Measurements of Merriment: Saint Patrick's Day Celebration

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! This is one of my favorite holidays....I have to admit, I do love the color green. Figures, since I am from Irish decent. (The red hair, didn't give it away or anything). This year we invited some friends over to celebrate with us.

Table Scape

As far as the decor went, I had green everywhere. The table cloth, place mats, chargers, napkins, napkin rings, candles, garland, wreaths, even found some beautiful green orchids for the centerpiece. I accented with touches of gold here and there, a little tribute to the leprechauns. On each of the place setting I placed either a green bowler's hat or a green crown for the guests to wear, along with some green beads, a little Irish button pin, and some gold chocolate coins. It was a lot of fun dressing up in the silly garb for dinner. For the kiddos, I had green place mats, which they got to decorate with shamrock stickers. They had fun personalizing their place mat.

The Centerpiece

Place setting for the Fellas

Place setting for the Ladies

Corned Beef & Root Veggies

What Irish celebration would be complete without some awesome Irish fare! This year I decided to go all out and bust out some great Irish dishes, including Emeril Lagasse's spin on "Green Eggs & Ham" Deviled Eggs. This appetizer was a great start to the night, along side a tall glass of Black & Tan. That was the first time I made the deviled eggs and the hubby really loved them. One of my favorite recipes to make for St. Patrick's day is Irish Soda Bread. It's great for dinner, but even as a snack with a warm cup of Irish Coffee. And of course, no Irish celebration would be complete without some Corned Beef and Root Vegetables. The great thing about making corned beef is the great recipes you can make with the leftovers, such as Corned Beef Hash or Reuben Sandwich perfect for breakfast or lunch. One of the recipes I make every year is Martha Stewart's Colcannon. I found this recipe on her website a few years ago and have been making it every year since. To round out the menu, we had three desserts to choose from, of if you are like me, try them ALL! I made some of those Pillsbury Shamrock Cookies, Blarney Scones, and my friend made an Amber Apple Tart with Meringue. Everything was DELISH!

Irish Soda Bread

Once we were all stuffed, we visited for a little bit with our friends before they headed home, then the hubby and I started on the dishes. We all had a great night celebrating Saint Patrick with our green beads and enjoying some wonderful food and friends. Slainte!