The Luck of the Irish

There is something special about St. Patrick's Day. Suddenly, in the midst of a sometimes dreary transition between winter and spring, everyone becomes Irish for a day. There is a reason to celebrate- although I don't know how many people actually know what they are celebrating. Laughter, celebration- who cares what the real reason is. People are happy.

This year, without our usual group of friends to celebrate with in the States and a busy schedule keeping us from celebrating much here in Tokyo, it seemed St. Patrick's Day would slip by quietly. This was a huge disappointment. Coming from a strong Irish heritage, I loosely refer to St. Patrick's Day as "my holiday." It was looking unlikely that this year would bring anything Irish to our table at Tokyo Terrace.

I was pleasantly surprised when Brad called and told me not to stop at the grocery store on my way home. He said, excitedly, "I'm making dinner tonight." Now, this is not an easy thing for me to deal with. Giving up my kitchen is like handing over my right arm. Okay, maybe not that severe. Still, I have serious control issues in the kitchen, mostly because I am the only one in it the majority of the time. The best way to maintain sanity when I'm not is to stay in a separate room where I cannot be a "back seat chef." So, I came home, went straight to the living room and worked on other things while the clang and clatter of pots and pans came from the kitchen.

It should be noted that when my husband cooks, it is usually from a short list of one of the following: macaroni and cheese (quite amazing actually- I will have to write a post about it sometime), grilled cheese and tomato soup, or stir fry. This experience had its moments. Before he started cooking, Brad actually had to ask what beef stock was. Later, he ran into the living room with tears streaming down his face, not from cutting himself, but from the agony of cutting eight cups of onions.

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, Brad made an unexpected dish that totally surprised me. It was not only Irish-themed, but something new! Two and a half hours later, two steaming bowls of Guinness and Onion Soup with an Irish Cheddar Crouton were presented for dinner:

We did not have any Irish cheddar here in Japan, so regular cheddar made an appearance instead. Although, swiss or Emmentaler would be great as well (oops...there is my back seat chef coming through). For the recipe that Brad used, click here.

As I sat in the living room, enjoying the smells coming from the kitchen, I thought to myself, "Maybe I can let go more often and let someone else do the cooking." Then, I realized I'd have to do the dishes. I think I'll stick to the cooking side of things!


Thanks to my hubby, this St. Patrick's Day was fun and special. Happy St. Patty's Day everyone!