Category: Irish

Garlic Infused Irish Champ

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!
 
When I posed the question on Facebook as to what Irish dish they wanted to see on the blog, one of my kind readers suggested I make Champ!
Of course I give the people what they want so here goes…
and by people I mean the one person that actually responded.
[insert awkward crickets here]
 
 But you know I can’t just put out any ol’ recipe so I’m going to put my little spin on it while trying to keep it as traditional as possible.
 
So here goes nothin’!

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Homemade Irish Cream

Top of the mornin’ to ya.
 
Have you been wondering why the supermarket has all of a sudden put out corned beef & cabbage in convenient little bundles?
Why the police all of a sudden decide it’s a good idea to put a checkpoint on every corner of your hometown?
Why people at your favorite bar have been drinking that unholy concoction of green-dyed beer?
 
Yes, it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day.
Bust out your favorite green striped tube socks, ladies.
 
Now if you’re like me & you don’t want to dye your insides green with your cocktail, have I got a treat for you.
Homemade Irish Cream is kind of like Bailey’s but better.

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Guinness Irish Cream Cupcakes

I don’t really care for goodbyes.
 
It might just be me but I think they are kind of awkward & sad.
The worst part is that there are so many ways to accomplish this sad awkwardness:
 
There’s the weird hug that lingers just long enough to make you drop your arms hoping it signals “let go of me” but the other person still keeps on hugging…so you slowly raise your arms back up to keep hugging them only to have them pull away and leave you there with your arms weirdly outstretched….
 
There’s the weird “handshake-hug-high-five-confusion” that happens with people you kind-of-sort-of-know just well enough to be confused as to where your relationship stands at this very moment…
 
There’s the uncomfortable “waving-goodbye-from-a-foot-away” which I feel is like a slightly less bitchy way of saying, “I’d really prefer if you wouldn’t physically touch me as we part”…
 
There’s the “oh-yeah-and-one-more-thing” goodbye which leads to the “saying-goodbye-five-times-before-you-actually-leave” goodbye.  
 
There’s the “I’m-saying-goodbye-to-a-kiss-on-the-cheek-goodbye-kinda-person” that leaves you feeling like you are either better looking than you thought you were or like someone just over-shared about their last OB/GYN visit.
Yeah…I don’t really wake up in the morning missing that one.
 
 
Lucky for me, I chose friends that are none of the above.  
For instance, when a friend recently left on a trip to Ireland for 6 weeks, not one person shed a single tear or waved goodbye 6-inches away from my face.  
Yup, my friends are pretty awesome & socially appropriate.  
So in order to thank my Ireland-bound buddy for not being weird & never ever kissing me on the cheek, I made her these Guinness Irish Cream Cupcakes!
They are a delicious mix of Irish whiskey, Irish Cream, Guinness, 
chocolate & buttercream.
If you don’t happen to have any store brand Irish cream on hand (for example, the Bailey’s I pictured above), you can make your own using my Homemade Irish Cream recipe. This recipe will make more than enough liqueur to make the frosting with leftovers for Irish Coffee’s all week long.  
Who said St. Patrick’s Day can’t be St. Patrick’s week?
Even though these cupcakes were pretty boozy, I promise no one over-hugged each other & there wasn’t even one Irish goodbye said that night (google it!)

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