So this St. Patty's day I decided to keep things simple, since I'm throwing this shindig together pretty quickly. All of our parties could probably be considered "open house" parties, but this time I am actually going to treat it as such. This is kind of a busy week for me, but I guess that's a relative term for all of you, so keeping things simple is a must. To start things off, I shot out a message to all of my usual suspects that of course had an Irish flair to it. I advised them that dinner, drinks and dessert would be provided, and asked everyone to bring an appetizer or side dish to share. The doors will open at 6 pm and people can come and go as they please. Since most of our friends have kids (and so do we), I will make sure this party is family friendly, at least until about 9ish. Then it will turn into adult time.
Food & Drink
For dinner I have decided to make a dish I absolutely loved while in Ireland, beef and Guinness stew. I plan on making it in the slow cooker first thing in the morning so I don't have to cook anything when my guests arrive. I know not everyone will be eating so I found a recipe that should serve about 8 to 10 people. For the recipe I use, click here.
For dessert, I am making two types of cupcakes. First...Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes (gasp)!! I have made these little beauties before and they are spectacular if a little strong. They start with Guinness chocolate cake, filled with Irish Whiskey ganache, and are topped off with Bailey's Irish Cream frosting. These are definitely an adults only dessert. A little tip, go light on the frosting because it is super sweet. Spread a thin layer with a spatula or if you want to get fancy with it, a piping bag with a star tip making little dots close together would be nice. This is the recipe I have used successfully. My second dessert is appropriate for everyone. I found them on Pintrest months ago and have been dying to make them. These cute little shamrock cupcakes are easier to make than they look. All it takes is a little green food coloring in your favorite white or yellow cake mix and some strategically placed marbles. If you want to make your cake from scratch this is the original recipe I found. The cupcakes can be made a few days before the party or the day of if you have time, just remember to refrigerate them. I will be making them ahead. Be sure to bring them to room temperature before serving. That way all components will be nice and fluffy and the flavors will not be muted by the chill.
If i have time, I might make an Irish Flag Veggie Tray, using green, white, and orange vegetables with some kind of green dip. Green goddess salad dressing, guacamole, or really any veggie dip you like would work. There are some great ones on Pintrest.
Make sure you have some Irish beer on hand to be festive. Guinness is very popular, but it's too much for the likes of me. If you're in the same boat, I discovered Smithwicks (pronounced "Smith-icks", the w is silent) on our first day in Ireland. It's still a dark beer, but it's much lighter than Guinness. You can also do another one of my favorites a Black & Blue. Obviously similar to a Black & Tan, however instead of Bass you would use Blue Moon as your base and float the Guinness on top. Of course, no St. Patty's day wold be complete with out green beer! All you need is your favorite pilsner (Coors, Miller, etc.) or pale ale and some green food coloring. If beer isn't your thing try serving appletinis, grasshoppers, or Jameson & Ginger.
Decorations
For time's sake the decor will be simple. My door will have a "Snakes Prohibited" sign and, I will make a blarney stone out of foam that my guests can kiss. I will probably get a few Mylar balloons because those are Caleb's favorite (he loves the crinkly sound). However, I will of course be all decked out in green and whatever ridiculous things I can find. I have a Party City right around the corner from my house along with a Dollar Store, so things could get ca-razy! I usually look for green beads, funny glasses or hats, leis, or something for those who come and don't look as awesome as I do. Ha ha! This is what I looked like for a party in 2011. Mustaches are big this year so that might have to happen.
Games & Kids Stuff
For any small ones that come to the party looking for something to do, I try to have a few kid friendly things on hand so that their parents can relax and visit a bit. I will have some temporary tattoos, themed coloring pages, green glow sticks, and fun stamps. I even found this awesome craft in Parenting magazine to make red beards on sticks. That would be a great photo opp! If your friends are the dancing kind, try having an Irish Jig contest. Have the video camera on hand for that one. You can have a pin the shamrock on the leprechaun. For adults, every time someone misses the designated shamrock placement (get creative), that person has to do a shot.
Well I hope these ideas will help your St. Patrick's Day bash get off to a good start. Remember to relax and have fun yourself. It's o.k. to delegate tasks so you don't have to do all the work yourself. Do as much ahead of time as you can.
My friends are the best friends
Loyal, willing and able.
Now let’s get to drinking!
All glasses off the table!
Sláinte!
