Top of the Mornin' To You

So do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?   Whether you are Irish or not, it is always fun to show off your green.  My childhood memories are of always having corned beef, cabbage and potatoes for St. Patrick's Day.  The community I grew up in were always ready for Friday night fish fries, and they were always ready to put on the green.

So, just a little note, I have not blogged for awhile, but I hope to begin again.  Life got the best of me....

It is always fun to have a little chocolate decorating the plate.

When my children were going to elementary school, big contests were held to see which child from each grade level would wear the most green.  Sadly, my children always lost.

The gold and white plates were from TJ Maxx last Christmas.  The green plates were from World Market at Christmas time a couple of years ago;I have matching red ones.

I have used these bubble glasses for so many occasions.  I love them.  The green candlesticks were from when we were first married, and we have been married for thirty years!

The napkins rings actually have fall leaves embossed on them, but if you won't tell, I won't tell!

Just another view of the table.

For dessert, how about some chocolate cupcakes with Andes mints on top?

This gives a better view of the two-toned cupcakes.

I hope you enjoyed this table, and I hope you enjoy St. Patrick's Day, with love from Red Couch Recipes.

Posted with Between Naps on the Porch.

St. Patrick's Day Tablescape

 

 

Welcome to Red Couch Recipes!  I don't know if there is one bit of Irish in my family, but we have always celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a meal of corned beef and cabbage, and really it is one of our favorite meals.  A bright green table is always a nice thing when the world is still so tan and gray outside

 

The green chargers were bought at an after Christmas sale at Wal-Mart for a quarter.  When I spied them I immediately thought of St. Patrick's Day.  The Andes mints adorning the plate are so perfect for St. Patrick's Day.  I tucked a bit of green checked fabric in the napkin ring to add color.

 

 

I stuiffed a bit of green in the glasses to add bling and color.

 



 

 

The apothecary jar is filled with green Jell-O Cookies, always a nice touch at St. Patrick's day.

 

 

The bright green plaid table cloth is from the famous Christmas Tree Shoppe.  I bought it when I went to Virginia last year.

 

 

 

I wish a wonderful St. Patrick's Day to you and yours. 

 

Posted with Let's Dish and Tablescape Thursday.

A Little Green Tablescape

 

 

Dear Red Couch Readers, today I bring to you "a little bit of green" to brighten up your world as it brightened up my table today. 

 

I found these green chargers for a quarter at Wal-Mart after Christmas and thought:  "Ding, ding, ding, I will use them for St. Patrick's Day to give a pop to my table."

 

 

 

I tucked a bit of green checked fabric in my napkin bundle to add a little color.

 

 

I picked up these green plastic mugs at the Dollar Store.  Don't tell my children, but I am reusing these to put little gifties in for St. Patrick's Day.  Yes I am an awesome mom!

 

 

I have had these candlesticks for almost 20 years, and every once in awhile I remember to set them out for St. Paddy's Day.

 

 

Of course if you were here you would get a little treat -- Ande's Mints -- on your table.

 

 

The tablecloth is a new purchase from the Christmas Tree Store when I visited Virginia in February.

 

 

Here is a view of my bubbly glass.

 

 

I love this little Dollar Store sign, which I hang on my buffet -- it is my only St. Patrick's Day Decoration.

 

 

 

On the Homefront:  My daughter Tati's  end of the year swim banquet brought me doing table decorations.  Our school colors are blue -- our Mascot is a dinosaur -- so I did these yarn balls in turqoise and blue and placed them on the tables.  My daughter Talley and I made about 36 of these for the banquet.  Yes, we have no life!

 

 

And some good news.  My husband is coming home for about 5 days tomorrow.  Soooo good to see him.

 

Thanks for dropping by my couch!

 

Tablescape Thursday

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day Table and Green Jell-O Cookies

Welcome to Kathleen's St. Patrick's Day Party;  Kathleen's "family" picture is a hoot! On Wednesday night I will be posting this to Tablescape Thursday.  Be sure you drop by both of these blog parties!

So we begin my post with a individual place setting.  I am particularly enamored with this bright shade of green in these salad plates and bowls.  So perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

Here's a side view of the table.  The green-stemmed glasses and green bowls were at the Dollar Store last year.

The green candlesticks were bought at, I think, Cost Plus many moons ago and have earned their rent in my storage space.

Here's a closeup of the St. Paddy's Day woven runner; it was bought at Ross quite a few years ago.

Another view of the table, this shot highlighting the LIME GREEN Jell-O cookies.  What would St. Patrick's Day be without them?  They are a light and delicate cookie.  I have posted them last year at St. Patrick's Day.  I have made them for years and first received the recipe from my college roommate Stacy.  The recipe is at the bottom of this post.

Many times I highlight a dessert in my centerpieces; desserts are delicious AND beautiful.

Please feel free to grab a few cookies on your way out! 

We are celebrating St. Patrick's Day tonight.  I am cooking my corned beef and potatoes as I am writing this!  It smells heavenly!  I have seen so many other great, non-traditional recipes around blog land!  You truly inspire me!

Green Jell-O Cookies

3/4 cup butter or shortening

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 (3 ounce) package of Lime Jell-o

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2-1/2 cups flour

Mix all ingredients. If you desire, I didn't today, add a dab of green food coloring to dough.  Roll dough into small balls. Put them on a greased cookie sheet, then dip the bottom of a glass in sugar and press dough until flat. If you like mounded cookies, chill the dough for an hour, then roll in sugar and don't flatten the cookies. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  Yield:  About 32 cookies -- I used the Pampered Chef cookie scoop.

Thanks for dropping by Red Couch Recipes!

Green Jell-O Popcorn Pops

Make some GREEN Jell-O Popcorn Pops for St. Patrick's Day.  They are delicious and whip up in minutes and sure to please all the : "Little Leprechauns" in your life.

Recipe for Jell-O Popcorn Pops

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 small box, Lime Jell-O

3-4 quarts popped popcorn

Put syrup and sugar in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Do not boil longer. Remove from heat and stir in Jell-O. Butter your hands a bit and pour over popcorn and make into balls. The balls should be between the size of golf balls and tennis balls. Push stick through the center and enjoy! I acquired this recipe from my mother-in-law Geniel.  Note:  If you prefer a more gooey, sticky.  popcorn ball, use less popcorn.

Make some today!  Thanks for stopping by my Red Couch.

Posted with the following:

Made By You Mondays, Mom's Crazy Cooking, Kathleen's St. Patrick's Day Party

St. Patrick's Day Marble Cookies -- Roba Dolce Good News Contest

If you are looking for something different for St. Patrick's Day, then try these cookies.  They are simple to make cookie and they are striking with their contrasting colors.  So let's strike up some GREEN!

I also want to direct you to the Dolce Roble "Good News" contests that are being held every week.  The Roba Dolce Company wants to hear about acts of kindness, those that occur every day that don't show up in the newspaper.  Has someone blessed your life or the life of another, why not submit an entry to the "Good News" contests?  Click HERE for details.  Every week they will choose one of the submitted stories and they will highlight it in their posts.  The subject of the winning story will receive a large assortment of their gelatos and sorbettos.  Trust me, you are going to love their gelatos and sorbettos!
 

St. Patrick's Day Marble Cookie Recipe

1 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon peppermint or almond extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon to add to chocolate dough, if needed
1/3 cup chocolate chips -- I used milk chocolate.
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
Sugar for rolling dough in
Green coloring

Put butter and sugar in medium mixing bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Add egg and almond extract and beat until incorporated. Then add baking soda and flour little by little. Divide dough in half; color one half with green coloring.  For the other half, melt chocolate chips in microwave, being very careful that they don't burn. Cool chocolate and add melted chocolate and cocoa powder to the other half of the dough and mix until chocolates are incorporated. If the chocolate dough doesn't seem stiff enough, add 1 tablespoon of flour.

Take green dough and, using a little less than 2 teaspoons of dough, roll into small balls. Take chocolate dough and so the same and add to gether to make cookie ball as pictured below.

Roll the green and chocolate dough together and roll into sugar.

Place chocolate/green cookie ball on baking sheet. Press bottom of glass on cookie and smash until about 1/4 inch thick.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 8 -10 minutes, making sure you don't overcook.

Remove from baking sheet and cool on rack.

Thanks for dropping by Red Couch Recipes!

Posted with the following: 
I'm Lovin' It, Feature Yourself Friday, Weekend Wrapup, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Made By You Monday, Mom's Crazy Cooking, Kathleen's St. Patrick's Day Party

Reuben Calzone

 This is just a simple recipe I quickly put together in honor of St. Patrick's Day.  After dinner, my husband said he ate too much, so I guess they were a hit!  I used the homemade pizza dough I always use; you could use frozen dough, dough from a can or puff pastry.

   

Recipe Instructions:

Roll out pizza dough into small rounds.  For each calzone, place four slices of thinly sliced corn beef and 1-2 slices of swiss cheese on one half of the dough round.  Add saurkraut and some Thousand Island Dressing "dressed up" or whatever sauce or dressing you like to put on a Reuben.   For "dressed up" Thousand Island Dressing:  mix 1/2 cup of Thousand Island dressing, two tablespoons mayonnaise, and 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar.  Fold the dough over the calzone ingredients and seal the edges.  You may wish to brush the dough, using a pastry brush with olive oil.   Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or bake at 500 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.  Serve with additional "dressed-up" Thousand Island dressing and, of course, a pickle.  Enjoy!

Jackie's Pizza Dough Recipe:

4 cups bread flour

1-3/4 cup warm water

2 teaspoons yeast

1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in Bosh or Kitchen Aid and mix for five minutes or knead by hand for five minutes.  Let rise until doubled.  Punch down and let rise again. 

Green Jell-o Cookies

Since I live in Utah and Utah IS the GREEN JELL-O capital of the world...yes it's really true...I thought I would post a green Jell-o recipe for St. Patrick's Day.  They are quick and simple and they taste good.  I love the green color.  Hope you enjoy them!

Recipe:

3/4 cup butter or shortening

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 (3 ounce) package of Jell-o

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2-1/2 cups flour

Mix all ingredients.  Roll dough into small balls.  Put them on a greased cookie sheet, then dip the bottom of a glass in sugar and press dough until flat.  If you like mounded cookies, like me, chill the dough for an hour, then roll in sugar and don't flatten the cookies.  Bake in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

I found this recipe from Cooks.com because I lost my copy.  This recipe has been around for years. 

Greenies...With Pistachios and White Chocolate

These are an excellent version of a blondie!  If you are a "nut kind of gal," like me, you WILL love these!  They are moist, dense, substantial, yummy, and not too sweet!  The pistachios make the bars a beautiful light green color (I did add a dab of coloring).  For pistachios, I just used those in the shell and unshelled them.  Buy more than you need because we lost some in the unshelling.  I wonder what happened to them?  I think Greenies make a great St. Patrick's Day treat.  I hope you will enjoy these.

Recipe:

1 cup butter

6 ounces white chocolate (or 1/2 package of chips)

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

1-1/3 cups ground pistachios (ground finely in food processor)

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Green food coloring , if desired

Handful of whole pistachios, if desired

White Chocolate for drizzling

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare square baking pan (8x8) with shortening or spray and flour.  Melt butter and white chocolate in the microwave being very careful as the chocolate can burn very easily.  It doesn't take long for it to be melted.  Once melted, add sugar and almond extract to the mixture.  Then add eggs, one by one.  Set aside.  In another bowl, combine flour, salt and ground pistachios.  You may also add a handful of whole pistachios if you would like...I didn't.  Mix ingredients together.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir until it is all incorporated.  If desired, add slight amount of food coloring.  Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees until done, but is still moist in the center.  Just keep checking at the end.  The center should not be firm and it should not be jiggly. These greenies take about 30 minutes in my oven.  I live at 5700 feet altitude and things seems to bake faster.   Take out of oven and cool.  Drizzle with white chocolate.

This recipe was found here several years ago:  http://clumbsycookie.blogspot.com/2008/08/green-is-new-brown.html  I have modified her recipe a little.  By the way, she has a great website.  Stop by and visit.

My First Tablescape--Thrifty St. Patrick's Day Tablescape!

This is my version of a green...as in dollar friendly, St. Patrick's Day Tablescape!

 My 13 year old daughter Tati has a different take for a St. Patrick's Day Tablescape...she set a more formal tablescape using some of the same items.  We had a lot of fun setting up our different tablescapes using some of the same items.  You can find her tablescape at this link:http://polkadotpantrysweets.blogspot.com/2010/02/st-patricks-day-table-setting.html.

We are linking up at Tablescape Thursday!  Come see many more tablescapes on display.  The link for this is:http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/.

 I am kind of undecided on the napkins.  There is actually green on it, but it doesn't show up well in the photos.  At home, I thought the red napkin was a nice contrast to the green...I am not so sure now.

These glasses were a happy find at the Dollar Store!  I just love the stem!

The bowls were found at the Dollar Store.  The placemats were from Wal-Mart bought for, I think, fifty cents in a post-season sale last year.

The plates were bought for fifty cents at the Dollar Store.  They were on clearance!  The silverware is from Wal-Mart.  The napkins were a gift from my sister-in-law Camille.

The plates, bowls, and stemware are all still available at my Dollar Store.  Maybe they are still available at your Dollar Store! 

Happy Tablescaping!