Taste of St Pats

Everyone’s a Wee Bit Irish

Tasty Treats for Your St. Pat's Party

Celebrated in more places around the world than any other national festival, St. Patrick’s Day is a day of parades, parties, gatherings, festivals, and “Wearin o’ the Green” all around the globe.

The holiday began as a day of feasting to honor St. Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland, and is celebrated on his reported date of death on March 17. It was made an official Christian feast day in the early 1600s, and spread to the United States in the 1800s and has become a widely-commemorated holiday—both religious and secular, with festivities ranging from the tame to the raucous.

Everyone’s a wee bit Irish on St. Paddy’s Day…so why not join in the fun this year with one (or more) of these easy-being-green recipe ideas!

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Irish Whiskey & Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 box German chocolate cake mix

3 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

¾ cup stout beer

Frosting

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 tablespoons Irish whiskey

1 (16 oz.) box confectioners' sugar

Food coloring or decorations (optional)

Directions

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.

• In large bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, oil and beer with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

• Bake about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

• To make frosting: In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the heavy cream and Irish whiskey. On low speed, slowly mix in the confectioners' sugar until incorporated and smooth, mixing in food coloring, if desired.

• Pipe or spread frosting on cupcakes when cooled; decorate as desired.

Hearty Colcannon

Makes 12 servings

Adapted from Spend With Pennies

Ingredients

6 lbs yellow or red potatoes

1 cup cream

1/2 cup butter

12 slices bacon

2 white or yellow onions, diced

1 head of cabbage (approx. 12 cups) (You may also add in/swap out kale, if desired)

2-6 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

• Peel and quarter potatoes.

• Halve and core cabbage; chop.

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook 12-15 minutes or until fork tender.

• Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large pan until crisp. Set aside to cool, reserve drippings.

• Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the bacon drippings. Cook onion and cabbage (and kale, if desired) over medium heat in drippings until onion is translucent and cabbage is tender.

• Mash potatoes adding cream and 1/2 cup butter as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

• Gently fold together mashed potatoes, cabbage & onions and chopped bacon. Top with additional melted butter if desired.

St. Pat’s Shimmy Smoothie

Makes 5 servings
Adapted from Midwest Living

Ingredients

6 kiwi fruit, peeled and quartered

1 cup seedless green grapes

1 banana, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 6-ounce carton key lime- or vanilla-flavored yogurt

1 cup orange juice or white grape juice, well-chilled

3 tablespoons honey

2-4 tablespoons rum (or a fruity non-alcoholic juice)

1-2 drops green food coloring (optional)

Additional slices of kiwi for garnish

Directions

• Place kiwi fruit and banana in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Place in freezer and freeze, uncovered, for 2 hours or until frozen.

• In a blender, combine grapes, yogurt, orange juice, honey, rum/juice, and about 1/3 of the frozen fruit. Cover and blend until almost smooth. Gradually add remaining fruit, blending after each addition until almost smooth. For a “greener” beverage, add food coloring.

• Pour into glasses and garnish with kiwifruit slices.