St. Patrick's Day

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Submitted by: Tiffany

Ingredients

12 new potatoes, quartered

4 carrots, sliced

4 pounds corned beef brisket

2 onions, sliced

3 bay leaves

8 black peppercorns

1 head cabbage, wedged

Directions

1. Place potatoes and carrots in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Add brisket, onion, bay leaves and peppercorns.
3. Add enough water to cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours or High 4-5 hours.
4. Add cabbage halfway through cooking.

(http://www.crock-pot.com/Recipe.aspx?rid=190)

I didn't have any onions, bay leaves or peppercorns. I did have that packet that is usually included with meat. I think those are peppercorns. I added the cabbage with 2 hours left on the low setting. Really easy.

IRISH SODA BREAD

Submitted by: Julie

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 c. raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Blend egg and buttermilk together, and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix just until moistened. Stir in raisins and butter. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Wrap in foil for several hours, or overnight, for best flavor.

Clover Cupcakes

From Family Fun Magazine
Submitted by: Sarah

Ingredients

· Cupcake batter –white cake mix + pistachio pudding mix + mini chocolate chips

• I changed up the wet ingredients a bit from what it said on the box. I did 2 eggs instead of 3 egg whites, 1/3 cup applesauce instead of 1/3 cup oil and 2/3C water instead of ¼ C water. See what works best for you.

· Cupcake tins and liners

· Aluminum foil

· White frosting

· Green food coloring

· Toothpick

· Green licorice (we used Twizzlers Rainbow Twists sold in a pack with other colors)

• I used green laffy taffy “ropes” 3 for $.99

Instructions

1. Place paper liners in 32 standard muffin cups, then fill each halfway with the batter.

2. For each cupcake, roll three balls of foil (ours were 2/3 inch in diameter) and insert them evenly around the perimeter between the liner and the tin, as shown.

3. Bake the cupcakes for a few minutes less than the package suggests (because there's less batter per cup than usual), or until a toothpick comes out clean.

4. Allow the cupcakes to cool, then remove them from the tin.

5. Cover each with green frosting (our ratio was 1 teaspoon of green food coloring to one 16-ounce can of white frosting).

6. Use a toothpick to draw leaf veins, and insert a 2-inch-long piece of green licorice/taffy for a stem.

Sarah’s Hint of Lemon Pistachio Frosting

7 T softened butter

4 ½ C powdered sugar

2 T milk

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

½ tsp-1 tsp lemon zest

15-20 pistachios finely chopped

Milk

Food coloring (yellow & green)

Beat butter until smooth. Gradually add in ½ C powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly mix in 2 T milk and the vanilla. Beat in the rest of the sugar. Add additional milk until you get a consistency that is spreadable. Beat in the lemon juice, zest and chopped pistachios. Makes about 2 cups.

Recipes to Try on your own at Home:

Split Pea Soup

Submitted by: Julie

2 cups dry split peas
8 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cups diced cooked ham
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients together in large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring regularly until peas are mushy and everything mixes together into the consistency of soft mashed potatoes. Eat. Rest. Repeat. :)