Sure and Begorrah; ‘Twas Indeed St. Paddy's Day!

What would you consider the ideal way to spend St. Patrick's Day? Attend a parade? Hunt for shamrocks and a pot o'gold? Dance with a leprechaun? Drink a fine, green beer or three?

Whatever your fantasy, it probably didn't include driving to south Orlando, and spending the entire Saturday (9:30 to 4:00) at a District Executive Council (DEC) meeting, or serving on the District 84 Nominating Committee which met in the same building as the DEC. Yet, your District 84 officers and nominating committee did just that on this past March 17th. So much for the wearin' of the green, right?

Wrong!

Thanks to the efforts of Division B Governor Becky McGilton, who graciously agreed to coordinate the event, our DEC was decked out in green! Not only that, but your hardworking District officers were treated to Irish music, traditional Irish food, and plenty o' smilin' eyes! Everyone was Irish for the day...

Becky organized the efforts of our esteemed Division Governors, Linton McClain, Elon Horsham, Lisa Franklin, Fred Haley, Michael Cooper, Holly Walker, Martha Malkowski, as well as Area 40 Governor Gail Hill Smith, who together made what could have been a bit o' disappointment into an absolutely delightful day!

Our Spring Conference Chair, Kathy Kershaw, even showed up in character as a Green Alien with Irish Attitude, to provide an update on the upcoming (May 18-19) ‘Things to Come' conference. No Blarney!

This required no small investment of time or energy. Becky and her team provided homemade Corned Beef, both boiled and baked; Cooked Carrots; Cabbage; Irish Stew; Roasted Potatoes; Shepherd's Pie, Irish Soda Bread, Irish Brownies, Irish Potato Candy; and green-iced cupcakes. Take it from those who attended; the food was fabulous!

In an era where it is often difficult to find people willing to take on additional responsibilities, the Division & Area 40 Governors met the challenge, and exceeded all expectations, making our DEC meeting not just a working Saturday, but an exciting and exceptional event.

“I think having themed DEC meetings, maybe one each six months, would be a great idea,” Becky said.

If our experience on the 17th was any indication of the impact of such a meeting, she's right. We're not sure if it was the green clothing, the green hair, the green beads, the green flowers, the traditional Irish food, or the Irish tunes, but there was a definite lilt in our steps, a smile in our eyes, and a light in our hearts this St. Patrick's Day.

Whether it's at the DEC, or in our clubs, there's a type of magic at work whenever we hold special events. Whether you believe in leprechauns or not, we can all find a pot o' gold when we pull together, and create something special for our members and our guests.

Thank you, Becky, Linton, Elon, Lisa, Fred, Michael, Holly, Martha & Gail! St. Paddy would be proud!

Click on the image below for a slide show of the event (Irish Aliens included).

March 17, 2012 DEC Meeting

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BONUS: If you want to treat your friends and family to a little Irish deliciousness, try one of these recipes from Becky McGilton!

Shepherd's Pie

Total Time: 40 min
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup cream, for a lighter version substitute vegetable or chicken broth
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 3/4 pounds ground beef or ground lamb (chicken will also work if you like variety)
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beef stock or broth
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions
Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce . Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.

Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.
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Irish Pub Beef Stew

Total Time: 5 hrs 25 mins
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 5 hrs, 5 mins minimum
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs beef, cut into chunks (splurge on the cut if you can)
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 (10 ½ ounce) can tomato soup
• 1 (10 ½ ounce) can water
• 4 carrots , cut into chunks
• 4 large potatoes , cut into chunks (I don't peel carrots or spuds but you can if you like)
• 2 stalks celery , cut into chunks
• 4 onions , cut into chunks
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup fresh parsley , chopped fine
• ¼ cup good quality cooking sherry
• 2 bay leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300F degrees.
In a heavy skillet brown the beef in the butter over medium high heat.
Add the soup and water and stir well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring once.
Transfer to a cast iron Dutch oven or oven proof pot and cook in the oven, covered for 5 hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove from oven, remove bay leaves and serve with Irish Soda Bread and butter.
Yum!!!!