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Before this St. Patrick’s Day 2010, you should learn a little about Ireland’s history so you can really wow your friends. While the story of St. Patrick is often up for debate, scholars can agree that he was sold into slavery as a teenager, where he became a sheep farmer.

Upon his escape to France, he experienced an inspirational vision, became a priest and later became the second Bishop to Ireland. He is noted for establishing schools, churches and monasteries around the country.

In his preaching, he often used three-leafed shamrocks as a metaphor of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit Trinity, which is why it is so much a symbol of Ireland today. Once you’ve brushed up on your Irish history, here are some other ways to celebrate.

Since it is a “feast day,” consuming traditional Irish food is the ideal way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day 2010. Whether you have friends and family over for a sit-down meal or you hit up a local restaurant, you’ll enjoy the specialties that Irish cuisine has to offer.

Saint Patricks Day dinner ideas include corned beef, cabbage, Reuben sandwiches, Irish lamb or beef stew, Guinness and cheddar soup, shepherd’s pie, Atlantic salmon, Guinness beef tips with mashed potatoes and chicken/apple boxty. You can finish up your meal with coffee and Bailey’s Irish cream and a piece of Irish soda bread.

Irish culture is embedded in much media, so you may consider singing Irish songs, attending Irish theatre or watching an Irish movie for St. Patrick’s Day 2010.

Homesick Irish-Americans have always liked movies such as; 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) and Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt’s memoir).

Theatrical performances of Riverdance are popular in March, as are Celtic music concerts. Also, don’t forget to sing along with traditional Irish folk songs like “Danny Boy” or “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.”

To read more Celebrating With Traditional Irish Cuisine On St. Patrick’s Day 2010

The house is decked in green, the Irish music is playing softly in the background and you’ve got the table set.

Organizing a Saint Patrick’s Day dinner can be a fun way to celebrate this March holiday with your friends and family. While your first instinct may be to shop for corned beef and cabbage, there are a number of traditional dishes from which to choose.

According to the Food Services of America organization, a Saint Patrick’s Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage is perhaps more of an Irish immigrant luxury than a traditional dinner served in Ireland.

Thanks to the use of expensive salts in production, corned beef was a costly delicacy that was reserved for annual Easter feasts. Pork and fresh beef would be more authentic Saint Patricks Day dinner ideas.

The FSA recommends serving up the following dishes for your dinner this March. Irish Lamb Stew, Irish Pot Roasted Chicken, Marinated Fried Fish Strips & Potatoes, Cod Cobbler, Potato & Parmesan Gratin, Bangers and Rum Sauce and Irish Smoked Salmon Salad.

What Saint Patrick’s Day dinner would be complete without a tasty Irish dessert? Irish chef Damien Brassel of Knife & Fork in Manhattan recommends serving a bottle of whiskey. Cathal Armstrong, an Irish chef at Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, Virginia, recommends apple-based desserts like crumbles, pies, cakes, fritters, dumplings or soufflés.

For an Irish-American take on desserts, try a Guinness Cake. With any luck, your St. Patty’s Day dinner will inspire your children to carry on Irish customs and traditions of their own one day.

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

If you’re looking for romance tips about how to set just the right mood for your Valentines Day dinner, then look no further than the types of food known as aphrodisiacs.

These are the foods with the long-standing reputation of being able to enhance sexual desire and maybe improve sexual performance as well. Although this sounds rather like an old wives’ tale, now that medical science has managed to explore things a bit, it turns out that some aphrodisiacs are well suited to be Valentines Day food.

Other people use truffles as aphrodisiac Valentines Day food, but there’s some question about how effective they might really be. Some people feel that it’s the hefty price that really gets people’s blood flowing, but supposedly the aroma of truffles mirrors male pheromones and somehow also stimulates the skin.

This hasn’t been proven to be the case as dramatically as for other types of food, but it’s still certainly worth a try, to see if truffles can produce the desired effect and enhance the romance.

And it sounds almost like a cliché to suggest that you include oysters among the Valentines Day food, because they are so widely known as an aphrodisiac.

But as with so many of the other foods, there’s a good reason why oysters have been regarded this way through the years. They are almost guaranteed to give your partner amorous ideas, because the zinc and aspartic acids the oysters contain increases testosterone levels.

So if the aim of your evening is a certain physical type of amour, then be sure to include some of these aphrodisiacs on the dinner menu.

To read more Making Your Choice Of Valentines Day Food

Thanksgiving is a holiday that is rich in both history and tradition, yet unique family traditions are also quite prevalent, as many families have their own way of celebrating.

The more traditional things may include baking pumpkin and apple pies and cooking a fabulous meal, or watching television, yet surveys have shown that there are some traditions that are most popular than others.

In 1876, the first intercollegiate championship football game was played and since that time family traditions have included either watching the game together or even tossing the pigskin around themselves on the holiday.

Either way, this has become as popular with many families as the traditional Thanksgiving Day feast.

ust because there are many old family traditions, this does not mean you have to stop with just those. You can start your own family traditions that can be passed on through the years.

Anything will work, just as long as it is important to your family and celebrates the meaning of this great holiday.

To read more Rich History Of Thanksgiving Family Traditions

While Americans may spend their Thanksgiving holiday in any number of different ways, most often they want to spend the holiday with family members and friends.

In order to do this they may have to travel some distance, but traveling can be a huge expense for many. However, by doing some research and keeping your eyes and ears open you may be able to find some deals that are affordable for you.

Another way to save on airfare so that you can spend your Thanksgiving holiday with your love ones is by traveling to a nearby airport; as often times driving 100 miles to another airport, especially a smaller one, will save you quite a bit on the price of a ticket.

You may also want to consider traveling standby. It does not guarantee that you will get a seat but with any luck you will be happily sitting at a beautifully decorated dinner table and have Thanksgiving dinner with your loved ones.

Even if you must travel to reach your Thanksgiving holiday destination you do not have to travel by air; another option to consider is traveling by bus. Although it is a slower form of travel it is a fairly reliable way to ensure that you will make it home for that traditional Thanksgiving dinner with your family.

You may also want to consider the train; however, be sure to check the routes carefully as there are not as many available today as there used to be.

To read more Affordable Travel Ideas For Thanksgiving Holiday

Thanksgiving is a time steeped in history and family traditions. However, why not take the time to stir things up a bit by adding some Thanksgiving games to the day.

You can play some games while waiting for friends and family to show up and before sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner. Perhaps you will start a few new traditions in your family.

There are many different things you can do to add some fun to your Thanksgiving celebrations, as there are many different Thanksgiving games and crafts that you and your kids can enjoy.

For instance, how about a Mayflower craft that may also inspire some questions about the history of Thanksgiving? Visit http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/thanksgiving_craft_mayflower.htm. to find out how and to assemble the supplies needed.

There are so many different Thanksgiving games that you can play but one for the whole family is always a good choice. For this one have everyone sit around in a circle and the first person will start with something like, “the Thanksgiving food I like the most is turkey” and the next person repeats what they said and adds their own item.

It continues around, yet if someone says it incorrectly they are out. The game ends when one person is finally able to state the whole Thanksgiving menu perfectly.

To read more Entertaining Your Family With Thanksgiving Games

One of the more famous Thanksgiving traditions, at least in America, is having a Thanksgiving turkey for the celebratory dinner. There have been many different reasons given over the years as to why this particular bird is such a popular choice for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners.

So popular, in fact, that Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the wild turkey, not the Bald Eagle, the national bird of the United States!

While brined pork and ham were both available, many felt that it was not a fitting meal for the day of thanks. As well, feasting on a Thanksgiving turkey was in keeping with the British holiday custom that settlers brought with them to the New World.

Among the available birds, the turkey appeared to be the most ideal for an autumn feast, as the chicks born in the spring would have approximately 7 months in which to grow fat, just in time for the Thanksgiving table.

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln finally declared Thanksgiving a national holiday, yet by that time the Thanksgiving turkey was pretty much a family tradition for all.

Some feel that when Scrooge gave the gift of a holiday turkey to the Cratchit family, in Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” that it seemed to forever cement the turkey’s place, as well as its familiar sidekicks dressing and gravy, as the fitting choice for all future Thanksgiving and Christmas Day feasts.

To read more Celebrating Holiday Traditions With Thanksgiving Turkey

A family favourite as an after dinner dessert, is strawberry shortcake. As it is easy to make and often eaten rather quickly and there are never pieces left over the next day.

The best way to make strawberry shortcake, is to use fresh strawberries from your garden, add some light cake and whipped cream and you have a delicious shortcake. There are no complexities in making this dessert. You may want to make slight changes to the ingredients if you have special diet requirements, otherwise the time taken to create this shortcake is relatively short.

If you want to avoid the complexities of a rising souffle, then you can take the easier route and make a strawberry shortcake with fresh strawberries. If strawberries are not in season, then use strawberry syrup, which is often available in many gourmet food stores.

To read more Delight Your Dinner Guests With Strawberry Shortcake

If you know some of your party guests are vegans, then you should make a vegetable platter. Then the question is, what vegetables should you include on a vegetable platter? Well you can include marinated mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower florets, pickled onions, sweet red, orange and purple bell pepper, celery and carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes.

Next to the platter, you can place a small selection of vegetarian dips, for those who like to mix their vegetables with a little something. You may even place a bowl of crackers next to a platter of delicious cut cheeses.

On the cheese platter, you should place little cards on your selection of cheeses, so people can differentiate between low fat and normal cheese, to accommodate those on a low fat diet.

These days, many people want more options for their party platters, and it may please many of your guests to make a vegetable platter.

To read more Increase Party Food Options When You Make A Vegetable Platter

Knowing the needs of your guests, are one of the best party planning tips. For example, you need to know if any of your guests have special dietary requirements. One or two of your guests may be a diabetic, another may be on a low fat diet, another may be a vegetarian. Some of your guests may even be allergic to certain food ingredients like nuts or diary products.

If you do not take notice of these dietary requirements, then some of your guests will leave early, run home to eat food and feed their hunger. Successful party planning requires you make contact with your guests. A number of weeks before your party, you should contact your guests and ask them if they have any dietary requirements.

By meeting their dietary requirements, your guests may stay around a little longer and may come to your parties more often. If all you want is happy guests, then you should follow these party planning tips.

To read more Keeping Your Guests Happy With Party Planning Tips