St. Patrick’s Day and Easter

by holly{B}

St. Patrick’s Day - 17th

Everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day - at least that’s one lesson this girl learned while attending Irish-Catholic schools. Since she is not Irish, and has no success with Irish Soda Bread, she won’t even attempt to share that recipe. The following one, though, is good to serve with Shamrock Beer.

All one needs to do to make Shamrock Beer is to drop a very small amount of green food coloring in each mug of beer. The lighter the color of the beer, e.g., a Pilsner brew, the more attractive it looks. The sight of green beer isn’t always appealing to everyone though, so she serves it one mug at a time, upon request. One word of advice: you might want to buy a pair of clear gloves for food handling. The food colorings can be messy, especially if one is in a hurry, and it sure would be embarrassing (not to mention displeasing) to have green blotches on one’s hands.

Shamrock Sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 package (3 ounces) thinly sliced corned beef, cooked and chopped
2 Tablespoons red onion, grated
3/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 loaf seedless rye bread, thinly sliced
shamrock cookie cutter

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, mayonnaise and mustard. Add the corned beef, onion, dill weed and salt; mix well. Using the cookie cutter, cut shamrocks from each slice of bread. Evenly spread the filling over one half of the sandwich, top with the remaining half.
Hint: Slightly chill your bread in the freezer, since it helps in making the shamrock shapes.

Easter Sunday - 27th

No-Candy Easter Baskets

A girl’s fondest childhood memories of Easter were finding a beautifully wrapped basket with her name on it, only to have Mom promptly sift through it and put all the candy in a large bowl, way up high. Aside from the great sugar let-down, it sure ruined the beauty of the basket.

But seriously, kids can’t be given control of their own candy. So why even put it in the baskets at all, only to take it away after wards? For children over the age of 3, one can fill plastic eggs with various toys/party favors. The plastic eggs now come in various sizes in which to accommodate such a project. The Dollar Stores are great places to find such fillings. One can buy a set of 8 generic matchbox cars and fill each egg with a car. For girls, you can buy a jewelry set (necklace, clip-on earrings, rings) and place each item in an egg. If girls are permitted, one can fill the larger eggs with nail polishes and lip glosses, too. For boys, you can buy a package of miniature army soldiers, miniature Cowboys/Indians and police officers/firemen.

You can build a whole theme around the basket. For a boy, you could buy a GI Joe Action Figure as a centerpiece and buy the miniature soldiers to fill the eggs. Fisher-Price has a line of Rescue Heroes for a police officer or fireman theme. For girls, you can do the same with a Barbie or Bratz Doll and fill the eggs with various pieces of jewelry. While toys can certainly cost more than candy, one can find good sales on them at this time of the year. And you can always save money by purchasing basket(s) or toys at the Dollar Stores as well. After all, Peter Cottontail doesn’t have the same expense account as Santa Claus.

Money is always appreciated too, and this is one way in which to get rid of loose change. Girls enjoy those wash-off tattoos which come in little paper strips - they fit easily into a small, plastic egg. Some little girls enjoy wearing corsages to church. One can buy a wrist corsage of daisies from the grocery store and use that as a centerpiece for a basket. You can roll up coloring books with rubber bands or prop them in the back for support. Small boxes of crayons are nice, children can never have too many of them. And, add a cartoon character toothbrush and child flavored toothpaste - it’s probably time to change the toothbrush anyway.

holly wouldn’t suggest doing this for a child under 3 though. Since the very young children cannot make a distinction between what they should and should not put into their mouths, you wouldn’t want to encourage them to associate food with toys. You would probably want to fill their plastic eggs with candy. When their backs are turned, just snatch a few eggs out of the basket every so often and put them in a bowl up high and out of sight - they’ll never miss them! If you fill the plastic eggs with unwrapped candy, it’s probably best to not only wash them in hot, soapy water but put them through a bleach rinse as well. Using the cap from the bleach bottle, drop one capfull of bleach in a basin of clear, hot water. Wash the eggs, do a clear rinse, then a final bleach rinse. For a basket centerpiece, use a stuffed animal and a picture book.

For children under 5, you probably wouldn’t want to use shrink wrap on their baskets. There have been reports of kids inhaling balloons and plastic into their lungs. Last year we had a story on the news of an older kid just putting a balloon up to his mouth. When the balloon popped it went straight down and lodged into his lungs in no time at all. Unfortunately, he died. While those balloon-inflated gifts and baskets are quite unique and attractive, they can be a safety hazard for pets as well as young children. This one finds bridal netting is a great alternative to plastics for wrapping a child’s basket. Bridal netting has tiny holes, so it’s not likely to suffocate a child or pet so easily. Also, it would have a foul taste, and the coarseness of the material would enable them to spit it out quickly.

She would suggest taking the netting promptly from a child under 3 and putting it away - “Hey, look out the window, was that Peter Cottontail hopping by?” - then throw it quickly under the couch to retrieve later. You’ll find it in an assortment of colors as it’s used for many crafting projects. You can purchase it by the yard from the craft section of Wal-Mart for the same price as shrink wrap. Just lay it down, put the basket in the middle (diagonally) and gather up all four ends at the top of the basket. As near to the handle as possible, tie a piece of polyester ribbon to secure. Cut the excess bridal netting off as it will flop down. Leave a little on the top (about an inch or so) to fluff out - it makes a nice effect. Polyester ribbon is no more expensive than regular, wrapping paper ribbon and is easier to work with. You just won’t be able to curl the ribbon. But the wider ribbon does make nice bows.

This year at Michael’s Arts & Crafts a girl found camouflage, polyester ribbon. Itll look nice for our son’s basket. The great thing about making boys’ baskets is, as they get older they really only care about the contents and you can confiscate the basket. Instead of pastel colors or floral prints, she buys the sturdy, wicker baskets and finds many uses for them around the house. Also, there are alternatives to baskets for the older kids, e.g., Easter themed gift bags, plastic pails, small doll wagons, etc. These come in handy for storing toys and art supplies year round.

A girl doesn’t advocate eliminating candy altogether at Easter, and involving kids with making the treats adds to the family traditions. She has always found preparing them ahead of time for the bad news: “Peter Cottontail now has diabetes and Mrs. Cottontail just doesn’t make all that candy anymore. So PC will bring you toys and other stuff and we’ll make our own” usually meets with their approval. If not, well, PC can bring nothing at all ... right? So roll up your sleeves and have some fun, kids really do enjoy baking.

Jelly Bean Easter Nests

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
3 cups miniature marshmallows
4 cups Post Brand Fruity Pebbles Cereal
Jelly Beans
12 muffin cups with muffin pan

Directions:
Microwave the butter or margarine in a large microwavable bowl on high for 30 seconds or until melted. Stir in the marshmallows until well coated. Microwave 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after 45 seconds. Add the cereal and toss lightly until well coated. Evenly press the mixture firmly into lightly greased muffin cups to form 12 nests. Lightly spray your one hand with no stick cooking spray to prevent the cereal mixture from sticking as you press the mixture into the muffin cups. After you fill the muffin cups, refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Remove from the cups and fill with jelly beans.

You can buy plastic Easter trays almost anywhere (grocery stores, Dollar Stores, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target) in which to arrange the candy nests for display. One can create a decorative platter using the store bought treats which are so popular (marshmallow peeps and chocolate bunnies) to compliment the homemade nests. You can also buy oblong shaped Glad-ware, plastic containers in which to store the nests. One can decorate the plastic containers with Easter/Springtime stickers.

Microwave Chocolate Fudge

It wouldn’t be Easter without chocolate, it ranks right up there with colored eggs! And for those who choose to give it up during Lent, it’s certainly a welcome treat. The easiest chocolate candy to make is fudge. It requires no molds and the ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find at any grocery store. Also, it bakes very well in the microwave. Dollar Stores are a great place to find holiday tins in which to store the candy. Also, you can find plain, white tins at Michael’s Arts & Crafts (and maybe Wal-Mart). You can decorate the plain, white tins with Easter/Springtime stickers. When you stack the fudge in the tins, line each level with wax paper so your pieces don’t stick together. When you make different flavors, it’s always best to store them individually. During entertaining, you can arrange them together on a platter or tiered dessert tray.

Ingredients:
3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 small can ( 5 ounces) evaporated milk
2 cups ( 12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chip pieces
1 small jar ( 7 ounces) marshmallow creme - (hint: if you can’t find this in the candy section of your grocery store, try the section where ice cream supplies are stocked)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Lightly butter an 8 x 8 x 2.25 inch (2 quart) square, glass cake pan. Combine the sugar, butter and milk in a 2-quart glass bowl. Cook 12-15 minutes, or until a small amount dropped in cold water forms a soft ball (234 degrees F on microproof candy thermometer. Do not overcook). Stir in the chocolate pieces and marshmallow creme until the mixture is thoroughly blended. Stir in the vanilla last. Pour into the prepared baking pan and refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares. Yields 3 pounds.

Variation: Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients:
5 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 small can ( 5 ounces) evaporated milk
1 1/2 lb. peanut butter
1 small jar ( 7 ounces) marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Prepare the same way as you would for the Microwave Chocolate Fudge, replacing the semisweet chocolate chip pieces with the peanut butter. Other variations can include the following:
(1) Chocolate/Peanut Butter Swirl - Flavor with 6-8 ounces semisweet chocolate chip pieces and 18 ounces of peanut butter. Using a butter knife, swirl the mixture in the prepared pan in a zig-zag fashion across the pan to create a marbleized effect.
(2) White Chocolate Fudge - You can buy Nestle Brand white chocolate chip pieces and use the same amount as you would with the semisweet chocolate chip pieces. Using your food coloring, you can create different colors to use alone or mix together. You can divide your mixture into two equal batches after you add the vanilla. Add one drop of red food coloring to one batch and mix the two batches together. Pour them into your prepared pan. Use the butter knife to swirl the mixture.
(3) Whiskey Fudge - Flavor with one Tablespoon of Johnnie Walker Red Label Whisky to the standard Microwave Recipe, eliminating only the chocolate. This is really a standard Vanilla Fudge Recipe with an added flavor for adults, so don’t eliminate the vanilla extract.

Notes:
1. Wooden spoons work best for stirring the batter.
2. A conventional candy thermometer can be used in the batter, but you cannot leave it in the microwave oven. If your microwave is large enough, you can measure the mixture inside by opening the door. Otherwise, you’ll need to take the bowl out of the oven in order to read the temperature. Such thermometers can be purchased in grocery stores as well as department stores, and you can find them for under $3.
3. This one likes added room to mix, so you can certainly use a 2.5 - 3 quart glass bowl in which to cook and mix the candy batter.
4. Cans of evaporated milk and marshmallow creme can be obtained in the exact amounts needed.
5. Stir the mixture every few minutes throughout cooking. You’ll want to monitor the batter so it doesn’t overflow, as it will bubble up quickly.
6. If you have the time, don’t be afraid to experiment. Nestle Brand also makes butterscotch candy chips, and you can make your own variation of this recipe. You can even mix butterscotch and white chocolate together. Also, you can use almond extract instead of whiskey, or even hot-buttered rum extract. A girl would be happy to hear from anyone who tries a different variation, or has any problems with these recipes.
7. You’ll want to add the flavorings one at a time and mix throughout the cooked batter, before proceeding to the next one.
8. If you’d like a thinner fudge, pour your finished batter into a 9 x 13 inch glass pan instead of the smaller one.

A girl wishes everyone all the best this month.

holly {B}
E-mail: holly_anne1@yahoo.com