Irish color the world green
Can you remember arriving at school or work on St. Patrick’s Day without wearing anything green? Did you get through the day without being pinched? Why did the excuse, “I’m wearing green, you just cannot see it” not work?
In Ireland, March 17 is a national holiday recognizing Saint Patrick who brought Christianity to the country in 400 AD. According to the legend, St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain about God. The three leaves on each stem supposedly represented the Trinity (the father, the son and the holy spirit.)
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St. Patrick’s Day is often celebrated with a parade, and in Dublin the display is known as the Irish Mardi Gras. The first celebration for Americans was in Boston in 1737. Today, more than 100 cities hold parades and one of the biggest in North America is the New York City event.
Wearing green on the day became symbolic of the beautiful green countryside of Ireland. Green also symbolized Ireland’s well-known and historic good luck charm – the shamrock.
And speaking of luck, how about those leprechauns? The Irish believed that leprechauns are the cobblers for the angelic folk, and they dance all night and wear out their shoes. Leprechauns supposedly own countless pots of gold or buried treasure, and if you catch one, you can force him to reveal the location of the good fortune – but only if you keep your eye on him, lest he vanish into midair the minute you glance away.
So on March 17, wear green, celebrate some world history and folklore and enjoy some green food and drink. Here’s a sample:
Frothy lime punch
8 cups pineapple 2 L
juice
2 envelopes lime 2
drink mix
2 cups 450 mL
granulated sugar
- Note: I do not use this much sugar – adjust to suit your taste.
1 quart lime 1 L
sherbert
8 cups 7 Up 2 L
or ginger ale
whole strawberries
for garnish
Put pineapple juice and lime drink mix into punch bowl. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Spoon sherbert into punch bowl. Add soft drink slowly. Let stand 15 minutes. Add a few whole strawberries and serve. Makes about 20 cups (five L).
Note: Lime drink mix (such as Kool-aid) comes in envelopes to make two quarts (two L) of liquid when used with water. Presweetened mix may be used, just omit the sugar. Lemon-lime flavor may be used if lime isn’t available.
Shamrock sugar cookies
1 cup butter 250 mL
or margarine
11Ú2 cups 375 mL
granulated sugar
2 eggs 2
1 teaspoon vanilla 5 mL
3 cups 750 mL
all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons 10 mL
baking powder
1Ú4 teaspoon salt 1 mL
Cream butter and sugar together well. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt. Roll out to the thickness of pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Cut out shamrock shapes or into three inch (7.5 cm) rounds. Bake in 350 F (180 C) oven for eight to 10 minutes. Makes about five dozen cookies.
Icing
11Ú2 cups icing sugar 350 mL
3 tablespoons 50 mL
butter or margarine
1Ú2 teaspoon vanilla 2 mL
5 teaspoons 25 mL
water or milk
food coloring
Beat all four ingredients together in a bowl adding more icing sugar or water to make proper consistency. Tint and decorate.
Source for these recipes is Company’s Coming – Holiday Entertaining by Jean Pare, publisher, Company’s Coming Publishing Limited.
The Irish Jello 1.2.3.
Dissolve one package of Jello light or regular jelly powder, in lime flavor, in 3Ú4 cup (175 mL) of boiling water.
Combine 1Ú2 cup (125 mL) cold water and ice cubes to make 11Ú2 cups (375 mL). Add to jelly and blend for 30 seconds.
Add 1Ú2 cup (125 mL) prepared whipped topping, blending until smooth.
Pour into four dessert dishes.
Source: Kraft’s Simple Answers for Healthy Eating. For more information call the Jello hotline at 1-800-268-7808.
And speaking of Jello…
Dear TEAM: Not long ago in a paper or magazine I saw a recipe for a two-cake trifle. There was one cake placed on the bottom and then Jello was poured over top, then a second cake was stacked on top with the Jello procedure being repeated. The dessert was then put in the fridge to set. Hoping that you can help me. – L.B., Montmartre, Sask.
Dear L.B.: When I read your letter, I remembered seeing the recipe as well. There were recipes in magazines like Canadian Living and Homemaker to celebrate 100 years of fun with Jello. I located the recipe that I think that you are describing in The Magic of Jello, put out by Kraft Canada Inc.
Celebration rainbow cake
Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Chill time: four hours
1 package two-layer 1
size white cake mix
2 packages (85 g each) 2
Jello jelly powder,
any flavor
2 cups boiling water 500 mL
1 tub (1 L) thawed 1
whipped topping
toasted flaked coconut
(optional)
gumdrops (optional)
Line bottoms and grease sides of two nine-inch (23 cm) cake pans. Prepare and bake cake mix as directed on package. Cool in pans 15 minutes; do not remove from pans.
Dissolve each package of jelly powder separately in one cup (250 mL) boiling water.
Poke cakes with fork at 1Ú2 inch (1 cm) intervals. Drizzle one flavor jelly over one cake. Repeat with second cake layer and jelly flavor. Chill four hours.
Unmould one cake onto serving plate, cover with some of the whipped topping. Unmould second cake onto first. Frost top and sides with remaining whipped topping. Sprinkle with coconut and garnish with flattened gumdrops, if desired. Chill. Makes 10 servings.
The Magic of Jello by Kraft Canada, is published by MGR Publishing & Promotions Inc., Toronto. The book is available at most bookstores. If you have any questions, call the Jello hotline at 1-800-268-7808 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. (EST), Monday to Friday.
Looking for rennet
Dear TEAM: I am looking for a source of rennet tablets. They used to be sold as “Junket Rennet Tablets” in little boxes containing 12 foil wrapped tablets. They were under the company Salada Foods Inc. They have not been on grocery shelves for some time now. They are useful in making desserts, cottage cheese and ice cream. – M.S., Moose Jaw, Sask.
Dear M.S.: To begin our search we contacted the Thomas J. Lipton Co. that now oversees Salada Foods Inc. Unfortunately, it does not produce the tablets any longer, but said most local health food stores carry a similar type of tablet.
For our readers’ information, rennet is a substance found in the gastric juices of young milk-drinking mammals. Rennet contains a milk-coagulating enzyme called rennin or chymosin, the active ingredient of rennet preparations used in making cheese and junket (a dessert of sweetened flavored milk set with rennet).
Rennet extracts are commercially prepared from the inner lining of the fourth stomach of calves. Source: The Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia.
