultanas instead, and are never included in soda breads. Raisins feature prominently in fruit brack, which is a harder loaf more akin to a fruitcake/hardtack (it's gross).
-real tradtional soda bread (in cork, at least) is made with buttermilk (not yogurt) and whole wheat flour, and is shaped in a circle with a cross (think a huge hot cross bun) and dusted with white flour. It's very crumbly.
- most stews here specify using Guinness or another stout like Beamish or Murphy's, not ale (that goes with mussels/fish)
-you should include a recipe for chocolate muffins-- they are huge here. They are more like chocolate cake in a muffin shape, but with a little bit more of a yeast-y taste. Include chunks of cadbury's and drizzle melted milk chocolate on top and let it harden. GREAT for being healthy...
-if you want a more healthy traditional recipe, include a ploughman's sandwich recipe-- most of them here use a heavy Irish cheddar-like cheese (like a thick slice of Dubliner), but you could use reduced fat cheese instead. It is: whole wheat bread (like weight watchers brand) or rye bread, pickles, irish relish (red relish more like ketchup, not like American relish), tomato, lettuce, and slice or two of cheese (the cheese and pickles should be the prominent ingredients), serve cold. It's the traditional "workman's" sandwich-- ever morning you see loads of blue collar workers popping into Spar's or Centra (convenience stores) to grab a pre-packaged Ploughman's and a Lucozade (basically sparkling gatorade). Very portable-- good for parade watching...although I am making an Irish croque-monsieur (sp?) for tomorrow, which I make with 2 slices of reduced fat ham, a slice of dubliner cheese, and sweet chili relish on weight watchers brown bread. They are very good toasted.
helpful food tips from the researcher who was in residence...
- soda bread is not made with fruit over here. If it is, it's called a fruit soda, and has currants, and sometimes marachino cherry pieces. They don't really have raisins here-- they are usually made from white grapes and called sultanas instead, and are never included in soda breads. Raisins feature prominently in fruit brack, which is a harder loaf more akin to a fruitcake/hardtack (it's gross).
-real tradtional soda bread (in cork, at least) is made with buttermilk (not yogurt) and whole wheat flour, and is shaped in a circle with a cross (think a huge hot cross bun) and dusted with white flour. It's very crumbly.
- most stews here specify using Guinness or another stout like Beamish or Murphy's, not ale (that goes with mussels/fish)
-you should include a recipe for chocolate muffins-- they are huge here. They are more like chocolate cake in a muffin shape, but with a little bit more of a yeast-y taste. Include chunks of cadbury's and drizzle melted milk chocolate on top and let it harden. GREAT for being healthy...
-if you want a more healthy traditional recipe, include a ploughman's sandwich recipe-- most of them here use a heavy Irish cheddar-like cheese (like a thick slice of Dubliner), but you could use reduced fat cheese instead. It is: whole wheat bread (like weight watchers brand) or rye bread, pickles, irish relish (red relish more like ketchup, not like American relish), tomato, lettuce, and slice or two of cheese (the cheese and pickles should be the prominent ingredients), serve cold. It's the traditional "workman's" sandwich-- ever morning you see loads of blue collar workers popping into Spar's or Centra (convenience stores) to grab a pre-packaged Ploughman's and a Lucozade (basically sparkling gatorade). Very portable-- good for parade watching...although I am making an Irish croque-monsieur (sp?) for tomorrow, which I make with 2 slices of reduced fat ham, a slice of dubliner cheese, and sweet chili relish on weight watchers brown bread. They are very good toasted.
Read and Study more on Irish American history
A couple of learning links
- Irish American History
- This is a very comprehensive list of books related to Irish American history compiled by a professor at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts -- check it out
- Boston, MA -- first city to host a St. Pat's Parade
- While in Boston, walk the Irish Heritage Trail.
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Which do you think are the best?
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For the Wee Ones
It's always great to read to kids!
Books with an Irish theme just for the children in your life.
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