Wilkes-Barre, Pa. — I don’t know about you, but after a long winter, I’m ready to celebrate spring! So St. Patrick’s Day comes at just the right time — plenty of good cheer, good food and bright green to perk things up.
• If you want to add some green to your table, try dying cut flowers.
• Take white flowers, such as daisies or carnations, and trim a little bit off their stems.
• Add a few drops of green food coloring to a vase filled with water. (The water should be medium to dark green.)
• Put your flowers in the vase and let them sit in direct sunlight for a day or two. The flowers will absorb the colored water through the stems, giving you a St. Patrick’s Day bouquet to be proud of.
If you’re looking for a sweet way to finish off your St. Patrick’s Day, try an Irish twist on bread pudding. This Chocolate Shamrock Bread Pudding has a touch of Irish cream liqueur for a fun, yet sophisticated, flavor. You can always leave out the liqueur — it’s still delicious!
No St. Patrick’s Day is complete without an Irish toast or blessing. So here’s one just for you:
May your day be touched by a bit of Irish luck,
Brightened by a song in your heart,
And warmed by the smiles of the people you love.
For more ways to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day, visit VeryBestBaking.com.
Chocolate Shamrock Bread Pudding
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients:
10 slices bread, cubed (6 cups)
2 cans (12 fluid ounces each) Nestlé Carnation Evaporated Lowfat 2 percent Milk or similar
2 cups (12-ounce package) Nestlé Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels or similar, divided
8 large egg yolks, beaten
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Irish cream liqueur (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Whipped cream (optional)
Nestlé Toll House Baking Cocoa or similar (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Place bread cubes in prepared baking dish.
Heat evaporated milk in medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring just to a boil. Remove from heat. Add 1 1/2 cups morsels; whisk until smooth.
Combine egg yolks, sugar, liqueur and salt in large bowl. Slowly add milk mixture; whisk until smooth. Pour over bread; pressing bread into milk mixture.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Top with remaining 1/2 cup morsels. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream and dusting of cocoa, if desired.
Tip: This recipe can also be made with evaporated fat-free milk.
Nutrition Information: (per serving) 420 calories; 140 calories from fat; 15 g total fat; 9 g saturated fat; 145 mg cholesterol; 270 mg sodium; 59 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 46 g sugars; 10 g protein; 20 percent calcium.
JENNY HARPER is Consumer Test Kitchen Project Manager for the Nestlé Test Kitchens. Family Features distributes her column.
Food
Related Photos
-
PHOTO PROVIDED | FAMILY FEATURES Chocolate Shamrock Bread Pudding is a sure way to fill your day with a bit o' Irish luck. PHOTO PROVIDED
Discussion
Going green the Irish way
- Food
-
-
Good Eats
PORK CHOPS WITH ORANGES AND PARSLEY
-
This is the season for citrus
I was born and raised in South Florida and often tell people that I have orange juice running through my veins.
-
Fresh and meat-free in January? Here’s how
I have long been a proponent of meat, often expounding on the virtues of pig fat and beef cheek
-
MARIO BATALI: A thriving family begins with a family meal
For the next 12 months, I’ll be inviting you to my table. Sharing stories, anecdotes, lessons from the kitchen and, of course, recipes from my new cookbook, “Molto Batali” (ecco, 2011). And it’s all about family meals.
-
Warm up with soup’s simple goodness
Hearty, homemade, family-friendly soup is a welcome warmer on a chilly night.
-
Recipes, advice to keep the romance on high heat
“To Romance, With Love” by Dave Valletta is part cookbook, part marriage advice column, part steamy romance novel. Recently in wide release after a limited run last year in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area, this first-time effort from former Florida restaurateur Valletta is as much a loving ode to his spouse as a guide to cooking a romantic dinner for yours.
-
Locklear’s on Folly fulfills beach food pleasures
I don’t know about you but lately I’m feeling a little beachy. Don’t get me wrong, I still have the Christmas spirit but lately I’ve been cold to the bone, and I’ve been wishing I were on some beach, somewhere.
-
Dips: Get the scoop on a party staple
Have you ever been to a party where dips weren’t served? Me, neither. They’re mainstays at gatherings, and they’ve come a long way from the days of sour cream mixed with packaged soup or salad dressing mixes.
-
Low sodium can still be high in taste
Foods that are high in sodium may taste good, but the health benefits are in the negative. Sodium is a concern for heart disease, high blood pressure and various other medical issues. Foods when cooked and seasoned properly will taste great, and you will find don’t require much salt.
-
CHEF DAVE: Edmond slider restaurant is a ‘home run’
When the word “sliders” comes to mind, do you think of a small, boring hamburger patty and a few hydrated onions that barely fill the inside of a soft dinner roll?
- More Food Headlines
-
Good Eats
