A Page Is Turned: St. Patrick's Day

Popping in here quickly to share our FAVORITE St. Patrick's Day traditions. This started at least three years ago, but maybe more. Now the boys look forward to it. If I make Shepherd's Pie during the year, they want to know where the Grasshopper Pie is. SO...onto our favorite recipes!

We ALWAYS have Shepherd's Pie, Cabbage and Sausage, and Grasshopper Pie for supper on St. Patrick's Day. This year had to make March 18th work because I was on St. Simons for the day yesterday. I'm sharing here so that they're cataloged for next year! My cabbage varies from year to year. The Shepherd's Pie and Grasshopper Pie are always the same.

Original recipes: Shepherd's Pie, Cabbage, Grasshopper Pie

Shepherd's Pie

** Note: Dixie Delights' original recipe calls for homemade mashed potatoes and I DO make those sometimes. BUT...I also sometimes use instant because they mix in with the meat and don't have to be very best anyway... **

Instant mashed potatoes + butter, milk, and water needed to make them.

16 oz. bag of frozen peas and carrots (I just do the microwave kind!)

Diced onion

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 tbsp. flour

2 tbsp. ketchup

2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

1 packet brown gravy

1 cup water

Shredded cheddar

1. Cook onion until clear. Add beef and cook until browned. Drain and return to pan. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add ketchup and worcestershire sauce and cook 1 minute. Add water and gravy packet, boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Following instructions on vegetables, cook in microwave.

3. Following instructions on potatoes, cook. (Or cook homemade mashed potatoes!)

4. Spray a casserole dish with Pam. Layer meat in the bottom of the pan, then veggies, and top with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle cheddar on top.

5. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.

Cabbage and Sausage

3 tbsp. butter

1 cabbage, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onions

Smoked sausage (the recipe calls for Conecuh, which is our favorite, too!)

(The recipe calls for diced tomatoes, but I left those out. I'm trying it next time, though!)

Garlic salt

Seasoned salt

Pepper

1. Slice sausage and cook on med-high for 3 minutes to render the fat. Remove to a plate.

2. Melt the butter.

3. Add cabbage and onions and stir. Cook on medium-high for 5 minutes.

4. Add remaining ingredients and cover. Cook for 10 minutes.

5. Uncover and check for tenderness. Continuing cooking until cabbage has reached desired tenderness.

Grasshopper Pie

1/2 gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream (we used Mint Moose Tracks and it was GOOD)

8 oz. cream cheese

1 container of Cool-Whip

2 Oreo pie crusts

1. Put Cool-Whip and ice cream in refrigerator to soften. Also soften cream cheese on counter.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together Cool-Whip and cream cheese.

3. Stir in ice cream.

4. Pour ice cream mixture into pie crusts.

5. Freeze for 2 hours+.

As you can see, our St. Patrick's Day isn't healthy, but it is delicious! So yummy!

As I was looking for our St. Patrick's Day recipes today, I realized that I hadn't ever shared them here. Neither are mine, but both are AMAZING. The Shepherd's Pie recipe is from Dixie Delights and can be found HERE. The Grasshopper Pie is from Mix and Match Mama and can be found HERE. Both are SO simple! We're also making cabbage to eat as a side, but there's not really a recipe for that. Eddie just boils and adds bacon. Easy, peasy. (Also, not the way I would do it, but I am not going to complain about him cooking it himself! Am I right?!)

{The shamrock in the picture just celebrated it's first birthday! I got it from a student last year and it has grown and flourished this year. I have a black thumb, so I am super excited that it's lasted!}

The boys were pinch-proofed before school this morning, both in their leprechaun t-shirts from last year. We had a fun day at school today (albeit a CRAZY morning for me - I had to play ambulance to a friend who fainted in the parking lot!) and have had a great afternoon playing in the sun outside.