Showing posts with label Side Dishes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Side Dishes. Show all posts

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Dinner Date

For Christmas this year, we gave the kids pre-planned dates for the whole year.  They each get to go on a date once a month.  One month with Mom, the next with Dad, and so on.  This is by far their favorite gift.  And it's the gift that keeps on giving, right?  All year!  So, one of the dates with Mom is to choose a recipe, go to the store and purchase the ingredients, and then make it together.   This is what my son and I did this weekend.  He chose "Pasta with Arugula, White Beans and Walnuts" for dinner and "Raspberry Napoleons" for dessert.  If you're thinking, wow, her kids like healthy food, just know I was just as surprised that he chose this as you!  I mean, really, what 9 yr. old wants pasta with greens and beans???  I have a bunch of "Everyday Food" magazines, and he went through some of them and that is what he chose.  I will say I do have great eaters for kids.  They used to be more picky, but overall they like a lot of things.  My son especially, he's like my husband, he will try just about anything.  I am so grateful to have easy to please kids...well, at least in the food department.  :-)

So here's a look at our date:

 Toast the walnuts... oh the flavor!
 Learning to slice garlic

 Cooking the pasta


I love how he put so much effort into a pretty table.

All the kids liked this dish.  One of my girls wasn't so crazy about her wilted greens, but she still ate most of them.  

Pasta with Arugula, White Beans, and Walnuts

12 oz farfelle (bowtie pasta)
coarse salt and ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 TBS butter
1 pound baby arugula
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted

Toast walnut pieces in a 350 degree oven for about 7-9 minutes. Watch them so they don't burn. You don't have to toast them, but it brings out so much more flavor!


Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain pasta and set aside.

Place pasta pot over medium heat. Add garlic and 1 tbs butter, cook, stirring until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes/

Add arugula to pot. Toss just until wilted. Add beans, pasta and remaining 3 tbs butter. Season with salt and pepper. Toss, adding enough reserved water to mixture to coat pasta. Garnish with toasted walnuts.







Needless to say, this dessert was a hit!  

Raspberry Napoleons:

All purpose flour for rolling pastry
1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
1/2 recipe cooled vanilla pudding (recipe follows) please don't use store bought, I promise you won't regret it!
1 container fresh raspberries
confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 400. On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pasty to a 10 by 15 inch rectangle. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Prick pastry all over with a fork. Cover completely with another sheet of parchment paper. Weight with another baking sheet to prevent pastry from puffing up unevenly. Bake, occasionally pressing top sheet down until pastry is golden. In my oven it only took 20 minutes, but it can take up to 40, so keep an eye on it. Remove the top sheet and parchment, and let cool

With a serrated knife, carefully trim and discard edges; cut into 12 equal pieces ( this is for 4 servings, I was able to stretch it to 6 servings by cutting into 18 pieces).

To assemble, put a large dollop of pudding on the pastry piece, top with a few raspberries and another dollop of pudding, layer a 2nd piece of pastry, repeat the pudding and raspberries, and top it with a 3rd piece of pastry. Dust with confectioner's sugar.


Vanilla Pudding:
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tbs unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt. Very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time) whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks.

Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters. Reduce heat to low, still whisking (wow, there's a lot of whisking in this recipe), cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding.

Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding (this prevents skin from forming), chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Before serving, whisk (again) pudding until smooth.




Ummm... Hello?  Where did everyone go?  Just keepin' it real here.  {sigh}




Pasta with Arugula, White Beans and Walnuts


This is a lovely healthy spring-y recipe.  And we all need a little (or alot) of spring in MI right now!
This comes from Everyday Food Magazine:

Pasta with Arugula, White Beans and Walnuts

12 oz farfelle (bowtie pasta)
coarse salt and ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 TBS butter
1 pound baby arugula
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted

Toast walnut pieces in a 350 degree oven for about 7-9 minutes.  Watch them so they don't burn.  You don't have to toast them, but it brings out so much more flavor!

Cook pasta i a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.  Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain pasta and set aside.

Place pasta pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and 1 tbs butter, cook, stirring until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes/

Add arugula to pot.  Toss just until wilted.  Add beans, pasta and remaining 3 tbs butter.  Season with salt and pepper.  Toss, adding enough reserved water to mixture to coat pasta.  Garnish with toasted walnuts.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

White Bean Soup



White Bean Soup
(adapted from Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist)
2 shallots, sliced
1/2 pund carrots, sliced on the diagonal
1 bulb fennel, sliced
4 celery ribs, sliced on the diagonal
8 cups prepared Great Northern Beans or other white bean*
1 tbs rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

For serving:
Vinaigrette (Dijon, balsamic vinegar, olive oil)
prosciutto, sliced in ribbons
Parmesan, thickly grated, or use a vegetable peeler to get pretty strips

In a dutch oven, soften shallots in olive oil over medium heat.  Add carrots, fennel, and celery and allow them to soften, about 15 minutes.  (If you don't have fennel, you can add some fennel seed for flavor or just leave it out)

Add beans and chopped rosemary.
*Note, I use dried beans and prepare them.  If you use canned, I recommend rinsing and draining them.  But you will need to add some water or broth to compensate.  

Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes, or longer if you have time.  

Add salt and pepper to taste.  If you are using the prosciutto, remember it is salty, so go easy on the salt.  Bacon is really nice with this soup too.  

Mash with a potato masher for a chunky texture.  For a smoother texture run part of it through a food processor or blender, or use an immersion blender right in the pot.  I love my immersion blender so that is my tool of choice here.  

Ladle into bowls and top the soup with Prosciutto, cheese, and vinaigrette.  
This is a wonderful comforting soup.  

Butternut Squash Soup





Butternut Squash Soup
(adapted from Betty Crocker)

One of my favorites ever!  I've made this soup a few times this year, trying to find exactly the right recipe.  And I finally hit it.  Most recipes have you peel and chop the squash, but I roast mine, it's much easier, and gives it a great flavor.

2 tbs butter
2 medium butternut squash
2 large apples, peeled, chopped
1 large onion chopped
2 tbs brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp pepper
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
squash seeds (optional garnish)
nutmeg (optional garnish)

Preheat oven to 375.
Cut the ends off of the squash, scoop out the seeds.  I save the seeds and bake them and use them as a garnish.  Place them skin side down on a baking sheet.  Bake until fork tender, about 45 minutes to an hour.  

Once the squash has cooled enough scoop out the flesh.

Saute' onions in a couple tablespoons of butter, until softened.  Add the apples, broth, salt, cinnamon, pepper and squash.  Bring to a boil and simmer covered until apples are soft.  

In batches, pour the soup into a blender, or food processor (I use my vitamix), and process until smooth.  Once it has all been pureed, return to a clean pot and heat until warmed.  Ladle into bowls and top with baked squash seeds and a dash of nutmeg.





Soup, Salad, Friendship

I love my girlfriends.
I love how we all bring something different to the group, we all have unique personalities.  They are a blessing to my life.
Every couple of months we have a girl's night out, or in.  In this case it was in.  I think usually, our time together revolves around food.  There's something sacred about sharing a meal together.

I made soup.  Kelli made salad, Tina made bread and Amy "made" dessert.  This is one of the things that is so special.  Amy, just didn't have time to make dessert.  Or buy it.  But I love that she grabbed some random things from home and came on over, I love that she felt no pressure to perform or bring something.  And guess what?  Nobody cared.  These are good friends.




Our lovely table.


Dessert!!  

Our night was filled with love and laughter.  These women bring refreshment to my soul.

I didn't break out my camera this night... I know, shocking... so I don't have actual pictures of the soups.  But, I will share the recipes with you.  Thanks to Tina for sending me her phone pics to share.  :-)

Butternut Squash Soup
(adapted from Betty Crocker)

One of my favorites ever!  I've made this soup a few times this year, trying to find exactly the right recipe.  And I finally hit it.  Most recipes have you peel and chop the squash, but I roast mine, it's much easier, and gives it a great flavor.

2 tbs butter
2 medium butternut squash
2 large apples, peeled, chopped
1 large onion chopped
2 tbs brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp pepper
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
squash seeds (optional garnish)
nutmeg (optional garnish)

Preheat oven to 375.
Cut the ends off of the squash, scoop out the seeds.  I save the seeds and bake them and use them as a garnish.  Place them skin side down on a baking sheet.  Bake until fork tender, about 45 minutes to an hour.  

Once the squash has cooled enough scoop out the flesh.

Saute' onions in a couple tablespoons of butter, until softened.  Add the apples, broth, salt, cinnamon, pepper and squash.  Bring to a boil and simmer covered until apples are soft.  

In batches, pour the soup into a blender, or food processor (I use my vitamix), and process until smooth.  Once it has all been pureed, return to a clean pot and heat until warmed.  Ladle into bowls and top with baked squash seeds and a dash of nutmeg.  


White Bean Soup
(adapted from Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist)
2 shallots, sliced
1/2 pund carrots, sliced on the diagonal
1 bulb fennel, sliced
4 celery ribs, sliced on the diagonal
8 cups prepared Great Northern Beans or other white bean*
1 tbs rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

For serving:
Vinaigrette (Dijon, balsamic vinegar, olive oil)
prosciutto, sliced in ribbons
Parmesan, thickly grated, or use a vegetable peeler to get pretty strips

In a dutch oven, soften shallots in olive oil over medium heat.  Add carrots, fennel, and celery and allow them to soften, about 15 minutes.  (If you don't have fennel, you can add some fennel seed for flavor or just leave it out)

Add beans and chopped rosemary.
*Note, I use dried beans and prepare them.  If you use canned, I recommend rinsing and draining them.  But you will need to add some water or broth to compensate.  

Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes, or longer if you have time.  

Add salt and pepper to taste.  If you are using the prosciutto, remember it is salty, so go easy on the salt.  Bacon is really nice with this soup too.  

Mash with a potato masher for a chunky texture.  For a smoother texture run part of it through a food processor or blender, or use an immersion blender right in the pot.  I love my immersion blender so that is my tool of choice here.  

Ladle into bowls and top the soup with Prosciutto, cheese, and vinaigrette.  
This is a wonderful comforting soup.  









Monday, January 21, 2013

SRC: Homemade Vegetable Dip




It's time for another Secret Recipe Club post!!  Yea!  This month I was assigned Debbi Does Dinner Healthy & Low Calorie.  What a great site to be assigned right after the holidays!  Debbi's mission is to make healthy, low calorie meals without sacrificing taste, and she does it well!  I had alot of fun browsing through her site, and I'll definitely be back to try more of her recipes.  Thanks Debbi for all your inspiration!

So, where did I land?  The Home made vegetable dip.  I am so glad I chose this one.  We love to snack on raw vegetables, but my kids especially like something to dip it in.  I typically buy a yogurt based ranch dressing, it's an all natural sort of brand, and we love it.  Who doesn't love ranch?  But, this is real veggie dip, with all the flavors of one bought, but made at home.  It was easy peasy to make, and uses staple ingredients.  Total winner.

Ingredients:
1 6oz plain yogurt
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/3 cup light mayo
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
2 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt

Whisk it all together, and wa-lah!  I told you it was easy, or as my kids say... easy peasy lemon squeezy.  I bet this would be good with a squeeze of lemon, hmm.  Chill it for about an hour before serving to let all the flavors blend.





Don't you just want to munch on some fresh veggies right now?  :-)  Happy crunching.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Avocado Lettuce Salad



This recipe is adapted from Cuisine At Home.  It's a great side dish that offers the best of guacamole and a crunchy salad.  It compliments any mexican meal.  Okay, it compliments anything if you love guacamole like I do!

1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 avocados
6 Tbs mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
8 cups shredded Romain lettuce
4 roma tomatoes, diced
2/3 cup sliced scallions
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup seeded, minced jalepenos (optional)

Mash avocados in a large bowl until smooth.  Add mayonnaise, lime juice, and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

Stir lettuce, tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, jalapenos, and bacon into avocado mixture until combined.

A couple notes:  If you like it really crunchy, you may want to use iceberg lettuce.  I like Romaine because there is still crunch to it, but it has more nutrients than iceberg lettuce.

The jalepeno's will add some heat.  I left them out because my kids are not big fans of hot-spicy food.

This recipe makes a lot!  I actually made a 1/2 batch for my family of 4.  My daughter tried it, but she is my picky one and didn't want seconds.  The rest of us all had a second helping and there was still a serving left over.

Enjoy, and please let me know what you think!




Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Avocado Feta Salsa



Here's a fantastic salsa that's a bit unique.  I just made this for the first time and brought it to a family gathering, and it was a hit!!  Everyone loved it.  Honestly, I wasn't sure it was going to make it to the party after I sampled it, it's that good!  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

My friend KELLY VISSER turned me on to this, she got it from  Your Lighter Side.  

2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and chopped
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp snipped, fresh parsley
1 Tbsp snipped fresh oregano
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp white vinegar
4 oz. feta cheese, coarsely crumbled

1. In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, avocado, onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, oil, and vinegar.
2. Stir gently to mix.
3. Gently stir in feta cheese.
4. Cover and chill for 2 hours or up to 6 hours.

Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips or crackers.  As far as I'm concerned, you could just ditch the chips and grab your spoon!!  I also think this would be great on chicken as well.  Top a nice piece of grilled chicken with it...YUM!


Monday, July 23, 2012

SRC: Avocado Cup Salad

It's my favorite time of the month again... The Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day!  I just love browsing through my assigned blog each month, I'm always so inspired.  There are so many talented people and amazing recipes to try.  This month I had The Ginger Snap Girl.  I was already in love when I saw the name of the blog, don't you just want to know about her by the name alone?  Besides, I love ginger, and my beloved cat's name is Ginger as well.  Gloria is the Ginger Snap Girl and she and her husband and their 3 cats live in Southern California.  I really enjoyed reading her "About Me" page.  She's a great writer, amazing in the kitchen, and takes some most beautiful pictures.  She notes that in her family it's all about the food and whose bringing what.  That's how I feel about our celebrations and gatherings too, we just might be soul sisters.  :D

Okay, on to the recipe...
I chose Avocado cup salad.


Don't they look amazing?!  Well, Avocado's are one of my favorite things.

Here's what you'll need:

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup fresh or frozen sweet corn (I cut mine right off the cob)
1/2 red, yellow or orange pepper, diced
2 roma or plum tomatoes, cut in half, seeded and diced
1/4 cup red onion finely diced
1 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon cilantro
1/2 anaheim green chile or jalapeno (if you like spicy), finely diced
2 limes
1 small jicama*, peeled and cut into matchstick size strips (about 2 cups)
2 small to medium sized ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced in half lengthwise
2 green onions, thinly sliced at an angle
Tortilla chips, broken in pieces for garnish

Start by making the corn salsa. Heat a small non stick skillet on medium high heat and add the olive oil  corn, red, yellow or orange pepper, and the chile. (I also added the red onion here since I prefer mine cooked a bit.)  Saute stirring occasionally until the corn, pepper and chile begin to take on roasted appearance, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.



Once mixture is cool, add tomato, 1 teaspoon of cilantro, the roasted corn mixture to a medium bowl and stir together. Squeeze the juice of one lime on the salsa and season with salt and pepper if desired and stir.

Next make the jicama slaw by combining the jicama, juice of one lime and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of cilantro in a small bowl. Stir to combine.

Next assemble your ingredients.  You could do individual plates for a main dish, or you could put it together on a serving platter like I did as we had it as a side.  Put the jicama on the bottom, then top with your avocado halves.  Then load them up with your corn salsa.  Finish with a sprinkle of sliced green onion and crushed tortilla chips.  




Enjoy!  

*Jicama was a new ingredient for us.  It's pronounced hik-uh-muh.  I've had it before at a restaurant but I've never bought or prepared it.  I'm always encouraging my kids to try something new, so this was a great opportunity.  I do confess, if you are one of my local friends, I had to go to 3 stores to find it!  But, I'm so glad I persevered.  It just added a nice texture and flavor to the salad.  It's kind of the texture of a crisp apple, but not as sweet as an apple.  





Monday, July 2, 2012

Red, White and Blue Salad



4th of July is almost here!  So many festive foods to make and not enough time!  Here's an awesome salad I adapted from Real Mom Kitchen.  Great tasting and good for you.


1 head lettuce, I used romaine and and some mixed greens from my garden
1 cup glazed walnuts
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 ½ cups blueberries
crumbled feta cheese

Dressing:
1/2  cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup persian lime oil
1/2 cup coconut vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbs poppy seeds

Glaze your walnuts.  Put the walnuts and 1 Tbs honey in a saucepan on medium and stir to coat.  Let them cook for about 5 minutes or so.  The honey will become a bit foamy in the pan, then they are finished.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to cool

Prepare your salad.  Place your lettuce on a serving platter.  Next add your cooled walnuts.  Then add your strawberries, cheese, and blueberries.  As you can see from the picture, I kept mine separated for a nice presentation, but this will still be beautiful with everything layered.  
 
Make the dressing.  Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix well.  




I know the oil and vinegar I chose are in the unique category and not everyone has that sitting around.  You can substitute regular olive oil and red-wine vinegar too, it will have a very different flavor, but very good.  If you do that, you will probably need to sweeten it.  I would use honey or maple syrup, and you could also just use sugar.  Check out the dressing recipe at Real Mom Kitchen.  

What are you making for the 4th?  I'd love to hear from you!

Chellie

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Traverse City Film Festival Green Room Cabbage Salad



This wonderful salad was adapted from Fustini's Kitchen.  Do you know Fustinis?  Fustinis is an Oil and Vinegar shop.  Yep, that's all they sell.  You can taste everything and I didn't find one single one I didn't like!  Some of these vinegars are amazing and smooth.  You literally could drink it straight up.  For my local friends, they have locations in Holland, Ann Arbor, Traverse City, and Petoskey MI.  But if you're not local, you can order online.  Of course you can't taste it first, but you will not be disappointed!  There are so many different flavors and they really add something special to your dishes.

So here's a recipe that I adapted from them.  As I was checking out, they gave me a couple recipe cards that went along with the selections I had purchased.  (The customer service was fantastic!)

Ingredients:
1/2 head shredded cabbage
1 red bell pepper sliced
3 carrots julienned (or grated)
fresh blackberries
Persian Lime Oil
Coconut Balsamic
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
(makes about 6 side salads)

Mix cabbage and carrots together in a large bowl and toss with equal parts of oil and vinegar.  Add salt and pepper to taste

Divide on to plates or serving bowls and top with sliced red peppers and fresh blackberries.  Drizzle with more of the Persian lime/coconut dressing.








Monday, April 23, 2012

SRC: Cheesy & Gooey Eggplant Bake



It's time for another Secret Recipe Club post!  This month, I was assigned Josie's Kitchen.  What I love about Josie's blog is it's Dominican Republic/Latin influence.  I love trying recipe's that I know are authentic cuisine, not americanized.  :-)  She has lots of great food, but I landed on Cheesy & Gooey Eggplant Bake.  We are big fans of eggplant, but I don't have too many ways I serve it.  So I was excited to find a new recipe. It was really delicious!!  I did make a couple of changes due to what I had on hand and I note those in the ingredient list.
Make sure you stop by her blog and show some love.  Thanks Josie for a fantastic recipe and another way to serve eggplant!  :-)

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
1 garlic clove, crushed and diced
1 medium white onion, diced
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I used whole milk)
1 tbs oregano
1 tsp nutmeg
3 tbs butter, seperated
salt and pepper to taste
shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese (I also used a hunk of goat cheese)


Preheat the oven to 300.

Peel and cut the eggplant into chunks.  Season with salt and pepper.  Melt 1 tbs of butter and cook the eggplant on medium heat, covered, for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to add some water if the eggplant is sticking (I did do this).


Meanwhile, melt another tablespoon of butter and cook the onion until soft and transparent.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Then add the heavy cream and cook uncovered on low heat.


Grease a baking dish with the remaining butter, and add the eggplant.  Add the oregano and the nutmeg to the cream.  (this is where I added some goat cheese as well and let it melt.)


Sprinkle the eggplant with some cheese and then poor the cream over top.  Add more cheese if you like. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Once it's finished baking, let it rest before serving.



I used the left overs over pasta the next day.  2 Great dishes out of 1!!

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to visit The Secret Recipe Club for more great recipes.

Blessings,
Chellie


Tuesday, March 20, 2012

St. Patricks Day Mystery Diner Part 2

In honor of St. Patricks day coming up, please enjoy this re-post.  This particular St. Paddy's day was one of my favorites because not only was it just plain fun, but it was 80 degrees in Michigan!  Unheard of in March!  





Finally, I'm posting about our wonderful celebration!  I've just been too busy soaking up the sun, running the household.  :D  If you missed Part 1 or our Mystery Dinner, you can see it here.
So, we had our lovely friends The Lubberts over for dinner.  They were great sports and totally up for our Mystery Dinner.  A good time was had by all.


Here's my daughter, all decked out in her green.  She was even wearing green corduroy pants--and it was 80 degrees here in Mi.
also very excited about her stick-on earrings.

Originally, it was just going to be for my family, but when we added our friends, I changed a few of my ideas really just to make it easy on myself.  You'll notice some changes here from my Part 1 post.  Things have to be ready to serve up, so, I did prepare some things in advance (and prepared easy things)

Here's what we had:
Shamrock Shake:  Pour the dressing on the veggies and shake her up!  (kids totally dig this)

Leprechaun Pie (recipe here
Spoon Bread   (recipe here)


Taste a Rainbow

Emerald Isle (recipe here)

U-Pick Clover (sour cream cookie recipe here)  This was a decorate your own cookie dessert.

Irish Kiss (napkin)
Blarney Stone (fork)
St. Pat's Sword (knife)
Digging for Gold (Spoon)

As you can see, some of the menu items are your utensils.  This keeps it really interesting!  
Here's our Menu's:



The first thing we do is fill out our menus.  You'll want each person to keep a copy and give a copy to the chef.  All the fun names are listed and 3 courses.  We all eat 1 course at a time, then I serve up the next, and so on.  

How do you celebrate St. Patricks Day?  Or don't you?   I would love to hear from you!  Please share your traditions in the comments.  


I hope you find a reason to celebrate today!

Blessings
~Chellie