Taste with History | St. Patty’s Day

TASTE WITH HISTORY:

St. Patty’s Day Remembrance & Celebration

by Barbie Butz

Ingredients

• 1 13.5 ounces BPAfree can coconut milk, chilled overnight • 2 limes, zested and juiced, divided • 2 large avocados, peeled and pitted • 2/3 cup pure maple syrup • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Coconut Lime Ice Cream

Dairy Free and a Lovely Shade of Green

Open chilled can of coconut milk and remove cream (cream will have separated from water). Reserve liquid for another use. To a blender, add coconut cream, one-half of lime zest, all of lime juice, and remaining ingredients and blend on high, scraping down sides, until well incorporated and smooth. Transfer mixture to a 9x5-inch loaf pan and garnish with remaining lime zest. Cover tightly with a lid or eco-friendly beeswax wrap. Freeze for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight. Before serving, let rest on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes.

Don’t forget to end your celebration with an Irish Blessing such as this. May you always have work for your hands to do. May your pockets hold always a coin or two. May the sun shine bright on your windowpane. May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain. May the hand of a friend always be near you. And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you. Cheers!

I’ve read several versions of the history of St. Patrick, and this one seems to come close in accuracy.

Saint Patrick was born in Britain around the year 380 and raised in a Christian family. He was not named Patrick, but some think his name was Maewyn.

While still a young boy, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland, where he was made a slave, forced to herd sheep. He prayed to God to help him return to his family, and after six years, he escaped.

After his return, he lived quietly—thought and prayed and realized what he wanted to do. He wanted to return to Ireland to teach the people about God.

He studied religion in France, and in 432, the head of the Catholic Church, the Pope, named him Patricius, the Latin name for Patrick. He became a priest and then a bishop. He sailed back to Ireland and began preaching. He built churches and schools all over the country. The people loved his kind ways and trusted him.

He spent the rest of his life caring for the Irish people.

People honor Patrick on March 17 because he died on that date in the year 461. Later, the Catholic Church made him a saint...St. Patrick.

The first time St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated in the United States was in 1737 in Boston. Each year the Irish and many other people gather to celebrate St. Patrick and his good work on behalf of the Irish people.

People celebrate in many ways. For instance, they dress in green to honor an ancient Irish custom. Hundreds of years ago, the Irish burned branches with green leaves during the month of March and spread the ashes in fields to make them fertile and green. To wear green is to honor Ireland, the Emerald Isle.

To celebrate the day, people give gifts of shamrocks, wear green clothing, give greeting cards, bake green cakes, cookies, and goodies to share, prepare meals of corned beef and cabbage, dance an Irish jig, and even drink green beer!

In many places, there are St. Patrick’s Day parades where pipers and fiddlers play Irish tunes. Everyone is dressed in green, of course. For many people, it is a day for worship and for celebration, and if you’re not Irish, you can still feel a wee bit Irish!

In honor of St. Patrick, the following recipe is “green” and will make a nice ending to your Irish menu on March 17. It is also dairy-free for those of you who need that feature. 

CALIFORNIA ADVENTURES:

Desert Drama Captures Palm Springs Visitors

by pamela price

California deserts evoke diverse images for different people. To some travelers, this scenic oasis suggested glittering resort cities, dramatic skies, midcentury architecture, and the verdant greens of impressive Palm Springs golf courses. You may have to blink when you catch a glimpse of a world-class hockey rink currently under construction on Interstate 10 as you drive through Indio. This is the last place you would expect a sport that thrives on ice, sharing space with countless palm trees and chic swimming pools.

Mingle this menu with more tennis courts than you can count and a landscape framed by towering mountain ridges, a magical menu of clever public art, and restaurants with menus reflecting global cuisine. Amidst this majestic desert, montage is family-friendly sites from The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert (livingdesert.org) to Sunnylands Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage (sunnylands. org), where you can explore with a guide the Annenberg’s 200-acre historic winter home, crowned by their 25,000 sq. ft residence, a mid-century modern masterpiece of architecture. Reservations are required for the home tour. The 9-acre art garden is open to the public, free of charge.

A hop, skip and jump away is the popular Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert cdmod. org), where hands on-exhibits for children and their families prevail.

Exhibits cover health, art, culture, math, and engineering. You can even build your own race car, experience a lie detector, or join a weekend workshop. This 6.5-acre Museum has a focus on self-expression and creativity and an ideal family experience.

Make time for El Paseo, yet another oasis for art collectors, art galleries, designer boutiques, spa and beauty salons, and chic restaurants, such as Wilma Frieda’s Cafe and the first for this travel writer, a PeruvianColumbian Cuisine restaurant, Mi Cultura at 44795 San Pablo Ave. Drive slowly along El Paseo, a 7-block drive between Highway 74 and Portola Avenue, which is known as “the undisputed style center of the desert.” A median in the middle of this fashionable street defines Gardens on El Paseo, where public art is installed in outdoor gallery style. Lining both sides of the street are boutiques displaying Turkishinspired carpets, handbags, and other accessories one of a kind gifts.

When the desert sun gets out of control, check out The Body Deli, where cosmetic chefs transform desert dates and other healthy edibles into skincare products. While your in the neighborhood, visit the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, the views are spectacular, and the mountain scenery is spellbinding.

On your way in or out of town, take time out to visit the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which opened in 1963. Today it is recognized as the world’s largest rotating Tram Car. It’s a ten-minute, smooth ride to their Mountain Station, located at 8,516 ft. Each tram can carry 80 passengers along the stunning cliffs of Chino Canyon. It’s a spellbinding experience you won’t want to miss.

Hiking in the Carrizo Canyon Ecological Reserve near Palm Desert. The trail is open only a few months each year, from Oct. 1 – Dec. 31. Photo by Arthur Lechtman