St Patrick Day Recipes and Meal Plan

 (This picture links to CafePress. You must go check out the cool shirts!!!)

Yesterday I found out that our yearly corned beef and cabbage dinner is NOT eaten in Ireland for St Patrick's Day! Oh ok thanks for bursting our bubble!!!  I make it every year by my daughter's request! I think I'm going to break the news  after St Patrick's Day!

My recipe for the Corned Beef is on the package of meat I buy at the store. Thank goodness that recipe is on there every year.  It is the only one I use and I plan on using it again this year.  Besides the meat, I add  a can/bottle of beer, chopped carrots, celery, cabbage, and potaotes. Whatever the cooking time is on the package, I add the vegetables in at the half way mark.  This cooks together and gets all happy for us to eat for our yearly St. Patrick's Day Dinner.

I also serve cornbread.  My cornbread is made special for this day! It is Green Corn Bread! You just make the cornbread mix in a bowl and swirl in some Wilton green leaf food coloring.  That easy! My kids love it.  Every now and again throughout the year, they will ask for green cornbread!  We don't eat it very often. I know that some do not like adding in the extra artificial ingredients. If you know of one that doesn't alter the flavor please let me know.

I've made different desserts over the years but the current favorite is

Lucky Mint Brownies!

These are super easy to make! Mix up your regular brownie mix and toss in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. This gives a few extra special creamy bites to your brownie!  Bake and cool.  While cooling take a can of cream cheese frosting (or make your own cream cheese frosting) and mix in the Wilton leaf green coloring. Just use  one small glob of coloring. I put it on a toothpick. See pictures below.  I know some people try and stay away from all the artificial coloring.  I am not sure what to use as a substitute. If you know please leave information in the comments. You could just lightly flavor the cream cheese frosting with mint flavoring and add on the mint chips. It would taste the same without the coloring.

Here are a few pictures:

Once the brownies are cool, frost them.  Next, sprinkle with 1/2 of a bag of Andes mint broken baking chips. Finally, cut and eat!

Here are a few links that I found this year that I will be using next week.  If you have any links to share please leave them in the comments! I will come check them out!!! I am making Irish Soda Bread this year and the below recipe is the one I'm trying!

Irish Soda Bread

The last three are from PartyBluePrintsBlog. I think that I read that blog almost daily.  Best ideas and recipes that I love trying! It was the Corned Beef and Cabbage post that informed me that it is not a food eaten on St. Patrick's Day in Ireland!

Pasta, Pesto, Peas and Parmesan

Colcannon (yummy)

Irish Coffee

Layered Mint Brownie

Bailey's Irish Cream Cupcakes