St Patrick's Day Party Ideas

Throwing a St. Patrick's Day Party means going green.  St. Patrick’s Day is a fun and free spirited celebration for everyone, whether you belong to the Irish community or you just enjoy the spirit of this Irish-themed holiday.  Since, everybody's Irish on St. Paddy's Day, it’s a great reason to throw a party for family and good friends!

Invitations:  St Patrick’s Day is just around the corner so get your invites out now.  Keep it simple with a shamrock shaped invitation.  Cut the shape out of green card stock paper; use a pencil to trace the outline of a shamrock cookie cutter and cut along the line. Write the party greeting on one side of the shamrock and add the date, location and time details on the opposite side.  Use this little rhyme as a party greeting:

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind always be at your back
And may that road be the one to our house
For a party to celebrate St. Pat's!

Come join the shenanigans and share the green beer
It's a Saint Patrick's Day Party and we want you here!

Our Irish eyes will be smiling if you join us at our St. Patrick's Day celebration!

Be sure to add “Wear green!” on the invites.

Attire:  Of course, green is the way to go with your St. Patrick's Day gear.  Lads and lassies alike can get into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day by breaking out all their green clothing, pinning on a "Kiss Me, I’m Irish" button and topping it all off with a green leprechaun's hat.  If you’re really audacious, try adding some shamrock tattoos in various places and show guests your green.

Décor:  Start your St. Paddy’s Day decorating with green streamers in various shades to set the mood.  Go all out with a string of green lights (get out your Christmas lights) and shamrock-shaped helium balloons strategically placed around the festivities.  Put up green cutouts of shamrocks and leprechauns on the walls and in the windows.  Suspend lanterns in a rainbow pattern around your party area.  Add Lucky Charms cereal for festive table confetti.  Fill bowls or vases with them to dress up your party.

Ambience:  Put on a CD of traditional Irish songs and print out the lyrics for your guests so they can croon along to classics like "Danny Boy."  Hand out paper and pens and give your guests five minutes to write a limerick, and then read them aloud in your best Irish accents.  If you're the adventurous type, send your guests on a treasure hunt for a leprechaun's pot of gold.  Before guests arrive, hide your treasure (gold-foil-wrapped chocolate coins) around the party area, then have guests search for it throughout the party.

Favors:  Hand out “Kiss Me, I’m Irish!” buttons or party beads to your guests to wear during the course of the party.  As they leave, hand out little pots of gold (goodluck coins, small treats, and a some party beads in a little pot).

Menu:  Get out your green food coloring; you'll need it to dye everything from mashed potatoes to beer.  Serve beer in mini mugs or green koozies.   In addition to green-colored treats, serve traditional Irish favorites like corned beef and cabbage and lots of potatoes; perfect for this lucky holiday.  For  a sweet snack, try a rainbow cake (recipe here) and add chocolate gold coins around the cake.

Rainbow Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

·         Vegetable shortening

·         2 boxes of white cake mix

·         2 cans buttercream frosting

·         Six 9-inch round cake pans

·         Food coloring in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush six 9-inch cake pans with shortening.  Line bottom of each cake pan with parchment paper; brush again and set aside.

2.      In a large bowl, mix cake mix according to directions.

3.      Divide batter evenly between six medium bowls.  Add drops of each color of food coloring to each bowl, stirring, until desired shade is reached.

4.      Transfer each color to an individual cake pan.  Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 15 minutes.

5.      Remove cakes from oven and transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 10 minutes.  Invert cakes onto a wire rack; re-invert and let cool completely.

6.      Using a serrated knife or cake leveler, trim tops of cakes to make level.  Place the purple layer cake on a plate.  Spread ½ cup buttercream on top.  Repeat process with rest of colored layers.

7.      Place the remaining red layer on top, bottom side up.  Gently sweep away any loose crumbs with a pastry brush.  Cover the top and sides with a thin layer of frosting.  Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. 

8.      Using a spatula, cover cake again with remaining frosting. 

9.      Decorate cake and enjoy.

Heartwarming Party

Share your heart this Valentine’s Day by throwing a party with a purpose!  Extend an invitation to friends and family to help you do good deeds by giving to charity.  Have everyone bring new or gently used winter items such as hats, mittens, and coats as their ticket into your party.  Then, donate the items to charity.  Choose the charity that means the most to you; a few other great charities are your local animal shelter or pantry.

Invitations - This party will make everyone feel warm and fuzzy – and so will the card!  Cut a heart shape from a piece of fun, fuzzy fabric and glue to a blank card.  Let dry and write the party details inside the card.

Décor – Don’t go overboard with too much pink, but have fun and string some cut out hearts in various colors around your party area.  Welcome guests with a fun party favor... a red carnation for the ladies is always nice.  Or hand out something fun, like heart shaped glasses, a red or pink plastic lei, or wax lips.  Decorate with red and white heart shaped doilies. They would look very cute on the walls with a photo of your charity in the center. Add a few balloons for the perfect touch.

Ambience –  For extra atmosphere,  buy several packs of those cheesy Valentines that kids swap in class.  Use a hole punch and some red ribbon to make a garland. It will look festive hanging over the party entrance or above the buffet.  Make sure to have a decorated donation box as your centerpiece so that partygoers can sporadically donate during the event.

Menu – Hearts will melt with this simple and easy dessert.  Warm up your guests with a Hug in a Mug – this delicious chocolate cake is served in a mug (recipe below). Serve with ice cream and red cocoa.

Favors – Normally favors are a great way to send guests home remembering your get together.  After this gathering, guests will already feel wonderful that they had a delightful time and did something to help out others in need.

This heart warming party is sure to make hearts swell.  Have an ever-so-sweet Valentine’s Day!

Hug in a Mug

Ingredients:

·         ½ cup flour

·         ½ cup sugar

·         ¼ cup baking cocoa

·         2 eggs

·         ¼ cup milk

·         ¼ cup oil

·         1 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)

·         Whipped cream

·         4 microwavable coffee mugs

Directions:

1.       Mix flour, sugar, and baking cocoa in a bowl.  Stir together.

2.       Add eggs.  Stir well.

3.       Add the milk, oil, and peppermint.  Stir again. 

4.       Spoon mixture into 4 microwave safe mugs.  Fill halfway. 

5.       Microwave individually for 2 minutes or until firm.

6.       Top with whipped cream.  Enjoy!

Double recipe for 8 mugs.

Animal Christmas Recipes

What could be merrier than cute Christmas critters for you holiday fiestas?  Our theme for the holidays is cherry, merry, and delicious animal treats.  All are so easy the kids can help as well.  Try one or try them all but be warned, these goodies are so cute, your guests may not want to eat them!

Cream Cheese Penguins

Ingredients

·         Jumbo black olives, pitted

·         1 package cream cheese, softened

·         Small black olives

·         1 carrot

·         Toothpicks

·         Pimentos (optional)

Directions

1.    Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive.  Carefully insert about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into each olive and pat down.

2.    Slice the carrot into 1/4 inch thick rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet.  Save the cut out piece and press into center of small olive to form the beak.  If necessary cut a small slit into each olive before inserting the beak.

3.    Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then, set a small olive onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick.

4.    Add pimento scarf around neck of the penguin (optional).

Christmas Mice

Ingredients

·         Double-stuffed Oreo cookies

·         1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

·         2 teaspoons vegetable oil

·         Red maraschino cherries with stems, well drained

·         Milk chocolate kisses

·         Sliced almonds

·         1 small tube green decorative icing gel

·         1 small tube red decorative icing gel

Directions

1. Carefully twist cookies apart; set aside the halves with cream filling.  Store and use the plain halves another time.
2. Unwrap chocolate kisses and have them ready to use.
3. On stovetop, melt chocolate chips and oil on very low heat; stir until smooth. Holding each cherry by the stem, dip in melted chocolate, then press onto the bottom of a chocolate kiss. Place on the cream filling of cookie, with cherry stem extending beyond cookie edge.
4. For ears, place slivered almonds between the cherry and kiss. Refrigerate until set.
5. With green gel, pipe holly leaves on the cream. With red gel, pipe holly berries between leaves and pipe eyes on each chocolate kiss. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Reindeer Cupcakes

Ingredients:

·         Twisted Pretzels

·         Cupcake Mix

·         Vanilla Wafers

·         Chocolate Frosting

·         Red Candy (M & M’s or Red Hots work well)

·         Candy Eyes

·         Cupcake liners

Directions:

1.    Line cupcake pans with cupcake liners.  Make cupcake mix according to the box directions. Let cool.

2.    Frost cupcakes with brown frosting. Add vanilla wafer to one side of each cupcake.

3.    Add pretzels as antlers and candy eyes.  Add Red nose to wafer with a bit of frosting to make it stick.

Halloween Recipes

Throwing a Halloween party provides the perfect opportunity to delight guests with spooky food creations that set the mood for an evening of thrills and chills. Guests are sure to enjoy your scary treats, even if they're a little grossed out by the presentation. Halloween is the ideal occasion to offer such a disconcerting array of creepy, yet tasty options.

Brain Mini Cupcakes

Brains!  That is what every zombie is in quest of so serve your guests these mini cupcake brains.

Ingredients:

·         Red velvet cake mix

·         Cherry or raspberry sauce

·         Candy Brain mold

·         Jello (green) or green fondant

·         Mini cupcake wrappers

·         Cream cheese frosting

Directions:

1.       Make the cake box recipe according to directions on the box using mini cupcake wrappers and pans.

2.       Once cooled, add cream cheese frosting to each mini cupcake.

3.       Make jello according to directions but add to candy mold and let set in fridge until firm. (If using fondant, roll fondant and press into mold, take out immediately).

4.       Carefully, take brains out of mold and add to top of cupcakes. 

5.       Spoon cherry sauce on top and around brain to add effect.

Forked Eyeballs

These scary-good Halloween treats, prepared and eaten on the same fork, begin with a doughnut hole dunked in white chocolate.

Ingredients:

• 2 bags white chocolate chips
• 12 doughnut holes
• Semisweet chocolate chips
• Red decorator frosting

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

1. To coat the doughnut holes, melt white chocolate chips and oil over low heat (and keep the chocolate warm while you work). With a fork, spear each doughnut hole and submerge it in the melted chocolate to coat it, and then gently tap off any excess.
2. Stick a chocolate chip with its point cut off onto each doughnut hole, cut end first. Place the forks (handle side down) in a glass and allow the chocolate coating to harden.
3. Use a tube of red decorator frosting to add squiggly veins radiating out from the pupils.

Swamp Juice

Filled with gummy creatures and fish eggs, this sweet, bubbly drink looks like something scooped up from a deep, dark bog. Try making a batch for a Halloween gathering or as a spooky after-dinner treat.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup small tapioca pearls
• Food coloring
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• Gummy fish
• Seltzer water
• Lemonade
• Gummy worms 

Directions:

1. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add the tapioca pearls. Reduce the heat slightly and boil the pearls, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Divide the pearls, with the remaining water, between two bowls. Add 4 drops of food coloring (use 3 drops of yellow and 1 drop of green in one bowl, and 4 drops of blue in the other) and 2 tablespoons of sugar to each bowl. Stir the mixtures, and then allow them to sit uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and rinse the pearls with cold water.
3. Spoon 2 tablespoons of pearls into each glass and drop in a gummy fish. Fill the glasses with seltzer water, and then add a splash of lemonade. Place a gummy worm around the spoon as a creepy finishing touch.

Monster Toes

Kids will love the gross-out factor of this tasty finger food. Parents will love the fact that it is candy-free. Try some for a party or pre-trick-or-treating dinner.  

Ingredients:

• Cocktail Wieners
• 6 inch tortillas
• Ketchup or BBQ sauce
• Toothpicks

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut a small wedge into the end of each cocktail wiener to make a toenail.
2. Cut the tortillas into strips about 4 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Discard the ends.
3. Soften the strips in the microwave between damp paper towels for 10 to 30 seconds.
4. Roll each wiener in a tortilla strip and secure with a toothpick.
5. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and then fill the toenail with ketchup or mustard. Remove the toothpicks before serving.