The eating of the green...

So it's St. Patrick's Day and I had to have some special cupcakes. I mean, this is the girl who used to convince her kids that their last name changed to O'Hill one day a year. But, I will admit, while the cupcakes are festive, they're just my Vanilla Bean Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese frosting.

Anyway, this St. Patty's is off to a horrendous start. So, to distract from the awful start to the day, I'm gonna keep it light.

In honor of St. Patrick's, here is my list of the things that I thank Ireland for on a (somewhat) daily basis:

1. U2 - Not-So-Ex may think Bono is one cocky bastard (not that I disagree), but he's also one of my first loves. My aunt, who was in her early 20s when I was a kid, introduced me to U2 at a time when pretty much every radio station in our area was banned by my parents. And I have to say thank God for that. The first album I ever bought was Live Under a Blood Red Sky, which I bought for my aunt for Christmas, and Boy was bought soon after for myself. I also came very close to putting myself into labor when I went to a U2 concert in Lexington against my doctor's advice. But, luckily, my son held off another week or two.

2. Guinness and Bailey's Irish Cream - Now I'm not a huge drinker and I can't take Guinness on it's own, but I love that both these can be used in a million different recipes. You could easily have an entire meal with Guinness involved in every course. And, of course, I have to point out that there are tons of recipes for Guinness Cupcakes. It's even less surprising that there are tons of Baileys cupcake recipes, and of course the Baileys coffee. And, even better, you can make your own Baileys! I haven't tried it yet but one of these days I'll have to.

3. Irish Stereotypes - Now I'm not a fan of stereotyping, but has there ever been a stereotype that has provided more fodder for comedy than the drunk, loud Irishman? And God knows there's a pretty large portion of the male population looking for that fiery redhead (*sigh*).

4. Denis Leary - While I may be a little pissed at Leary right now after the way the last season of Rescue Me ended (and it started with such promise), I have always had a super soft spot in my heart for assholes. And he is an asshole. I loved his comedy. I loved his movies - the ones where he played the same persona he always does (The Ref), the ones where he actually had a softer side (The Thomas Crown Affair), the ones where he goes all serious (Recount), and even the ones where he's just a voice (The Ice Age movies). He even makes me like Oprah a little more. Anyway, while there are tons of gorgeous Irish Americans, he's my favorite!

Well I think I'm gonna leave it at that. I may add other things as the day moves on and, if you have a fave I haven't discussed, feel free to shoot me an email and I'll add it to my list!