Eat Your Way Through St. Patrick's Day

 

I am not Irish. Well, except for one day a year, when the rest of me may be Russian peasant stock, but my stomach is decidedly Irish. Yes, one day each March I celebrate St. Patrick as if I know who his is (was). And how do I celebrate? My favorite way, with food and drink. 

It's all about the green. Not for those who actually know who St. Patrick was, and why he's celebrated I suppose, but for me, it's all about the green. And playing with your food.

Oh, I make a lot of the traditional foods, maybe not in the traditional way (I make my Corned Beef and Cabbage in the slow cooker), but once a year that's dinner. You can count on it like you can count on someone (usually Chicago but I heard not this year) is going to color a river green, and many someones will be eating green bagels and drinking green beer. 

Today I'm sharing some of my favorite St. Patrick's Day recipes. From breakfast, to lunch, dinner, side dishes and, of course, a green cocktail. 

But I say, let's sing a little Irish ditty ("seven old ladies locked in the lavatory . . ."), and start with dessert.

Below the picture montage, you'll find a link to each of the recipes. I hope you give a few a try. I hope you give them all a try, St. Patrick's Day, or any time.

Start with dessert:

 

 

1) Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

These chocolate cupcakes feature a mint cream cheese frosting, and a chocolate drizzle.

 

2) Key Lime Shortbread Cookies

These cookies are a little sweet with a burst of citrus.

 

3) Pistachio White Chocolate Cheesecake

This cheesecake is infused with white chocolate and a hint of pistachio flavor, and dusted with chopped pistachios.

 

4) Chocolate Creme de Menthe Bark

So easy to make: melt, assemble, cool, and crack.

 

5) Creme de Menthe Shamrock Cake

One bake, two cakes!

 

6) Chocolate Mint Cookie Pops

A no-bake treat. Mint cookie balls with a surprise inside.

 

7) Lucky Rainbow Cookies

Coloring the dough forms the rainbow in this fun, pistachio edges cookie.

 

8) Lemon Pistachio Cake with Pistachio Frosting

This recipe starts with an enhanced cake mix, is studded with pistachios, and topped with a pistachio whipped cream frosting.

 

9) Mint Lovers' Cookies

These cookies have a few favorite treats baked in them.

 

10) Lemon Lime Poke Cake

No mint in this refreshing poke cake, lime adds the green color.

 

Don't worry, I've got the rest of the day covered too:

1) Pistachio Crusted Cod

Pistachio crusted and pan sauteed, cod is such an easy, light dinner. The crunchy pistachio coating adds flavor and texture to this naturally mild fish.

2) Grilled Spiced Cabbage

Drizzled with a flavorful marinade and grilled. Cabbage never tasted so good!

3) Pistachio Soda Bread

A simple Irish quick bread, enhanced with the flavor and crunch of pistachios.

4) Spicy Sausage and Noodle Squares

Noodles are baked with hot sausage, vegetables, and cheese. I serve them with a salad, or as a side dish with dinner.

5) Crockpot Beer Infused New England Boiled Dinner

My take on a classic St. Patrick's Day dinner.

 

6) Crockpot Beef Shank Pea Soup

A beef option to a classic soup. Using the slow cooker makes this hearty soup simple to make.

7) Green, Egg, and Ham

Dr. Seuss inspired breakfast is a fun way to start off your celebration of green.

8) My Big Green Monster

What's St. Patrick's Day without a cocktail?

9) Pralined Snap Peas and Carrot

This flavorful side dish is made using just the microwave.

10) Pistachio Cream Cheese French Toast

Stuffed with a cream cheese filling and pan fried with a pistachio crust, this breakfast is a treat.

Hope you're not too full. Rumor has it there's a pot 'o gold out there somewhere with your name on it.

Happy hunting!

Green Food and Luck: Word Counters

Counting my words again. 

Today my fellow Word Counters and I are sharing our monthly group post. The bloggers who are joining me this time all picked a number between 12 and 74 and sent it to me. I gave the numbers out as assignments to other bloggers who are then challenged to write something (or a few somethings, as the case may be) using that exact number of words. Today we all share what we came up with.

I got the number 19. It was submitted by Diane of On the Border.

As I've been doing in these Word Counters posts, I've chosen a theme and am using my word count multiple times in keeping with the theme. This month I was in a bit of a conundrum in choosing a theme. The last day of winter is in 2 days. Two days! I am so ready to honor that. But today is St. Patrick's Day, a celebration of all things fun and green and lucky and Irish. I may not be Irish, but one day a year I sure do enjoy celebrating like one. So my theme today is St. Patrick's Day.

~ Crockpot Beer Infused New England Boiled Dinner and Pistachio Soda Bread, what better way to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day?

~ Lucky Rainbow Cookies, Creme de Menthe Shamrock Cake, Pistachio White Chocolate Cheesecake, let's not forget those yummy green desserts!

~ It's called Feast of Saint Patrick, although knowing it celebrates his death takes some fun out of it.

~ No green beer for me, not a beer lover, but Midori, Apple Vodka, so many drinks, so little time.

~ With all this green food talk, guess I just had to come up with a new green recipe, right?

Roasted Broccoli and Red Pepper with Mandarins

~ Closing my eyes, clicking my heels, I expect to be transported to that pot of gold at rainbow's end.

~ Supposedly kissing the Blarney Stone is gives the gift of the gab. Must've done that in a previous life.

~ Leprechauns pinch people not wearing green on today. Making my list of people I hope are wearing purple.

~ Looking for a four leaf clover had to have been started by a mom, to keep her kids busy.

~ Irish songs sung boisterously today: "Oh dear, what can the matter be, seven old ladies stuck in the lavatory".

Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:
Spatulas on Parade 
Messymimi’s Meanderings 
On the Border 

Roasted Broccoli and Red Pepper with Mandarins

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Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 small can (11 oz) mandarin orange slices in light syrup
1 small head broccoli
1/2 red pepper
3 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP orange juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a sheet pan.
*Place the almonds in a small saute pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring very frequently, about 3 minutes or until they just barely start to brown. Remove from the pan immediately and set aside.
*Drain the mandarin orange slices well, place on paper towels and set aside.
*Seed the red pepper half. Slice and cut each slice in half. 
*Cut the broccoli into florets and discard the stems. 
*In a large bowl whisk together the olive oil and orange juice. Add the broccoli and red pepper, mix well.
*Spread the vegetables out on a sheet pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, mix, then roast another 5 minutes. 
*Remove them from the oven, transfer to a bowl and immediately gently mix in the mandarin oranges. Top with the toasted almonds.