Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap put on by Baking In A Tornado. This week, 14 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. At the end of this post you will find a list of the other bloggers participating in the subject swap. Please check them out and see if you can find who received my subject!
My subject is: “St. Patty’s Day is arriving and a clan of Irishmen are on their way to your home. What would you cook for them and why?”.
It was submitted by Spatulas on Parade.
Here we go…
I love decorating for parties. I think I get almost as excited about my children’s birthday parties as they do. If I can design a menu around it, or justify spending an entire evening on Pinterest planning all sorts of crafty fun I’ll never follow through with, then I’m on board. So the prospect of a hoard of hungry Irish relatives descending upon my house on St Patrick’s day would seem like kismet.
St Patty’s Day is one of the more garish of the minor holidays, which means it’s just an excuse to cover things in glitter, tinsel, springy bobble heads, four leaf clovers, and anything else under the sun as long as it’s green. Luckily, I happen to look good in green.
I’d dive straight into the tackiness. Green streamers? Check. Beer dyed green with who knows what kind of nasty chemicals? Check. Head to toe green outfits for the whole family? Check. Cake with Colin Farrell’s face printed on? Check. You know what else is green? The money I shouldn’t be spending on left over green mardi gras beads and “kiss me I’m Irish” buttons. Sigh.
The menu would be entirely green and rainbow themed. Fresh fruit kebobs in rainbow colors, green tinted mac and cheese for the kids, Colcannon for the grown ups, little miniature Reuben sandwiches with rainbow flag toothpicks. The whole shebang. The cake with Colin Farrell’s face would have to be special ordered, but I would bake plenty of four leaf clover shaped pistachio cookies, just in case Mr Farrell wasn’t their cup of tea. Obviously, there would be plenty of Bailey’s, Creme De Menthe, and Irish Cream Liqueurs.
Nothing says St Patrick’s Day like a minty White Russian.
My life would, of course, be consumed by party preparation for days leading up to the event. My children running wild, foraging in the refrigerator for sustenance, wearing underwear on their heads and nothing else. It would be Lord of the Flies, but with streamers and balloons.
About an hour before the party a thought would stop me in my tracks:
Do they even celebrate St Patrick’s Day in Ireland?
A wave of panic would set in. What if they found the beads, the clovers, and the cake shaped like possibly their worst citizen offensive? I’d look quickly around the house. Suddenly it would seem very green. I felt a little nauseous and my face joined the rest of the house as it turned a sickly pale green.
Damage control.
I’d rush through the house pulling down streamers, hiding rainbows made of M&Ms and pots filled with chocolate coins. The food might not have been dyed yet so it could be salvaged. Who was I kidding anyway? My kid would never have eaten green food. He wont even eat a cracker that isn’t square. He says Ritz crackers are too round.
The cake would be harder to explain. Perhaps I could pass it off as someone else. Someone cool. I tried painting on sunglasses with frosting, but ended up smearing the face beyond recognition. Now he just looked like Bono. That could just be a coincidence, I suppose. Maybe no one would notice.
I’d mix the fruit in a big bowl so it was no longer grouped by the color spectrum, ice the cookies with pink and call them flowers, and tuck away the pin the tail on Pierce Brosnan game just as the doorbell rings. The guests are arriving. I’d take one last look around my now decidedly unfestive house and sigh with relief. At least there wont be a lot of cleaning to do the next day.
Secretly congratulating myself on a successful dodge of a potential social faux pas, I’d swing the door open and greet my guests. I’d invite them inside, take their coats, and beckon them to follow me into the kitchen. The guests might even compliment me on how tastefully my house is decorated.
Oh, don’t be silly I’d say.
That would be the moment that the baby, who I had forgotten to change, would crawl through the kitchen dressed in full costume as a leprechaun.
Well, crap. It would seem the little, green, wish granting, cat was out of the bag. Oh well.
Now who want some beads?!?
Photo Source
Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there.
Baking In A Tornado
The Momisodes
Stacy Sews and Schools
Follow me home . . .
Confessions of a part-time working mom
Dribbles and Grits
Spatulas on Parade
Dinosaur Superhero Mommy
Someone Else’s Genius
More Than Cheese and Beer
Searching for Sanity
Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
Climaxed
Baahahahaha!
I had sooo much fun reading this! I love St. Patrick’s Day, and for two years in a row I may have gone a tiny little bit overboard with my decorating. Loved every minute of it.
I so want to attend your party!
PS: Ritz Crackers are too round..?
Now I feel I really have to throw this party 😛 To Pinterest I go!!
That’s great! I love how you used my prompt and as I am a visual person, I could see you running around snatching down decorations. Great job
I’m glad you liked it! I’m always nervous about how someone will feel about my take on their prompt 🙂
That’s great! I love how you used my prompt and as I am a visual person, I could see you running around snatching down decorations. Great job
I’m glad you liked it! I’m always nervous about how someone will feel about my take on their prompt 🙂
Ritz crackers are not only round, they have those frilly little ridges on them, too. Your boy is genius 🙂
I am SO on board with a Colin Farrell cake. Or just him. Hmmm.
Your party ideas made me smile. I decorated my classroom to the hilt with St. Patrick’s Day stuff. My husband would tell me that if any one had ADD, they would collapse on the floor from having so much going on. My own ADD made it all worth it 🙂 Great post.
Thanks! I had so much fun thinking of all the decorating ideas. And the clean up was much quicker since it was all in my head 😛
Ritz crackers are not only round, they have those frilly little ridges on them, too. Your boy is genius 🙂
I am SO on board with a Colin Farrell cake. Or just him. Hmmm.
Your party ideas made me smile. I decorated my classroom to the hilt with St. Patrick’s Day stuff. My husband would tell me that if any one had ADD, they would collapse on the floor from having so much going on. My own ADD made it all worth it 🙂 Great post.
Thanks! I had so much fun thinking of all the decorating ideas. And the clean up was much quicker since it was all in my head 😛
fantastic, just love it. I woudl so go overboard then freak out too and rip it all down…
Ha ha. Glad it’s not just me!
fantastic, just love it. I woudl so go overboard then freak out too and rip it all down…
Ha ha. Glad it’s not just me!
Pass me the beads, I’m SO coming to this party. . . either version!
Pass me the beads, I’m SO coming to this party. . . either version!
You’re a brave blogger, I don’t know if I could come up with a decent post in the blind like this! Good job!
It took me a while to think of something, but it was actually a lot of fun to challenge myself. You should sign up to play in April!
You’re a brave blogger, I don’t know if I could come up with a decent post in the blind like this! Good job!
It took me a while to think of something, but it was actually a lot of fun to challenge myself. You should sign up to play in April!
No lowering of the writing standards HERE ! 😀
Thank you!
No lowering of the writing standards HERE ! 😀
Thank you!
Colin Farrell is most people’s cup of tea. Yum! Good call on the social faux pas, though. St. Patrick’s Day, as it is now, is completely Americanized, but loosely based on Irish traditions and folklore. (I’ve been doing some research recently).
I really loved your take on this. Lord of the Flies, eh? I think it gets like that here when I’m writing.
We lived in the UK for a while and had some Irish friends, so I knew it wasn’t really the same holiday as it is over here. It’s amazing how some things take off in one country and not in another. Glad you enjoyed the piece though. Thanks for reading 🙂
Colin Farrell is most people’s cup of tea. Yum! Good call on the social faux pas, though. St. Patrick’s Day, as it is now, is completely Americanized, but loosely based on Irish traditions and folklore. (I’ve been doing some research recently).
I really loved your take on this. Lord of the Flies, eh? I think it gets like that here when I’m writing.
We lived in the UK for a while and had some Irish friends, so I knew it wasn’t really the same holiday as it is over here. It’s amazing how some things take off in one country and not in another. Glad you enjoyed the piece though. Thanks for reading 🙂
I guess I should re-think getting you the beady green tie with “happy st. pats” written on the front… damn. Such a great gift idea too.
I guess I should re-think getting you the beady green tie with “happy st. pats” written on the front… damn. Such a great gift idea too.
This was great…though I would be at the opposite end of the spectrum and would have had the best intentions but instead would have planned nothing “pinteresty” and hoped they’d go for plenty of Guinness and fish and chips take away! How do you sign up to play?
Karen from Baking in a Tornado runs the Subject Swap every month. I think she still has spots for the April swap. Her email is bakinginatornado@gmail.com if you want to play 🙂
Oh my……a bunch of Irish men coming to a party….can we say HEAVEN?!? (Sorry, Irish men are my kryptonit!) You did an awesome job with this prompt!
Thanks 🙂 I know, the Irish accent is so hypnotizing. My husband in British and whenever I say how much I like Irish or Scottish accents he’s always like “I remember back when you thought my accent was sexy.” Now I barely even notice it. Sad. 😛
Oh my……a bunch of Irish men coming to a party….can we say HEAVEN?!? (Sorry, Irish men are my kryptonit!) You did an awesome job with this prompt!
Thanks 🙂 I know, the Irish accent is so hypnotizing. My husband in British and whenever I say how much I like Irish or Scottish accents he’s always like “I remember back when you thought my accent was sexy.” Now I barely even notice it. Sad. 😛
This post made me laugh! You party plan in extremes, just like I do! My kids are adults now, but we still have themed birthday parties. 🙂 Pinterest is my friend! 🙂
Good to know the fun doesn’t stop when they grow up! I secretly wish I was Martha Stewart. Unfortunately I don’t really have the time to do much more than imagine throwing these parties. But in my head, they’re killer! I can’t wait to do big birthday parties for the kids and their friends with activities and stuff. I’m such a dork. The boys will clearly be embarrassed by me 😛
Oh, no! They may act embarrassed, but secretly they’ll love it! I’d secretly like to be Martha, too, I love how she’s” classy” crafty. I’ve done all sorts of themed party. I wrote and did a murder mystery party for each of my girls when they turned 13. We’ve done music video parties, even a Ninja Turtle birthday for my 28 year old son-in-law’s b-day. Being a grown up is no excuse to have a stuffy b-day party! 🙂
This post made me laugh! You party plan in extremes, just like I do! My kids are adults now, but we still have themed birthday parties. 🙂 Pinterest is my friend! 🙂
Good to know the fun doesn’t stop when they grow up! I secretly wish I was Martha Stewart. Unfortunately I don’t really have the time to do much more than imagine throwing these parties. But in my head, they’re killer! I can’t wait to do big birthday parties for the kids and their friends with activities and stuff. I’m such a dork. The boys will clearly be embarrassed by me 😛
Oh, no! They may act embarrassed, but secretly they’ll love it! I’d secretly like to be Martha, too, I love how she’s” classy” crafty. I’ve done all sorts of themed party. I wrote and did a murder mystery party for each of my girls when they turned 13. We’ve done music video parties, even a Ninja Turtle birthday for my 28 year old son-in-law’s b-day. Being a grown up is no excuse to have a stuffy b-day party! 🙂
I love it! The murder mystery party is fabulous!! I might have to remember that for when my boys get older. 🙂
Now that I’m tired from watching you work so hard on decorations to tear down, I’d throw my party with a Notre Dame hat, whiskey, and meat.
Now that I’m tired from watching you work so hard on decorations to tear down, I’d throw my party with a Notre Dame hat, whiskey, and meat.
Great post! 🙂 Americans call it Pattys day? Learn something new everyday. I want an invite to this party by the way…I will bring my home made (plant)pot-o-gold which has gone so wrong that I’m now passing it off as my sons creation :/
Great post! 🙂 Americans call it Pattys day? Learn something new everyday. I want an invite to this party by the way…I will bring my home made (plant)pot-o-gold which has gone so wrong that I’m now passing it off as my sons creation :/