St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

I didn’t know anyone Irish, growing up in Hilo, Hawaii. And my only awareness of St. Patrick’s Day was remembering to wear something green to avoid getting pinched at school.

So there was definitely a learning curve when I started work on Kerrygold’s public relations ten years ago. And what a rewarding education it has been!

I have had the pleasure of traveling to Ireland four times, meeting the dairy farmers, the butter and cheese producers, and the chefs, TV cooking show stars, cooking teachers, and cookbook authors who personify Irish food today. And through these introductions, I have developed tremendous respect for the food culture of Ireland.

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Entertaining Tips from a Star Chef

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

If you’ve ever participated in a Twitter party, you know how fast it goes. So much great information is passed on so quickly, that it’s hard to retain all the gems that fly by your screen in 140-character bursts.

Recently, I coordinated a Twitter Party and blogger event in New York City for Kerrygold, the one PR client I have continue to represent, while working on Special Fork.

Our guest star, Chef Neven Maguire, one of Ireland’s hottest TV cooking hosts, was a wealth of information, tweeting ideas enthusiastically. But it all went by so quickly that by the time the Twitter party was over, I’d forgotten some of the tips I hoped to use. So I went back over the hashtag, #kerrygoldpartytips, and gathered up some of Neven’s best tweets for myself and to share with you.

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An Easy Thanksgiving Appetizer

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Certainly my family -- my husband Steve, my boys, Dave and Chris, my daughter-in-law, Lynn, and our new grandchild, baby Tara.

I’m also thankful that I love my work. I have two jobs: blogging for Special Fork and serving as the PR representative for Kerrygold Irish butter and cheeses, made with milk from grass-fed cows raised on Ireland’s small family farms.

Sometimes, my two jobs converge, as when I get to plan and execute events for Kerrygold and in the process, learn new recipes and food ideas that I can share with you.

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For St. Patrick’s Day, Try Irish Butter and Cheese

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

I used to think Irish fare was corned beef and cabbage, soda bread and potatoes. Period. Nothing wrong with that – I enjoy these foods.

But when I tasted the real thing in Ireland, I realized how narrow my thinking had been. Fabulous food is being prepared in guest houses, restaurants and cooking schools across the island nation. Talented chefs, cooking teachers and TV cooking stars are leading the way, using Ireland’s natural bounty from land and sea in sophisticated, contemporary interpretations.

I might never have discovered new Irish cuisine except for a fortuitous circumstance. About eight years ago, I won a new client for my PR business: Kerrygold butter and cheeses from Ireland.

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Easy Irish Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day

By Sandy Hu

There are 36.9 million U.S. residents who claimed Irish ancestry in 2009 – more than eight times the population of Ireland itself, according to the 2009 American Community Survey.  In fact, Irish is second to German as the most frequently reported ancestry in America.  Nearly a quarter of the people in Massachusetts (24%) claim Irish ancestry. 

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