Individual Scalloped Potatoes

Welcome Spring! The grass is green. The Canada geese are still here so I'm sure they are waiting to head back north. My sister showed me all the snow still on the ground so I understand why the geese want to stay a little longer down here. The other great thing about today is it is my niece's birthday! Don't worry I will call her to wish her a great first day of Spring on this wonderful birthday. Since I figured I posted cupcakes yesterday, today would be scalloped potatoes! I have made this recipe a couple of times now. My children love it. My husband request it. It is a popular dish. My husband said the recipe even sounds simpler than the box kind.

Individual Scalloped Potatoes 
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
4 large potatoes, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly spray 4 individual casserole dishes with nonstick cooking spray. 
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
4. Lower heat to low, add the flour and stir to make a roux for 1 minute.
5. Whisk in the milk. Allow to thicken for 5 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Stir in half the cheddar. Cook for 1 minute. 
8. Gently, add the potatoes and coat with the mixture.
9. Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared casserole dishes.
10. Top each dish with the remaining cheese.
11. Bake the dishes for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Recipe adapted from Southern Food.

One year ago.............................I made Maple and Brown Sugar Cinnamon Rolls.
Two years ago...........................I made PB Oreo Brownie Cupcakes.
Three years ago.........................I made Rice Pilaf.

Did you already know............................
-Canada Geese can live to be 24 years old in the wild.
-In 24 hours, a flock of geese can fly over 1,500 miles with a nice wind current.
-Canada Geese are monogamous and lay between 2 to 9 eggs.

Yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting

To honor my mother-in-law, we made her favorite cupcakes. She loved yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting. She would have loved this recipe. We miss her a lot. The cupcakes are moist and delicious. The frosting was good but I think there are other better ones so I'm only going to post the cupcake recipe only.

Yellow Cupcakes
2 cups cake flour
1 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup (8 0z.) butter, softened
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking soda, and salt. 
4. Slowly, add the butter, an oz. at a time, until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
5. Add one egg at a time and mix until just incorporated. 
6. Slowly, add the milk and vanilla. Mix until combined. 
7. Mix until the batter is smooth.
8.  Evenly distribute the batter between the cupcake liners.
9. Bake the cupcakes for at least 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
10. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker.

One year ago..............................I made Gnocchi with roasted vegetables.
Two years ago............................I made Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies with pb cups.
Three years ago..........................I made Tropical Carrot Cupcakes.

Did you already know.................
-Dr. Seuss was born in March.
-Chuck Norris turned 75 years old on March 10.
-On March 14, 1879, Albert Einstein was born.

Baileys Irish Cream Bars

In celebration of Saint Patrick's Day, I really wanted to make something with Baileys Irish cream. I figured I would adapt a peppermint bar recipe. In the cookbooks photos, the chocolate is cut perfect. To achieve the perfect cut, I recommend cutting the chocolate when it has set for a few minutes. As you can tell, I waited for the chocolate to harden. Well, it didn't affect the taste and I wasn't going to make another batch for the perfect picture. I think the best part of this recipe is the Baileys filling. I love to buy little nips. I think they are so cute. However, a whole bottle of Baileys wouldn't be a bad thing to have on hand.

Baileys Irish Cream Bars
4 oz. butter, softened
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp water
1 nip Baileys Irish Cream
2 drops of green food coloring (optional)
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick baking spray. Set aside. 
3. In a medium bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until fluffy. 
4. Stir in the flour and mix until incorporated and a smooth dough forms.
5. Evenly press the dough into the baking pan.
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until the dough is lightly browned and firm to touch.
7. Allow the crust to cool completely in pan. 
8. In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, water, the Baileys, and a few drops of the green food coloring. Mix until combined.
9. Spread the mixture on top of the cooled crust. Allow to set for an hour.
10. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute. Allow to sit for a minute before stirring. If needed, melt the chocolate for another 30 seconds until all the chocolate is melted.
11. Spread the chocolate on top of the Baileys filling. 
12. Allow the chocolate to set for a few minutes before cutting.

Recipe adapted from Blissful Brownies cookbook.

One year ago.........................I made Green Velvet Cake.
Two years ago.......................I made Creamed Spinach.
Three years ago.....................I made Brownies.

Did you already know...........
-In 1974, Baileys Irish Cream hit the market. 
-Baileys Irish Cream is sold in over 160 countries. 
-Baileys is one of the top ten liqueurs sold in the world.

Cookies

Alright, it is becoming closer to Saint Patrick's Day. We wear green. I decorate with green. The best part of Saint Patrick's Day is it means Spring is almost here! The outside starts to blossoms with a lot of green. These cookies are good. I didn't press down hard enough to get the crinkled edges. These cookies are good and pretty. I had to go with green for the time of year.

Swig Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for topping
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp water
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp salt, plus a pinch for the sugar topping
5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
frosting (recipe below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter, vegetable oil, sugar, powdered sugar, water, and eggs.
4. In another bowl, combine the baking soda, cream of tarter, salt, and flour.
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. 
6. Combine until incorporated. Dough shouldn't be sticky just crumbly.
7. Scoop the dough into balls and place onto the baking sheet. 
8. On a small plate, combine a little sugar with a pinch of salt for the topping.
9. Dip the bottom of a glass into the sugar topping mixture. Press the bottom of the glass onto the dough for a cookie press. 
10. Press the dough until flatten. The edges should be crinkly.
11. Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. 
12. Remove from the oven and place the cookies on a wire rack. 
13. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt
1 package (2 lb.) powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk
2-3 drops of green food coloring

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sour cream, and salt.
2. Slowly, add a cup of powdered sugar with a little milk then add another cup of powdered sugar with more milk until the desired consistency. 
3. Add one drop of the green food coloring until the desired color.
4. Frost the cookies immediately before serving.

Recipe adapted from Vintage Revivals.

One year ago...................................I made Mint Chocolate Pudding.
Two years ago.................................I made Mint Cheesecake Pie.
Three years ago...............................I made Bourbon Cookies.

Did you already know.............................
-In the U.S., Irish ancestry is the second largest behind German ancestry.
-In Australia, over 1/3 of the population has Irish ancestry.
- Eleven U.S. Presidents had Irish ancestry including President Obama.

Irish Breakfast

Have you ever been to Ireland? Someday I'll visit but not today. Instead, I figured I would try making a breakfast like one in Ireland. I will admit I didn't look hard for black pudding (blood sausage) or white pudding (sausage with oatmeal). My son selected apple chicken sausage. Yes, we know this isn't an authentic Irish meal just similar. The kids thought this was pretty cool. My husband thought it was good. I can see the similarity between the Irish breakfast and the American breakfast.

 Irish Breakfast
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 package of bacon
1 package of sausage
1 package of black pudding and white pudding
1 can of beans
4 tomatoes
4 boiled potatoes
4 eggs

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat.
2. Cook the bacon until done but not crisp.
3. Remove the bacon and place onto a plate lined with paper towels.
4. Place the bacon in the oven in the warming section to keep warm.
5. Cook the sausage until golden brown. Add the sausage to the bacon.
6. In a saucepan, heat the beans on low heat.
7. Add the tomatoes to the pan and brown until golden. Place with the bacon.
8. Slice the potatoes into the pan and brown until golden.
9. Remove the potatoes and place on the plate to serve.
10. Fry the egg and cook to desired doneness.
11. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Food Ireland.

One year ago.......................I made Creamed Spinach Soup.
Two years ago.....................I made Lasagna French Bread Pizza.
Three years ago...................I made White on White Buttermilk Cupcakes.

Did you already know.....................
-Natural redheads make up 9% of the Irish population.
-In Ireland, the longest river is Shannon.
-In Gaelic, surnames with Mac or O' mean the son or grandson of.