I don’t know why, but the odd or less obvious holidays are my favorite ones in a lot of ways. St. Patrick’s Day is no exception. I think I love these holidays because there is no expectations. If you do something great, if not, great.

My favorite part of St. Patrick’s Day is the food though. I love corned beef. Not so much the cabbage, but no one in our house likes steamed or boiled cabbage, so I made coleslaw instead, which everyone likes. Our dinner menu tonight is corned beef, potatoes and carrots all cooked together in a pot. Cole slaw, pickles and pickled beets. I was going to make Irish soda bread, but had sourdough starter I was going to have to discard last night, so instead I made sourdough. I don’t think that’s going to upset anyone.

For dessert I made one of my kids favorite things, Irish Flapjacks. Last night I thought I would get ahead of the game, not only getting the sourdough started, but getting the flapjacks made. But, I was in a hurry. Even though my kids love them, I don’t make them very often, and forgot to read through the recipe.

I didn’t boil anything on the stove (which I have learned doesn’t make a huge difference). I was so proud of myself for how quick they were to whip up as I poured them into the pan. I then baked them for the prescribed amount of time and let them cool, adding chocolate to the top to melt and smooth out. After they cooled I was thinking of cutting and arranging on a platter. That’s when I realized I really didn’t read very well at all.

I hadn’t added the parchment paper sling, and I hadn’t greased the pan! I was too tired to try to figure out what to do last night, so this afternoon I decided to work on them. Between me and one of my sons, a hot water bath, and a lot of finagling, we were able to scrap most of them out with most of the bottom still intact. I am grateful for his muscle!

I love wearing green, and I do have some Irish blood, but other than the food, I don’t really do much more, back to no expectation I think. But I do look forward to it every year. What are some things you do to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?