Happy St. Patrick's Day!

“A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water”

- Eleanor Roosevelt

St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays, and this is what I love about it: you don't need to be Irish to celebrate!  In the city of Chicago, everyone is Irish for the day, wearing green and generally participating in lots of merriment.

Even though my mom didn't like to cook, she sure knew how to celebrate a holiday. And in our household, we were all about celebrating St. Patrick's Day—partly because my mother and sister were both named Patty. For us, celebrating meant corned beef and cabbage and simply appreciating the day.

I happen to love the name Patrick so much that I named my son Patrick, so St. Patrick's Day was always special when my kids were growing up. We’d bring green shamrock cookies from Bittersweet Bakery not only to Patrick's class, but to anyone in town whose name was Patrick. I still love to cook up a classic corned beef and cabbage, and it’s very non-Whole30, but perfect for the day.  

We’re so excited about St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago that we have not one but two parades. On the Saturday closest to St. Patrick's Day, there is a fantastic parade downtown—one of the largest in the country. The Chicago River is dyed bright green on the day of, and people come from near and far to experience the celebration. The downtown parade is hosted annually by the Plumbers Local 130 Union. Girl Scouts, families, and friends are invited to walk in it together.

And here’s a little fun fact: they actually use a vegetable-based orange dye to get the river green. There’s some color science behind it. Get down there next year and see it, because it only lasts about five hours. 

Meanwhile, the South Side hosts its own annual St. Patrick's Day celebration in some of Chicago's most historically Irish neighborhoods. It always includes an amazing bagpipe procession, as well as marching bands and plenty of floats. 

Around Wrigley Field, the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day is always a sea of green, with thousands of revelers enjoying pub crawls.  

One thing I truly love about Chicago is that you don't need to be Irish to completely delve into the festivities. So put on a green shirt and a smile, and you can be Irish for the day! 



Teri Turner, founder, nocrumbsleft™
Author:  No Crumbs Left, Recipes for Everyday Food Made Marvelous
Podcaster:  nocrumbsleft Table Talks
Pottery Shop:  nocrumbsleft.store

We have had such a huge response to our 56 Table Talks podcast episodes that I wanted to make sure you know about them! Each week I sit down with someone new and have the kind of conversation we might have over dinner—and each week magic happens. We dive into topics people resonate with and share our quests to figure out our own best lives, including all the joys and challenges. We may not have all the answers, but we sure do know which questions to ask.

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For years, I visited different parts of Ireland every fall as part of an annual golf outing. I don’t golf. Such is the enduring charm of Ireland. You hear about the depth of the green, but descriptions can’t begin to capture its pervasive intensity all across the island. You hear about the Cliffs of Moher, but photos don’t capture the grandeur of that layered stone rising from the Atlantic, nor the disquiet of watching sheep graze along the high edge without a fence. You hear Americans trying to capture the locals' lilting brogue and invariably failing. But of course, we try. That too is the charm of Ireland. 

This year, the St. Patrick's Day Parade was cancelled in Dublin. And this week, Chicago cancelled the parades here too. Still, for better or for worse, throngs of oversentimental Chicagoans will show up to Beverly early Saturday morning. They'll spill out from the Cork & Kerry and Barney O'Callaghan's, disrupting traffic on Western Avenue because they just can’t abide the thought of rescheduling St. Paddy's, pandemics be damned. Perhaps that’s foolhardy. But that too is the enduring charm of Ireland. Amazing place. You should visit. Whether or not you golf. 

Dennis Ryan
ECD, Bader Rutter/Mick at Large
BaderRutter.com

At an early age, I visited family in the village of Ardara in Donegal. When I entered Peter Oliver’s pub, I was greeted by sounds of fiddles, melodeons, and whistles. The sounds inspired my soul. It became a dream of mine to play. My career limited the time I had to learn, but at age 58, I bought my first whistle. After I practiced for months, some friends invited me to play a gig with them, and the band River Drivers was born. Two CDs later, it is a dream come true. When I retired earlier than planned after a breast cancer diagnosis, it was challenging but left more time for my music. Today, I am blessed to play in the US and in Ardara, where my love of Irish music began.  

Marian Moran 
https://theriverdrivers.com/ 

This is my ultimate St. Patrick’s Day side dish, which combines everything I love about the holiday: crispy smashed potatoes, simple cabbage sautéed in butter with caraway seeds, roasted radishes, sour cream, and a tart stout mustard sauce that brings it all together. It's so much fun to make and is absolutely bursting with flavor. The best part? The contrast of crispy potatoes with creamy sour cream. SO good. And this dish works perfectly with a hearty main dish like corned beef!  

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Cabbage Stout Mustard Recipe 

Kayla Howey
@theoriginaldish