Erin Go PARTY!!!!!!!!

Hey everyone!!
Welcome to The Ultimate Blog Party 2008!!

March is one of my favorite months.
March has spring.
March has the NCAA March Madness Baskeball Tournament.
March begins the influx of nice weather.
March has spring break.
And the most important...
March has ST. PADDY's DAY!

My favorite holiday!
Complete with my favorite foods and green beer.....
Because what is better than that...
Not much people. Not much.

So become a little bit more Irish and indulge in some of these yummy recipes.
First the food:



Irish Scones
1/2 cup butter
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup of milk

Makes about 18 scones

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, combine butter and flour with a pastry blender or fingers until crumbly. Add baking powder, salt and sugar.

In a separate bowl, beat egg and milk. Mix into dry ingredients to make a dough. Turn onto floured surface and roll to one inch thickness or pat carefully with hands. With a cookie cutter or the bottom of a drinking glass, cut dough into 2 inch rounds. Place on a greased cookie sheet, about one inch apart and bake for 15 minutes.

Irish Champ

8 medium potatoes
1/2 cup milk
5 tablespoon butter
one bunch scallions or green onions, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Makes 6 servings

Peel and cube potatoes and boil in salted water until tender. Drain and mash slightly. In a small pan, heat milk and butter until butter is melted. Add chopped scallions. Fold mixture into the potatoes until well blended. Potatoes will be still be somewhat lumpy. Season with salt and pepper.

Potato, Cheese and Beer Soup

Serving Size : 8

2 medium baking potatoes
1 can beer -- (12 oz)
1 cup canned diluted chicken broth
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 jar process cheese spread -- (16 oz)
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
6 slices bacon -- cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese -- (2 oz)
chopped fresh chives

Wash potatoes and pat dry. Prick each potato several times with a fork. Bake at 400°F for 1 hour or until done. Let cook completely; peel potatoes, and cut into chunks. Set aside. Combine beer, broth, and Worcestershire sauce in a 3-qt saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until hot. Combine half and half and cornstarch; stir well. Add cornstarch mixture, cheese spread, milk, and red pepper to beer mixture; stir well. Cook, stirring constantly, 4 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Add reserved potato chunks; cook 2 minutes or just until thoroughly heated. To serve, ladle soup into individual serving bowls. Top each serving with crumbled bacon, shredded cheese and chives.

Brownies with Irish Cream Icing

Brownies
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1/2 Cup butter
3/4 C sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1 Cup flour

Topping

1/3 C Irish Cream liqueur (such as Bailey's)
8 oz. white chocolate chopped

re-heat oven to 325° F.

Line a 8" x 8" baking pan with aluminum foil , leaving at least 2 inches of foil overhanging on all sides (this will help you life the finished brownies out of the pan and eliminate messy pan clean-up). Set aside.

Whisk sugar, vanilla and salt into chocolate mixture, followed by the eggs, one at a time. Continue whisking mixture until it is shiny and smooth. Add flour and whisk just until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and level top. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool completely in pan.

Topping
Heat liqueur to a boil, remove from heat and whisk in white chocolate until it is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Refrigerate until mixture becomes thick enough to spread, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Spread topping over brownies and refrigerate until cold. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. To cut, simply lift brownies, foil and all out of pan, peel off foil and cut!

And now.... The drink

Black Velvet

1/2 qt Guinness
1/2 qt Champagne

I kind of want to try this even though I do not really like Guinness...

Irish Buck

1 1/2 oz. Irish Whisky
Ginger Ale
Lemon peel

Pour whisky into a highball glass filled with ice, twist the lemon peel over the glass and drop in the glass and fill with ginger ale.

Irish Flag

1/3 oz. Green Crème de Menthe
1/3 oz. Irish Crème
1/3 oz. Grand Marnier

Create a layered drink by pouring the Grand Marnier into a pony glass, pour the Irish Crème slowly over the back of a teaspoon into the pony glass and pour the Green Crème de Menthe slowly over the back of the teaspoon into the pony glass.

Leprechaun

After a few of these, you'll be searching for the pot of gold!

2 oz. Irish whisky
Cold Tonic water
Lemon Twist

Pour whisky into a Collins glass filled with ice, fill with tonic water, stir gently and drop in the lemon twist.

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Of course what's a party without pictures of the fun I have had on my favorite holiday!