OK, so I drew up a maze with a Leprechaun and a pot o’ gold, because… Stereotypes. I thought it may be a fun activity for people who celebrate their Irish or Celtic heritage this time of year. I do love to rock the Celtic Shenanigans 🍀 playlist on random more often than usual this time of year. You can spare me your “dusting off” Dropkick Murphys/Flogging Molly jokes. I have heard them all, and I listen all year. (I also don’t drink much any more, but my Beer 🍻 playlist also feels stereotypical and apropos.)
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I also made a shamrock maze & a four-leaf clover maze, for a fun quick activity, & I uploaded them to my TeePublic & RedBubble shops. Everything is on sale right now at TeePublic, including these two designs. Get T-shirts for $16, stickers for $3, or all kinds of other cool stuff. You can even customize the colors of the products, so you can have a black hat or T-shirt, a green one, or whatever you prefer.
Which one do you like more, the shamrock (three-leaf clover) or the lucky four-leaf clover? Should I add this leprechaun maze to the shops too?
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Check out all of these mazes, in a printable black & white if you’d like:
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They work great as adult coloring book pages too. You can fill in the dead ends to find the path, or just color ’em however you please. I’m a big fan of anarchy.
You can check out my playlists on your preferred streaming service with these links from Tune My Music:
I came to blog my recipe then through a search, discovered I posted one last year! That was in the roasting pan though, and it was a pork loin rib half. This year, I put a pork shoulder roast in the crock pot… and made some dumplings 2 ways to go with it!
Crock Pot Pork n’ Sauerkraut with dumplings for New Year’s Day!
Ingredients:
6 lb. pork shoulder roast
2 bags of sauerkraut (Beware, “Bavarian style” is a secret code meaning it has caraway seeds & tastes like royal ass. Unless you like caraway seeds or royal ass. I avoid it for diverticulitis reasons anyway.)
Drain & rinse the sauerkraut, unless you’re into clearing the pluming from the top down.
Slice the apples & onions then place them on the bottom of the slow cooker/crock pot, add that beer & apple juice. Add some spices.
Put the roast in, fat side up. Add some spices.
Cover it with the rinsed sauerkraut. Add some spices.
Add that brown sugar sprinkled all over the top, Add some more spices.
I put it on low for 8 hours & it was over-cooked & falling apart, but in a good way.
Cook it to 145° F according to the FDA, 160° according to my thermometer with the numbers beside the pig icon, or 203° if you want it to fall apart.
Cut up 4 of the Pillsbury biscuits into 4 pieces each, pop ’em into the crock pot on the last half hour. I sealed the inside of the lid with foil at that point because I read you should do that online. (Don’t burn yourself!)
Let it rest a bit when you pull it out. That’s just good life advice in general.
I cooked the other 4 biscuits, also cut into 4’s, in my stock pot:
I tossed some beer, water, apple juice, & ham bullion into my stock pot, then brought it to a boil.
I dropped in the dumpling pieces, and brought it down to a simmer. That’s about a 2 on my stovetop dial.
I boiled for 10 minutes with the lid off, then for 10 minutes with the lid on.
Tips:
Damnit, I forgot to do this part: Sear the pork roast on all sides. I used a large fork to control it along with some tongs. I used a hot pan with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil & a pat of butter. You just want to sear the outsides, not cook the meat. I did add a bit of seasonings first.
I put onion powder on the apple slices and garlic powder on the onion slices… because why not? Does anyone else do stuff this?
I liked the dumplings from the crock pot more than the ones from the stock pot. they were more fluffy/biscuity and less… wet. They both tasted pretty good & were certainly edible though.
Pork & SauerkrautPork, Sauerkraut, Apples, Onions, & DumplingsDumplings cooking in the stock pot.Dumplings cooking in the crock pot.Stock pot dumplings on the left, crock pot dumplings on the right.
What are your New Year’s traditions and recipes? Did you see my New Year’s appetizers? I’ll take any & all tips on dumplings! I haven’t had luck with the Bisquick variety and I never tried scratch.
We’ll be rocking with the shockingly scandalous Steel City Slingers and whoever’s brave enough to step up to the plate! Here are the details so far, with an incredible flyer by the Slingers’ own Zach.
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings, slow to make enemies and quick to make friends. And may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
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May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.
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May you live to be 100 years, with one extra year to repent.
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We drink to your coffin. May it be built from the wood of a hundred year old oak tree that I shall plant tomorrow.
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May God grant you many years to live,
For sure he must be knowing,
The earth has angels all too few
And heaven is overflowing.
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Here’s to a long life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one.
A cold pint– and another one!
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I drink to your health when I’m with you,
I drink to your health when I’m alone,
I drink to your health so often,
I’m starting to worry about my own!
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Here’s to women’s kisses,
and to whiskey, amber clear;
Not as sweet as a woman’s kiss,
but a darn sight more sincere!
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There are good ships,
and there are wood ships,
The ships that sail the sea.
But the best ships, are friendships,
And may they always be.
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Here’s to you and yours,
And to mine and ours,
And if mine and ours ever come
Across you and yours,
I hope you and yours will do
As much for mine and ours,
As mine and ours have done
For you and yours!
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May your heart be light and happy,
May your smile be big and wide,
And may your pockets always have
a coin or two inside!
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Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.
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May neighbors respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.
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May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been,
The foresight to know where you are going,
And the insight to know when you have gone too far.
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May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.
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May those that love us, love us.
And those that don’t love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if he doesn’t turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles,
So we’ll know them by their limping.
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May misfortune follow you the rest of your life, and never catch up.
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May you have food and raiment,
A soft pillow for your head.
May you be forty years in heaven
Before the devil knows you’re dead.
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May you have warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And a smooth road all the way to your door.
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May the lilt of Irish laughter
lighten every load.
May the mist of Irish magic
shorten every road…
And may all your friends remember
all the favors you are owed!
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May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
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For each petal on the shamrock.
This brings a wish your way
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day.
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May the good saints protect you,
And bless you today.
And may troubles ignore you,
Each step of the way.
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Share with me below… your favorite toasts, blessings, photos, music or video with a Celtic influence. It can be Irish, Scottish, Welsh, or even Japanese. It can be Celtic folk, punk, metal, rap, rock, traditional, or a blend of all of the above. I’ll accept anything but U2.
World (and Lunar) Domination 