"Top of the Mornin'

 

I thought it would be fun to have a St. Patty Dinner tonight.  

I used to make this all the time.  Yummy comfort food.

Shepherd's Pie 

 

 This one's from 

Martha Stewart

or maybe I should try this

Skillet Shepherd's Pie Recipe

via Woman's Day 

Add a garden salad and some "green" bread 
and you're in LUCK~ 

Looking for a St. Patty "cupcake" ?

Recipe and Picture via 

Tickled Pink Cupcakery

Shamrock Shake Cupcakes

(makes 2 dozen cupcakes)

For the Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (if you don't have any, you can make your own) 
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature 
• 1 cup milk 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 2 teaspoons mint extract (regular mint, not peppermint)few drops of green food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Combine flours in a large bowl. 
3. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar, beat 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4.  Add flour in three parts, alternating with the milk/extracts in two.
5.   Add food coloring until fulling incorporated, but don't over mix- a drop or two will do for a light green color. 
6. Pour into baking cups. 
7. Bake 20-25 minutes.
   

For the frosting:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 
• 6-8 cups confectioners' sugar 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 2 tsp mint extract 
• a few drops green food coloring
  

Cream butter, 4 cups sugar, milk, and mint. Add more sugar to reach desired consistency. Add food coloring until fully incorporated.

For the Fondant Shamrocks:

Find the fondant recipe Tickled Pink Cupcakery uses here.

Add a bit of green food coloring (gel works better than liquid when working with fondant) and knead into your fondant, making sure to add plenty of powdered sugar to prevent it from sticking to your mat. When you reach the desired color, roll flat with a rolling pin to about 1/4''(I use a plastic fondant roller to reduce sticking). To make the shamrocks, I cut out a paper stencil and traced around it with a knife, then finished shaping it with my fingers. If you can find a small shamrock cutter, that would work, too.

 More "lucky" Cupcakes

 HERE