Irish eyes may be smiling on St. Patrick’s Day but pots and pans will be rattling in kitchens around the county in as cooks get ready for the Irish Celebration Cooking Contest on March 21 at Troy University.

The Irish Celebration Cooking Contest goes back seven years and is an opportunity for everyone to be Irish, a least long enough to whip up an Irish dish or two.

Bronda Denison, cooking contest chair, said the idea for an Irish celebration at Troy University originated with a university tour group that visited Ireland.

“Some of them have an Irish bloodline and they wanted to begin and Irish celebration at Troy University and keep the Irish traditions going,” Denison said. “The Irish Celebration Cooking Contest is just one of the ways that we do so.”

The contest is open to Troy University faculty, staff and students and also to the community.

The contest categories are salads/appetizers, main entrees, side dishes/vegetables, breads and desserts.

“You may enter one or more categories but only one entry in each category is allowed,” Denison said. “Entries will be judged on taste, originality and presentation and each entry needs to be Irish. That’s where green food coloring and an active imagination can come into play.”

First and second prizes will be awarded in each category and a “Best of Show” will be awarded to the best entry.

This is a fun raiser, not a fundraiser so there is no entry fee, however, entry forms are a must.

“We have entry forms ready for pickup at the Troy University Welcome Center on Highway 231 next to McDonald’s,” Denison said. “The deadline for entry is Thursday, March 15.”

Entries should be checked in at the Trojan Center lobby on the Troy University campus by 10:30 a.m. on March 21. The Irish Celebration Cooking Contest will from 11 a.m. until noon.

“We encourage everyone to join the fun of competing,” Denison said. “Maybe this year will be the time for Irish eyes to smile on you.”