Nona: Are you going to be dancing the Irish jig at the annual Lublin St. Patrick’s Day shindig?

Paddy from Prentice Paddy!

Good to hear from you! It’s actually been a long time since I ventured into Lublin on St. Patrick’s Day. We used to like to go that morning when they would turn Loch Lublin green. Now, they don’t need to because it’s green the year around.

It’s kind of neat how the people with junked cars on their lots fix them up with green lights and shamrocks though. But you just can’t get a good corned beef sandwich in a town famous for its Polish cuisine. Sure, the Lublin diner tries. It offers up Polish O’Sausage and the pierogi are filled with potatoes, but it just isn’t the same.

And in Stosh’s Place, everyday is St Patrick’s Day, isn’t it? These guys don’t need another holiday to sit around and drink beer.

It was cool a few years ago when they started the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Actually, it was Emma Crabbyoldladyski that started off the St. Patrick’s Day tradition. Her husband, Gabe the Guzzler, made a habit of visiting with the happy hour crew at Stosh’s just about everyday. Emma didn’t so much care that he wasn’t around, but he didn’t get any of his chores done. So, she threatened him one March 17 that if didn’t get his work done, she was going to throw him out of the house, and he could pick up his stuff in the front yard.

Gabe went guzzling anyway. “I’ll just be gone for the afternoon and part of the evening,” he told Emma. “I’ll still let you cook me dinner.”

And off he went. And to work went Emma. Before you knew it, she had the biggest rummage sale in Lublin history going on right in her front yard. Everything Gabe owned was on display. Word got down to Stosh’s Place that Gabe’s belongings were out in the yard, and the fellas decided to go take a look.

Armed with green beer and Irish whiskey, they marched up the Main Drag. All that was missing was bagpipes. Tuba Tony belted out “Oh Danny Boy” as best he could, but it didn’t really have the same effect. They had enough beer, though, so they didn’t care. They got up to Gabe the Guzzler’s place. He took a look at the collection of his belongings and said, “Well, I guess I don’t have to be home for dinner!” And they paraded back to Stosh’s. It’s been a St. Patrick’s Day tradition to this day in Lublin, everyone marches on up to Emma’s place where they turn around and go back to the tavern.

Irish Soda Bread Muffins Ingredient Checklist 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup raisins ½ cup white sugar 2 tablespoons white sugar 1 tablespoon caraway seeds 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon baking soda 1 ¾ cups buttermilk 1 egg ¼ cup butter, melted Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Mix flour, raisins, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, caraway seeds, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.

Whisk buttermilk and egg together in a small bowl. Stir into flour mixture. Fold butter into the batter.

Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tin.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes.