Shamrock Sunday

This year, Ethan really got into the idea of St. Patrick’s Day. He was excited in the days leading up to St. Patrick’s Day. He wanted to know how it is celebrated in Ireland (compared to here). He wanted a traditional Irish meal. He wanted to wear green.

I failed to get my act pulled together for St. Patrick’s Day itself … and it was a Saturday no less. (But we were busy doing fun outside things on such an unseasonably nice day. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.) So, being the inventive child that he is, Ethan created:

Shamrock Sunday.

He got up Sunday morning and dressed in everything green he could find (soccer uniform and long socks, Colin’s green knit hat, my green wrist warmers/fingerless gloves), added some Mardi Gras beads and called it a holiday. (He got many, many comments on his celebratory look … I wish I had thought to take a picture.)

To celebrate Shamrock Sunday, we had planned a meal of barbecued short ribs (for them), chicken sausage (for me), colcannon and Irish soda bread, which Ethan made all by himself (the bread that is). He read the recipe, got the ingredients and measured them into the bowl, ran the stand mixer, snipped the dried apricots and even kneaded the bread (after I did the first two turns to show him how). All I did was cut the slits in the top and put the loaf in the oven. 

And I must say, Ethan’s first solo baking project tasted quite good!