Happy St. Patrick's Day

"Here are two of my favorite recipes to make for St. Patrick's Day.  For dinner, I love to make my cousin's creamy Baked Potato Soup and my minty Leapin' Leprechauns Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes make the perfect dessert.  What a  fun and DELICIOUS way for your family to celebrate the holiday!"  

 

Baked Potato Soup
3-4 large Idaho potatoes, baked and cooled
1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced, divided

1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. dried dill or 2 Tbsp. fresh dill
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups of milk or a combination of milk and half-and-half
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon

Scoop flesh out of potatoes and set aside. In a large saucepan, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. To bacon drippings, add sliced green onions, making sure to reserve some for garnish. Cook onions until tender. Add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add dill, salt, pepper, milk and potatoes. Bring mixture to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Crumble reserved bacon and add into soup, along with shredded cheese. Serve soup topped with reserved green onion.

To Make Loaded Baked Potato Soup Bowls:
My favorite way to serve this soup is in a bread bowl. I purchase bread bowls at my local grocery store in the bakery department. I cut the top portion of the bread bowl off and scoop out the bread to make the perfect 'bowl' for this delicious soup. I then ladle in the heated soup and sprinkle the top with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and green onions. I bake the soup bowls at 350 degrees until the cheese is hot and bubbly. I love to serve the soup with the bread that was scooped out of the bread bowls to dip in all of the yummy goodness!

Click here to view the original Baked Potato Soup post.

Click here to see Baked Potato Soup recipe on Gooseberry Patch Blog .  It was featured on the St. Patrick's Day Recipe Roundup.

 



Leapin' Leprechauns Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

1 chocolate cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge.)
water, oil and eggs called for on the box (I also added flour and followed the High-Altitude directions.)
1 (10 ounce) package of Nestle Dark Chocolate & Mint morsels, divided

Preheat oven and prepare cake mix according to package directions. Stir in morsels, saving 1/2 cup to decorate cupcakes. Place cupcake liners in cupcake/muffin tins. Divide batter evenly, filling each liner 2/3 full. Bake according to package directions for cupcakes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Frost with Mint Butter Cream Icing (recipe follows).

Mint Butter-Cream Icing:

1 stick of butter or 1/2 cup, softened

1/2 cup of shortening

1/2 of a 2 pound bag of powdered sugar, or you can use a 1 pound box

2 teaspoons mint extract

Green food coloring

Cream together butter and shortening. Add powdered sugar a little at a time until all combined. Add mint extract. Add enough green food coloring to dye icing to the color you desire (I used 7 drops). Frost cupcakes and decorate with reserved morsels. Store in refrigerator until ready to devour.

Click here to view the original Leapin' Leprechauns Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes post.