You have a bunch of people coming over, and you know what you’ll be feeding them.  Have you thought about decorations?  Just green, right?

Green is absolutely the go to option in terms of a color scheme, but you certainly aren’t limited to just that.  Most St. Patrick’s Day parties will have green table covers, green paper good, green streamers.  I say go with the flow – use a liberal dose of green for your own St. Patrick’s day party, but don’t limit yourself.

When you think of St. Patrick’s Day, you’ll think of leprechauns and their pots of gold and rainbows.  You can add rainbow accents – napkins, paper goods, balloons – with green table covers.  Gold is another great color to throw in where you can.  Go with green table covers and gold paper products. 

The colors of the St. Patrick’s day flag are reported to be green, white, and gold – although to most of us, that last color looks a little orange.  Using green as your base color, throw in the white and gold (or orange) accents.

Another option in terms of decorating is to think “green” – really!  Shamrock plants are pretty well available during the St. Patrick’s Day party season, and they come in all green, a beautiful purple, or they feature leaves with both green and purple.  You can buy the plants at your garden store, or order them online in advance.  Wrap the pots yourself in green cellophane, and spread them out as centerpieces or cluster them on coffee tables. 

Items you can also easily find that can be used in decorating your St. Patrick’s Day parties include blackthorn walking sticks or shillelaghs.  Although originally thought to be used for violent purposes, the shillelagh has become very well known as an Irish symbol, and you can tie the handles with green satin ribbon and use them just standing as decoration, or you can mount them on the wall over a buffet table. 

Choose some aspect of Ireland and incorporate it into your decorations.  One St. Patrick’s Day party we hosted was for our daughter’s Sweet Sixteen.  She was fascinated by Newgrange in Ireland – an ancient Celtic tomb.  We had the talented Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore make her cake using the scroll work from Newgrange.  It turned out to be a hit with the birthday girl, but you can use a theme like Newgrange to decorate your home as well.

Votive candles are always good for setting the mood, just be careful of putting them too low where small children could get hurt.  Also use fabrics that have celtic knots and scroll work on them.  You typically find a lot of this type of thing at Renaissance Faires, but you can easily get your hands on wraps, shawls, scarves, etc. online, and that size lends itself perfectly to decorating an end table or just tossing over the back of a chair.

Use green mardi gras beads, either clustered on tables with gold coins (either the plastic variety, or the kind that are really bubble gum or chocolate), to add some sparkle to your party, and you should have no trouble finding some green bowler type hats that people love to wear to celebrate at St. Patrick’s Day parties.  Use them as decorations, but allow your guests to grab them as favors when they leave.

You will find any number of paper cut outs that you can decorate with – every party store will have them.  I find local to me that Party City has a huge selection of all things Irish for your St. Patrick’s Day party.  This is not to say your favorite party store won’t have just as great a selection, but Party City is one of my favorite stops for my St. Patrick’s Day parties.

Other party outlets will have shamrock shaped twinkle lights and other novelties that are reasonably inexpensive.  Check out places like Oriental Trading for great ideas for favors that will add to your decor.

If you have any specific questions, just post them here and we will be glad to help in any way we can.

Not sure how much food to spread out? Wondering what kids will eat?

Are you ready to tour Ireland and not sure what to do, where to go, or how to get there? Ask us here and gets all the valuable advice for free to make it the trip you always dreamed it would be.

I do not list potatoes in this recipe, but you can certainly put the potatoes in the same sauce pan. They taste wonderful, but if you have guests who cannot or will not eat cabbage, preparing the potatoes in the same pan will give them the essence of cabbage. If you are adding potatoes, just peel and cut into good sized chunks before adding them.

Ingredients

4 pound corned beef

3 large carrots, cut into bit sized chunks

6 small onions, chopped

1 teaspoon dry mustard

large sprig of fresh thyme

a few stalks of parsley

1 whole cabbage, cut into quarters

salt and pepper to taste

Recipe

Put the corned beef in a sauce pan with carrots, onions, mustard and the herbs. Add water just enough to cover the meat, and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, for one hour.

Take the cabbage quarters and add to the pot. Cook another hour to hour and a half, or until all the vegetables are tender.

Remove the beef, and cut into slices. Serve with vegetables.

Serves

: 2-4

Ingredients

• 8 potatoes
• 6 scallions (green onions)
• 1/4 pound of butter
• 1/2 pint of milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

Peel and boil the potatoes. Drain, add milk, salt, and pepper, and mash. Chop the scallions and add to mashed potatoes. Melt butter, and serve potatoes with wells of the melted butter.

Serves

: 4 - 6 guests

Ingredients

• 2 pounds potatoes
• 4 slices bacon (I prefer the center cut, thicker sliced bacon)
• 1 Tbsp. oil (I use olive oil)
• 1 leek, rinsed and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage (you could alternately use kale in this recipe)
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup hot milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

Preparation:

Peel potatoes and cube. Place in saucepan and cover with cold water. Place on high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in large saucepan until crisp and browned, turning often while cooking. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain; crumble. To drippings remaining in saucepan, add olive oil. Cook onion, garlic, and leeks until crisp tender, about 3-5 minutes. Then add cabbage, cover, and cook for 6-10 minutes until cabbage is tender.

When potatoes are cooked, drain and return potatoes to hot pot; shake over low heat for a few minutes to dry. Add butter and mash. Add milk and salt and pepper; beat until combined. Stir in bacon and cabbage mixture.

Serves

: 6 - 8 guests

Where are the best local pubs to visit for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations? You’ll have to do a little of your own research, but we are going to try to give you an idea of where to go in the big cities for a good time on St. Patrick’s Day - or on a day you’re feeling like a dose of Irish charm would do your heart a bit of good.

What makes a great pub? The decor, the beer selections, the staff or the regulars? Its all of that and more, including the menu.  Food from snacks and finger food to a full meal on a brisk march day are as important as a good Irish whiskey and a pint of Ireland’s finest to the reputation of an Irish pub.  Here are some that come pretty darned close to Irish perfection.

PHILADELPHIA

O’Neal’s Pub

611 South 3rd Street

www.onealspub.com

O’Neal’s seems to epitomize the spirit of a real Irish pub.  It’s in a neighborhood that makes it very conducive to bringing in a team of “regulars” a la Cheers.  Televisions playing just about any game you could want to watch make this not only a good pub, but a great sports bar.  The food is typical pub fare, good, but about what you might expect.  There are a few of Ireland’s favorites on the menu - fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, and beef stew - along with a lengthy list of sandwiches, burgers, salads, and more.  O’Neal’s boasts 19 beers on draught, along with a selection of Irish whiskey’s and single malt scotches.  If you wanna go where everybody knows your name in Philly, O’Neal’s might be your kind of place.

Dark Horse Pub

421 South 2nd Street

www.darkhorsepub.com

Just a short walk from the Independence Hall area, the Dark Horse Pub is styled after the true Irish and English pubs.  Comprised of several cozy bar areas and a nice sized dining room, you will find all of the traditional Irish favorites here - including shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash; plus you’ll be able to feed your American pub food cravings.  With televisions showing “football” (soccer) games pretty consistently, you’ll feel you’ve stepped off the streets of Philly and into a pub in Dublin.  With 11 beers on draught and even more bottled varieties, no one will leave the Dark Horse thirsty.

We can talk about Hosting a St. Patrick’s Day party, the fun and excitement of St. Patrick’s Day Parades, and those Special Events on St. Patrick’s Day around the country. And when we go out, we can go out in fashion or one of our favorite local pubs, or come home for some great irish cooking. St. Patrick’s Day has to been seen in Ireland. And it is not just a holiday for adults, but also for children.

And wether indoors, at a parade or concert or our favorite local pub, lets look at the wonderful music of the Irish and st. Patrick’s Day.

As for who we are and what we are about, you can check out the Advertise here page - http://www.stpatricksdayparties.com/about/advertise and the About Us page - http://www.stpatricksdayparties.com/about/about-us

Anna