St. Patrick's Day Made Easy :)

Hello foodie friends!!

It's been quite a while since I've last updated this cooking blog, but what better day to make a comeback than Saint Patrick's Day!!

Our family loves St. Patrick's Day for many reasons. It is a day when we remember the thousands of missionaries throughout the ages who dedicated their lives to sharing God's love with others. The shamrocks we decorate with are symbols of the Trinity (God, Jesus, Holy Spirit), and every chance we get, we dye our food green for the day :)

As much as I Loooooove traditional Irish food, my tastebuds are a little too advanced for my meat and potatoes hubby. I've created our own version of Irish staples that are ridiculously easy and mucho delicious. So here we go:

American "Bangers" and Green Mash!

One kielbasa (smoked is preferred but whatever your family likes)
Sonny's Sweet BBQ Sauce
Yukon Gold potatoes (or your family's favorite)
Cream Cheese
Butter
Splashes of milk
Green Food Coloring

Set your oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and put the kielbasa in the middle. DRENCH it with Sonny's Sweet BBQ sauce. Pop in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until sauce has caramelized and made the whole house smell ridiculous.

Meanwhile, peel (or don't) your potatoes and cut them up into smaller pieces so they'll cook quick. Put a big pot of water on to boil, add salt and throw your potatoes in. I've done this so many times that I can't even tell you how long to keep them in there. I just keep checking with a fork until they are perfect (can easily pierce a swimmin tater). I did this a few nights ago and the pieces of potato were small enough that it only took around 17 minutes. Drain off your potatoes and add them back into the pot you cooked them in. Add butter, a few spoonfuls of cream cheese, some splashes of milk, sprinkling of salt, and as much green food coloring as you like. Then mix, mix, mix! I use an electric mixer because our family loves our potatoes super creamy. Taste for flavor and add more butter, salt and milk until the flavor and consistency are just right.

Each year I always incorporate cabbage into our meal in a new and slightly different way. Some years I do it on the stove with green apples and onions (THE BEST). This year, I'm opting to roast my cabbage with a little bit of garlic for ultimate flavor. Here's what you do:

Ridiculously Awesome Green Cabbage

One whole head of green cabbage
3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed (I prefer using my garlic press)
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Slice your cabbage into fourths, and then slice the fourths into eighths. On another cookie sheet, lay out each piece of cabbage and drizzle both sides with olive oil, salt, pepper and minced garlic. Add to 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes (I'm going to roast for 40 - will add the cabbage 15 minutes before I add my BBQ bangers). You can also add onions, sliced apples, or bacon for additional flavors. YUM!!

As always I put glass pints in the freezer to get nice and frosty and fill them with dyed green milk for fun :) Sometimes we'll make green cookies or green whipped cream to go with fruit, but this year we are opting for Publix' awesome little green icing cupcakes because they are the masters when it comes to baking. Irish music is always a must~ if you don't have any on hand, simply go to playlist.com and use one of their playlists or even make your own!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)