Colcannon and Irish Drinks

Colcannon is an Irish version of mashed potatoes made with sauteed cabbage or kale, green onions and bacon. Pair this hearty side dish with corned beef and Irish Soda Bread adding a wee bit of Irish to your March cooking.  
Irish Soda Bread previously posted March 3. 2015
http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2015/03/irish-soda-bread.html

Cook's notes: use a food processor to shred cabbage or kale. A cheese grater also works to shred cabbage. Recipe serves 4-6.
Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 lbs. red potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes
• 8 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cups finely shredded cabbage or kale
• 2 green onions, diced
• 3/4-1 cup half and half
• 1 TB. butter
• 1 TB. dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt e.g. Lawry's  
• freshly ground pepper

Directions:

• Bring water to a boil, add in potatoes and simmer until fork tender, about 20-30 minutes. Drain potatoes.
• Fry bacon until crispy. Drain on a paper towel and reserve 1 TB. bacon drippings. 
• Saute onions on medium high heat for 2 minutes in bacon dripping. Add in shredded cabbage/kale and green onions, cook until cabbage is tender about 5-8 minutes. 
• In  large bowl add potatoes, onions/cabbage mixture, cream, bacon bits, parsley, butter, salt and pepper. With a hand mixer beat potato mixture until well mixed. Serve immediately or keep warm in an ovenproof pan or bowl. 

Irish Coffee
Perhaps the most famous Irish drink is the Irish coffee. Over 100 versions of this popular drink exist, including non-alcoholic Irish drink recipes.
Irish coffee was invented by Limerick chef Joseph Sheridan in 1942 to welcome Americans visiting Ireland. The travelers arrived in the west of Ireland on a cold winter night, so Sheridan added whiskey to their coffee to warm them up, telling the Americans they were being served Irish coffee.
A San Francisco Chronicle travel writer, Stanton Delaplane, brought the recipe back to the U.S. after drinking Irish coffee at Shannon Airport. It was first served at the Buena Vista Café in San Francisco on November 10, 1952.

Irish Coffee

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz. of Irish whiskey e.g. Jameson 
• 5-7 oz. hot coffee or 2 shots of espresso
• 1-2 tsp. brown sugar
• Fresh whipped cream

Directions:

• Run hot water slowly over a glass mug until it’s at room temperature or hotter, and then dry it (pouring hot coffee into a cold glass could cause it to crack) or use a regular coffee mug.
• Add brown sugar to mug
• Pour in whiskey
• Add coffee or espresso, leaving room at top for whipped cream
• Stir until sugar is completely dissolved
• Set whipped cream on drink
• Do not stir (drink stays warmer longer with the cream sitting on top)
• *To make cold Irish coffee chill the sweetened coffee before adding the whiskey

Copycat recipe: Mc Donald's Shamrock Shake

recipe makes 2-12 oz. cups

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1-1/4 cups low fat milk
• 1/4 tsp. mint extract (NOT peppermint)
• 8 drops green food coloring 

Directions:

• Add ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.

Baileys Irish Coffee Drop

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Baileys Irish Cream
• 0.5 coffee liqueur (such as Kahlua)

Directions:

• In a cocktail shaker with ice, shake ingredients and serve drink over ice. 
• optional topping whip cream