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03/17/2006: "Top 'o the Day to You"

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Girl and I are both wearing our $5 Irish t-shirts from Tar-get today. Even though my last name is now LaBrecque and it's truly lovely -- I married into that French-Canadian name and can't claim any roots there. Nope. I'm English and Irish. My mother's people came from Ireland in 1692 and landed in Charleston. They came as indentured servants. (Her cousin, who has now passed, spent years researching this and putting together a book--it's very cool.)

This evening we're joining two other families for a dinner of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots. My contribution is a couple of Irish cheeses, Killians, Harps, and dessert. I made this dessert last year and it was apparently a hit because our hostess requested it again this year. Sinfully easy and pretty tasty, I pulled it off the Internet from MasterCook. I'm taking two over.

Bailey's Chocolate Mousse Pie

6 oz Ready Crust (chocolate or graham)
1 env unflavored gelatine
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c milk
3/4 c Bailey's Irish Cream
6 oz semisweet choc chips
2 c frozen whipped topping
Chocolate-dipped strawberries (optional)
Whipped cream

In saucepan, sprinkle unflavored gelatine over milk. Let stand about 1 min. Stir over low heat til gelatine is dissolved, about 5 mins. Add chocolate and continue cooking, stirring constantly until choc is melted. Stir in vanilla. Remove from heat and stir occasionally. Add Bailey's about 5 mins later. When mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon, stir in whipped topping. Turn into crust. Chill at least 4 hours. Garnish with chocolate-dipped strawberries, if you like, and whipped cream.

This Irish blessing hung in my mother's kitchen for years:
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

And this wasn't in her kitchen, but I figure it's always useful to have an Irish curse on hand:
May those who love us love us.
And those that don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles,
So we'll know them by their limping.

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