Macaroni is not the least bit Irish. Calling it Mac only makes it sound like it is.
But if you are Irish and Catholic, St. Patrick’s Day comes smack dab in the middle of Lent and if it’s on a Friday night , no less, even if you are in the Archdioceses of Boston and even if St Patrick is the Patron saint of the Archdiocese and even if there is dispensation for corned beef and cabbage……you might very well be having macaroni and cheese for supper.
St Patrick, chasing snakes and green macaroni and cheese out of Ireland
I don’t remember the details. We had plenty of St Patrick’s Days with Corned Beef and Cabbage but this one was most notably not one of those. Was my Irish father working late? He loved his corned beef and cabbage, especially if corned beef would lead to corned beef hash….
Was it a year without dispensation? What year was it, anyhow?
What I remember was
- it was St. Patrick’s Day
- We were going to have macaroni and cheese and not corned beef.
- There wasn’t quite enough elbow macaroni, so some spaghetti was broken up into the mix.
- My mother decided to make the meal more festive by adding a little green food color to the cheese sauce.
Things are not necessarily more Irish if you color them green
How did it turn out? It was not beautiful. Let me say that again ” ‘s NOT” Beautiful.
There are no photos. Saint Patrick’s gift to the world.
I have been highly skeeved by green food for Saint Patrick ever since. I’m not sure how this is supposed to honor the saint or Ireland. Just say NO.
Someone else made green macaroni and cheese and took a picture of it and put it on the internet. Imagine a creamier, greener sauce…
Green does not make the beer Irish
Green pancakes? No thank you
Rice Krispie Treats? Thank you, no.
Why??????
I just avoid green eggs and ham in March
I even avoid green beans at this time of year
Éirinn go Brách
Ha! Love this, my brother once colored the milk green for April Fool’s day. It was in a paper carton so we didn’t notice until we poured it. That was one bowl of cereal I had to close my eyes to eat!
Thanks for reminding me of the time, way, way back……..when I dared to add a little green food coloring to my delicious mac and cheese casserole that the whole family usually loved to eat…..but could not eat it that night because of the color green. I was just trying to be festive. IMW
Reblogged this on Foodways Pilgrim and commented:
Since once again St Patrick’s Day falls on a Friday in Lent….the Cardinal has said it’s alright for Bostonians to eat Corned Beef and green veg/beer of their choice. I will NOT be having Mac and Cheese….read more:
You could forget about the green and put a little Irish stout in your cheese sauce. That’s my idea of Irish mac and cheese….