Yesterday I did what any good Irish girl would do to celebrate St. Patrick: I found a pub. The Angry Wives, a round-the-clock gaming pub in Summerlin, was a sea of green on St. Patrick's Day 2009.

Food, entertainment, and fun are all a part of a great festival, and the Irish Festival has it all. Food is reasonably priced and features Irish and American cuisine catered by Shannon Pub; dishes include traditional Irish bangers, corned beef and beans and cabbage, scones, potato chowder, and Irish lamb stew, and the beverages to wash it all down include Guinness, Harp, and Jameson's. Four stages of entertainment will be playing all day, featuring bands like Penny Whiskey, POGEY, Enter The Haggis, and Prodigals, plus dance demonstrations from Rince na Tiarna Dancers, Woodgate Shamrock Dancers, and Clann na Cara Dancers, among others. There will also be vendors selling clothing, books, CDs, ceramics, and glassware. In addition, there will be an Irish Mass on Sunday at 10: 30 a.m.

Pumpkin Pie Spice is a blend of allspice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. It is traditionally used to flavor many holiday treats but also goes well with pancakes corned beef and cabbage French toast.

STEP 1) In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Unroll one tube of crescent dough onto an ungreased baking sheet; seal seams slow cooker corned beef and cabbage perforations.

Use a thermos or insulated food jar to keeps soups, stews and chilis hot. To get the best results from your thermos, fill it with hot water and let it sit for a few minutes before pouring the water out and adding your hot food.

Try a traditional Irish ingredient to add to your list of budget staples. Turnips are only 99 cents a pound and most people walk right past them. They're tasty, good for you and they've been on the Irish table for generations.

The food was delicious. There was a great choice between healthy nutritious food and treat type items. Food was available 6 times a day and everyone agreed that it was all fabulous. However it was definitely designed more towards children, with options such as nachos, hot dogs, hamburgers, pizzas etc. As far as the adults were concerned there was only one meal of slow cooker slow cooker corned beef boiled dinner and cabbage, vegetables and mustard sauce that could really be classed as "adult type" food. However it didn't matter as there was always lots of salad and vegetables available and all the food was home made and tasty.

I am sitting in my living room as I write this with the patio doors wide open, allowing the sunlight to flood in. Why am I not in the garden? It's too bloody hot, that's why not! The perils of a south-facing garden. Yes, it looks beautiful bathed in sunlight, but I have delicate British skin that will burn to a crisp within minutes if I'm not slathered from head to foot in factor 30. And if I do that, the sweat will soon begin dripping from my forehead. Don't get me wrong, I love the sun. Most of my holidays involve seeking out some tropical beach, preferably in the South Pacific, however, there I also have the ocean to cool off in. No such luck in my tiny garden. So I will sit inside and admire the summer from the cool sanctuary of my living room.

The goal of camping is to enjoy the outdoors and appreciate the beauty of nature. Log cabin rentals are usually located in areas with excellent flora and fauna so take lots of pictures. However, no one can go exploring and gaping around nature all the time. To ensure that everybody will have a good time even when staying indoors, bring a load of entertainment. This does not mean home theater. Good books, puzzles, playing cards, and board games bring back the fun in camping. Just remember that cabin rentals do not have electricity so have lots of batteries ready.