Beannachtam na Feile Padraig! (Happy St. Patrick's Day)

Saint Patrick was a gentleman,

Who through strategy and stealth,

Drove all the snakes from Ireland,

Here’s a toasting to his health.

But not too many toastings

Lest you lose yourself and then

Forget the good Saint Patrick

And see all those snakes again.

Today we went to our local Irish Pub for lunch and to listen to some Irish reel's. We've done this every St. Patrick's Day since we moved back to town. It's really a lot of fun, and the girls enjoy dancing to the music. I have to brag on myself a little bit though......I was so proud that I remained vegan when faced with fish and chips. I LOVE fish and chips, and I nearly gave in and ordered them. After much contemplation I settled on a salad and to fill that craving for fish and chips I ordered a side of chips.

For dinner tonight I made Shepherd's Pie and Soda Bread. Both were recipes from Vegan Planet. However, for the Shepherd's Pie, instead of using the crumbled veggie burgers that the recipe called for, I subbed in some cooked lentils. I also didn't have any tomato paste, so I just left that out. I can't imagine that the tomato paste would have made it any better. The shepherd's pie was incredibly authentic tasting, it was very rich and hearty. And, to my surprise, the bread turned out better than I expected. It didn't' look very pretty when it was baking (we'll call it rustic), but it ended up looking pretty authentic as well, and tasting great.

Éireann go Brách