MORE THAN MATS & DOORMATS

In the second installment of our guide to throwing the ultimate St. Patrick’s day party we’re going to hook you up with some awesome recipes for green food!

Green popcorn

Ingredients:

• 16 cups of popped popcorn
• 1 cup of sugar
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter
• 8-10 drops of green food coloring

Directions:

1. Combine sugars, water, corn syrup, vinegar and salt in a large heavy sauce pan, cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 260 degrees
2. Remove from heat; stir in butter until melted, stir in food coloring, then drizzle over warm popcorn and toss until coated

Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5 pounds spinach, cleaned, trimmed, and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 6 ounces of cream cheese
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Pita wedges for serving/or corn chips

Directions:

1. In a large pan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
2. Add spinach and cook until completely wilted, 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Transfer to a colander; drain, pressing to release all excess liquid.
4. In the same pot, warm milk over high heat. Whisk in cream cheese until melted, about 3 minutes.
5. Add spinach, Worcestershire sauce, and 3/4 cup mozzarella; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium low heat until ready to serve. Transfer to serving dish and add pita wedges or corn chips for dipping.

Green Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter at room temperature

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• Green food coloring

Instructions

1. Measure the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Stir well and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
3. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar, mixing well after each addition. The dough should be stiff.
4. Add several drops of green food coloring. Knead the dough until the color is evenly distributed. (Make sure children wash their hands immediately after kneading–food coloring can be messy.)
5. Gather the dough into two balls, flatten into disks beginning at the edge of the dough and working toward the center. Cover with plastic and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
6. After the dough has chilled, place one half on a large piece of plastic wrap, cover with another piece of plastic wrap and then roll until it is 1/4-inch thick. Lift off the top sheet of plastic wrap and cut out shamrocks, beginning at the edge of the dough and working toward the center.
7. Place each shamrock on an ungreased baking sheet. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 8 minutes or until the edges begin to lightly brown. Remove to a rack to cool. For particularly festive shamrocks, decorate them with green candies or frosting.
   Makes about 34.

Green Veggies and Dip

Any green veggies you can dip! Pick up a ranch or dill dip from the grocery store and serve!

Remember, there’s still lots of time to get some festive St. Patrick’s Day doormats!