Can we catch the Leprechaun? and other Irish Traditions!

Shayla's Leprechaun Trap

We have to celebrate St.Patty’s Day because I am of Irish Heritage, so it a homage to our ancestors for us to find an excuse to do fun things and eat fun foods, right? (:

This year was the first year we made Leprechaun traps. We made it 5 days before St Pattys day and each night we leave money, keys or something shiny to trap the leprechaun, but we have not got him yet! Each night he gets away (sometime with little green footprints made of washable fingerpaint), but leaves us something – coloring pages, green m&ms, magic green pudding, a green headband, etc. Maybe tonight we will catch him!

Here are some fun St. Patty’s day ideas as well as recipes that I think I have shared some of before but so you don’t have to search archives! Maybe you can incorporate one or two into your St Pattys Day meal!

Shamrock Biscuits

2 biscuits per child green sugar (use green food coloring and add to regular sugar stir)

Take the biscuits (you can use canned ones) and tear them in half. Place three of the pieces together to form a shamrock and use the other one to roll into a stem. Sprinkle the sugar on top and bake. You have green shamrock biscuits.

Rainbow Toast

Give each child a slice of white bread. Have ready several small containers of milk to which you have added food coloring. We usually use margarine tubs, and offer the children blue, red, green, yellow and purple. Each child can brush colored mile on the slice of bread, in stripes or a rainbow arc, using a pastry brush or new watercolor brush. Then place in toaster. Bread comes out colored and can be eaten with butter and jam. (Butter can be tinted green for fun.)

Green Peanut Butter Sandwiches! Add food coloring to peanut butter and spread onto two slices of bread. You can either make shamrocks with a cookie cutter or cut the sandwiches into squares.

Shamrock Shakes In a blender put two cups of milk, two cups lime sherbet, and two ripe bananas (and 2 cups spinach if you want veggie boost to counter sherbet sugar!). Then blend together and its ready to serve.

"Magic Leprechaun Powder". I use Instant Pistachio Pudding mix and let the kids add the milk and take turns shaking the bowl or stirring (or in clean jelly jar and they can shake it). The children are quite amazed when it turns into something good to eat!

Gold Cookies

To make gold cookies, take two Ritz crackers and put peanut butter in between them and then dip them in butterscotch chips (that's has been melted) and place on wax paper!! The kids love these!!

IRISH SODA BREAD – This one is the best I tried – remember to knead it a bit! I added ¾ cup currants instead of raisins! Yum!

Ingredients

2 cups white flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

4 tbsp. butter, chilled

1 cup raisins (you can make w/o raisins if you like)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt

Directions: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Cut in the butter until it is pea-sized. Stir in the raisins and buttermilk or yogurt. Turn the dough onto a floured surface, knead 1 minute, and shape into a disk. Cut an "X" in the top and bake on a greased baking sheet for 45 to 50 minutes. Makes one 8-inch-wide loaf or 2 small loaves.

*My mom's tips for this recipe: The chilled butter: I take a steak knife and shave off pieces of butter from the 4 TBSP. Hunk and then I just mix it into the flour mixture by rubbing with my fingertips and tossing the flour mixture as I go so the butter pieces get better incorporated into the mix. I never use 1 tsp. salt...more like a half teaspoon. I never use a half cup sugar, but about 3-4 tablespoons less. After I cut the X in the loaf, I rub buttermilk all over the surface of the loaf. I often make 2 smaller loaves, instead of one big one. That way you can give one away on St. Patrick's Day!

Lime Salad Recipe

Ingredients

1-cup cottage cheese

1 can (15-ounce) crushed pineapple, drained

1 container (9 ounces) non-dairy frozen whipped cream topping, thawed

1 small box (3-1/2 ounce) lime gelatin

Walnuts (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for several hours until firm.

Green Irish Balls (also called Spinach Balls)

Makes 50 balls

Ingredients

2 10 oz boxes of frozen chopped spinach

10 Tablespoons melted butter (1 stick + 2 Tablespoons more)

4 eggs, beated well

1 small onion finely chopped

½ C Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 C Pepperidge Farm Herbed Stuffing (or any herb stuffing) crushed

½ T thyme

½ T Garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

¼ tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spinach and squeeze out all water from spinach (I microwave for 5 minutes). Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for an hour until firm (I did mine overnight and it was fine but you could probably get away without putting them in the fridge too). Roll into 1 inch balls and place onto baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese or salt if you like, to taste. Serve warm.