7 Days of Shamrocks: BONUS

I needed to make a bonus post for my 7 Days of Shamrocks for these fabulous Girl Scout Cookie Cupcakes. We all love Girl Scout Cookies and they just happen to come around during the month of March. A favorite GSC, the Thin Mint, has that perfect St. Patrick's Day feel to it with it's minty chocolate goodness.

In order to make a batch of Thin Mint Cupcakes, start by whipping up a batch of chocolate or Devil's Food cupcakes. I used clover cupcake liners to help with the festive St. Patrick's Day look.

Next whip up a batch of your favorite white icing, but you need to give it a twist. Add 1/4 teaspoon of mint or peppermint extract and a few drops of green food coloring, just enough to give it a minty green shade.

After your cupcakes are cool, ice them using the mint icing.

Then top each cupcake off with a squirt of chocolate icing.

Finally insert a thin mint in the middle of the chocolate icing. Make sure to press down so that the cookie is inserted slightly into the cupcake so it stays put.

You could also leave out the chocolate icing completely and just insert the thin mints directly into the mint icing.

7 Days of Shamrocks: Day 7

For day seven of my 7 Days of Shamrocks, I decided to try a homemade replica of the famous McDonald's Shamrock Shake.

3 cups good quality vanilla ice cream
1 3/4 cups 1% milk
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Green food coloring

Simply blend all of the ingredients in a blender until completely thick and smooth.

Pour into glasses, top with whipped cream and sprinkles and serve! I thought it was a little too minty but I'm not positive I had quite enough ice cream, I only had a certain amount left in my freezer.

For a fun party twist, make Shamrock Shooters by pouring the shake into shooter glasses and top each individually with whipped cream and sprinkles.

7 Days of Shamrocks: Day 6

For day six of my 7 Days of Shamrocks, I wanted to try out a super cute marshmallow pop I found on Pinterest. They look like mini green beer mugs, perfect for St. Patty's Day!

I received some cake pop supplies for Christmas including a kit, maker and book from my mom and cousin. I guess this is my first attempt at a version of cake pops except instead of cake, I used marshmallows.

Ingredients:
Large marshmallows (I made 24 because I had two cake pop stands that fit 12 each)
Mini marshmallows (same number as you have large)
Green candy melts
White candy melts
Lollipop sticks

Step 1: Place your large marshmallows on your sticks. I decided to make 24 which was the amount that fit in my cake pop stand.

Step 2: Cut a rectangle in the side of each mini marshmallow, these will be your handles. Set aside until Step 5.

Step 3: Heat up your green candy melts according to the instructions on the bag. I used Wilton Green candy Melts and only needed about half the bag for 24 pops.

Step 4: Dip your large marshmallows into the green melted candy until completely covered. I used a plastic knife to help me spread the candy around to cover the marshmallows. If needed, tap the stick on the side of the bowl to drop excess melted candy off.

Step 5: Stick a handle on each marshmallow while the green candy is still wet so it sticks.

Step 6: Find a way to stand up your pops and wait until the green is completely dry. I used cake pop trays, you could also lay them on wax paper if you don't mind one side being flat.  One minor problem I ran into is when they dried, a few were stuck together because they were touching on the trays. Next time I might stick sheets of wax paper in between to avoid any stickage.

Step 7: Once your pops are completely dry, melt your white candy melts according to the instructions on the package. Again, you only need to use about half the bag. Dip each pop into the melted white candy to give your beer mugs a foamy look. It helps add to the frothy look if the white drips down a little.

Step 8: Let your white part dry and you're all finished. Display them in a vase filled with green candy or individually wrap them in St. Patty's Day themed or plain green, clear or yellow cellophane bags and tie with ribbon to make cute favors.

7 Days of Shamrocks: Day 5

Welcome back to my 7 Days of Shamrocks after my brief hiatus! I plan to post a blog all about my weekend, I hope everyone else had a fantastic St. Patty's Day as well and hopefully people are continuing to celebrate their inner Irish desires through next weekend making my final 3 posts relevant still. For day five, I used the last Guinness in my fridge to make a dip that would pair perfectly with with my Shamrock Crisps. So even if you're done celebrating, if you have some Guinness in the fridge, you can make this dip. It also goes great with crackers or pretzels.

 Guinness and Cheddar Dip
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 and 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons half-and-half
1/4 cup Guinness
2 or 3 scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Step 1: In the bowl of your blender or food processor, combine the cream cheese, cheddar, mustard, and half-and-half.  Pulse until smooth.  (I don't own a food processor so I had to use my blender, it was a little difficult to get smooth with all the cheese but I was eventually able to make it work. I recommend using the food processor if you have one.)

Step 2: With the food processor running, slowly pour the Guinness down the feeder and blend until combined.

Step 3: Add the scallions, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper (to taste).  Blend until thoroughly mixed.

Step 4: Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill at least for one hour prior to serving.

This dip was amazing. While the  Guinness gives it that St. Patty's day theme, Guinness is sold year round so keep this is mind for your next get together if you're looking for a tasty dip to serve.

7 Days of Shamrocks Hiatus

I will be taking a small break in my 7 Days of Shamrocks blog due to the fact that I will be out of town for the next few days. I will pick up with days 5,6, and 7 next week. I understand that St. Patrick's Day is this Saturday, but fortunately it's one of those holidays that is celebrated all month long. I started to see St. Patty's Day bar crawl pictures sprouting up last weekend on Facebook, this weekend is the actual holiday and events like DC's famous Shamrockfest aren't until the following weekend. So hopefully there will still be plenty of green and luck on my side as I finish the final 3 days next week.

Here's a sneak peak of what I'll be making: Green Beer Marshmallow Pops, a homemade version of the famous Shamrock Shake and a special St. Patty's Day cupcake. Stay tuned...

7 Days of Shamrocks: Day 4

For day four of my 7 Days of Shamrocks, I went to my old faithful hurricane centerpiece. If you follow my blog, I'm sure you've seen my hurricane centerpiece which I have updated for various themes and holidays including fall, winter, Valentine's Day, Red Carpet Award Shows and Mardi Gras. For instructions on how to make the actual hurricane vase, click on my fall or winter blog.

For this one, I added large foam shamrocks in between the candle and vase. I'm not sure I love it but it's a little different than other things I've tried with it. It's good to mix it up every once in a while and I think it looks cute still.

7 Days of Shamrocks: Day 3

For day three of my 7 Days of Shamrocks, I decided to make some St, Patrick's Day cocktails. If I had been doing my original plan of 17 Days of Shamrocks, I would have made these separate days, but since I'm only doing 7, I figured I'd do one blog for both.

The first cocktail I wanted to make was a Guinness Float. Guinness is a cliche/classic beer to enjoy on St. Patty's Day. There are a few different options to spice up a classic Guinness. The most cliche is an Irish Car Bomb. This consists of dropping a mixed shot of Irish Creme and Irish Whiskey into a Guinness and chugging it as fast as you can. A less known variation of this is a Boiler Maker. That is a straight shot of Irish Whiskey in a Guinness that you chug also. I decided to go for a less "chuggy" twist on a classic Guinness: an Irish Stout Float. Start by taking a scoop of vanilla ice cream and placing it in a pint glass. Next pour a cold 12 oz. Guinness over the smooth creamy cold treat. If you own a Guinness spoon, it helps pour the beer properly. See pictures below.

Your final result is a smooth, tasty treat. An adult Irish version of your favorite root beer float. The sweet creaminess of the ice cream adds something special to the bitter dark stout. Top it off with a festive green straw and you've got an awesome St. Patty's Day beverage.

If an Irish Stout Float isn't your cup of tea, maybe a festive green cocktail is more your style. Going green is never wrong when you're celebrating our favorite Irish holiday. My recommendation is a tasty Green Apple Martini.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons of sour-apple schnapps (I used Mr. Stacks)
5 tablespoons of vodka (I used Belvedere)
5 tablespoons of lemonade (I used Crystal Light)
5 tablespoons of lemon-lime soda  (I used Sierra Mist)
Cinnamon Sugar for rim

First I poured a tiny bit of sour-apple schnapps into a shot glass and dipped my finger and rubbed it around the rim of the martini glass. Next I made a cinnamon sugar mixture on a plate and dipped the rim of the glass in the mixture. I believe this special touch really added something to the taste of the drink.

Next, take the rest of your ingredients and add them together over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and pour into martini glass. I think I'm truly an apple martini fan these days and this recipe was divine!

7 Days of Shamrocks: Day 2

For day two of my 7 Days of Shamrocks, I made a delicious simple snack: shamrock crisps with olive oil and sea salt. These are super cute and super tasty! Pair them with a tasty Guinness and Cheddar Dip for something extra special!

 Ingredients:
Spinach wraps (I used Mission Spinach Herb Wraps)
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Shamrock cookie cutter

First preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Next take your shamrock cookie cutter and make shamrock shaped pieces from your wraps. Make sure to press really hard to cut all the way through the wrap. I had a large cookie cutter so I was only able to get about 4 shamrocks per wrap. I recommend saving the scraps though and making some unshaped crisps with the leftovers. They won't be as cute but they'll taste just as good!

 Once you have your shamrocks, spread them out on a cookie sheet and lightly brush each shamrock with olive oil and then sprinkle with sea salt.

Place your shamrocks in the oven for about 5 minutes, definitely no longer. These can burn very quickly so make sure to take them out at exactly 5 minutes. Once they're done, you'll have a delicious crispy snack. They taste great on their own or you can pair them with your favorite dip such as hummus or ranch.

7 Days of Shamrocks: Day 1

For day one of my 7 Days of Shamrocks, I decided to make a shamrock banner. I saw a similar idea on {where else but Pinterest} and thought it was cute.

Supplies Needed:
Different shades of green scrapbook paper
Scissors
Stapler
Green ribbon

Start by cutting your paper into vertical strips. I used two different shades of green paper, but the more variety the better. If you have any designs like polka dots or stripes, I think it would just add to the look of the banner.

Next take each strip and fold it in half. Then take the ends and staple them into a heart.

Next take four hearts and then staple them together to make a clover.

Make as many clovers and you'd like, depending on the length of the banner you're trying to make. Finally string them on your ribbon and choose a spot to hang it.

7 Days of Shamrocks

I love St. Patrick's Day! It is my favorite holiday. Because of this, I wanted to do a 17 Day challenge for St. Patrick's Day but just needed a breather after all of the holidays and events in February. Aside from 17, doing a 7 day one just made sense. It's basically celebrating the holiday with a week's worth of crafts and recipes. Since I'm doing a shorter one that initially planned, I may feature multiple things per day like perhaps a variety of cocktail recipes on one day instead of splitting them up. Since St. Patrick's Day is on a Saturday this year, my blog will run from Sunday-Saturday, the 11-17th. I toyed with doing days of Green but like the way Shamrocks sounded. So stay tuned for 7 Days of Shamrocks...