St. Patrick’s Day : A Celebration of the Irish

A day in honor of the patron saint of Ireland, it’s mostly known for the way we celebrate the holiday and the color worn. Green beer, Irish foods, and a celebration of the country’s culture is the way most of the world celebrates today. If you want to celebrate with someone besides Guinness, what are you options?

I am not a cook so it’s very important that whatever it is, it’s easy.

At first, I looked at beautiful delicious recipes like Shepherd’s pie. I am not advanced enough to make this dish work for me but if you have the skills, I’m sure it’s amazing!

The next option they shared was a pretzel and cheese option. Much more up my alley.

I took at a look at the ingredients list

Pretzel and Cheese

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 c. shredded cheddar, divided

• 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella

• 1 (8-oz.) block cream cheese, softened

• 1 1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp. freshly chopped chives, plus more for garnish

• 2 tsp. garlic powder

• 1/4 c. pale ale beer (we love Sierra Nevada)

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 (16.3-oz.) can refrigerated biscuits

• 2 tbsp. baking soda

• 1 large egg, mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for brushing biscuits

• Coarse salt

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups cheddar, mozzarella, cream cheese, Dijon, chives, garlic powder, and beer and season with salt and pepper.

• Halve each biscuit and roll into a ball, then slice an X across the top.

• In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups water and baking soda to a boil and whisk to dissolve. Immediately reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Add biscuits in batches and cook until puffy, 1 minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a 10" or 12" ovenproof skillet, forming a ring along the inside edge.

• Brush biscuits with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt. Transfer dip to center of skillet and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar.

• Bake until biscuits are golden and dip is bubbly, 33 to 35 minutes.

• Garnish with chives before serving.

I also wanted to find a few fun kids’ item for celebrating. I don’t have kids but we were going to have a few people over.

Shamrock Shakes

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large scoops vanilla ice cream (about 1/4 c. each)

• 1/4 c. heavy cream

• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

• 6 drops green food coloring

• Whipped cream, for topping

• Maraschino cherry, for topping

DIRECTIONS

• In a blender, mix vanilla ice cream, heavy cream, peppermint extract, and food coloring until completely smooth, then pour into a glass.

• Top with whipped cream and a cherry before serving.

All of these are pretty simple and I’ve removed the annoying ads between the ads. I hope you have a great holiday and feel festive learning more about St. Patrick’s Day.