St. Patty's Day Recipes

St. Patty’s Day RECIPES:



Courtesy of Epicurious.com...{clockwise from top left} Beef and Guinness Pie,
Bittersweet Irish Chocolate Whiskey Cake,
Irish Soda Bread (several recipes available), and
Champ (mashed potatoes).

St. Patty’s Day COCKTAILS

CHEERS!

Raise a glass with one of these tasty, Irish-themed cocktails:
• Dublin Dream (Irish cream, vodka, Chambord, & more)
• Irish Snakebite (Irish stout, hard cider, & blackcurrant syrup)
• Everybody’s Irish {Irish whisky, green crème de menthe, & Green Chartreuse}
• White Knight (Irish cream, Irish Whisky, coconut rum, half & half

Beer Cupcakes - St. Patty's Day

"BEER CUPCAKES"



Aren't these FAB?! Looking for some creative party ideas for St. Patrick’s Day?

Entertaining expert & cupcake guru Jeanne Benedict has some fabulous ideas in the dessert department… my favorite being the “Beer Cupcakes”!!

This design is all about the presentation, so you can still stick with traditional cupcake flavors topped with a generous helping of vanilla or cream cheese frosting.

For the “beer” wrapper, look for scrapbook paper with a similar motif or purchase a beer background stock photo and print & cut them yourself.

Love Bug Cupcakes

Love Bug Cupcakes

Aren't these the cutest cupcakes ever??

Ingredients
1 box (18.25 ounce) devil's-food cake mix
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cans (12 ounce each) whipped vanilla frosting
Pink icing color
Clear crystal sugar
Tootsie Roll Midgees, yellow Laffy Taffy candies, black licorice lace, red and yellow jellied candies, M&M Minis, and Junior Mints
1 can (16 ounce) chocolate frosting

Directions
1. Line 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners. Prepare cupcake batter using cake mix, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/3 cup oil, and 4 eggs. Bake as directed on box. Let cupcakes cool completely. Tint vanilla frosting light pink using icing color. Frost cupcakes with pink icing. Roll edge of each cupcake in crystal sugar.
2. To decorate Bumblebees: Cut and shape Tootsie Rolls and Laffy Taffy into small rounds. Alternate two brown pieces and two yellow ones for body and head. Attach two pieces of licorice for antennae to the brown end to complete head, and slice a yellow fruit jelly in half for the wings.
3. To decorate Ladybugs: Place chocolate frosting in a freezer-weight zip-top bag and snip off one corner. Pipe a mound of chocolate icing in center of each cupcake. Slice a red jelly in half for the wings; place on top of chocolate icing. Attach M&M Minis to wings using frosting. Attach a Junior Mint for the head and two black licorice pieces for the antennae.

Guinness Stout Stew

This week, I went to a local pub with my SATC girls and we enjoyed the fabulous Charlie Robison and Guinness Stout Stew for the first time. They were both TO DIE FOR!!

I knew immediately that I had to create a copycat recipe and I must say, this is pretty darn close. My boys went CRAZY over this recipe and insisted that we add it as an everyday meal! They will get no arguements from me!



Ingredients
2 pounds stewing beef
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch (or Two) of cayenne
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tablespoons of salsa
1 1/4 cups Guinness Stout (Do NOT Subsitute any other type of Guinness & No worries if you don't have Guinness on hand. MOST grocery stores are selling bottles individually now!)
2 cups largely diced carrots
6 small red potatoes quartered
Sprig of fresh thyme

6 small bread bowls
Chopped parsley, for garnish
Fried Onion Strings, for garnish

Directions
Trim the meat of any fat or gristle, and cut into 2-inch cubes. Toss beef with 1 tablespoon of the oil. In a small bowl, season the flour with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Toss meat with seasoned flour.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown the meat on all sides. Reduce the heat, add the onions, crushed garlic and salsa to the skillet, cover, and cook gently for 5 minutes. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a casserole and pour half of the Guinness into the skillet. Bring Guinness to a boil and stir to dissolve the caramelized meat juices on the pan. Pour over the meat, along with the remaining Guinness. Add the carrots, potatoes and thyme. Stir and adjust seasonings. Cover the casserole and simmer over low heat, or in a 300 degree F oven until the meat is tender, 2 to 3 hours.

Garnish the beef with parsley and onion strings. Serve in a bread bowl (as shown in photo).

This is a MUST try recipe... You will NOT be disappointed!

Enjoy

What a GREAT gift idea!

Little Birdie Secrets had this GREAT idea! A home-made hot cocoa mix and in the picture below, they found an electric milk frother at IKEA for $2.00! Score!

Here are further details she had posted on her blog...This simple hot cocoa mix is another great neighbor/co-worker gift that you can put together super fast. We used these mini "quilted" jars, mostly because they're just so little and cute, and because for one person, it provides several cups of cocoa. (One jar holds one cup of mix.) If you wanted to make some for a couple or family, try using a pint or quart jar. Just add more mix!

Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe
10 cups dry milk powder
4 3/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups powdered non-dairy creamer
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Store in a jar or airtight container.
Yields 15 cups (enough for 15 of the small jars pictured here).

To make the cocoa, stir 3 heaping Tablespoons into 3/4 c. hot water or milk. I always advise topping it off with whipped cream as well, but that's just me (and my sweet tooth).Cheater version: Buy the bulk size Swiss Miss hot cocoa mix at Costco or WalMart and add 3 teaspoons of flavored non-dairy creamer per serving to make a gourmet flavor (see below). Try the Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate mix plus a few teaspoons of Ghiradelli Sweetened Cocoa for a dark chocolate flavor. Go ahead--cut corners. It'll be our little secret..If you really want to make an impression, why not make gourmet hot chocolate flavors? Or add layers of sweet treats for a cool presentation.

Here are a few more ideas for truly gourmet hot cocoa:
*Substitute the non-dairy creamer with a flavored non-dairy creamer, like hazelnut, amaretto, vanilla, or cinnamon for gourmet flavors.
*Peppermint cocoa can be made by crushing candy canes and mixing them with the cocoa mix in your food processor (this makes the pieces even smaller so they blend well with the cocoa). Add a layer of crushed candy canes in the middle or on top of your mix to show off the flavor in the jar!

*Add a few teaspoons of instant coffee crystals per serving for mocha cocoa.
*Layer fun dry toppings with the cocoa mix in your jar. Try mini chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, red and green jimmies (sprinkles), or crushed candy canes.
*Melt chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave and dip the head of a plastic spoon in it. When it dries, wrap the chocolate-covered head in a plastic or cello bag and tie with a ribbon. Attach it to your jar of hot chocolate to be used with the first cup. The chocolate will melt when they stir, adding a little extra creaminess!

Now for the jar…. All supplies are Stampin' Up! We traced the inside of the ring lid on the back of patterned paper, cut it out, and glued it to the top of the lid. Then we layered a strip of coordinating patterned paper on a piece of card stock and wrapped it around the jar, securing it with adhesive. We stamped tag stamp, layered it on card stock, and adhered it to the front. Then we tied a matching ribbon around the top and tied on a little tag with the instructions for mixing the cocoa (see above). Another classic idea is to put a square of Christmas fabric between the lid and the ring for an old-fashioned look.

Pilgrim Hat Cookies

Pilgrim Hats



I saw this idea in an email from Woman's Day.

So quick, so simple, so easy! Right up my alley.

Turkey Cupcakes

Aren't these the cutest cupcakes ever?!



Visit Kitchen Corners for the tutorial on how you can make these turkey cupcakes part of your own Thanksgiving dessert spread.

SKooKie!

Round up the family for a new twist on fresh baked cookies, brownies & MORE!

Don’t we ALL love the Pzookie dessert from our favorite local chain restaurant?! The Skookie pans come pretty close to re-creating the dessert experience without the wait for a table and the LOUD restaurant. I purchased mine from Bass Pro Shop (only $19.99) but, you can always find them on Amazon.com

Here are the goodies you will need to bake up an oh-so-yummy Skookie! I use prepared cookie dough and they turn out warm, yummy oversized cookies every time.

These tasty treats will quickly become a family favorite!

So far the skillets have cleaned up easily. I try to clean them as soon as we are finished eating. Since the boys just about lick them clean anyway, there isn't much cleaning to do.

**Tiffany’s Tip: Try making mini-pizzas with pre-made dough with equal success.**

Whoppin' Chocolate Malt Cupcake

Whoppin' Chocolate Malt Cupcake

Ingredients
1 box of swiss chocolate cake mix
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups of water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup Carnation Original Malted Milk powder
Prepare either a homemade or boxed chocolate cake mix and add in the cup of malted milk powder and mix well.

Bake for 18 minutes at 350 degrees F. Oven times may vary... I checked my cupcakes at 16 minutes and they were ready!

Chocolate Malt Buttercream Ingredients
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup Carnation Original Malted Milk Powder
2 TBS cocoa powder
3 TBS milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup WHOPPERS candy crushed for garnish
Simply combine all of the ingredients and pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

(For Dad's Cupcakes, I used a Milk Chocolate Icing, but found this FABULOUS recipe for Chocolate Malt Buttercream Icing afterards!)

Garnish with crushed candy and top with a whole WHOPPERS malted milk ball.

Enjoy!

Margarita Cupcakes

Margarita Cupcakes
(Shortcut Version, because I'm nice like that!)

INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:1 box white cake mix
8 oz margarita mix (liquid)
2 oz tequila
1 oz Orange Liquor
(I used Grand Marnier, but Cruzan Orange Rum works great too!)
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp grated lime zest

Lime Icing:
8 Tbsp butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp lime juice (I used keylimes)
1 Tbsp margarita mix
1 tsp lime zest
5 cups powdered sugar
Fresh limes (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350º and prepare muffin pans.
2. Combine margarita mix, tequila, and Grand Marnier in a large glass and stir well.
3. In large bowl, combine cake mix, egg whites, lime zest, vegetable oil, and margarita mixture from step one. Stir ingredients together, then beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for approximately 2-3 minutes.
4. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin pans. Fill each cup/liner about 2/3 full.
5. Bake at recommended temperature on cake mix box (usually 325º – 350º) for 20 – 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Icing:
1. In a large bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, lime juice, margarita mix, and lime zest. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.**
2. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and continue beating until smooth. If icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, a couple tablespoons at a time.
3. Spread icing generously on each cooled cupcake or use a pastry bag to frost.
**Add 2 drops of green food coloring to icing if desired.

TIP: Sprinkle cane sugar around the edges of the cupcake for a “salt rimmed” look and garnish with lime wheels & wedges.

Brownie Bites.... SUPER Sinful

(Singing Loudly) "I know what boys like..."

Well, I know what MY boys like and they like brownies, chocolate & peanut butter. SO combining them in a dessert is a given!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

Ingredients:
1 brownie mix
2 Cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 Cup peanut butter (I used Honey Roasted... It's my FAVE!)

Directions:
1. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Bake until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center but still slightly undercooked. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. When you are able to touch brownies comfortably, scoop brownies with a medium cookie scoop, roll tightly into a ball and place onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. (Let the kiddos help you with this part!)Continue rolling until brownies are gone. Freeze brownies until very firm, a couple hours or overnight. No worries if your brownie balls aren’t perfect, once frozen reshape them. They are easier to handle when chilled.

2. Place chocolate chips over a double broiler (or heat in microwave until smooth) to melt, then stir in peanut butter until creamy smooth. Roll each frozen brownie ball into chocolate and place onto wax paper to dry.

Enjoy room temperature or chilled.

*Tiffany

Thanks again Jenny for your creativity and your inspiration!

Festive 4th Fruit Trifle

Festive 4th Fruit Trifle

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (1.5 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla (Cheesecake JELL-O is great too!)Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 pkg. (10 oz.) prepared fat-free pound cake, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Sugar Free Whipped Topping, thawed

Directions:
BEAT pudding mix and milk with whisk 2 minutes
PLACE half the cake in 3-qt. bowl; top with half each of the fruits.
Spread pudding mixture over fruit. Repeat layers of cake and fruit. Top with COOL WHIP.



REFRIGERATE 1 hour. Refrigerate leftovers.



Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July BlogLand!

*Tiffany

Red, White and Blue Strawberries

Strawberries are my FAVE!!

i LoVe them! i LoVe recipes that use them! i LoVe them by themselves! They are just FAB!!!!

Check out this FuN idea for your 4th of July parties from Oopsey Daisy by clicking on the link under the pic!

For EASY Colored Sugar directions, click HERE

Red, White and Blue Strawberries @ Oopsey Daisy

Grab & Go Breakfast!

I can't get enough of this breakfast & my boys absolutely LOVE it (Both of them)!!

With busy, busy mornings, it a great knowing that my boys start the day of with the most important meal, a power grab & go breakfast!!

Ingredients

2 packets of your favorite instant oatmeal
1 package (12 ounces) frozen mixed berries
2 containers (6 ounces) vanilla yogurt (I used strawberry)
1/2 cup low-fat granola cereal

Directions

1. Prepare instant oatmeal using directions on the package.

2. Divide oatmeal among six 8-ounce plastic cups (or to-go containers with lids). Top each with frozen berries and yogurt. Cover and chill overnight. Top with granola before serving.

Makes 6 servings & will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator

My boys prefer different types of fruits in their Grab & Go breakfasts, so I label the cups just for them.

I encourage you to try this with your family... it's sure to be a hit!!

Enjoy!

*Tiffany

Mini Monkey Bread

I've been working on a few breakfast recipes, since it IS the most important meal of the day!!

Here is the first of the many that I've tried... Enjoy!!

Mini Monkey Bread

Ingredients:
1 Granny Smith apple
1 bag "Salad Pizazz"
(Salad Pizazz Contains Walnuts, Dried Cherries & Dried Cranberries... Pure Bliss)
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 (8-count) refrigerated cinnamon rolls

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray or Butter a 12-count muffin tin generously.

Dice the apple into 1/2-inch cubes. In a medium bowl stir together the diced apples with the Salad Pizazz and brown sugar.

Divide the apple mixture evenly into the muffin tin, along with 1/4 tsp of diced butter in each muffin cup. Put 8 cinnamon buns, cinnamon side up, on top of the apple mixture. Put the muffin tin on a baking sheet and bake until the tops are golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the muffin tin from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Flip onto parchment paper to remove the Mini Monkey Bread.

Drizzle the frosting (provided with cinnamon rolls) over Mini Monkey Bread and serve.

Food For Thought:
Why is it called Monkey Bread? I'm not sure what the real answer is, but i’ve always assumed it had something to do with the bread being easy to pull apart to eat by little hands – for instance the hands of monkeys or small children.

Have a WONDERFUL Monday!!

Chocolate Chip Surprise Pie Cookies

Chocolate Chip Surprise Pie Cookies

Here's what you'll need:

Pillsbury Rolled Pie Crusts

Now make a 1/2 batch of your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough or pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough (I added M&M's to the pre-made cookie dough)

Egg wash (1 beaten egg + 2 Tbsp. water)

And that's all you'll need for this recipe!

Makes approximately 24 pie cookies

Directions:
First, form cookie dough into teaspoon shaped balls and flatten slightly.

Put these on a baking sheet and freeze for approximately 15 minutes. This will keep the dough soft on the inside of each pie cookie when baking. The only error you could really make would be putting too much dough inside each, which would cause it to leak or break.

Preheat to 350.

Roll out your crust as you would for a pie and using a round 1 1/2" cookie cutter cut small circles for your pops. If you don't have a cookie cutter, no worries, use a small round drinking glass. TIP: If you flour the rim, the dough will not stick to the glass.

Place the chilled cookie dough on top of half the rounds. Push cookie stick into the dough and top with remaining rounds and pinch together to seal using a fork. (I used a stir stick)

Brush with your egg wash and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for approx 10-12 minutes or until pie crust is golden.

Let completely cool prior to drizzling with chocolate. I chose to drizzle with milk chocolate and white chocolate that I colored yellow to go with my party theme that day.

These are SUPER easy and are sure to be a hit at your next party!

Enjoy!

*tiffany

Also... Join me at the links below!

Fluffly Flower Toppers

These "Fluffy Flowers" are the perfect topper for Spring Cupcakes.

So simple & So sweet!

Here's what you need:

2 JET-PUFFED Marshmallows
1 Tbsp. colored sugar
1/2 JET-PUFFED Miniature Marshmallow

Here's How to Make Them:
CUT large marshmallows diagonally in half with kitchen shears. Press cut-sides in colored sugar.

ARRANGE in flower shape on top of your favorite dessert.

FILL center with miniature marshmallow half, cut-side down.

Colored Sugars

There is NO reason to pay good money for Colored Sugars, when they are SO easy to make!

Here's what you need:
Granulated Sugar
Food Coloring
Resealable Plastic Bags

Yep... That's it!



Fill each bag with 3/4 cup of sugar (or more if needed). Put 4 drops of desired food coloring in each bag (or more if needed). Zip it closed and shake away!

That's it... You have your colored sugar in just a minute!

I will be using my colored sugar to sprinkle to tops of my chocolate covered Easter oreos. Stay tuned...

*tiffany

Edible Easter Baskets

Edible Easter Baskets



8 Servings

Ingredients & Preparation:
1 (14 oz.) bag sweetened flake coconut in a bowl. Use a toothpick to apply and stir in a few drops of green food dye. Let dry. Melt 1 (7.5 oz.) jar Marshmallow Fluff in a pan over medium-low heat, stirring, until soft and pliable. Stir in 3 cups Rice Krispies. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips; remove from heat. Arrange 8 paper cupcake liners on a work surface. Mist hands with cooking spray. Gather a small amount of cereal mixture and shape to fit into a cupcake liner. Add more cereal to make a rim around top. Let cool. Make 7 more. Fill each nest with a bit of coconut and 3 Jordan almonds.


Here is my version of the Edible Easter Basket... I made Cheesecake Easter Baskets last year and everyone loved them. Super Simple, Super Cute!

Let the kiddos help you make these... they will love it!

Enjoy!

*Tiffany