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Battle of the Mint Shakes
I couldn’t let St. Patrick’s Day pass by without indulging in a mint shake. I searched Pinterest for recipes and found a homemade version of McDonalds Shamrock Shake. Never having tasted a Shamrock Shake I realized I’d have no way of knowing if it was close to the real thing. So, I decided to hold a giant mint shake taste test with three judges: me, Eric and Arielle. When Eric walked through the door after a week in St. Louis I hugged him and said “Suprise! I’m cooking for the blog again… try this!” Even though he’s not really a fan of mint flavoring I think the fact that he hadn’t seen…
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I need you… I don’t need you
I think one of the most difficult adjustments in parenthood is getting used to my teens needing me but not needing me. When they were little they always needed me to the point of pure mental exhaustion. Some days eight pm. bedtime couldn’t come soon enough. Or a trip in my car alone was like a mini vacation. They were a constant responsibility leaving very little time for me to think about anything else but caring for them. Most days I loved it and some days I wondered what happened to Krista – she got lost in “mom.” Now, things have changed. Here I sit alone in our house on spring…
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Sparkly Cake Balls for St. Patrick’s Day
I’m usually pretty good at resisting dessert temptation. Usually. Turns out these cake balls have a power over me that I can’t resist. I don’t know whether it was sheer joy that they actually were tasty, the spider cake balls I made for Halloween were a tad on the nasty side, or if it was their small size. I’d pop one in my mouth and then feel as though a few hundred more wouldn’t hurt me. When I reheated the morning’s leftover coffee after preparing the milk chocolate dip – I knew I was in trouble. It wasn’t long before I was walking around the house holding my stomach wondering just how many…
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Sparkly Bites of Joy
Day five of my St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza. Whew! I made it. I feel as though I’ve spent the past five days in a very unnatural habitat – my kitchen. Here’s a quick recap of the recipes. Day 1: Day 2: Day 3: Day 4: And last – at least for a few days… My own creation (kind of but not really) cake pops pot of gold. I combined two recipes. I took the pot of gold cookie pot and tried it in a regular sized cupcake tin. It worked! Then I made the cake pops from Bakerella‘s recipe and added yellow chocolate to make them look like gold. I’ll call them…
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All Hail The King
I thought I’d finish up the five days of St. Patrick’s Day madness with the king of Irish beers – Guinness. The beer itself comes in a gleaming black can with the instantly recognizable harp logo on the outside and a clever nitrogen widget hiding within. Many people don’t know it but the fine folks at Guinness actually invented the nitrogen widget. They did this so that the beers they sold in stores would match the quality of their beers when served in the pub. A brilliant concept – beautifully executed. When pouring a pint of Guinness Draught, the widget instantly turns the beer into an inviting tan froth. As…
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Murphy’s Stout
Today’s beer is Murphy’s Stout. Like the Wexford Irish Cream I reviewed yesterday, Murphy’s comes in a can with a nitrogen widget. When opened, the widget releases the nitrogen into the beer and turns pouring it into an event. The Japanese can keep their tea ceremony, crack open one of these and see what makes the lads in Ireland say, “if you’re lucky enough to be born Irish, you’re lucky enough.” So what happens when you start the pour? In this case you’re greeted by a dark, almost black beer with a not quite white head. The nitrogen bubbles in the beer begin to wash down the inside of the…
