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: 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!