As you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, we wanted to share with you a few of our favorite recipes including ideas for a drink, appetizer, meal and a dessert for your next onboard party.  

Drink: Mojito Limeade

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs for garnish

2 limes, cut into wedges, plus more for garnish

2 cups crushed ice, plus more for serving

1 cup Lime-Mint Syrup, recipe follows

1 liter white rum

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

Club soda

Directions

Muddle the mint leaves and lime wedges with 2 cups crushed ice in the bottom of a large pitcher. Add Lime-Mint Syrup (see instructions below), rum, lime juice, and more ice. Top off with club soda, to taste. Pour into glasses over ice and serve. Garnish each glass with a lime wedge and mint sprigs, if desired.

Soup: Lime-Mint

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

2 limes, zested

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat, stir in the lime zest and mint, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to infuse the syrup with the flavor of lime and mint. Strain out the mint and zest and refrigerate the syrup, covered, until cold.

Dinner: Crock Pot Corned Beef in Beer:

Ingredients

3 - 4 lbs corned beef brisket

6 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

1 cup thinly sliced carrot

1 bay leaf (or two small ones)

1 cup beer

1 small cabbage, cut in wedges (optional)

Directions

Place potatoes, onions, carrots, and bay leaf in crock pot. Trim excess fat from brisket; put meat on top of vegetables. If desired, place cabbage wedges on top of meat. Pour beer over all. Cover and cook on LOW heat setting 9-11 hours. Slice brisket thinly across grain (let it cool 5-10 minutes for easier slicing). Serve with vegetables.

Appetizer: Irish soda bread

Ingredients

11/4 cup plain white flour

1 1/4 cup plain whole meal flour

1/2 cup porridge oats

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

1/8 butter, cut in pieces

2 1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven 375 degrees and dust a baking sheet with flour. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then rub in the butter. Pour in the buttermilk and mix it in quickly with a table knife, then bring the dough together very lightly with your fingertips (handle it very, very gently). Now shape it into a flat, round loaf measuring 8in in diameter.

2. Put the loaf on the baking sheet and score a deep cross in the top. (Traditionally, this lets the fairies out, but it also helps the bread to cook through.) Bake for 30-35 minutes until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. If it isn’t ready after this time, turn it upside down on the baking sheet and bake for a few minutes more.

3. Transfer to a wire rack, cover with a clean tea towel (this keeps the crust nice and soft) and leave to cool. To serve, break into quarters, then break or cut each quarter in half to make 8 wedges or slices – or simply slice across. Eat very fresh.

Dessert: St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Shakes

Ingredients

2 cups vanilla ice cream or 2 cups soy ice cream

1 1/4 cups 2% low-fat milk or 1 1/4 cups soymilk

1/4 teaspoon mint extract

8 drops green food coloring

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Stop blender to stir with a spoon if necessary to help blend ice cream. Pour into 12-ounce cups and serve each with a straw.

Check out more recipes at Houseboat magazine’s Pinterest page (www.pinterest.com/houseboatmag)