[2] Pork Burger With Pineapple Chutney & Bacon, a double-pork treat. Here’s the recipe.

[3] Seared Scallop Sliders, a nice pairing with white wine. Here’s the recipe.

[4] Surf and turf: Lobster Roll BLT. Here’s the recipe.

[5] Banana Cream Pie, in a mini-pie serving. Here’s the recipe.

When we first asked one of our colleagues to join us for lunch at Tommy Bahama, she responded:

“Isn’t that the preppy clothing store for people heading to the tropics?”

Yes; you can buy casual summer wear year-round at Tommy Bahama.

But you can also dine at 17 Tommy Bahama restaurants in the U.S., each located within a Tommy Bahama clothing store.

(And depending on the location—Laguna Beach, Mauna Lani, Sarasota, Waikiki—you may be close to a tropical feel.)

On a recent day, we stepped indoors from a New York City winter to have lunch. To warm up (as good an excuse as any), we started with the cocktail menu.

The only challenge was where to begin. It was a work day, so we couldn’t have all of them (or even two of them).

While the bar will mix whatever you want, head for the cocktail menu and peruse the 30 house specials, 6 of which are alcohol free.

Each one is beguiling. How to choose among rum-based tiki drinks, the twists on the classics (coconut, key lime or grapefruit-basil Martinis) or the “new classics”: Lavender Mule, Tahitian Limeade, Mango Habanero Margarita?

If you live or work near a Tommy Bahama restaurant, it’s a great place to meet for after-work drinks and snacks, like the World Famous Coconut Shrimp or the Scallop Sliders.

You can also hold events, replete with tropical music and floral arrangements, including flower leis.

The lunch menu and dinner menu consist of universal favorites, including, among other choices:

 
There are also:

 
The desserts are equally beguiling. While we generally find all-chocolate layer cakes too rich, the Chocolate Malt Cake was just perfect.

Everything is made from scratch; not just the foods you’d expect, but also the croutons, sour mixes, taco shells and tortilla chips.

We have named Tommy Bahama our cold, gray day restaurant of choice. You can’t help but leave happy.

And on a splendid balmy day, you’ll be happy, too.

P.S. Before we left the store, we each ended up buying some of that preppy clothing: a signature marlin golf shirt and a spiffy sun dress.
 
 
TOMMY BAHAMA RECIPES

Can’t get to Tommy Bahama? Try these recipes at home. There are more on the website.

Lucky Charms cereal (photo © General Mills).

From Jamielyn of I Heart Naptime, Saint Patrick’s breakfast includes green pancakes with Lucky Charms, green milk (use food color) and rainbow fruit parfaits.

She says, “Every once in a while I’ll throw some Lucky Charms into the batter to take these Saint Patrick’s Day pancakes over the top. It’s also fun to top them with whipped cream and some Lucky Charms too. Hello sugar!”

Yes, there’s sugar; but it’s a special-occasion fun food—ready in 20 minutes.

For those who don’t want the extra sugar, there’s a nutritious green pancake recipe below.
 
 
RECIPE #1: GREEN PANCAKES FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Ingredients For 4 Large Pancakes

1. PREHEAT a griddle to 300°F. Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside and let sit for a few minutes.

2. COMBINE the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

3. WHISK the butter, egg and vanilla into the milk. Add the food coloring and stir until you reach the desired color. Then combine with flour mixture, and stir until smooth.

4. USE a 1/4 cup measure to pour the batter onto a greased griddle. Let cook on one side until bubbles begin to pop, then flip to the other side. Cook just until golden brown. Garnish as desired.

RECIPE #2: BETTER-FOR-YOU GREEN PANCAKES FOR
ST. PATRICK’S DAY

California Avocados entices bloggers to try different, tasty things with their crop.

This recipe for fluffy pancakes, from Running To The Kitchen, has healthful and nutritious avocado plus blueberries.

For protein, they’re topped with a poached or fried egg for a combination of savory and sweet.

They’re naturally green from the avocado, but you can add a drop of food color for a deeper hue.
 
 
BLUEBERRY AVOCADO PANCAKES

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 10 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
________________

*Coconut oil does not have a coconut flavor. It can be substituted 1:1 for any other oil or solid fat (butter, vegetable shortening) without dramatically changing the flavor of the recipe.
________________

[4] Avocados add their creamy texture and flavor to a variety of sweet foods, including ice cream (photo courtesy California Avocados).

1. WHISK together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

2. COMBINE the mashed avocado, milk, egg, coconut oil and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth.

3. ADD the avocado mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

4. PLACE a bit of butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Once melted and hot, scoop the batter into the pan, dot each pancake with a small handful of blueberries, and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown.

5. DIVIDE the pancakes into two stacks and top each with a poached or fried egg.
  

[2] For a more sophisticated take on crudités, use green and red endive leaves.

How about a green dip and sauce for St. Patrick’s Day? This recipe is from Seed And Mill, our favorite source of artisan tahini and halvah.

Dip away, or drizzle it on roasted vegetables, salads, meat or fish.
 
 
WHAT IS TAHINI?

Tahini is ground sesame seed paste, a Middle Eastern staple. Look for unhulled tahini, made from the whole sesame seed, leaving its nutritional value intact.

 
The ground paste is mixed with a bit of oil for a consistency that’s similar to homemade peanut butter.

Like homemade peanut butter, some of the oil rises to the top and is mixed back in before the tahini is scooped from the tin. (This shows that it is all natural; no emulsifiers are added to keep it from separating.)

Americans eat most of their tahini in hummus, where it is the second ingredient after chickpeas.

Tahini is also used in salad dressings, sauces for lamb, fish and chicken, dipping sauces and many recipes (even ice cream!). You can substitute it for peanut butter in dishes like Chinese Sesame Noodles.
 
 
RECIPE: GREEN TAHINI DIP & SAUCE

If you want a more vibrant green color for St. Patrick’s Day, add a drop of food color.

 
Preparation

1. PULSE the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

That’s it! Keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Get a shamrock cookie cutter to make fun foods for St. Patrick’s Day. You can buy a set of 4-inch and 2.6-inch cutters for less than $8.00.

What to cut? We like the large cutter for:

 
You can use the small cutter for:

 
 
WHY A SHAMROCK?

The shamrock is a traditional symbol of Saint Patrick’s Day, as well as the national flower of Ireland.

While trying to convert the Irish Druids into Christians in the 5th century, St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit exist as one person, he explained, just as the three leaves of the clover exist in one plant.

The three leaves of the shamrock are also said to stand for faith, hope and love. If you find a shamrock with a fourth leaf, that leaf is for luck.

The odds of finding a four-leaf clover are about one in 10,000 [source].

The name shamrock in Irish, seamróg, is the diminutive form of the Irish word for clover, seamair. Thus, shamrock little clover or young clover.

[2] Use a small cutter for garnishes like avocado and kiwi (photo courtesy ) California Avocados.

[3] Cut anything you want into shamrocks (photo courtesy Richmond Times Dispatch).

The American version of Shepherd’s Pie adds vegetables (photo © Foster’s Market Cookbook).

[3] Shepherd’s Pie with sweet potato mashed potatoes, at Centerville Pie Company. You can also use a polenta top crust (photo © Centerville Pie Company).

[4] Fancy Shepherd’s Pie, showing that even a humble comfort food can be transformed into banquet fare. Here’s the recipe from Chopin And My Saucepan (photo © Chopin And My Saucepan).

If you didn’t find what you were looking for in yesterday’s roundup of St. Patrick’s Day recipes, we’ll be adding new ones over the next week.

Today’s recipe, Shepherd’s Pie Twice-Baked Potatoes (below), fuses a British-Irish favorite, Shepherd’s Pie, with a baked potato.

Shepherd’s Pie is a dish consisting of minced meat, usually lamb but also beef, in which case it is called cottage pie.

It’s made in a pie plate; the top is covered with a mashed potatoes. It’s baked until the mashed potatoes brown, creating a top crust. There is no bottom crust.

Topping the potato crust with breadcrumbs creates a Cumberland Pie.

While the classic U.K. comfort food recipe does not include vegetables, Americans have added corn, carrots and other veggies to the recipe, riffing off of the pot pie.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF SHEPHERD’S PIE & COTTAGE PIE

The term “cottage pie” predates “shepherd’s pie” by nearly a century, but the terms were long used synonymously until the lamb-beef differentiation was set down [source].

Cottage pie was an affordable meat dish for peasants and shepherds, who resided in humble cottages.

The name was bestowed on the dish some time later. Initially, it fell into the generic category of meat pie.

Potatoes came from the New World, first brought to Europe by the Spanish in the 16th century. It took until the late 16th century for potatoes to begin to be grown in Ireland.

In 1589, the British explorer Sir Walter Raleigh brought potatoes to Ireland and planted them at his estate near Cork. The local gentry were invited to a banquet featuring the potato in every course.

The peasants who grew the potatoes had been handed an important new food crop, which became a staple in Ireland.
 
 
SHEPHERD’S PIE TRIVIA

 

RECIPE: SHEPHERD’S PIE/COTTAGE PIE TWICE-BAKED
POTATOES

This recipe, by Carla Cardello for the Idaho Potato Commission, marries Shepherd’s Pie to Twice-Baked Potatoes.

Carla used ground beef in her recipe, along with the American-favored medley of vegetables, including carrots, corn, green beans and peas.

Frankly, we think the American approach is better, adding more dimensions of flavor than plain ground meat and mashed potatoes.

She also added a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and a bit of fresh rosemary. The Idaho Potato folks say this dish will bring the Luck of the Irish to your St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Ingredients

1. PREHEAT the oven to 425°F. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Brush each with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and prick with the tines of a fork. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until fork tender. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Meanwhile…

2. COMBINE the beef, onion and salt in a large hot skillet and cook until the beef is browned, breaking it into pieces with a spatula as it cooks. Drain off any excess grease. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

3. ADD the tomato sauce and vegetables. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the mixture is thick and glossy, stirring often. Add the rosemary.

Once the potatoes are done cooking…

4. CUT in half lengthwise. Scoop the insides into a large mixing bowl, being careful not to tear the shell. Place the hollowed potato shells back onto the baking sheet.

5. BEAT the cooked potato insides with an electric mixer (or by hand with a potato masher), until mashed and smooth. Do not over-beat. Beat in the butter and salt until completely incorporated then slowly beat in the milk. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese.

6. DIVIDE the meat mixture among the potato shells. Top with mashed potatoes then sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and cheese has melted.
 
 
MORE SHEPHERD’S PIE

This Shepherd’s Pie recipe—the real pie, not a potato—has a Middle Eastern twist. Roasted cumin and chickpeas (garbanzo beans), a Mediterranean duet, are added to deliver warm, earthy flavor harmonies.