I am a running a little slow today, not for a lack of anything but a great time yesterday at our Paddy's Day celebration. I was so excited about having my grown kids over for dinner, that I awoke at 3 AM in anticipation of the day. Luckily, I thought better of staying up at that wee hour and slept a little later than usual. At daybreak, I was up and running, getting the usual housework stuff done so that I could focus on preparing my desserts. Since it was a Sunday, and my niece requested car-bombs, I decided to make car-bomb cupcakes (to save everyone from a Monday morning hangover). The cakes are made with Guinness beer and the icing has Baileys and Irish whiskey for flavor. At the same time, I put together a lemon tart, for those few family members who might not like chocolate or whiskey. It took three hours to complete these two seemingly simple desserts, but I was rewarded when my husband returned from the store for the green sugar that I needed... with a dozen red roses and a beautiful Spring bouquet. I was planning on giving him the day off from cooking, but after stirring the lemon filling for my tart for a half an hour, I needed help with the peeling of potatoes and the chopping of onions. He also constructed a lamb, barley, leek and Guinness pie... I don't know how I would manage without him. Corned beef is easy enough, but colcannon, which is a potato, onion, and cabbage casserole can be a bit tricky. The Irish soda bread, which is always on the menu at this feast is a simple delight to prepare. The kids and their friends all showed up around 3PM, and went out to the patio as the beer flowed and my husband made a fire. The Irish music blared out the kitchen window from the ipod, and even my neighbor visited to see what all the commotion was about. Everyone was in great spirits, and dinner for 12 of us was served promptly at 5PM, just about the time everyone was loudly laughing and joking. Everyone toasted the cooks with their beer bottles. After dinner, as I was preparing the coffee for those who might want an Irish coffee with dessert, someone spotted the bottle of Baileys, and as I should have suspected, car bombs were being made and delivered. I pulled mom rank and demanded that whoever did shots, had to eat a cupcake of the same name. They all obliged and gradually the drinking went on the wane, as the kids played Kan-Jam in the yard. I was so delighted that everyone had such a good time, and the designated drivers were all sober to drive. The party broke up around 9PM, as all my kids are blessed with day jobs. I was up hours later doing the final clean-up, and finally getting to sip at my whiskey cocktail. It must have been the car bomb I did, on top of my whiskey that took it's toll this morning. I should have followed my own advice and had a cupcake with that potent shot. Oh well, I think I earned the hangover.
