Favorite Things
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Happy Fri-yay! I’m feeling pretty lucky that it is Friday and St. Patrick’s Day! Being of Irish descent, St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday that I always look forward to. Today’s blog post is all about celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve collected some of my favorite recipes, including my own recipes for Irish Soda Bread and How to Make a Rainbow Cake in honor of this special day.
In preparation for this post, I realized that I didn’t know the backstory about what rainbows have to do with St. Patrick’s Day. Yes, me. The one with the last name of O’Brien. Shameful! So, I did a little research and came across a short, but informative article that I want to share. I found it quite fascinating. If you are interested in learning what leprechauns and rainbows have to do with magical Irish folklore, scroll down to the very end of this blog post. But, first we have to get to all the really good stuff like yummy cocktails, shamrock shakes, cupcakes, rainbow cake, and irish soda bread.
Here are some recipes and links to make delicious St. Patrick’s Day inspired treats. Have a magical weekend xo
LEPRECHAUN’S KISS COCKTAIL
- ½ cup (4 oz.) Orange Juice
- ¼ cup (2 oz.) Blue Curacao
- ¼ cup (2 oz.) Vodka
- Splash of Sprite
- Ice
- Garnish:
- Rainbow Sprinkles
- Honey
Instructions:
- Dip rim of a hurricane cocktail glass in honey and then sprinkles until coated.
- Fill glass ¾ with ice.
- Add Blue Curacao, vodka, and orange juice; stir lightly.
- Top with a splash of Sprite.
- Enjoy!
SHAMROCK SHAKES
Make your own Shamrock Shake! I came across this recipe that is so easy to make, and if you have kiddos at home, they will LOVE it!
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- 3 cups vanilla ice cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon mint extract
- 10 drops of green food coloring
- whipped cream
- green sprinkles
- mini chocolate chips (optional)
- chocolate syrup (optional)
- Blend vanilla ice cream, milk, mint extract, and food coloring on high until smooth.
- Pour into glasses and top with whipped cream.
- Add sprinkles and chocolate chips to top or drizzle with chocolate syrup.
ST. PATRICK’S DAY CUPCAKES
Delicious cupcakes, topped with buttercream, candy rainbows and chocolate pots of gold!
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Ingredients:
Cupcakes: One (15.25 ounce) package of yellow cake mix, bake cupcakes according to the directions.
Frosting:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Green food coloring
- Topping:
- 12 AirHeads Extreme Rainbow candy
- Mini marshmallows
- 24 Rolo candies
- Gold sprinkles
Instructions:
- Prepare cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes; let cool.
- To make the frosting, beat butter until creamy.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla, heavy cream and salt and mix together with a hand mixer until well combined.
- Add green food coloring until desired color is reached.
- Spread or pipe frosting on top of each cupcake.
- Cut each AirHeads Extreme candy in half and place on top of each cupcake to create an arch.
- Place two mini marshmallows on each end of the rainbow (optional)
- To make the pot of gold, pipe a small amount of frosting onto the wide end of each Rolo, then press into gold sprinkles until all the frosting is covered. Place on the cupcake.
How to make a Rainbow Cake
A total show stopper of a cake! Don’t tell your guests, just cut the cake and watch their faces. Priceless.
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Click here to take you to my blog post with the complete recipe, and step-by-step instructions on how to make a rainbow cake.
IRISH SODA BREAD
A one bowl tradition Irish bread that is as easy to make as it is delicious. Crusty and flakey on the outside, and sweet and tender on the inside.
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This is a baker’s dream! One Bowl Irish Soda Bread recipe that is virtually foolproof and tastes incredible. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is. Click here to take to you my blogpost with the complete recipe, and step-by-step instructions on how to bake this traditional Irish bread.
A little bit of Irish folklore: According to Dr. Patrick O’Neill, of Penn State University (that’s my alma mater by the way) who studies Irish history, it all started from stories about real people. In the fifth century BC, Gaelic invaders discovered a pre-Celtic race in which men were about five feet tall. The invaders called them, “little people.” The word eventually morphed into “leprechaun.” According to legend, the “little people” buried their dead with valuables. The invaders believed valuables meant gold. But, they could never find these buried treasures. Unable to find an explanation for the lack of treasure, people spun tales that grew into legends. It became widely reported that you could find the burial location of a leprechaun at the end of the rainbow and there you’d find the “pot of gold.” People believe that the story developed that way because the end of the rainbow is an impossible place to find.
