It's March And We All Know What That Means...

Oh yeah...it DOES mean March Madness, NCAA basketball at it's best! And yes, I DO love to watch all the tournaments...but that is NOT what I really meant!

What I actually meant has a lot more to do with the wearin' 'o the green, shamrocks and Guinness beer. Okay, so maybe I won't be drinking the Guinness but I will be wearin' my green and looking out for those mischievous leprechauns!

St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner!

There's a dear little plant that grows in our isle,

'Twas Saint Patrick himself, sure, that set it;

And the sun of his labor with pleasure did smile,

And with dew from his eye often wet it.

It grows through the bog, through the brake,

through the mireland And they call it

the dear little Shamrock of Ireland

(Irish Blessing)

Do you know the meaning of the word "Blarney"?

Well, it endows people with the "gift of gab" or eloquence in speech. The origins of the word blarney perhaps comes from the time of Cormac McDermot MacCarthy, Chief of Muskerry and possessor of Blarney Castle, Co. Cork in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It seems that Cormac used his silver-tongued excuses to placate the Queen and her advancing army while still keeping his Gaelic loyalties. The Queen eventually grew tired of her smooth-talking subject and declared: "This is all Blarney, he never means what he says, he never does what he promises!!" So, if you are in search of blarney, you will most certainly find it here at Rabbit Run Cottage!

Let your little leprechauns in on the fun of

St. Patrick's Day by baking up these pretty

shamrocks that get their gorgeous green color

from instant pistachio pudding mix.

Shamrock Cookies

Ingredients 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 (3 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix 1 1/3 cups baking mix 1 egg 1 tablespoon white sugar Baking Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Lightly grease baking sheet. 2. Cream together the butter or margarine and the pudding mix. Blend in the baking mix, egg and sugar and mix well. 3. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 3/8 inch thickness and cut into cookies with a shamrock cookie cutter. 4. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 9 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Let cookies cool on rack.

Frost with green colored icing if desired.

The Shamrock, at one time called the "Seamroy", symbolises the cross and blessed trinity. Before the Christian era it was a sacred plant of the Druids of Ireland because its leaves formed a triad. The well known legend of the Shamrock connects it definitely to St. Patrick and his teaching. Preaching in the open air on the doctrine of the trinity, he is said to have illustrated the existence of the Three in One by plucking a shamrock from the grass growing at his feet and showing it to his congregation. The legend of the shamrock is also connected with that of the banishment of the serpent tribe from Ireland by a tradition that snakes are never seen on trefoil and that it is a remedy against the stings of snakes and scorpions. The trefoil in Arabia is called shamrakh and was sacred in Iran as an emblem of the Persian triads. The trefoil, as noted above, being a sacred plant among the Druids, and three being a mystical number in the Celtic religion as well as all others, it is probable that St. Patrick must have been aware of the significance of his illustration.