A secret corned beef and cabbage recipe served with a little Irish-American history

As I write this, everyone is at the St. Patrick's Day parade in Newport, RI. I can picture this sunny day, the streets awash in green crepe paper and hats, Irish knit sweaters, babies and young girls with shamrock-painted faces, and guarded flasks of Jamieson in herringbone vest pockets. I hear, even from here on other side of the hill, police car sirens resonating over and over, leading the parade to its end at the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), where the celebration will be capped off with a traditional American - Irish boiled dinner, corned beef and cabbage, a little more Jamieson and lots of Guinness.

St. Patrick's Day is fine time for gardening

The St. Patrick's Day parade in Newport, RI, is a fine time to celebrate your Irish heritage or pretend to be from the Old Sod even for the day. But from the looks of this morning's police report in the Newport Daily News, we're more than happy to have spent these early spring days in the back perennial garden at Linden Cottage.

This past weekend was exceptional, a few rare glorious days in March, warm and sunny and perfect for clearing last year's spent foliage, because its clear to walk and rake freely and not crush any fresh green shoots just before the spring bulbs poke through the cold spring ground.