Going Green for St.Patricks Day!
“May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks. May your heart be as light as a song. May each day bring you bright, happy hours. That stay with you all the year long.”
"A good friend is like a four leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to have"
St Patricks Day.....what's it all about? Well, as I live near Slemish mountain, I feel obliged to give a little bit of information about St.Patrick. Alyhough there are other places in Ireland, he is known to have herded swine (pigs) and sheep on Slemish and that is why every year on the 17th March, St Patricks day, people make the pilgrimage to Slemish. Young and old make the trek to the top, 1437 feet above sea level. It is well worth the ascent and the view of the surrounding Braid Valley is breathtaking!
As we know, Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, but he was actually born in Britain around 385AD. Both his parents were Roman citizens living in either Scotland or Wales.
When he was 14 years old he was captured by Irish pirates and taken to Ireland where he spent six years in slavery herding sheep and pigs. He managed to get back home to his family but later returned to Ireland in his 30's as a missionary among the Celtic pagans.
Contrary to what people think, the harp is the symbol of Ireland, not the shamrock. Shamrock is a native plant to Ireland and legend has it that Patrick used this leafy shrub while preaching to explain the meaning of the Holy Trinity, illustrating the Christian teaching of three persons in one God. It is not proven that he ever did this but it is still a useful way to remember the Trinity.
Green is the colour associated with St Patricks day and is said to commemorate his use of the shamrock. However, blue was the original colour of his vestments.
It is believed that St Patrick died on March 17 in 461AD and after that he was largely forgotten, but myth and legend began to grow around him and centuries later he was honoured as patron saint of Ireland. It is a national holiday in Ireland, and on the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean, which was founded by Irish refugees. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland.
St Patrick has many legends and myths associated with him. While they are mostly unbelievable the make fun reading.
The absence of snakes in Ireland gave rise to the legend that they had all been banished by St. Patrick, chasing them into the sea after he was bitten during a 40-day fast, however all evidence suggests that at no time was there ever any snakes in Ireland. So there was never any snakes to banish!
Another legend has it that St Patrick was said to have proclaimed that everyone should have a drop of the "hard stuff" on his feast day after chastising an innkeeper who served a short measure of whiskey. In the custom known as "drowning the shamrock", the shamrock that has been worn on a lapel or hat is put in the last drink of the evening.
St. Patrick's Day was first celebrated in America in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737 as a minor religious day but now it is celebrated as a festival with the biggest being held in Manhatten, New York. Around 34 million modern Americans claim Irish ancestry.
I thought I would do my own homage to St Patrick by making Shamrock cupcakes! They are really easy and if the children are off school maybe they can have a go at making them. Better still, make them for a picnic and climb Slemish!
SHAMROCK CUPCAKES
110g/4oz butter or margarine, softened at room temperature
110g/4oz castor sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
110g/4oz self-raising flour
1-2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 block white chocolate
green food colouring
coconut
fondant paste
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line 12-hole muffin tins with paper cases.
Put margarine or butter into a mixing bowl with the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, flour, milk and vanilla and mix until a soft dropping consistency occurs.
You can fill the cases by spoon but I like to do it with a piping bag. An easy way to do this is to put the piping bag into a jug and spoon in the mixture. Twist the top of the bag to seal it and cut of the end, just over a cm and then pipe equal amounts into the cases. This helps keep the buns equal in size. Bake on top shelf until golden brown and risen.
Leave to cool. Mix a half cup of coconut in a bowl with a few drops of green food colouring. It doesn't take much colouring so be careful.
To make the shamrock leaves, roll out some ready made green fondant (you can also colour white fondant too with food colouring). Using a small heart cutter, cut out 3 hearts and moisten the sides slightly with water. Press them together the make the shamrock shape. Cut a small stalk, moisten it and press into the centre of the leaves. Using a blunt knife, make a small dent in each leaf to make it more realistic. Leave to dry.
Melt the white chocolate over a bowl of hot water or in the microwave on a low setting, stirring occassionally. Add a few drops of green colouring to the chocolate, again, be careful with the amount, you could end up with neon green! Put a spoonful of chocolate over the surface of each cupcake and when evenly spread cover one half of the cupcake with the coconut. Place 1 or 2 shamrocks on the other side and there you have it. I hope you have fun making them and I would love to hear your feedback or questions.
Time to put the kettle on for hubby.....I have a feeling thesewon't last long!