St. Patty's Day Dinner

Top O' The Morning To Ya!

Well technically it is the afternoon, but I have been running between the doctor's office and the pharmacy this morning (got a sick little girl :( ), and hadn't had time yet to post my "St. Patty's Dinner" that I made. Warning: Carb OVERLOAD! I was going to make a cute fruit/veggie arrangement, but I ran out of time, so carbs is what you get. Today we are having:

Enjoy!

Lucky Charm Cupcakes

(recipe adapted from Spoonful of Flour)

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 1 cup whole milk, divided
• 6 large egg whites
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp almond extract
• 2¾ cups cake flour
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup multi-colored sprinkles - I used Rainbow Nonpareils 
• Frosting: 
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 15 oz marshmallow fluff
• 4 tsp vanilla extract

Yields: 24 cupcakes

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two muffin pans with paper liners and set aside.
• In a liquid measuring cup, combined ¼ cup of the whole milk, egg whites, vanilla extract and almond extract. Whisk until combined.
• In a stand mixer, combine the cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed for about 30 seconds. Add the butter and continue to mix on low speed until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the remaining ¾ cup whole milk. Increase the speed of the mixer and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes. With the mixer now on low speed, add the egg white mixture in three addition, mixing for at least 20 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the sprinkles and gently mix with a rubber spatula.
• Divide the batter between the prepared muffin tins. Bake for approximately 18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. In a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar. Gradually increase the speed and mix until fully incorporated. Add the marshmallow fluff and vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy, another 1-2 minutes.
• Pipe frosting on cooled cupcakes. Garnish with Lucky Charms and sprinkles.

Irish Delight Braid

(recipe adapted from Girl Vs. Dough)

Ingredients

• 2 cans crescent roll dough OR I used my pizza dough recipe found here (make sure to half it!)
• 6 ounces sliced corned beef (I used the corned beef luncheon meat)
• 1 cup chopped cooked spinach
• 2 large red potatoes, boiled, cooled and sliced
• 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
• Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)
• Caraway seeds, for sprinkling (optional)

Yields: 1 braid

Directions

• Heat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or spray with cooking spray.
• Make dough following my instructions found here. If you don't want to make the dough, follow the next instruction.
• Unroll dough sheets onto prepared baking sheet. Place sheets side-by-side lengthwise and press into one large rectangle, pinching seam together with fingers.
• Place corned beef in center of dough in a 8-inch wide strip. Top with spinach, then potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese.
• Using a knife or kitchen scissors, cut 1-inch wide strips on long sides of dough (cut the same number of strips on each side) to within a 1/2-inch of the filling. Fold in short sides, then alternately cross strips over the filling to make a braid effect (mine is a very loose braid- had to put baby down for a nap).
• Brush braid with egg wash, then sprinkle with caraway seeds, if desired. Bake 25 minutes or until a deep golden brown; let cool 5 minutes before slicing.

Shamrock Juice

(recipe adapted from Creative Juice)

Ingredients

• pineapple juice
• sparkling lemonade
• sparkling white grape juice
• lime popsicles
• green apples

Yields: approx 8 servings

Directions

• Mix pineapple juice, lemonade, and white grape juice in large serving bowl or pitcher.
• Chop up popsicles into ice cubes, and put into the pitcher.
• You can also use a shamrock cookie cutter to add apple shamrocks to your drink as a garnish, but my sick baby needed me, so we did without. 
• Chill until serving and it is DELISH! 

Fried Gold Coin Potato Pancakes 

(recipe adapted from Just A Taste) *mine are not nearly as pretty as theirs, but they are still AMAZING!!!!*

Ingredients

• 3 cups chilled leftover mashed potatoes
• 2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 Tablespoons chopped scallions, green and white parts
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 Tablespoons plus 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil, for pan-frying
• Sour cream, for serving

Yields: approx 12 servings

Directions

• In a large bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, cheese, scallions, egg and 3 tablespoons flour until combined. (See Kelly's Notes.) Using your hands, divide the mixture into 12 portions. Roll each portion into a compact ball then flatten it into a pancake about a 1/2-inch-thick.
• Place the remaining 1/2 cup of flour in a shallow dish and carefully dredge each pancake in the flour.
• *Note: We used a deep fryer, so that's why mine look different from Just A Taste. If you do use one, you will still need oil, and they fry for a min or so. If you do not have a deep fryer, continue onto the next step.
• Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. (Add enough oil to thoroughly coat the bottom of the pan.)
• Fry the pancakes, in batches, until they're golden brown and crispy on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Add more oil to the pan as needed between batches. (Do not overcrowd the pan and do not flip the pancakes too soon or they won't develop a crisp crust.) Transfer the pancakes to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately sprinkle them with salt.
• Serve the potato pancakes topped with sour cream and garnished with additional chopped scallions.

Leprechaun Artichoke Dip

(recipe from Yammie's Noshery)

Ingredients

• 1 cup coarsely chopped artichoke hearts
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach (frozen would probably be fine too)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 oz. softened cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (plus more for sprinkling on top)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Yields: 1 container of dip

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Combine all the ingredients in the order listed and mix until well combined. Pour into a greased pie plate (a 8x8 inch square pan or casserole dish would also work). Sprinkle more mozzarella on top if desired. Bake for about half an hour until until bubbly and golden (you can broil it at the end if the cheese isn't toasty enough). Serve with bread, chips, pretzels, veggies, crackers, or whatever.