Celebrating St. Patrick's Day

 

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

I’ve never been good at celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.  I don’t have any Irish ancestors.  I don’t like green beer (or any beer, for that matter).  I don’t have anything green to wear.  But I try to get into the spirit of the holiday.  This year, as usual, I didn’t get it quite right.  I was even confused about the date.  When I went into Trader Joe’s last Friday (March 16), they were giving away samples of corned beef so I assumed that was St. Patrick’s Day.  Since I know Elliott’s fond of corned beef, I took a tiny taste.  It was tender, not too stringy, quite tasty, and best of all, pre-cooked (just heat half an hour in the oven).  I went ahead and searched for the smallest packaged corned beef in the store, bought a few potatoes and some shredded cabbage to set out to make a traditional Irish meal for dinner on Friday.  Maybe it wasn’t strictly Irish because I included some French goat cheese along with the milk, butter, and chives when I mashed the potatoes.  Does the sprinkle of caraway seeds I added to the sautéed cabbage, carrots, and onions qualify as an Irish touch?  In any case, Elliott was delighted with his dinner.  It was only later the same evening that I realized St. Patrick’s Day wasn’t until Saturday.  Oh, well.

Our Irish celebration continued on Saturday when Marie-Claude and Peter treated us to St. Patrick’s Day tea at Montpelier Mansion in Laurel, Maryland.  The Georgian mansion is a historic house that dates back to the 1780s.  Before we sat down for tea, we toured the house, which is decorated with period furniture, and walked through the beautiful gardens of the 70-acre estate.  This is all that remains of what was once a 9,000-acre tobacco plantation owned by the Snowden family.  Guests who enjoyed the hospitality of the plantation owners include George Washington and Abigail Addams.  Today, the mansion is a National Historic Landmark.  There is also a separate building that was used as the kitchen, which has been restored.  

Because this was St. Patrick’s Day, a recorder trio (yes, three recorder players) provided a musical accompaniment. In honor of the occasion, I wore teal, the closest I have to green in my wardrobe.  Good company, good tea, and the usual tea-time fare:  those triangles of sandwiches (sans crust), with just a sliver of filling; buttery scones with lemon curd, jam, and clotted cream; and assortment of miniature pastries.  All in all, it was a very lovely way to feel Irish for a day.