Back froma long Mudcat Sabbitical - just time for me to pop in for the annual St. Patrick's day Discussion! It never does me any good to try and explain that most revellers drinking Green beer and eating green bagels are not in fact irish - so I'll just toss out for the second year the amsuing factid that in Toledo Ohio, they break out the Green beer early on "St. Practice Day" which falls on the day BEFORE St. Patrick's Day. The Polish and German Americans who predominate the areas celebrating St. Practice Day then have a wonderful time drinking and presumably puking for two days straight. This was verified for me by a genuine Polish-American from Toledo who is now in AA and presumably won't be drinking OR puking anytime soo. (we hope and pray)

And no, for yet another year of Irish protest - there will be no Corned Beef or cabbage in my house for the entire month of March. I will be making the traditional lamb stew followed by sweetheart apple dumplings covered in pastry made with real beef suet (the only way to make proper pastry). last year I burned the botoms of the dumplings, let's hope I do better this year. Oh, I am also making a sweet carrot pudding with my new pudding mold I bought on clearance from the Baker's Catalogue. ( For those in the US who weren't raised in a house with pudding molds as I was - pudding is a steamed cake, not custard.)

Anyone gooing to be in Los Angeles is welcome to come over