Leprechaun Trap

I never really thought of trying to trap a Leprechaun when my kids were little. We always did the green eggs and pancakes every St. Patties day breakfast, and I usually made some sort of Shamrock cookie or special treat for that night, but my creativity never went beyond that. One of my school teacher friends was talking to me the other day however, about setting a trap in her classroom and how much the kids were getting into it. Such a fun idea! I found this trap over at The Crafting Chicks and thought I would share it. I'm keeping this idea for the grand kids some day, it's just way too fun. Head on over and check it out!

Shamrock Smoothie

I love mint! And this time of year I am always tempted to head to McD's for their Shamrock Shake. I am a good girl and resist that temptation, but damn they are good! I am happy to say that I have come up with an acceptable alternative to that devil of a shake however. It's healthy, fresh and so delicious you won't even miss it's fast food counterpart. Your lips and butt will thank-you.

St. Patrick's Cupcakes

I have been super into cupcakes lately. Not necessarily eating them, I just love to make cake and enjoy decorating. It is a very rusty skill that I am honing back into a little. I have a friend with a birthday this weekend, so what better treat than green cupcakes!

Shamrock Mint Bark

There are only two ways that I like to eat chocolate: with Peanut Butter or with Mint. I am not usually a candy fan, but this is so easy to make, and with the addition of peanuts and pretzels, it's kind of a fun little treat: and with the addition of mint, I couldn't go wrong.

Shamrock Bread Sticks

My last St. Patties day treat idea for this year: Shamrock Bread Sticks. Jess is home for Spring break and I have been trying to make some of her favorite meals. On the docket this week was spaghetti and french bread. I took my french bread dough and had a little fun.... but the spaghetti is a whole other story!

Green Graham Cracker Sandwiches

Make the after school snack a little more fun and festive today by throwing some green bling into the mix. Any time an ordinary thing becomes just a little different than regular it all of the sudden becomes cool and amazing.

Green Popcorn

I'm still in full on St. Patrick's day geek out, so you have a few more days of ideas from me. What did I do last night? Green popcorn! Just add a little color to your butter and you have instant holiday festiveness.

Shamrock Sugar Cookies

If you have been following this blog for any length of time at all, you know that I am a sugar cookie hound: they are my favorite. If there are sugar cookies in the house I WILL eat them, so I only make them for special occasions..... St. Patrick's Day is a special occasion isn't it?

Grasshopper Milk Shake

I love mint, and mint and green just go hand in hand. Yesterday, for our Sunday treat, I made Grasshopper milk shakes. They were super delish and very easy to make. Throw a little whipped cream with shamrock sprinkles on top and you have the perfect St. Patrick's Day dessert!

Our St. Patrick Day Memories

By Amy Hamblin

That fun little holiday is just around the corner.  You know, the one that has your children searching for little green men and pots of gold?  Here are some of our families St. Patrick's Day traditions.

Shamrock Pizza Snack

Kids are home from school hungry, and you're needing a snack. Here is a super fun, and yummy, St. Patties Day snack to feed the troops.

Shamrock Pizza!

St. Patties Muffins

Putting a little holiday bling into your day doesn't have to be complicated and time consuming: doing something as easy as making your favorite muffins in holiday liners does the trick.

I made some blueberry muffins last night, put them in shamrock paper liners and sprinkled the top with green sugar and sprinkles. Instant holiday cheer! 

Rainbow Jell-O

The pot of gold is at the end of the rainbow and if your lucky even the little Irish leprechaun to grant you your wishes. This awesome Jell-O treat brings the wonders of the rainbow to your table.

Love it!

4-Layer Dessert

This has always been one of my favorite desserts and I make it every St. Patrick's Day for my friends party: there is never any left it's so popular. Usually I top it with clover sprinkles to be more festive, but I was out this year so I just used chopped pecans. Either way it's still delicious!

Green Eggs and Pancakes

I tried corned beef and cabbage for the first time the other day, the traditional St. Patrick's day dinner. I'm not a huge meat eater and the thought of cooked cabbage really didn't appeal to me, but I thought "What the heck!", and I gave it a try. Why did I not try this on St. Patrick's day? One: we are leaving for vacation the next day and I didn't want a bunch of leftovers. Two: We already have a tradition in our house.

Shamrock Boutonnieres

The last thing you want on St. Patrick's day is to be caught without your spot of green. Pinch happy children are around every corner ready to catch you in your folly. 

As I often do, I was pursuing around on marthastewart.com the other day and found these cute shamrock boutonnieres. The clover is a major symbol in St. Patrick's day because it is what Patrick used to help explain the trinity to the Irish, and it later became their national emblem.

Make up these cute little boutonnieres and be ready to keep the pinching at bay.

Who Is St. Patrick?

March brings with it St. Patrick's day. True to how my brain works (which apparently can be sketchy as proven in my last post "What Is Wrong With My Brain") I like to know why we celebrate the holidays that we do. I am very holiday oriented and always have been. Many of the things we have done, and still do, in our house are centered around some sort of holiday. It makes life more fun when you always have something to celebrate! So, who is St. Patrick, and why do we have a holiday just for him?