St. Patty's Day Eats

We made it to Friday...can I get a huzzah up in here? I for one am extremely excited for this weekend. Seeing lots of family on both Shaun and my side and Lindsey's engagement party tomorrow, where I finally get to sample some more of those truffles!

So I thought to kick off the weekend, I'd share a little roundup of some St. Patty's Day fare. Though most of this is not what some would call traditional, I have no doubt that you could enjoy any of these Irish/Green-inspired eats this weekend and throughout next week, while gettin' your beer on.

Irish Stout Cupcakes + Bailey's Frosting I made these last year and let's just say they were a mighty hit among all. The rich chocolate cake is glazed in whiskey and topped with an irish cream frosting. Need I say more?

Kathy's Irish Soda Bread My friend Kristen's mother perfected this recipe and featured them as the favor at her bridal shower, complete with sweet recipe card attached. This is hand's down the best Irish soda bread I've ever had, perfect for any occasion!

Sorta Green Velvet Cake But this time, do it up nicer than my version, mmm k?

Green Monster Smoothie Put down that Shamrock Shake and get on the smoothie train! Just kidding, I love the Shamrock Shake as much as the next person. But seriously, the smoothie is delicious, filling, refreshing...and oh, significantly less calories. Plus, it's Green!

Beer Braised Corned Beef & Cabbage I was never really a fan of this traditional Irish dish, until I found a modernized recipe in Real Simple last year. Meat...braised in beer? Um, yes please! Not to mention it gets all tasty in the slow cooker. No more boiling, please.

Irish Oatmeal Cake I made this last weekend and had to lock half of it up in the freezer so as not to devour the entire thing. It's moist and has been described by a certain someone as a soft oatmeal cookie with sweet frosting. I'll take that, thanks.

So there you have it. A quick roundup of some things that I wish I'd be eating this weekend. And I just might! Do you do any Irish eats? What are your favorites? What are your weekend plans?

Irish Oatmeal Cake + Irish Cream Frosting

Well friends, we're a week away from St. Patty's Day and just in case you are hosting a party or simply celebrating your Irish (or non-Irish) heritage, this cake is tops for any occasion. Let's face it, everyone's Irish on St. Patty's day, right? Even if only for the beer.

Since I have already brought you Irish stout cupcakes and the best ever Irish soda bread, this year I knew I had to change it up a bit. After a bit of brainstorming, I realized that I just had to make something with Irish oatmeal. It's one of my favorite ways to eat oats. And of course, it wouldn't be a celebration without some cake. Am I right or am I right?

This cake is extremely moist and sweet. As Shaun (aka Mr. No Sweets) claimed, it's comparable to eating a soft oatmeal cookie with sweet frosting. And I couldn't find a thing wrong with that claim. The cake has a great textrue while tasting like oatmeal with cinnamon. But in a cake form. Oh and the Bailey's frosting? I mean, you cannot go wrong with this one. Pour yourself a whiskey and cut a giant slice of cake because friends, it's time to celebrate the Irish the best way I know how...with food!

 

Irish Oatmeal Cake + Irish Cream Frosting
*Adapted from McCann's Irish Oatmeal
For the cake:
1 C quick cooking Irish oatmeal (I used McCann's)
1 1/2 C boiling water
1 C brown sugar (I made my own)
1 C granulated sugar
1/2 C butter, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
For the frosting:
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 C confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp Bailey's Irish coffee creamer (or 1 tsp Bailey's Irish Cream liquer)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the boiling water and oatmeal; set aside for 10 minutes. Next, add the butter and mix together until combined. Add brown sugar, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs. Mix well. Pour in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix gently until completely combined. Pour into a greased 9x9" baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

While it's cooling, make the frosting. Mix the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time and mix on medium-high until combined. Add vanilla and Bailey's, until your desired flavor is reached. I used the coffee creamer because I had it on hand, but the liquer would have been divine as well (Note: Use significantly less liquer than creamer since it's more concentrated flavor).

Spread over the cooled cake and serve!

So there you have it. A quick and simple sweet cake that's perfect for any St. Patty's Day celebration. Or a Tuesday night. Or any day that's not St. Patty's Day. So what do you think? Do you celebrate St. Patty's Day?

March Favorites: What I dug over the last month

I'm a tad behind on my March Favorites...let's just say I've been a busy girl. But March was a fantastic month, especially foodwise. I tried out some new recipes and cooked with new ingredients...and I hope that you are all reaping the benefits of my kitchen testing!

Slow Cooker
Though slow cookers are traditionally known for their winter warming qualities, I used mine fairly sparingly this past winter, other than a couple of chili batches. Instead, I broke out the big guns twice in March for some slow cooked, tender meat. Between my Spring dinner party beef brisket cooked in V8 and post-St. Patty's Day corned beef braised in amber ale, the ol' Crockpot produced two fabulous meals that are heading over to the permanent collection.

All Things Irish
I know, I've raved about this a lot, but that's because both of these recipes were just that good. Irish Car Bomb cupcakes and Irish Soda Bread...two beyond fab recipes that I highly recommend you giving a whirl. In fact, TAA reader and friend Danielle, gave these cupcakes a whirl for a family birthday party a few weeks back and shared her awesome photo (above), which admittedly is making me hungry as we speak. Didn't she do an amazing job?

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Liquid Dish Soap
You might call me a big dork, but I guess when you get to be a certain age, you can really learn to appreciate the value of a good cleaning product. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Liquid Dish Soap in all of its glory is enough to make me actually enjoy washing dishes. It's all natural, and unlike a lot of all natural cleaners, it actually cleans! And once you get used to the delightful natural scent, it's really enough to make you never go back to amonia-filled cleaners again. In fact, we're in the process of switching over all cleaning products to be au natural...and yes, Mrs. Meyer's will be making major appearances in all rooms in the house. I like Lemon Verbena, but other natural scents like Basil and Gardenia are great too.

Soy milk
No, I'm not turning crunchy, but after Lauren (aka super friend and Pizza Tour pal) turned me on to the Starbucks Soy Misto (more to come on that next week from the turner on-er), I've just been hooked on the subtly sweet flavor of vanilla soy milk in my coffee. Though my heart still belongs to the Coffee-mate Italian Sweet Cream, Silk soy milk provides a nice flavor change up - and one that I just can't get enough of.

A&P's Greenway Line

I know, a lot of au naturals this month. I discovered the Greenway line of products at my local grocery store a few weeks ago. What is Greenway? It's A&P's private label brand of goods that includes no harmful pesticides, chemicals or artificial fertilizers. I had always noticed the chicken (which, btw, tastes way more delicious than regular old Perdue), but with an organic eye in mind lately, I realized that Greenway can be found in almost every food category in the store. From baby carrots and meats to low-sodium chicken broth and brown eggs, Greenway kicks organic into gear with affordable options for the seasoned grocery shopper.

So there you have it. A wrap up of my favorite foodie things in March. Did you discover any new treats over the last month? A new restaurant? A fun grocery store item? Please do share since TAA is always on the lookout for new and delicious things!

Psst...love the monthly faves? Check out Snickerdoodle Muffins, Gorgonzola Fig Crostini, Marscarpone Cheese and even more cupcakes from January and February!