The World Famous St Patrick's Day Parade In Boston, Massachusetts

For a real adventure, celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Boston, Massachusetts this year. In addition to the world famous St Patrick's Day parade on Boston's south side, you can also attend a number of concerts, dinners, theatrical performances, festivals and special events throughout March.

As the saying goes, "Everyone is Irish on Saint Patrick's Day," but you can only truly get a sense of this sentiment by surrounding yourself with hordes of other Irish descendents dressed in green, armed with pints of Guinness and cheering as elaborate floats pass by.

In addition to the main South Boston St Patrick's Day parade at 1 pm on Sunday, March 14th, you can also watch several other St. Patty's Day parades. You can begin watching the processions as early as March 6th in Cape Cod (at 11 am). On the 7th, you can travel to Worcester's Park Avenue (at noon) or Lawrence's City Hall (at 1 pm).

On March 14th, the Town of Scituate begins their 1 pm parade at Gate Middle School on First Parish Road. Holyoke's widely heralded parade will take place on March 21st at 11:50 am. Or if you prefer, line up at the Abington Center for their parade on Sunday, March 21st at 1 pm.

Before or after the St Patrick's Day parade, theater-goers can watch the Lion King at the Opera House on Washington Street through March 21 (www.broadwayacrossamerica.com). On March 7th, the Irish Tea Party performs dances to Irish music and serves refreshments (www.irish-cairde.org).

On March 9th, the Hanover Theatre presents six-time Grammy winners, The Chieftains (www.thehanovertheatre.org). Or you may also be able to catch this Irish music concert at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on March 11th. The Robinson Theatre in Waltham is hosting "A Little Bit of Ireland" by the Reagle Players acting troop from March 12 - 14 (www.reagleplayers.com).

If you're also into movies, you'll enjoy the 11th annual Irish Film Festival, from March 26 - 28 (www.irishfilmfestival.com).

To read more The World Famous St Patrick's Day Parade In Boston, Massachusetts

Hosting Your Own Irish American Festivities With Saint Patricks Day Party Ideas

If you were living in Ireland before the dawn of the Twentieth Century, then you would have celebrated St. Patrick's Day by attending morning mass and eating ham, bacon or lamb for dinner. You would think about St Patrick and early Christianity and would spend the day quietly.

Your family would be thankful that the potato famine has ended and all could be assembled in good health and good spirits, despite the cold. As you know, today's American St. Patrick's Day celebrations are filled with multiple parades, pub crawls, music festivals, competitive games, theatrical performances and dinner parties. Here are some Saint Patricks Day party ideas to help you host your own Irish-American festivities.

Decorations may be among your Saint Patricks Day party ideas as well. Some people feel that there is no such thing as "too much green" and they purchase green tablecloths, confetti, balloons, napkins and paper ribbons.

At www.orientaltradingpost.com, you can get stuffed green gorillas, inflatable leprechauns, shamrock mobiles, leprechaun door hangers and green confetti. They also have pot of gold centerpieces, "Kiss Me I'm Irish" mints, "Happy St. Pats" yard flags, fridge magnets, candles, "faith family friends" pillows, plastic cups and party platters.

You can also find a number of fun and inexpensive Saint Patricks Day party favors here as well. For tasteful decor, you may want to check with your local florist for www.celticbydesign.coma St. Patrick's Day centerpiece. You may also want to visit , www.irishindeed.com or www.simplyirishgifts.com for Irish home decor that's suitable all year round.

Lastly, you may want to wrap up your dinner party with Irish themed movies. Saint Patricks Day party ideas for movies include Going My Way (with Bing Crosby), The Bells of St. Mary's (with Bing Crosby & Ingrid Bergman), The Quiet Man (with John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara), Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt's memoir), Michael Collins (Liam Neeson), Waking Ned Devine, The Field (Richard Harris), In America, Out of Ireland, Gangs of New York (Leonardo DiCaprio), Evelyn (Pierce Brosnan), Darby O'Gill and the Little People, The Crying Game, Veronica Guerin, Leprechaun, and The Magdalen Sisters.

For more info on these St. Patrick's Day films, visit www.rottentomatoes.com.

To read more Hosting Your Own Irish American Festivities With Saint Patricks Day Party Ideas

Better Ideas For Planning A Saint Patrick's Day Dinner

Everyone's Irish on March 17th, so why not host your own Saint Patrick's Day dinner? Whether you just love a good, dark Guinness or you're curious what "bangers and rum sauce" tastes like, you can put together a unique and hearty feast without spending much money.

Stews, potato dishes, fish, Reuben sandwiches, corned beef and cabbage are just some of the first foods that come to mind on this special feast day.

Tatnuck Meat Market in New England can barely keep up with the orders for Saint Patrick's Day dinner corned beef each year. Tom Lowe at Lowe's Variety and Meat Market sells about 1,600 pounds of grey corned beef in March.

"Red flannel hash is basically corned beef, cabbage, carrots, turnips, potatoes, beets," explains Kevin Flanagan, another New England meat market owner. "Beets? Irish? Hey, the Irish never had corned beef in Ireland. Corned beef isn't really Irish. It's an American tradition anyway - not Irish." Regardless, people instinctively associate corned beef and cabbage with Irish culture.

At European Cuisines (www.europeancuisines.com/Ireland-Authentic-Traditional-Irish-Desserts-Dessert-Recipes), you'll find recipes for some delicious Irish desserts to serve up after your Saint Patrick's Day dinner.

Here you'll find a number of delicious puddings (potato & apple, apple & barley, honey & lemon carrageen, rutabaga, Irish coffee), as well as Apple Fritters, Bailey's Irish Cream Mousse Pie, Irish Whiskey Cake and Chocolate-Orange Guinness Cake.

Irish traditions are a wonderful blessing to pass down to your children, so it's good that you decided to start this year!

To read more Better Ideas For Planning A Saint Patrick's Day Dinner

The Irish Celebrate Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick is not just the patron saint behind many Irish celebrations, but he's also celebrated around the world, with some of the biggest Saint Patrick's Day celebrations taking place in Boston, New York City, Chicago, Savannah, San Francisco and Seattle.

Americans love their corned beef and cabbage and their Irish lineage. So who is this mysterious man behind the celebrations? This article will report what is known about the life of this important saint.

After more than six years as a slave in Ireland, Saint Patrick escaped. According to his own writings, the voice of God spoke to him in a dream, telling him to leave Ireland. He walked 200 miles from County Mayo (where some scholars believe he was being held) to the Irish Coast.

He journeyed back to Britain, where he experienced a second vision from an angel, who told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Patrick studied religion for over fifteen years and finally returned to Ireland after being ordained as a priest.

Despite the myth that Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated because "Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland," he is reported to have really spread the faith around the nation and converted the masses, which is why we celebrate his day.

Today we celebrate Saint Patrick's Day on the alleged date of Saint Patrick's death, which is March 17th. St. Patrick's Day is celebrated world wide by people of Irish descent, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Eastern Orthodox and others in English-speaking countries. "Everyone is Irish on St. Paddy's Day," they cry.

Irish festivities include weeks of festivals with dancing, crafts, theatrical performances, historical tours, dinners, competitions, music and mass. The parties in America are usually centered on corned beef and cabbage dinners, parades, pub crawls and concerts.

To read more The Irish Celebrate Saint Patrick

Irish Holiday Celebrating St Patricks Day

When someone mentions the Irish holiday of St. Patrick's Day, many images come to mind, such as shamrocks, the color green, leprechauns, Guinness, corned beef and cabbage.

But how many of these things came directly from the motherland and how many of these "Irish mores" are really just American traditions? Have we lost something in all the parades, pub crawls and festivals? Perhaps the real meaning has more to do with St Patrick and early Christianity than with these festivities we partake of today.

Some people are annoyed at how the Irish holiday becomes a tourist-type attraction that has little to do with Ireland and its rich cultural traditions.

"The corned beef and cabbage thing makes me laugh," says Yvonne Ivory, a Dublin native who lectures at San Diego State University. "Other things annoy me," she adds, saying that the Blarney Stone is something reserved for tourists only.

"The myth is if you kiss the Blarney stone you become eloquent. I've never heard of Irish people kissing the Blarney stone. And I've never seen green beer in Ireland."

As the Irish became more successful in America, other successful immigrant groups, such as the Polish, the Italian, the Ukrainian and the Latinos could all celebrate their similar experiences.

Irish-Americans wanted to bring over pieces of the traditional Irish way of life for their Irish holiday, but they also wanted to celebrate their new success. Corned beef replaced bacon, ham or lamb. They took St. Patrick's shamrock "Holy Trinity" metaphor and made four leaf clovers a symbol of good luck.

They took the Gaelic tradition of fairies and devised the leprechaun. Sometimes Irish-Americans get a tough rap, but the Irish truly assimilated into American culture, while still retaining their Irish traditions.

To read more Irish Holiday Celebrating St Patricks Day

The Signs Of A Food Allergy

Infant food allergies most commonly occur when parents are introducing their babies to new foods. Sometimes certain proteins cause the body to make an antibody called IgE, which alerts the baby's system that a foreign invader has arrived.

For babies, ninety percent of food allergies come from milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, cashews, Brazil nuts or almonds), fish (tuna, salmon, cod), shellfish (shrimp, lobster, crab), soy or wheat.

The American Academy of Pediatrics used to recommend that parents wait until their child reaches the age of 3, at least, to try something like peanuts because of the potential for serious allergic reactions, but recently they admitted there is no research to back up the theory that late introduction to certain foods prevents allergies. You may find, however, that it's less stressful to deal with a food allergy reaction in an older child.

The best way to cope with serious food allergies is to keep your infant away from their food trigger. Make sure babysitters, relatives, daycare workers and school officials know about their food allergy and subsequent reaction. Breastfeeding offers good protection against allergies, so it's best to breastfeed as long as you can.

When your child is old enough to understand, try reading books to him or her about asking before eating, coping with teasing from other kids and staying safe. Most communities offer resources for parents to communicate with their kids and caregivers about this topic.

At about nine or ten months, parents like to start moving their babies away from a diet consisting solely of baby food. Pediatric food allergies can be a scary thing for parents, so they sometimes hold off on introducing certain foods.

Even if there is no added food allergy risk, it is easier to manage older babies with allergies. Allergy reactions are the worst for peanuts and shellfish, so many pediatricians recommend waiting until your child is at least three years old to introduce these things.

Whole cow's milk should not be given to babies under a year of age because the proteins are too complex for the baby's stomach to digest. However, yogurt and soft cheeses are a subtler way to introduce dairy, as these products are broken down.

Honey is another substance doctors recommend holding off of on (until age 1 or 2) because it may cause a disease called infant botulism.

To read more The Signs Of A Food Allergy

Better Meals With Basil

Basil is one of those herbs found in many recipes, especially European and Asian recipes. Eating pasta without basil, is like eating pasta without the pasta.

You need to improve the taste and can make the pasta meal much more delicious by adding basil. You can buy sauces, like Pesto sauce to add to your pasta, but I like to make my own sauce, with fresh basil from my garden.

As any cooking master will tell you, the secret to a successful meal is the herbs and spices you add to the meal, to enhance the flavour. Imagine eating roast chicken, without herbs and spices. The meat would taste rather dull. This is why you need to enhance the meat with herbs and spices.

I like to grow my own herbs so that I can use fresh ingredients, whenever I need to create a more delicious meal. I believe a meal should be enjoyed, rather than endured. One should always look forward to meal times, especially when cooking with basil.

While cooking a regular meal, you may think you want to stray from your regular recipe and add something different, to make the meal much more delicious.

Your secret ingredient is basil. You can grow basil in a window box garden on your window sill, and grab a few leaves when you need to improve the taste of your meal, while cooking.

These days, I like to add fresh herbs to almost all my recipes, for added natural flavour. Makes the meal so much more delicious.

One of my friends, comes over with his wife once or twice a month and I know they come at a time when they can enjoy my cooking, cause they always ask what I will be cooking. I know they like pasta, that I make myself, with my own sauce that no one knows all the ingredients.

I do admit, one of the ingredients is basil.

To read more Better Meals With Basil

How To Find The Best Coffee Makers

Best coffee makers are the ones with the best reviews and the most satisfied customers. These machines are dependable and never let you down. There is a variety of machines available, from the manual makers to the fully automated, one click button for your coffee.

You can use a coffee maker to make a cup of delicious coffee in the morning, to keep you wide awake, before jumping into your car and travel to work. You may even make another cup of coffee to fill your travel mug, to drink while on the way to work.

You may find coffee at the shop rather expensive and the need to wait in line, out in the cold and rain, just for a cup of coffee. The coffee at work may be that dull and tasteless brew they call instant coffee.

Before you leave home, you can make coffee and fill one or two insulated coffee mugs, to supply your coffee fix for the rest of the day, just by using the best coffee makers.

When you buy a coffee maker online, the coffee maker can be delivered to your door. Many of these online stores, also sell coffee, coffee beans, coffee grinders and coffee mugs.

So if you are buying a new coffee maker, you may as well buy the coffee for your new machine and some new coffee mugs. If you are looking for bargains, you may find value packs, where you get a coffee maker, coffee and coffee mugs in one package, delivered to your door, for one price.

I like to buy my coffee makers from a coffee shop around the corner, where I get my favourite coffee beans. I have bought a new grinder online, as the coffee shop did not have the coffee grinder I wanted to purchase. I received the grinder within 24 hours and it was in perfect condition.

When you are looking for the best coffee makers, you want the most reliable machines that have stood the test of time and do not receive negative reviews online.

Before you purchase your next coffee maker, search online for a variety of coffee makers and look for reviews that will tell you what the customers are saying. The most reliable coffee makers always have happy customers.

For example, you can go to amazon.com and search for coffee makers and find out what the customers are saying about the best coffee makers.

To read more How To Find The Best Coffee Makers

Better Ideas For Cooking Potatoes

Cooking potatoes are a popular option with many families around the world. Potatoes are versatile as they can be oven baked, fried, steamed and boiled. In my family, we always like to add a side dish of baked potatoes, next to the cooked meat. Eating roasted potato with roast meat is another popular option.

Potato wedges have become popular with fast food outlets. You can buy frozen wedges, or frozen chips and cook them rather quickly. I prefer peeling potatoes and creating my own wedges, as the potatoes taste much better when they have been freshly peeled.

If you have the time to sit down and peel potatoes, then this may be a better option. If you are restricted for time and the family need some food on the table, then take out the frozen wedges. These are the times when you have to make compromises.

When buying potatoes, I always buy the washed potatoes as I do not want muddy fingers when I am peeling potatoes.

There are many ways to cook potatoes. You can make them part of the main meal, adding other vegetables and herbs in a slow cooker. You can make a potato salad with herbs and mayonnaise. If you are on a diet, then you can avoid the calories, by replacing the mayonnaise with olive oil. Another option for a side dish, is French fries.

My favourite potato dish, is the baked potato. I like to add baked potato as a side dish, when cooking anything with meat, including roast lamb, roast turkey or roast chicken. Adding herbs to the potatoes, especially oregano, make them so much more delicious.

These are some of the many ideas you can use when cooking potatoes.

Ro read more Better Ideas For Cooking Potatoes

Keeping All The Nutrients With Steam Cooking

Steam cooking allows you to keep natural nutrients, flavours and colours of your ingredients when cooking a meal. Boiling food destroys many nutrients. If you want to improve your diet and eat more essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals, then steam cooking may be your perfect solution.

When you arrive home after a long tiring day at work, you do not want to spend two or three hours in the kitchen cooking a complex meal. You can prepare a quick and easy meal with a steam cooker, and keep all the essential nutrients your family needs to maintain their health.

You can buy fresh pre-cut vegetables, to avoid spending time cutting your vegetables. You can place these vegetables in the steam cooker and you will quickly have a delicious meal.

I always include fresh herbs from my organic garden, to enhance the flavour of my vegetables. I even have a window box herb garden, so that I can grab a few fresh herbs whenever I need to improve the natural flavours, when cooking meals for my family.

The next time you are in the kitchenware section of your favourite store, have a look at the steam cookers. You may look to purchase an electric steam cooker, to try out steam cooking in your kitchen. Once you gain experience with steam cooking, then you may move to the bamboo steamer, allowing you to cook a number of foods at the same time.

This may be convenient if you have guests coming for dinner, or you have a large family. It may also be convenient when you cook a number of meals and place them in the freezer, so they are ready for your next dinner.

Your meals will taste different, as more of the flavours are maintained and your family will congratulate you for improving your cooking with steam cooking.

To read more Keeping All The Nutrients With Steam Cooking

Removing Impurities And Contaminants From Your Water With A Kohler Faucet K-200-NA

One of the most widely recognized names when it comes to faucets and fixtures is Kohler. It is a brand that people have come to trust. But were you aware that they make far more than pretty faucets?

They actually have an entire line of water filtration systems with the Kohler Faucet K-200-NA being just one of them. So if you can trust them for durable faucets and fixtures, can you trust them with your water filtration needs?

Installing the Kohler Faucet K-200-NA is a breeze. It is a filter system that hooks directly into your water line under the sink. So, no more filling pitchers or having to turn knobs on the faucet to get clean filtered water.

If you also like to cook with filtered water, then this is absolutely the best system for you. It will definitely make a huge difference in how food tastes, as well as hot beverages.

If price is a deterrent, then perhaps the Kohler Faucet K-200-NA is not for you. There are cheaper pitcher filtration systems you can buy but those do come with limitations. The same can be said for the faucet mounted systems.

But Kohler does make an excellent filtration system and it is incredibly easy to use. That may sway you towards a line mounted system because of its versatility.

To read more Removing Impurities And Contaminants From Your Water With A Kohler Faucet K-200-NA

Reducing Costs With A Countertop Superior Water Filter System

If you are like most people, then you have had to seriously reconsider your monthly budget. Times are tough on everyone these days. Money must be spread far too thin and you have to be careful where you spend it.

Even the smallest expenses can add up over time. One way to help pad your budget is to stop buying bottled water. A good water filtration system can save you a lot of money over the span of a year.

But the wrong one can lead to more expenses if you have to change the filters often. The Countertop Superior Water Filter System is not one of those.

For $55.00 the Countertop Superior Water Filter System is a great bargain. If you do some online price comparisons you can actually find it for less.

So it really all depends on where you purchase it from. Once you have purchased it and installed it you will have great tasting water for your beverages in no time at all. The bargain does not end there though.

Money is tight everywhere so when you can get a great water filtration system like the Countertop Superior Water Filter System you really need to jump at it.

It is getting positive reviews from customers regarding the taste of the water and how easy it is to hook up. Plus you also have the additional knowledge that you are doing your part to reduce plastic bottles in your nearby landfill.

To read more Reducing Costs With A Countertop Superior Water Filter System

Discover Your Favourite Coffee With Coffee Drink Recipes

Coffee drink recipes allow you to experiment with different twists to your regular cup of coffee. You may be a genuine coffee enthusiast, who uses organic fair trade coffee beans, grinds the beans with a grinder and then brews the coffee in the coffee maker.

Alternatively, you may have found the coffee at the office rather dull and would like to experiment with different variations, hoping to find that delicious cup of coffee, you can enjoy every day.

Some people like a delicious cup of coffee in the morning, before they head off to work, and face the new day. Other people like to drink a few cups of coffee all day long, keeping them alert. Especially, if they lead a busy life and did not get much time to sleep the night before.

This is one of the reasons many people enjoy a cup of coffee, helps to keep them alert. Especially when you are in a stressful and demanding job with responsibilities. The only time you are away from your desk is when you are drinking a cup of coffee with your colleagues.

You now have a wider range of coffee to serve to your friends and family. Some of your older children may like iced coffee, and may even help with the preparation, your friends may have a wider range of options. In the summer, more people may choose iced coffee while sitting in the shade of the trees in your yard.

Chilly winters may call for Irish coffee, relaxing with your friends after a long and tiring day, helping you stay alert and participate in conversations. I buy my Irish coffee ingredients where I buy my coffee beans.

There are a number of my friends who like to participate in coffee nights at my home, and we talk all manner of issues for hours on end, making a number of coffees with different coffee drink recipes, keeps us all entertained.

The best coffee, is with organic fair trade coffee beans in the morning, grinding away in the grinder and then placed in the coffee maker. Once the coffee is ready, the smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the morning air.

This is the time of day I like to surprise my family and experiment with coffee drink recipes.

To read more Discover Your Favourite Coffee With Coffee Drink Recipes

Surviving A Disaster On Emergency Food

Emergency food is food to last you for a few weeks. You may have heard stories of people stuck on a mountain, surviving on a chocolate bar. Chocolate bars, canned food, and other non-perishable food items can be placed in an area where you can survive until help arrives.

For example, your electricity cuts out for weeks on end. This means no refrigerated food, no tv and a small level of communication. You may use a cell phone for communication, but if there is no coverage in your area and in thick walled areas, like underground bunkers your cell phone is useless.

What will you do in this situation? Panic? No. You prepare for this eventuality by stocking up on emergency food.

You may live in an area where there are plenty of emergency situations. For example, you may live out in a forested area, and there are many fires in the summer. You may have arranged for a fireproof bunker to take your family, in the case of wildfires heading towards your home.

You may not have the time to evacuate and going on the road at this time may be too dangerous, as you may drive into the mouth of the wildfire. Depending on conditions, wildfires can travel really fast and catch up with your car, even though you may be driving in the opposite direction.

There are many stories of people incinerated in their cars, while attempting to escape wildfires. Your decision is to take your family down to the fireproof bunker and stay there until the wildfire has passed your home.

Until help arrives, your family can survive on emergency food.

To read more Surviving A Disaster On Emergency Food