Potato Salad with Pesto & Quail Eggs

One of my local grocery stores had quail eggs the last time I was there, which I thought were so cool, so of course I bought some.  (BTW, in my town alone there are at least 3 well-stocked grocery stores!! Within 1-3 kilometers from my house!  It's awesome.  Italian food... everywhere.)  They sat in my fridge for a while before I decided to finally use them.  I just didn't know what to do with them! Browsing the internet, I somehow came across this recipe.

This is a British recipe, and it's in grams.  I just used my food scale, and didn't bother to convert anything.  I'll leave the grams as-is. Owning a food scale is a really good idea for any kitchen!  :) The recipe calls for a British potato called Jersey Royal, but I believe those are hard to get outside of England, so I used a local, waxy yellow potato that worked well.  I enjoyed this recipe while still warm. Refrigerated, it was good, but the flavors mellowed out.  So enjoy this freshly-made if you can.  Oh, I also cut the recipe in half because my kids don't like potato salad.  

See how tiny quail eggs are?  They are SO small.  That's my three-year old's small hand next to the container of quail eggs.  He was quite fascinated by them.  If you can't get quail eggs, use regular eggs; they taste the same to me.

Potato Salad with Pesto & Quail Eggs
adapted from The Guardian 
I cut this in half, and it still seemed to make a lot

15-18 quail eggs
800g yellow potatoes, cleaned but not scrubbed/peeled
20g basil leaves
20g parsley leaves, plus extra for garnishing
60g Parmesan, grated
60g pine nuts or walnuts
2 cloves garlic, crushed
200ml olive oil
150g frozen petit pois, thawed on counter (petite green peas)
½ tsp white-wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

1.  Put the eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil: simmer for 30 seconds (semi-soft) to two minutes (hard-boiled), according to taste. Refresh in cold water and peel.

2.  Cook the potatoes for 15-20 minutes until soft but not falling apart. Meanwhile, put the basil, parsley, Parmesan, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor and blitz to a paste. Add the oil and pulse until you have a runny pesto.

3.  As soon as they are cool enough to handle, cut the potatoes in bite-size chunks (they will absorb more flavour when hot) and toss with the pesto, peas, and vinegar. Mix well, even crush the potatoes slightly, so all the flavours mix. Taste and adjust the seasoning, being generous with the pepper. Cut the eggs in half and fold into the salad. Garnish with parsley.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Sage Pesto

I had a ton of fresh sage leftover after making this butternut soup and a few other things.  I decided to use the bulk of it up in a sage pesto.  I made that, and then rubbed a pork tenderloin with it and my husband grilled it.  We served it with more pesto to spoon over the top.  It was very good!!  I would have tried it with a turkey tenderloin, but those are harder for me to get here.  I found the pesto recipe on another blog, but the pork tenderloin was my idea.

Fresh Sage Pesto
adapted from Not Without Salt

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup tablespoons mint (optional- or use more parsley)
1 cup (about 2 ½ oz.) sage, packed
2 garlic cloves
½ cup (2 oz.) walnuts, toasted
½ cup (1/2 oz.) grated Parmesan
¼-½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt

1.  Combine first six ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend to a rough puree. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the machine running stream in the olive oil. Add the zest, lemon juice, then taste and add salt to taste. Adjust seasonings to your preference.

Sage Pesto-Grilled Pork Tenderloin
by What a Dish!

1 pork tenderloin, 2-3 pounds, trimmed
fresh sage pesto (recipe above)

1.  Pre-heat outdoor grill to medium, and oil the grill grates.  Rub sage pesto generously over pork tenderloin.  Save some in a separate container, to use later.

2.  Grill pork tenderloin until done, turning to cook all sides.  Use a meat thermometer to test for done-ness, about 10-20 minutes. 

3.  Let rest on a platter before slicing and serving.  Serve with more sage pesto. 

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Creamy Pesto Pasta

We had this super easy, tasty pasta dish last week.  I love dishes where the only "cooking" is boiling some pasta.  You do need your blender for this.  When adding the broth to the cream cheese (Neufchatel) mixture, start with 1/2 cup and add more as needed; mine was a bit thin with the whole cup in there.  Also, next time I'd do 14oz. or so of pasta instead of a full pound, so there's more sauce. 

If you want meat with this, some lemon-garlic grilled chicken would be good.  We just had it with steamed, lemony-buttery broccoli.  I used the last of my beloved wagon-wheel pasta for this.  The kids loved this, and had the leftovers for lunch the next day.  I also used some homemade pesto I had stashed in the freezer.  See the original recipe for a fresh tomato topping recipe; we just topped ours with plain chopped tomatoes because of lazyness on my part. 

Creamy Pesto Pasta
adapted from A Little Less Meat

14 oz (or so) favorite short pasta shape (wagon wheels, radiatore, mini shells, etc)
1 cup veggie or chicken broth
6 Tablespoons (more or less) prepared basil pesto
8 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese (softened)

1.  Boil pasta according to package directions and drain.

2.  Meanwhile, combine the broth (start with a half cup; add more if desired), pesto, and softened Neufchatel in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and toss to combine.  Top with fresh tomatoes if desired.

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Grilled Roasted Red Pepper & Ham Sandwich

I love any kind of grilled cheese, and it's fun to experiment with different ingredients.  This is an Allrecipes recipe, and I first made it almost 5 years ago.  I came across the recipe again recently while looking through my Allrecipes recipe box, and decided I really needed to make it again, since it was so good the first time!  I spread pesto on the inside of the sandwich, and it was really, really good in there with all of the other flavors.  On the other side, I used homemade Creamy Italian dressing (recipe will come at a later date!).  Use your favorite deli ham for this one- for me, that would be Honey Maple Ham.  :)  We had these for dinner the other night with Yogurt Fruit Salad, using nectarines, apples, bananas, and pears.  Everything was very good!

Grilled Roasted Red Pepper & Ham Sandwich
adapted from Allrecipes
Makes one sandwich

2-4 teaspoons mayonnaise, pesto, salad dressing, or condiment of your choice
2 slices sourdough bread

1-2 slices provolone cheese

2 thin slices ham

1/2 roasted red pepper, drained and

2 teaspoons butter

2 teaspoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 400 F. 

2.  Spread mayonnaise (or pesto, dressing, etc) onto one side of each slice of bread. On one slice of bread, place one slice of provolone cheese, then ham, red peppers, and the other slice of cheese. Top with the other slice of bread with the mayonnaise (or pesto, dressing, etc) facing the filling. Butter the outsides of the sandwich, and sprinkle a little bit of Parmesan cheese onto the butter.  Using a butter knife or the back of a spoon, press the cheese into the butter.

2.  Place sandwich on a baking sheet.  Bake in the hot oven about 5 minutes, or until top slice of bread has browned a little.  Flip over, and cook until the other side has browned and cheese has melted.  Cut in half, and serve.

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Basil Pesto

I use basil pesto a lot around here, and I don't have an actual post dedicated to it, so I thought I'd do that.  Last weekend we picked up a ton of fresh basil at the local organic farm.  I made a big batch of pesto that night, before it had time to go bad on me.  (Fresh herbs like to do that around here, especially basil).  I also picked up two heads of beautiful-looking garlic.

I don't really measure things when I make this, but I'll try to do my best here.  I just add the oil in until it looks good, trying not to use too much.  A food processor is best for making this (unless you want to do it the old-fashioned way... using a mortar and pestle.  I don't, though....)

Since this made such a big batch and I didn't need to use it right away, I decided to try my hand at freezing it for the first time.  I don't have regular-sized ice cube trays, but rather tiny ones, so I didn't want to use those.  I searched online and one site suggested to use a mini-muffin tin to freeze them in, so that's what I did.  I sprayed each tin lightly with olive oil cooking spray, spooned in some pesto, froze it for a few hours, and then popped them out (use a butter knife if they don't release easily).  I then put them into a large freezer bag and stuck it in the freezer.  Work fast when getting the pesto into the freezer again- it melts very quickly!

Use your pesto as a dip for fresh veggies, pretzels or toasted bread pieces, or on potatoes, pasta, or pizza!

Basil Pesto

4-5 oz. fresh basil, rinsed
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1/2 -3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (use more or less)
1/3 -1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted in a dry skillet
juice of 1/2 medium lemon
1/2 cup shredded or grated parmesan or romano cheese
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1.  Place the basil in your food process with a metal blade. Pulse for a few seconds to break down the leaves a little. Add the garlic and pine nuts. With the food processor running, stream the olive oil into it through the open push chute. Add lemon juice, cheese, salt and pepper and pulse again until blended to your preference.

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Roasted Potatoes with Pesto

The other day, we grilled some meat, and a stand-by side for grilled meats around here is good ol' oven-roasted potatoes.  A lot of times, roasted potatoes don't need much more than olive oil, salt, and pepper, but it's always fun to change them up and add different herbs or spices, or in this case, fresh basil pesto! 

These potatoes were on their last leg(s?), but they were still wonderful roasted with olive oil and then tossed in pesto.  I roasted first with just olive oil, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper, and then I thew on a few big spoonfuls of pesto.  I stirred it around, and retuned to the oven for a few minutes to melt the pesto down and make it easier to distribute.  One last stir with a big spatula, and these potatoes were ready to eat.  The family loved these, except for my one Mr. Picky child.  But everyone else devoured them and wished for more.  They were really, really good.  The crisp-ness from the roasting, mixed with the flavorful pesto.... this is one I will make often!  (Whenever pesto is around, that is!)  I left the skins on- I love crispy roasted tater skins. 

I cleaned out more meat from the freezer for this meal- we had citrus grilled chicken and steak, these potatoes, fresh pineapple, and corn (was feeling lazy after a day at the pool alone with the kids).  I had the meat marinating overnight, I had cut up the pineapple the night before, made the pesto the night before, and these potatoes were so fast to throw together. 

Tomorrow I'll be 32 weeks pregnant, and with kids' swimming lessons, my husband working on his master's degree and being out of town, and just random summer activities, etc, I haven't been cooking creatively very much anymore.  This meal was one of the first ones I've made in a while that wasn't one of my easy, go-to dinner meals.  (Those include homemade mac and cheese, tomato basil soup, pastas, pancakes or waffles, broccoli cheese soup, etc).  Hopefully things will start to improve soon! 

This recipe is just an estimate.  Use the quantities you want.  I never use a pesto recipe anymore; I just make it using estimates of everything, but if you want a basic one, there is one on this post.  I find a metal baking dish works better than a glass one for roasting potatoes; it seems to come clean WAY easier than glass. 

Roasted Potatoes with Pesto

by What a Dish!

4-6 Yukon Gold or similar potatoes, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces (leave the skin on!)

olive oil, about 2 tablespoons

sea salt, to taste

ground black pepper, to taste

prepared basil pesto, 1/4-1/3 cup, to taste

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray, and add potatoes.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to combine.

2.  Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are crispy and slightly browned on the outside but tender on the inside.  Plop a few spoonfuls of pesto onto the potatoes, and gently stir.  Return to the hot oven for about 5 minutes; remove from the oven and stir again to incorporate pesto onto potatoes.  Serve. 

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Pesto & Feta Pasta

Last night, I needed something quick for dinner and I was also wanting to use up the last of the fresh 'maters from our generous friend.  I threw together this main-dish pasta, using bowties, feta, the tomatoes, olives, and pesto.  We had steamed broccoli on the side.  The whole fam just LOVED this and the leftovers were good too, right out of the fridge.

Pesto & Feta Pasta

by What a Dish!

10 oz. bowtie pasta

6 oz. can black (or kalamata) olives, coarsley chopped

2 or more large fresh tomatoes, coarsley chopped

1/4- 1/2 cup prepared basil pesto

drizzle of good olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled or coarsley chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Boil pasta according to package directions; drain. 

2.  Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl, combine olives, tomatoes, pesto, and olive oil.  When pasta is done draining, add to bowl and toss gently together.  Add the Parm-Reg and feta cheese, and toss gently.  Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.  Good as-is or cold.

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Manchego and Basil Pesto

The fresh basil I had was about to become not-so-fresh, so I did what I usually do with such basil- I made pesto.  Except, I was out of parmesan (I know- what a horrible thing.  It's almost as bad as being out of fresh garlic!)  I did have two hard cheeses on hand that would have been suitable- São Jorge and Spanish Manchego.  I decided to go with the Manchego. 

This pesto was so, SO good with the manchego!  I just loved it.  A few notes: My fresh basil package was 40 grams, so that's what I used.... I didn't measure it in ounces.  Since that was in grams, I measured my Manchego in grams as well.  Everthing else, though, is just an estimation.  40 grams of basil is not a large amount, so this recipe doesn't make very much... maybe a cup or so.

Manchego and Basil Pesto

by What a Dish!

40 grams fresh basil, rinsed

1 fresh garlic clove, minced

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

fresh ground pepper, and salt, to taste

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

45 grams Manchego cheese, cut into small cubes

Place the basil and garlic in a food processor.  With the processor running, stream in the olive oil until the mixture reaches a good consistency.  Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, and nuts, and process again until smooth.  Last, add the Manchego cheese and process until mostly smooth.  Add more olive oil if needed, at this point.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Last week, we used up some leftover grilled meats and had this delish Pesto Pasta, from Eating, Etc.  This was the second time I've made this, and we loved it both times.  The first time, I used leftover cedar-planked grilled chicken.  Oh wow- that was so good!!  This time around, we had some leftover plain grilled chicken, and some smoked, grilled pork chops that we threw in.  It would probably even be good with leftover grilled steak.  I used a bit of extra pesto and feta, and left out the wine (but used about 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar).  I used fresh basil instead of oregano, because I had it on hand.  The kids liked this, although some of them were picky about the veggies. 

Chicken Pesto Pasta
from Eating, Etc.

1/2lb (or less) penne pasta
olive oil
4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
2T (or so) chardonnay, optional
juice from 1 lemon
1 orange or red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tub (about 2c) grape tomatoes, sliced
1-2 grilled or baked chicken breasts (or other grilled meat), thinly sliced
1/4c fresh oregano or basil, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4c pesto (or more if you like!)
1c mozzarella cheese, shredded
3/4c parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4c feta cheese, crumbled

1) In large pot, cook pasta to al dente (about 10-11 minutes).

2) In large, deep skillet, over medium heat, sauté garlic in olive oil.

3) Add wine & lemon juice.

4) Add peppers, tomatoes, chicken, oregano, salt & pepper, and sauté until tomatoes slightly soften.

5) Remove from heat, add pesto & cheeses, and toss until well-distributed.

6) Serve immediately.

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Creamy Pesto Artichoke Pasta

We had this pasta for dinner last night- it's a dish I concocted after seeing an Italian chef make something similar on a short TV commercial, using artichokes, pasta, and some sort of creamy substance (I assumed it was mascrapone).  It looked so good, I wanted to try my hand at it.  There's only one store around here that sells mascarpone cheese, and last time I went to get some, it looked like they didn't sell it anymore.  :(  I bought something that I thought would be similar; Portuguese queijo fresco batido- "whipped fresh cheese".  It actually tastes more like sour cream than mascarpone, but I used it anyway.  So, one could use sour cream, mascarpone, quiejo fresco batido, or Crème fraiche for this recipe. 

I was very happy to see fresh basil in my store, for the first time in about a month.  (lol!)  So, I picked up 2 packages- about 4 oz. total, to go into this recipe.  I used canned artichoke hearts for convenience.  (By the way, this dish looks very bright and vivid green in real life; it was hard to get a good pic in last night's fading light.)

Creamy Pesto Artichoke Pasta

by What a Dish!

Basil/Artichoke Pesto:

3-4 ounces fresh basil, rinsed

1 small clove garlic

1/2 cup almonds, toasted lightly (in a dry skillet)
1 can 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained
salt and peper, to taste
splash lemon juice
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

10 ounces dry ziti or penne pasta
1 cup mascarpone cheese, queijo fresco batido, sour cream, or Crème fraiche
salt and pepper, to taste
extra Parmesan, for garnish

Boil the 10 oz. pasta according to package directions; drain.  Meanwhile, make the pesto.  In a food processor, combine basil, garlic, almonds, artichoke hearts, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.  Pulse until combined.  Then, with the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil.  Add parmesan and process for a few seconds or until combined. 

Measure the mascarpone cheese, queijo fresco batido, sour cream, or Crème fraiche into a large serving bowl.  Mix in all of the artichoke/basil pesto until combined.  Stir in the drained pasta, and salt and pepper, if needed.  Serve immediately. 

(Note- I made this again on 3/17/2010, using Mascarpone and mini penne, and it was SO good that way- I liked it tons better. I had less basil, though, (darn it!) so it wasn't as green.  New photo below.)

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Pan Pizza, Revisited

The Pizza Hut Pan Pizza recipe I made back in April has been so popular with my family that I've been making a lot of it lately, mostly for Friday family movie nights. The last 2 times I made this recipe, I made 2 pepperoni/cheese pizzas, and one pesto/red onion/feta cheese/olive pizza. I loved, loved, LOVED the pesto one..... it was wonderful with all of those flavors on top. The toppings are similar to this Greek Pesto Pizza I've made before, but it's still a little different with the thick pan crust. I thought the pesto pizza was way better than the pepperoni one, and my daughter agreed with me.

Toppings for Pesto Pizza:

1/4- 1/3 cup prepared basil pesto

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 small red onion, sliced, then chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

handful chopped black or Kalamata olives

Top pizza dough with these toppings, and bake pizza at 420-450 degrees for 10-15 minutes (for thick crust).

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Greek Pesto Pizza

I love Greek flavors, and they are especially good in pizza. Where we used to live, there was a really fun restaurant that specialized in wood-fired pizzas. We discovered it not long before we moved, so we only got to go there twice. But both times, I ordered their Greek Pesto Pizza. I re-created it at home last Saturday. I was missing sun-dried tomatoes (didn't realize I was out!) so I subbed baby cherry tomatoes, cut in half. It was yummy this way, too. Kalamatas would be good on this, but for a few reasons I just used regular black olives. Kalamatas next time! (I just used a standard size can of olives, and I don't know the exact size, since the can's been gone a few days now.)

I used Cook's Illustrated recipe for pizza dough, and it was yummy and fast to make. Use whatever crust you like for this recipe. I made two large pizzas.

Greek Pesto Pizza

1 recipe pizza dough of your choice

homemade basil pesto, between 1/2 and 1 cup

8 ounces feta cheese, sliced

1 cup mozzarella shredded cheese

1 can black olives, drained

1 14. oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 1/2 cups small cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Place your pizza crusts on 2 pizza pans, or a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread basil pesto evenly over both crusts. Top with slices of feta cheese, and then shredded mozzarella. Add artichoke hearts over the cheese. Place the red onions on your pizzas, followed by the halved cherry tomatoes and whole olives. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is browned and cheese is browned to your liking.

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Pizza on the Grill

Last night, we finally bit the bullet and did something we've wanted to do for a long time: grilled our pizza! It was fabulous. Even though there was gale-force winds outside, and the grill kept going out, we still had one of the best pizzas we've ever had. We were in a hurry because of time constraints, and I didn't get the dough as thin as I would have liked, but it was still good. I can't wait to do it again when we have more time, are more relaxed, and there is nicer weather. I also want to get better pictures- we were in a hurry to eat, and it was getting dark outside, so no great pics. Another reason to do it again!

For the crust, we used this recipe from Allrecipes.com. I used one cup of whole wheat flour, and 2 tablespoons of pesto instead of the basil. I followed the directions for grilling found on that recipe. I made two pizzas, and first we layed on some garlic-infused olive oil. (We used a really good quality Portuguese olive oil... it's yummy). Next went on two kind of cheeses made in the Azores: Queijo da Ilha (it means "Island Cheese" and it has a wonderful, mild, buttery flavor and texture. It reminds me of fontina.) The other cheese we used was Graciosa cheese, a stronger, nuttier ivory-colored cheese from the island of Graciosa. Then, we scattered on some Portuguese green olives, and on top of that went the Presunto- Portugal's Prosciutto. I had lightly browned in it a skillet first. This pizza was very flavorful, and the toppings were all from mainland Portugal or the Azores.

On the second pizza, I used my homemade pesto as a sauce, which was delicious. Then we used the two Azores cheese, more presunto, and some fresh cherry tomatoes.

St. Patrick's Day

Despite bouts of illness plaguing our family yesterday, we still had a good St. Patrick's Day. The whole family dressed in green and we had a great green dinner! I made Pesto Salmon, Pesto Mashed Potatoes, and steamed asparagus. I started by making my own pesto. I got 2 4 oz. boxes of fresh organic basil on sale for $.99 each. So I made two batches of pesto. I've made it so much that I just did it without a recipe this time. Here is what I did yesterday.

Basil Pesto

4 oz. fresh basil, rinsed
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1/2 cup (or less) extra-virgen olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
splash or two of lemon juice
1/2 cup shredded or grated parmesan or romano cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Place the basil in your food process with a metal blade. Pulse for a few seconds to break down the leaves a little. Add the garlic and pine nuts. With the food processor running, stream the olive oil into it through the open push chute. Add lemon juice, cheese, salt and pepper and pulse again until blended to your preference.
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My 5-year old daughter loves helping me make pesto, and she loves eating it too. She saw me put the parmesan cheese in and she said "That's your secret ingredient! That's why I love pesto so much!" Silly girl. (She does love parmesan though. She'll eat it out of a bowl, with a spoon, if allowed.) She was my sampler and let me know if there was enough salt in the pesto.

I'm not a big fan of cabbage, corned beef and other typical St. Patrick's day food. That's why we went with a non-traditional, but green, St. Patrick's day meal. Yes, there is a lot of pesto in this meal, but it's yummy and green, to boot! The potatoes were kind of an olive green color, but still tasty. Pesto Salmon was yummy and easy. My fave type of salmon is Wild Alaskan Sockeye. I always go for the wild!

Pesto Salmon

basil pesto, 1/4 to 1/2 cup
1.5 lb fresh salmon fillet

Preheat oven to 400*. Spray a 9x13 pan with olive oil. Place salmon in pan, and spread with an even layer of pesto. Lay it on as thin or thick as you like. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more, until the salmon is done. (Opaque and flakes easily with a fork.) Be careful not to overcook.

Pesto Mashed Potatoes

3-5 medium to large red potatoes, cubed
1/4 cup milk, or as needed
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup basil pesto
salt and pepper to taste
Place potatoes in a saucepan filled with water and bring to a boil. Boil until tender, 10-15 minutes. Drain and mash (I use electic beaters) with milk, butter, and pesto. Mix in salt and pepper.
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Asparagus was on sale for $1.49/lb, and you can bet that I picked some up! I just steamed it, since I was feeling too tired to do anything fancy (although I did think about it). To drink, we had a Lemonade Knudsen sprtizer. I added a drop of blue food coloring to each glass to turn it green. (Ya know.... blue + yellow = green?) It was actually very pretty. I don't usually like to use food coloring, but will make exceptions for such important holidays as St. Patty's.
For dessert, I made a Texas Sheet Cake and cut out servings with a shamrock cookie cutter. I used this recipe, but left out the nuts and used one cup of whole wheat pastry flour. Then I made some green buttercream frosting and piped a shamrock outline on each little cake. I have about 20 little shamrock cakes and a whole pan full of Texas Sheet Cake scraps. :) I hope everyone enjoyed St. Patty's Day!