Irish Coffee Wallhanging Top Completed and Some Yummy Irish Drinks with a Delicious Irish Dessert

I am decorating the house a bit for the holidays, but I also decided as both Joe and I are fanatical about coffee, we needed a reminder of that in our kitchen. I made an Irish Coffee wallhanging. It is all machine applique, and I had such fun sewing it. I am done the top, but before I layer the batting and the backing to the top and do the machine quilting, I wanted to show you the top.
Joe took the pic, but the flash went off.. The greens of the letters are brighter, the red at the bottom is brighter, but when I finish the top, Joe will take it outside so you can hopefully see the colours better in the natural light. At least you got a sneak peak.LOL

Isn't it just so cute and Irish?

I don't know if you ever had Irish coffee, but here is a really good recipe for it:

Irish Coffee:

Ingredients
1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger Irish cream liqueur
1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger Irish whiskey
1 cup hot brewed coffee
1 tablespoon whipped cream
1 dash ground nutmeg
Directions
In a coffee mug, combine Irish cream and Irish whiskey. Fill mug with coffee. Top with a dab of whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg.

I have to admit that my favorite drink of all here is Baileys Irish Creme, and besides the original flavored Baileys, they also have chocolate mint, caramel and hazelnut. I , of course, being a chocoholic, love the chocolate mint Baileys, which I plan on having on Christmas day.

Joe and I love to sit in the snug area of our favorite pub called McColgans. I always have a Baileys Irish Creme, and we basically have the pub to ourselves. That is because we usually go there on a Saturday morning. This past Saturday we went, met a local musician there named Ernie, and a neighbor named Charlie, and it was great craic sitting with the Baileys by the fire, and listening to Irish music being played on the jukebox. Pefect way to spend Saturday morning.

Christmas is not Christmas here in Ireland without Traditional Irish Christmas Cake. Here is a good recipe if you want to try it out.

IRISH CHRISTMAS CAKE RECIPE:

1 cup raisins1 cup yellow raisins1 cup dried fruits (cranberries, cherries, etc.)1 cup chopped dried apricots,1 cup chopped dried plums,1 cup candied citrus peel, chopped finely,1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons of brandy (I use Christian Brothers)1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened 8 eggs,1 tablespoon lemon zest,1 tablespoon lemon juice,2 tablespoons vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon salt,1 teaspoon nutmeg, 3 cups flour,2 cups slivered almonds

Combine first six ingredients in a bowl. Add 1/2 cup brandy. Let stand overnight, stirring occasionally.Position the rack in center of oven and preheat to 375 F. Butter a 10-inch-diameter tube pan. Line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper. Butter parchment and dust with flour. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy, add in the 2-1/2 cups sugar and continue beating until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the lemon peel and juice, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg. Mix in flour. Fold in almonds and dried fruit mixture. Spread evenly in the pan.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil, shiny side up. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 275 degrees.Bake the cake until toothpick comes out clean, about 4 hours. Dribble the remaining brandy over the cake. Cool for five minutes. Turn the cake out onto the rack. Cool completely. Store, wrapped, until just before serving. Additional brandy can be dribbled over the top of the cake weekly until icing.To decorate the cake, shortly before serving: First layer honey and marzipan. 3 7-ounce packages of marzipan1/2 cup honeyPress the marzipan into a circle. Sprinkle a cutting board with powdered sugar. Roll out marzipan to 14-inch round. Turn cake right side up; place on serving plate. Drizzle the honey over the cake. Drape the marzipan over cake, trimming around the top of the cake only. Press lightly mold it to the top of the cake.

Royal Icing: 2 large egg whites2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted Beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add in the sugar and mix gently until smooth and shiny. Use immediately or store in an airtight container.The final frosting of royal icing is spread over the marzipan and honey layers. When the royal icing has hardened, wrap the cake first in waxed paper, then in a layer of aluminum foil for keeping.

Anyways, I will be completing the wallhanging tomorrow, the latest Wedenesday, so I will post the pic of the completed wallhanging.

Before Christmas, I will be telling you how Christmas is traditionally celebrated here. There are Gaelic traditions to the holiday that I have never seen in America. Stay tuned for that.