Going Green

As ever, the month of March is all about the Irish around here.

We started the month with our annual Fake St. Patrick's Day celebration. This year, the party was held at Ryleigh's Oyster Hunt Valley, where two amazing bartenders took care of a crowd that was dozens strong for four straight hours.

After years of just meeting for drinks, last year, FSP became a benefit (thanks to Rasim's smart suggestion). This year, we raised over $2,500 for the MLD Foundation. Not bad for some afternoon drinks! The money was raised by selling koozies, raffling off baskets including donations from local businesses, and a 50/50 cash raffle.

It was a great time - both during the afternoon and back at our house that night. Lots of oysters, lots of beer, lots of generosity.

Clockwise from top left: Irish Cooper; Erin wearing my grandmother's pins; the scene at Ryleigh's; the front of Mike's shirt; some of the raffle prizes; the after party; the back of Mike's shirt; the koozies and (center) a big basket full of Irish gear.

Last weekend, we continued the celebration with a families-and-friends brunch at our house. I made corned beef hash and my mom cooked a zillion eggs to order, Cooper smoked a gorgeous piece of salmon, and so many people brought dessert. We've been swimming in sweets for days.

It was, of course, a great time. And it lasted, as brunches do, from noon until almost 9 p.m. Needless to say, we were all exhausted on Monday. Including the kids. But it's worth it, of course, to celebrate our Irish heritage. Especially since we are gearing up for a 2016 trip to the motherland itself!

Clockwise from top left: the dessert table, including a sour cream coffee cake (my mom), chocolate chip cookies (Chad's mom), grasshopper brownies and car bomb cupcakes (Mike's mom) and a Bailey's bundt cake (Alicia); Cooper with Maggie and Biz; the salmon; "potato" candies from Eddie's; Jen and Mark's reuben dip; radishes with Irish brown bread from Atwaters.

Funnily enough, we didn't do anything Irish-y at all - other than wear green - on St. Patrick's Day itself. In fact, we ate Indian food that night.

But we're not quite finished. Hardcore Irish-Americans that we are, we have one more party to go to this coming weekend. And it's sure to be a good one. Slainte!