Sounds Good

Well, I’ll be ‘shamrocked’ for St. Pat’s
My friends lived in Dublin and offer a ‘Sláinte!’ at the drop of a clover.
My Mexican-American mother-in-law loved a tall glass of green beer. The glass was 2 feet tall, I think.
I’ve already practiced for the holiday with something Victoria D'amato-Moran created for Midori, the Shamrocked. The cocktail is supposed to put you mind of heather, golf, rough weather and “all that blarney.” It sounds like an odd combination, but by golly, it works. Just don’t make it in one of my mother-in-law’s glasses:
Shamrocked 
1-ounce Midori Melon Liqueur
1-ounce of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey
1-ounce of Carolans Irish cream liqueur 
Shake incredibly well, serve in 3 oz. shot glass

Greening of the mustard
Think you know how to make mustard green for St. Pat’s Day? You don’t add green coloring. It’s a bit of a thinker; read on for the method. French’s sent this idea for a St. Pat’s sandwich:
Corned Beef Sandwiches
4 slices rye bread
4 tablespoons French’s Spicy Brown Mustard or French’s St. Patty’s Day “Green” Mustard (see recipe below) 
1 pound sliced corned beef
1/2 cup sauerkraut, drained
Spread mustard on bread slices.
Arrange corned beef and sauerkraut on two slices bread, dividing evenly. Cover each with second slice of bread, mustard side down.
Cut in half to make two servings.
French’s St. Patty's Day “Green” Mustard
1/3 cup French’s Classic Yellow Mustard
Few drops blue paste or liquid food coloring
Mix mustard and food coloring together. Add enough food coloring to make mustard turn 'St. Patty's Day' green.
Makes 1/3 cup.

Tamale King/Tamale Fiend
Reporter David Ball hasn’t made this space since he offered me some lunch from Tamale King in Nederland and end up eating the whole order with a “couldn’t resist” explanation. We called him the Tamale Fiend.
I have since enjoyed my own dozen from Tamale King, and especially enjoyed the cheesy sauces. My family, who has helped seasoned relatives make the family recipe of tamales, noticed how beautifully the King wraps and ties his bundles.
I’m thinking I’ll be back for tacos.

Refreshing fermentation
Kefir is a fermented, yogurt-like drink that should make a hit with American palates. Evolve bottles up nice strawberry and peach flavors my co-workers liked, probably because the bottle calls it a smoothie. I left off the other part on the label, “probiotic” smoothie. I didn’t make a big deal to the adults that it was “healthy.” These days, younger people are more attracted to that aspect. Thumbs up to Evolve.
ddoiron@panews.com