Patricia

 Here's Patricia in honor of St. Patrick, my Confirmation saint.

It's a great feast day for the Irish, and the Irish Americans here in my home. 

We're of the New York variety here.

  For my family it's a day to be thankful to Our Lord for the great saint who brought Christ to our Pagan ancestors. 

Above is a lovely example of stain glass, from St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.

It's also a time to remember our own heritage as Irish Americans. On this day we remember our ancestors who came here to build a life for themselves and their families. We remember their hard work, and the beautiful churches they built here in New York. Above is Sacred Heart, in Brooklyn.

This is a day to remember the contributions our grandparents and great grandparents made to the New York community as firemen, policemen, lawyers. My family is originally from Brooklyn, isn't everyone in New Jersey originally from Brooklyn? Growing up I really thought so. Mine weren't the only parents who moved out to the suburbs to raise their brood.

Soon the kitchen will smell like corned beef, that great New York Irish-Jewish American delicacy. I'm told (by my mother), that the Irish women learned of corned beef from their Jewish neighbors in the New York city ghettos.

The steam from the pots will be dripping from the kitchen windows and my family and extended family, Irish American and not so Irish American spouses will gather to enjoy a meal, some Celtic music and good some company.

A blessed St. Patty's day to you all, and perhaps I'll try to document a little of the cooking that'll go on here today--to post later. 

*PLUS* 

I'll let you in on my little trick: my grandmother's secret ingredient for corned beef.

God Bless!