pistachio shamrock cookies

 

Shamrock Cookies are not just a delightful treat but also come with a sprinkle of history and symbolism!

 

Shamrock cookies are typically associated with St. Patrick's Day, which is celebrated on March 17th. 

The shamrock itself is a three-leafed clover, which, according to legend, was used by St. Patrick to explain the concept of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) to the people of Ireland. Over time, the shamrock became a symbol of Ireland and St. Patrick's Day.

 

While shamrock cookies have Irish roots, their popularity as festive treats soared in the United States, where St. Patrick's Day is widely celebrated with parades, parties, and lots of green-themed foods. 

The cookies are often made in the shape of shamrocks and decorated with green icing and sprinkles. This recipe is a real gourmet upgrade!

Pistachio Shamrock Cookies are the most a delightful treat, especially for celebrating St. Patrick's Day! Here's a simple recipe from Better Homes & Gardens magazine for making these tasty and festive cookies.

St. Patrick's Day is bursting with delicious and festive treats! Here are of my other favorites, Including Irish Soda Bread which I make a lot. It’s not only a March treat, you know!

 

Irish Soda Bread: A traditional bread made with baking soda instead of yeast. It's often studded with raisins and caraway seeds. Check out my Soda Bread Recipe here.

 

Corned Beef and Cabbage: While not a "treat," it's a classic St. Patrick's Day meal in the U.S., often enjoyed with potatoes and carrots.

 

Shepherd's Pie: A hearty dish with ground meat, vegetables, and mashed potatoes baked to perfection. I make this every Christmas as well!

 

Potato Pancakes (Boxty): These crispy pancakes made from grated potatoes are a delicious savory treat.

 

Green Velvet Cake: A festive twist on the classic red velvet cake, usually adorned with green frosting. I must try this one!

 

 

 

ciao fabiana

 

 

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two amazing recipes for St. Patrick's day

What better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than with a little something sweet? I’ve incorporated some of my favorite ingredients to create a fresh and buttery Irish shortbread cookie.  

Traditionally, shortbread is made from three simple ingredients, butter, sugar and flour, and I’ve upped the flavor profile with this recipe by using authentic Irish butter which provides a richer taste.

Topped off with a decadent glaze made with fresh lime zest and lime juice, these cookies are perfect for celebrating everyone’s favorite Irish holiday! These cookies are the perfect companion for a cup of hot tea or coffee. Recipe found HERE.

No St. Patrick’s day would be complete at our home without homemade Irish Soda Bread. This is the easiest bread to make, since you use baking soda, hence the name soda bread, instead of yeast. And there’s no wait time to let the dough rise. Mix, form into a mound and pop this directly into the oven.  

  

Traditionally I use dried currants for this recipe, but as you can see, dried blueberries were used for a little fun twist. We love the dried Oregon blueberries from Trader Joe’s.  Recipe found HERE.

And I’m bringing my favorite green cabbageware plates to the table once again for our traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal of corned beef and cabbage. Whole Foods has great options for corned beef this year. I purchased two, and we had one earlier this week. 

If you’ve never cooked corned beef, it’s very easy. Basically, you boil it with special spices, onion, garlic, bay leaf and thyme and just let it cook for hours until it’s fork-tender. At that point you can add shredded cabbage, carrots and potatoes cook a bit longer and .... 

YUM!

ciao! fabiana 

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happy st. patricks day!

Wearing green and decorating with shamrocks are a given on March 17th, but the origins of these traditions goes back hundreds of years with Saint Patrick. Saint Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish. 

The earliest evidence of this anecdote first appears in writing in 1726, though it may be older. The color green has been associated with Ireland since at least the 1640s and green ribbons and shamrocks have been worn on St. Patrick's Day since at least the 1680s. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the association of the color green and with St Patrick's Day grew.  

Here's something really interesting to me... in Buenos Aires, a huge party is held in the downtown street of Reconquista every St. Patrick’s Day, where the Irish community is the fifth largest in the world outside Ireland. Irish emigrants arrived in Argentina mostly between 1830 and 1930. 

In fact, the Irish community in Argentina is the largest in any non-English speaking country in the world! The Irish-Argentines are still trying to keep the inherited traditions alive and are working to rescue older traditions that have been lost over time. It’s believed that there are over a million Irish descendants in modern-day Argentina. One of their most famous or infamous descendant of the Irish is Che Guevara!

Today we celebrate in many ways and the shamrock is still the most significant symbol of the holiday!

ciao! fabiana

(info from Wikipedia, images from BHG)

st. patrick's day prep

St. Patrick’s day is coming up on Saturday,

so I’m working on a few different tablescape looks

 and then I'll narrow it down to one,

or a combination of sorts.

Corned beef and root veggies will be on the menu…

the carrots, potatoes and onions will be boiled

and then slathered with Irish butter, chopped parsley 

and garlic…

so yummy! 

I love making irish soda bread  this week too.

I have a recipe that's especially good that’s made with

plain yogurt, caraway seeds and currants…

it’s perfect with coffee and tea  too!

How about a tasty Irish dessert?

What would you make?

Bread pudding, trifle or shortbread?

Maybe strawberry shortcake…

Is that kind of Irish?

Let me know if you celebrate St. Paddy’s day and

what your favorite traditions are… and

btw,

which place setting would you choose?

 ciao! fabiana

cottages & bungalows in laguna beach

I’m so excited for this lemony fresh issue to be out! Back in March, on St. Patrick’s Day to be exact, I went on my first official styling job in over a year. Laguna Beach, coastal style, working with Kelly and Bret... sounded perfect for an entrée back into the world of magazine projects. 

 

So here we have it, “The Sweet and Sunny Seaside”. The feature starts on page 108 of Cottages & Bungalows' newest edition known as the annual “Coastal Issue”.   

 

Here’s a behind the scenes snapshot of what you see on the first page of the layout. I brought in lemons from my garden and lots of beachy accessories to add to homeowner Carmelit’s already adorable place. 

 

Fun coastal cottage was the look we were after. Fresh and sunny to match this amazing California seaside location.   

 

 

I don’t know if it was because it was St. Patrick’s Day, but this English Green pillow was making me so happy in that dining space. Isn’t it pretty? 

 

Summertime decorating really comes alive with fresh flowers, fruit and veggies accenting bits and pieces of daily life. I just want to sit right down and enjoy a nice juicy strawberry. 

 

This cabinet from Tuvalu home was my favorite thing to style that day. We used Carmelit’s white dinnerware to highlight this rustic piece. Lemons, daisies and a few treasures from the sea finish off the look. 

 

Here’s a fun detail I shot on photo day. I just love those bright graphics on the tomato cans. Aren't they’re the perfect vessels for a handful of daisies? 

Straight off the page of the magazine, this is the final shot of this little alfresco breakfast under the grapefruit tree. As a nod to the history of California, this vintage Mexican blanket picks up the bright colors of the polka dots on the tablecloth. 

 

I love how these two pages look together. The colorful sprinkles on the macarons really echoes the tablecloth.  

Kelly snapped this photo as we're finishing setting up the table. Those just-picked grapefruit are out of this world! 

Who wouldn't love to have their morning coffee out here?

Fun details... 

Loving these linen napkins... 

Such a lovely subtle floral print on a really nice heavy weight linen fabric. They’re one of my favorite finds from Fete Home, and I also have them in the red and pink colorway. This seashell embellished placemat is from Arthur Court. The green goblets are vintage, and part of my collection. 

And here’s my favorite page of the layout, that cabinet! I could style this so many ways... maybe we could do a fall or Christmas look next time. What do you think? 

 

Do you have this issue yet? It’s really packed full of great design ideas... a great summer read for the beach or poolside. 

 

ciao! fabiana 

 

 

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