So obviously, St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t look the same for many of us as it has in years past. The parades are cancelled. The city’s best Irish pubs have limited seating, if they are open at all, and most of us are in a deep state of self-reflection about where we were 12 months ago when the world shut down.

Like most of you, I need a drink and a strong one at that. I survived, but not entirely intact and although I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I’m not positive it’s not just a train ready to roll right over me again.

So this St. Patrick’s day, I’m doing what I do best – pretend everything is totally fine while consuming copious amounts of alcohol in a tasteful setting that makes me seem better at adulting than I actually am.

EMERALD ISLE GREEN

So, let’s start with this table setting. I was really determined to use moss and Liz found another piece of driftwood she couldn’t live without, so we knew from the start this was going to have to be a quaint rustic table that would transport us to the Emerald Isle.

I found this gorgeous green linen tablecloth on Amazon, and knew these Reactive Glaze Stoneware Dinner Plates from West Elm would be a perfect pairing.  To add a touch of modern, we added these fun Bui Appetizer Plates from Wayfair, which were gifted to us by a dear friend – she knows who she is.

YAY FOR YELLOW!

Because I can never resist using yellow, and it is Daffodil season, we chose these wonderful Golden Art Deco Napkins from World Market and tied it all together with a simple Daffodil stem. Our flatware is vintage, but you can get the same look with this great wood and gold flatware set from Amazon.

Finally, what’s an Irish dinner without Guinness? Sorry beer snobs, we used these Calder Highball Glasses from Crate and Barrel, because they are pretty, and we used these rustic Moscow Mule Copper Mugs for water, because honestly we needed to hydrate and again they are pretty.

DRIFTWOOD CENTERPIECE

Now on to that centerpiece. We know, it looks complicated, but it was actually really simple. We started by hot glueing some moss on to Liz’s driftwood, which is easy to take off with Goo Gone once you are finished. We planted two small jade plants and a shamrock plant in three small rustic containers that tucked neatly into our driftwood.

Next we cut some pale peach garden roses, daisies, and goldenrod, and placed them in the potted plants and around the driftwood. Here’s the thing. You can and should buy floral tubes if you want your flowers to stay looking fresh and healthy throughout your party. They are easy to disguise with moss. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time, so this arrangement only lasted a couple of hours before it started to wilt. Take our word for it – buy the damn tubes!!!

 BEEF – IT’s WHAT’s FOR DINNER

Our table is set, the Guinness is poured and it’s time for food. We thought a lot about different things to serve for this Irish Dinner party, We experimented with Reuben Egg Rolls and Irish Spring Rolls for starters and finally agreed on Irish Beef Stew for our main dish with Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes. The perfect combination for soaking up all those extra glasses of Irish Whiskey you may want to imbibe. We’ve popped in a couple of our personal favorites if your looking for something new.

Speaking Of Whisky – True Story

A couple of years ago, Liz and Steve visited the Emerald Isles for a milestone birthday that rhymes with over the hill. As you might have guessed, they drank all the whiskey in all the pubs in Ireland and decided on some favorites – Green Spot, Yellow Spot and Red Breast. 

Of course at the very top of that list was a rather expensive bottle of Midleton Very Rare. Being the kind, caring spouse that she is, Liz thought she would surprise Steve with bottle for Christmas and likewise, Steve thought he would surprise Liz with a bottle for Christmas and that my friends is how they ended up with 2 very expensive bottles of whiskey with which they were willing to spare a glass for their old pal Jen. Aren’t we the cutest? Oops I meant they.

TABLE FOR FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE?

So no matter what St. Patty’s day looks like for you, enjoy it. No judgement here if you’re drinking your Guinness alone this year. We get it. It’s been rough. And with a little luck of the Irish we are betting that the light at the end of the tunnel is sunshine and not a wild commuter train hurling towards us without breaks.

Sláinte mhaith!  And to your good health!

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