A couple of times a year, I'm asked to plan a menu for a fellowship dinner for our church. The way it works, it that members sign up to attend the dinner and then they are assigned to a host home – eight members per home. Every couple or guest has to bring a part of the menu. After dinner, we all go to one house for dessert.
I've learned to keep these menus easy. My criteria for recipes are that they be easy and quick to make (in an hour or less), not too expensive and use ingredients that most everyone likes. When I began planning a menu with a St. Patrick's Day theme, I found out that many folks, for example, don't care for the corned beef and cabbage boiled dinner and so I decided to go with an Irish Chicken Stew instead. I still wanted to fit corned beef into the menu and decided to use it in our appetizers.
You still have time to plan party to celebrate St.Patrick's Day, using the recipes below. Luck of the Irish to you!
Corned Beef Bites
1/4 lb. deli corned beef slices, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 green onions, chopped
1 can (8 oz) refrigerated quick crescent dinner rolls
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except the dinner rolls.
2. Separate crescent dough into 4 rectangles; firmly press perforation to seal. Spread each with 1/4 of the corned beef mixture. Starting at shorter side, roll up each rectangle.
3. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with foil and spray foil. Cut each rectangle into 5 slices. Place slices on cookie sheet.
4. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
20 appetizers
Irish Chicken Stew
(Stout is a strong dark beer that originated in the British Isles. Guinness is the most famous of the dry stouts. Single (1 pint 6 oz.) bottles can be purchased at a liquor store. Any dark beer will work. If desired, use a nonalcoholic beer.)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cut up whole chicken
Salt
Pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices
8 small red potatoes, peeled (if larger than 2 inches, cut in half)
1 1/2 cups Irish Stout
1 teaspoon dried thyme
8 oz whole button mushrooms, cut in half
1 cup frozen peas
1. Heat oil in large 6-quart Dutch oven or very large (12- to 14-inch) skillet with lid. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken, skin-side-down to hot oil in pan (if it all doesn't touch the bottom, brown it in 2 batches). Cook over high heat, about 5 minutes per side, until chicken is browned on all sides; remove from pan.
2. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the onion and garlic. Cook stirring frequently until tender but not browned.
3. Add carrots, potatoes, stout and thyme. Return chicken to pan. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Cool for transporting.
4. At host home, stir in mushrooms and peas; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender and chicken is no longer pink in center. Using slotted spoon, place chicken and vegetables onto 4 dinner plates or let your guests help themselves. Spoon some of the sauce over each serving.
4 servings
Irish Soda Bread
(This classic Irish quick bread, with the texture of baking powder biscuits, uses baking soda and buttermilk for the leavening. Before baking, a cross is slashed in the top of the loaf. The purpose of the cross, legend says, is to scare away the devil.)
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) firm butter
1/2 cup currants (tiny raisins)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1.Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in butter to form a coarse meal. Stir in currants.
2. Gradually stir in buttermilk. Turn out dough onto floured board and knead briefly.
3. Shape into a round loaf (about 6 1/2 inches in diameter); place on a sprayed cookie sheet. With sharp knife, cut a cross 1/2 inch deep on top of loaf. Brush the top with a little more of the buttermilk, if desired.
4. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serve with butter.
8 servings
Grasshopper Fudge Cake
(Any self-respecting Irish person has probably never tasted anything like this mint-flavored cake but it's green and so for that reason, the perfect dessert for this menu. It's also on the cover of our current Betty Crocker supermarket magazine.)
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons mint (not peppermint) extract
3 egg whites
12 drops green food color
2 jars (16 oz each) hot fudge topping
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped toping, thawed
5 drops yellow food color
Thin rectangular crème de menthe chocolate candies, unwrapped and cut into pieces, if desired
1. Heat oven to 355°F for shiny metal or glass pan (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour.
2. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil, 1 1/2 teaspoon of the mint extract and the egg whites. Reserve 1 cup batter. Stir 3 drops of the green food color into reserved batter; set aside. Pour remaining batter into pan.
3. Drop green batter by generous tablespoonfuls randomly in 12 to 14 mounds onto batter in pan. Cut through batters with metal spatula or knife in S-shaped curves in on continuous motion. Turn pan 1/4 turn; repeat cutting for swirled design.
4. Bake 28 to 33 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Run knife around side of pan to loose cake. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
5. Carefully spread fudge topping evenly over cake. In medium bowl, stir whipped topping, remaining 1/2 teaspoon extract, remaining 9 drops green food color and the yellow food color until blended. Spread whipped topping mixture evenly over fudge. Garnish with candy pieces. Store covered in refrigerator.
15 servings