Stratton Park Message Board

Was thinking about all those Irish Nights we had a St. Anthony's years ago. Loads of fun. Dancing, music and Irish soda bread with globs of butter. And of course the corned beef.

I know St. Patrick's Day is a week away but since it is during Holy Week, I will jump the gun a little and wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hello, Marion,

I am an old parishioner from St Anthony's Church , now living in San Antonio (kept my favorite Saint!). Since we are a week away from 2009, let me be the first to wish you a Happy St. Patrick's Day in 2009. I used to do Irish dancing, so they always pulled me up to dance on those wonderful St. Patrick's celebrations. -sure do miss the "old days", when everyone was Irish on March 17th. Happy New Year from Mary Griffith!

Mary,

Thanks for the St. Patrick's Day good wishes. I loved the dances at St. Anthony's with the great Irish music. What year did you graduate? I graduated in 1956. Stratton Park was the best neighborhood to grow up in and everyone was so friendly. I miss those days.

Happy St. Pat's Day to you and to all.

Bunny Bappert

Mary,

Thanks for the St. Patrick's Day good wishes. I loved the dances at St. Anthony's with the great Irish music. What year did you graduate? I graduated in 1956. Stratton Park was the best neighborhood to grow up in and everyone was so friendly. I miss those days.

Happy St. Pat's Day to you and to all.

Bunny Bappert

Hello Marion & all my other buddies,

Just want to wish EVERYBODY a Happy & Safe St. Patrick's Day. Yes I also recall having lots of fun, celebrating many St Patrick's Day. I've been known to kick up my legs in a jig, after a few beers. Or so they tell me. After all, aren't we "all" Irish on St Patrick's Day. My mom, always wore green, every St Patrick's Day. Mom also named her children, Patrick & Geraldine.I make a c/beef & cabbage dinner, faithfully, every year. My husband usually picks up the soda bread for us. This year, I am attempting to make my 1st Irish Soda bread. If Cathy Meredino, sends me her receipe.
So once again, I wish you "Happy St Patrick's Day.
Marie-Elena

Hi marie-elena and all - I hope some of you Bronxites came out for the Throggs Neck St. Patrick's Day parade today. Weather was decent for March and I think the good times were rolling - judging from the jam packed bars on Tremont Avenue afterward!

My recipe for corned beef and cabbage is hard to beat...

First I make a trip to a top quality Jewish Deli and get a pound of their finest Corned Beef (twenty bucks a pound but it's worth it)... delicious Corned Beef with "no muss no fuss"...<:~)

Then, I make a nice big pot of Italian Cabbage, wash the cabbage very well and leave it sopping wet, saute lots of garlick in olive oil in a big old pot,when the garlick is done lower the heat to the bare minimum, add cabbage and voila, "ITALIAN CABBAGE"...

Boil some red potatoes, just to keep it Irish and it's an International Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner that is hard to beat....<:~)

The only thing missing is Judy Andersons' Irish Soda Bread...easily the best Soda Bread I've ever had...<:~)

JohnT

John,

Your recipe sounds delicious. This was my father's favorite holiday, he used to go to a butcher in the Bronx and buy corned ribs and beef. Maureen and Dickie have carried on the tradition and will have a house full of Kellys and others tomorrow for dinner. Speaking of soda breads, I used to make them every year, had a great recipe that everyone loved. As my family can attest to, I don't do much cooking and had not made the bread in about 4 years. Yesterday I decided to get with it and do some baking..went to the store to get all the ingredients (because, as I said, I don't cook much and therefore have an empty fridge) and made a few breads to bring into work today. Unfortunately, most people here had never heard of soda bread and didn't quite know what to think of it...they just asked a lot of questions about it...how it got its name, when do you eat it, what do you drink with it...and only one loaf got eaten. Needless to say, I am taking the other 2 home with me tonight. Guess what I'll be eating for dinner for the rest of the week!

Wishing everyone a great day tomorrow! Take care.

Kathleen

Kathleen...looks like we'll have to have a Soda Bread bake-off between you and Miss Judy...<:-)

JohnT

Happy St Patrick's Day to all my Bronx Buddies.........

By the way John, Judy won't even share her recipe with me...had to buy Katie Reilly's from Shoprite.

Tom A

Wanted to wish all a happy St Paddys Day. There was no better celebrations than the dances held at the Stratton Park Social Club. So many people crowded into such a small space yet it stopped no one from dancing til dawn. Such wonderful memories...

Hope everyone had a good day yesterday. My sister, brother-in-law, and I went out to dinner at a bar here in Raleigh last night, ate way too much delicious food, listened to some great bagpipe music, and were entertained by some very talented Irish dancers. We had a great time.

And, John Tell, in case you were concerned about my Irish soda bread, I did bring it home from work. People here just did not appreciate it. I gave my sister a loaf and I had some for dessert when I got home last night...and it was delicious.

As an aside, I'd like to say hello to Florrie & Patty Werner out in Vegas. Hope you are all well and maybe we will all be able to get together soon.

Take care.

Kathleen

john, i posted this under another site but it belongs here. found a great bakery on forest avenue that makes delicious soda bread. usually my kids look at it like it belong to another planet, but it was gone before sunday and it was bought on saturday. my ex-sis in law's mother won't even give her recipe to her daughters. anyway, it was a hit. renato's i think is the name. at 1646 forest avenue, close to richmond avenue, near the overpass for the highway. old family type bakery been around for 4 generations. they are also famous for their napolean cakes and logs. plus they have the old time buns that the archer deli used to have on sundays that everyone bought after church. next year i am going to buy 3 so i will actually be able to have more than one slice.