I am a Honey Bee

All about my adventures with cooking, crafts, and travel

st patricks day

Guinness Irish Beef Stew

Guinness Irish Beef Stew is a hearty fulling stew that is filled with tender beef, onions, & mushrooms. Rich flavors made better with a strong Guinness.

A stew simmering away on your stove all afternoon is a great way to start to get you excited about your dinner. The smells will perfume your kitchen and you’ll be dying to dig in to this Guinness Irish Beef Stew.

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Guinness Brat Sandwiches with a Guinness Cheese Sauce

A recent St. Patrick’s Day/Guinness discussion on twitter lead me to making this recipe. I was mentioning to Pricer how I think brats cooked in Guinness in a slow cooker would be good, then maybe I could make a cheese sauce for it. He agreed saying that I would have to test it out for science. I am not one to pass up an opportunity for trying things out in the name of science so off I went to the store.

 

 

While this recipe is great to enjoy for St. Patrick’s Day, it is great for any dinner. I personally think it would be great to enjoy while watching a foodball game since it is hands off cooking, being that the most work is toasting the buns and making the quick cheese sauce right at the end. The Guinness makes the brats and the veggies very flavorful and juicy. Nestle the brats and soft veggies on a toasted roll and drizzle some Guiness Cheese sauce on top… pure perfection.

 

 

Guinness Brat Sandwiches with a Guinness Cheese Sauce

serves 5

Ingredients

  • 1 package of brats, containing 5 links
  • 2 green peppers
  • 2 large onions
  • 1 1/2 14.9 oz cans of Guinness
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 4 oz of white cheddar cheese
  • 5 sub rolls
Process
  1. Cut the peppers and onions into long strips.
  2. Place the peppers and onions in a slow cooker and then place the brats on top. Pour the Guinness onto the brats at well.
  3. Set your slow cooker for 6 hours.
  4. When the grats are all done, remove them and the peppers and onions and set aside.
  5. Strain the liquid from the slow cooker into a measuring cup.
  6. In a skillet, combine butter and flour creating a roux. Slowly add 2 cups of the liquid into the skillet when the flour is golden and the roux is smooth. Continue to wisk the mixture and add in the cheddar cheese.
  7. Place the brats, peppers, and onions on a toasted roll. Drizzle some cheese sauce on top to finish it off.

Mint Oreo Brownies with Mint Buttercream Frosting

These right here are going to blow your mind. If you like mint and chocolate I suggest you run to your grocery store and get the few things you need to whip these suckers up. I love the mint and chocolate combination so these were very hard to resist. Thankfully I have an office full of taste testers so I was able get their feedback. I popped these suckers down at a table in the main corridor with a post it note and watched as people walked to the kitchen and stopped to take one, and then on their way back with their coffee they stopped for another sliver. Ohhh trouble!

 

 

As lame as it is, I made a resolution this year to enjoy holiday’s more. I have been extra grouchy about holidays and the effort they are so I have been trying to dive into the celebrations more this year. I will have fun damn it! So I am throwing myself at St. Patrick’s Day and all things green with wild abandon this year. So expect a few more St. Patrick’s Day themed recipes and posts leading up to the booze soaked day.

Back to the important things… brownies. The mint Oreos provide a lot of minty flavor, plus they provide a lot of moisture from the cream. I suggest baking them until they are just set so they are super fudgy. The frosting makes the over the top minty. I liked topping the brownies with crushed Oreos so it gave everyone a hint as to what was inside the brownies.

Mint Oreo Brownies with Mint Buttercream Frosting

Makes 16 brownies

Ingredients

For the Brownies:

  • box of fudgy brownies with ingredients to prepare brownies
  • 14 mint Oreos

For the Frosting:

  • 1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup of confectioners sugar, sifted
  • green food coloring
  • 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 4 crushed Oreos for garnish

Process

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 and grease a 9×9 pan.
  2. Crush the 14 mint Oreos for the brownies.
  3. Prepare the brownie mix according to the directions on the box. Just prior to mixing complete, add in the Oreo cookie pieces and gently mix in.
  4. Bake the brownies according to the box, start checking at the minimum time and remove once a tooth pick in clean upon insertion and removal.
  5. Prepare the frosting by beating the butter until light and fluffy. Add in green food coloring, start with 12 drops and continue until the preferred shade of green is achieved. Add the peppermint extract and mix thoroughly. Lastly, slowly add the confectioners sugar and beat until the frosting is formed and is fluffy.
  6. Once the brownies have cooled completely, add frosting the top of the brownies. Garnish with crushed Oreo pieces.

Chewy Irish Coffee Blondies

These chewy Irish Coffee Blondies are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. They have a great texture and are loaded up with coffee and whiskey. Enjoy!

Irish Coffee… yes please!

These Irish Coffee Blondies are the dessert to make for any St. Patrick’s Day party. Skip the typical green treat and go for one that is delightfully chewy and loaded up with Irish Coffee flavors. 

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