Shamrock Sugar Cookies

With the busy week behind you, make family time a priority this weekend and gather everyone together for a movie, to bake or just enjoy each other's company. Here is a great recipe to bake together!

Shamrock Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Cup Kerrygold Irish Butter
3/4 Cup White Sugar
1 Large Egg
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Green Food Coloring
Green Sugar Crystals

Directions           In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt with a wire whisk. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the egg, vanilla, and green food coloring, and beat until well mixed. Scrape down side of bowl, then add the flour mixture. Blend on low speed just until combined. Do not over mix. Gather dough into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Refrigerate 1 hour until firm.

Preheat oven to 325F.

On a floured surface, roll out dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. With shamrock cookie cutter, cut dough and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with green sugar and bake for 13 to 15 minutes, being careful not to brown. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cool, flat surface.

Guinness Stew

With St. Patrick's Day coming up,  we will be sharing many Irish Recipes. Be sure to come back and let us know if you enjoy them!

The Guinness' acid and moisture combined with the long, slow cooking help tenderise the tough but flavoursome meat.

Guinness Stew

3 pounds stew meat
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup of flour for dredging
2 cloves of chopped garlic
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped sweet onions
1 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
1 cup beef broth
3 large cans of stewed tomatoes
1 large can of Guinness beer
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
¼ cup flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the stew meat in a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the seasoned meat in the flour. Place a Dutch oven, or stainless steel pot on medium-high heat with a few tablespoons of the vegetable oil. When the oil comes to temperature, add the stew meat and cook until it is browned on all sides. Add the chopped garlic, and cook for one to two minutes until it becomes slightly brown. Add the chopped carrots, celery, sweet onions, and fresh ground nutmeg. Cook for an additional five minutes.
Deglaze the pot with the beef stock; stir, making sure to get all of the flavor bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the three cans of stewed tomatoes, and the Guinness beer. Cover, and let cook on low for two hours, or until the meat becomes tender.
Uncover the pot, and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Add the heavy cream, and cook for 15 minutes.
Prior to service, stir in the fresh thyme, parsley, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
The stew may be served with mashed, roasted, or boiled new potatoes.
Enjoy!

When Pink Fingers Turn Green...

Valentines Day, the day of <3 LOVE <3 and the time of year where everything is pink and red! Cookies, cakes and treats are all given that food colored tint to have them match the theme of the holiday! If you are a regular in the kitchen like me, you find your finger tips are stained pink for some time due to the over using of food coloring! When Valentines Day is over, the pink finger turn GREEN! St Patrick's Day is just around the corner and its time to whip out that green food coloring and go with the flow. Even my husband and friends are on board by turning their beers green. It's funny because they don't food color their beverages for any other holiday. lol. Anyway, don't whip out that food coloring just yet! Now that it is time to turn everything 'green', I thought I would share a really cool recipe that is already green and delicious!.

Irish Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 onions, quartered
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 5 carrots, sliced
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen green peas
• 4 potatoes, quartered
• 3 cups baking mix
• 1 1/3 cups milk

Directions

1. In large, heavy pot, combine soup, water, chicken, celery, onion, salt, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat about 1 1/2 hours.
2. Add potatoes and carrots; cover and cook another 30 minutes.
3. Remove chicken from pot, shred it, and return to pot. Add peas and cook only 5 minutes longer.
4. Add dumplings. To make dumplings: Mix baking mix and milk until a soft dough forms. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto BOILING stew. Simmer covered for 10 minutes, then uncover and simmer an additional 10 minutes.

Recipe Found on AllRecipes.com. Made it, tried it and it is delicious!

Tomato, Mushroom and Mozzarella Pizza

Melt smoked mozzarella or Gouda over tomatoes, mushrooms, and olives to intensify the flavor of this sauce-free pizza...

Tomato, Mushroom, and Mozzarella Pizza

Ingredients

• 2 (10-ounce) portions frozen pizza dough, thawed
• flour for work surface
• 2 cups seeded and chopped plum tomatoes
• 1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
• 2/3 cup black olive halves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded smoked mozzarella or smoked Gouda

Directions

1. Arrange oven racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven. Heat oven to 475° F.
2. Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface to make two 12-inch squares or rounds. Transfer to two ungreased baking sheets.
3. Top the dough with the tomatoes, mushrooms, and olives. Drizzle with the oil and season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
4. Bake the pizzas for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
5. Top the pizzas with the mozzarella. Return to oven and bake 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges of the pies are lightly browned.