Cead Mile Failte!

I feel a hundred percent better than I did yesterday morning. Oh, there's still a lingering cough or two or a hundred but nothing that won't go away given a few more days. Just enough coughing to keep the Man up at night but not enough to boot me out of bed and onto the couch.

He's the best.

I'm going to keep him, thank you very much.

See the ring hidden in the yellow flowers? He gave me that ring a long time ago. I wanted a family ring, one that had all of our birthstones in it. But I didn't want a traditional setting. So I started searching. And found a jeweler in Dublin that made a claddagh ring with emeralds and diamonds.

He was happy to replace one of the emeralds with a sapphire and I got my family ring and claddagh ring at the same time. (If you click on the picture, you can see a bigger pic of it.)

I heart it. Especially on St. Patrick's Day.
We had my BIL and nieces over for our annual St. Patrick's day corned beef and cabbage dinner. This meal is so bad for you but man, does it taste good. Even the cabbage. Then again, I like cabbage. No one else in my family does, except my MIL.

But...in my sissy's family, three of the four of them eat it.

Can you believe one of my nieces, D., had three helpings of cabbage tonight? And what did she get for her trouble?
She got to clean my stove! We're calling her CinderL. now. Her and her sister, CinderE., begged me to let them clean my stove. We had a bit of a spillover when the corned beef was cooking and the stove top was a disgrace. They went right to town.
They got rewarded by getting to lick the mint frosting from the bowl after K. finished making the Irish Chocolate Mint Squares for dessert. Here's the recipe if you're interested. They were delicious.

Irish Chocolate Mint Squares (from littleshamrocks.com)

1.5 cups, plus 6 Tbs. butter or margarine, divided
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. water
1 Tbs. mint extract
4 drops green food coloring
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9x13 baking.

Place two sticks butter in large microwave safe bowl; cover.Microwave at HIGH two minutes or until melted. Stir in granulated sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; beat well. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder; beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Prepare mint cream center by combining powdered sugar, one stick butter, water, mint extract and food coloring in large bowl. Beat until smooth. Spread evenly on brownies. Cover, refrigerate until cold.

Prepare chocolate glaze by placing remaining 6 Tbs. butter and chocolate chips in small microwave safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH one minute or until mixture is smooth when stirred. Cool slightly; pour over chilled bars. Cover; refrigerate at least one hour before serving. Cover; refrigerate leftovers.

Yield: 24 bars

And what's St. Patrick's day without green juice?

I'll pass on the green beer, though. Don't mess with the Guinness.