Herbaceous L'il Jig and Green Tea Press

Live from the start of St Patrick's Day celebrations in the Lowcountry we plan the experience from start to finish. It's not about an affair to remember, it's about the occasions to record in memory that bring you back year after year. From the beverage in the to-go-cup to the green beaded necklaces to the parade down the street it's the people, places, and what's consumed to celebrate Irish heritage that keeps us all in the green. Our little band of revelers make it an annual tradition to create parade route beverages, one nonalcoholic and one a bit saucier. Each year the challenge remains the same...to do something different and always with a little green.

Green Tea Press (inspired by Stonehill Tavern)
2 ounces chilled brewed green tea, 1 ounce Ginger syrup, 2 ounces chilled club soda, 1 lime wedge and 1 mint sprig
Fill pint glass with ice, add green tea, syrup, and soda and stir well. Garnish with lime and mint

L'il Jig (inspired by Pegu Club)
3 Thai basil leaves, 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice, 1/2 ounce simple syrup, ice, 1 1/2 ounce silver tequila, 1/2 ounce Chartreuse
Muddle the basil leaves with lime juice and syrup, add ice, tequila, and Chartreuse. Shake well and strain.

Start Celebrating the Irish on Hilton Head Island: http://www.stpatricksdayhhi.com/
Finish in Traditional Fashion in Savannah: http://www.savannahsaintpatricksday.com

Triangle of Delicious (romance, travel, art)

There was no better way to spend a post film festival experience in Beaufort than to trek to Orlando to read, write, grocery shop and make dinner. That's right...drive five hours not to see Harry Potter or Mickey, but to hang with a romance novelist (Karen Hawkins) and a mutual friend known to many as @travelblggr on Twitter. Last time our schedules permitted time face-to-face in the same space was over a year and a half ago at a wine festival...though would be true there have been many moments shared in our electronic realms through social media. As different in our every day demeanor as we are in our professions and our individual aspirations so too are our approaches to bringing food to a table. Simplistic and colorful was my approach, rich in flavor was @travelblggr's purpose and succulent creamy goodness (with a kick one would never forget they'd been kissed) was naturally the romance novelist's contribution.

Insalta Caprese http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/caprese-salad-recipe/index.html

Mushroom Risotto http://innthekitchen.com/wp/2010/10/11/champagne-risotto-with-wild-mushrooms/

Rotisserie Chicken (thank you Publix Baldwin Park)

Chocolate Fondue http://cookeatshare.com/recipes/chocolate-fondue-recipes-332132

Hannah is my Betty Crocker (Thai Coconut Chicken)

Foodies who cook always bring their favorites forward. I had heard about a staff member (Hannah) at one of the local newspapers that loved to cook and bring her latest creations to the office for her co-workers to enjoy and critique. Then I got to judge chili sitting beside her a couple years ago and realized what the joy of cooking really meant. I follow her creative pieces in the local newspaper as well as her posts on her personal FaceBook page to capture her most recent kitchen episode. Cooking Channel this gal's definitely for you! So while many are focusing on the traditional Super Bowl fare I'm spending time with Hannah's recipe for Thai Coconut Chicken (straight from Betty Crocker). The simplicity of this dish is outweighed only by the color the ingredients bring to a serving bowl. The recipe calls for rice to complement the finished dish and while I consume quite a bit of rice in my diet I'm always in a quandary over what type of rice to buy and prepare. A bit of searching on the world wide web and I found a comprehensive A to W guide to rice via The Nibble. Literally a cornucopia of rice.

Recipe: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/thai-style-coconut-chicken/1273016a-f6f7-42f7-acf5-70e80584324e