St. Patrick’s Snack Ideas for Your Household and Designated Visitors
By: Maria Garcia Manzano
Photo Credits: Google Images
As with all prior holidays, this St. Patrick’s Day will be different from previous years. Last year during this time, Brandon was beginning to enter the Covid-19 era. Under current restrictions, households can have either another household visit or two designated visitors. Outdoor gatherings can be up to ten people. With beautiful weather forecasted for St. Patrick’s Day, I thought it would be a good idea to provide you with some green-themed snack ideas. These are perfect for you to share with your household and designated visitors. I believe that sharing delicious food with loved ones can help take our minds off that for a year now, we have lived during a global pandemic that has drastically changed our way of life. I will provide four recipes for green-themed savory snacks that will help lift your spirits!
1. Green Stuffed Pepper
Stuffed peppers are a great appetizer for St. Patrick’s Day as they fit with the green theme of the holiday and are generally liked by all. They are a tasty quick and easy snack to make.
Ingredients:
6 green bell peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
1-pound ground turkey
2 cups cooked rice (see note in the post for tips and tricks)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups pasta sauce
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the tops off of the peppers, remove the ribs and seeds, and then dice the tops of the peppers.
Place the hallowed-out peppers in a large bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cover with a plate and microwave for 7 to 10 minutes. Be very careful when you remove the plate as there will be a lot of steam.
While the peppers cook, heat a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. Add the chopped bell pepper tops and garlic. Sauté until soft, about five to seven minutes.
Add the ground turkey and break up as you cook it. Season with onion powder, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook until the meat is no longer pink.
Stir in the cooked rice, pasta sauce, and one cup of the mozzarella cheese. Taste the mixture and add more salt and pepper to taste. Divide the mixture between the five hollowed out bell peppers. Top with the remaining cheese.
Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Serve immediately.
2. Spinach & Artichoke Cups
Spinach cups are easy and festive, everyone will be sure to love them! You can either buy Tostitos scoops from the store and reduce your workload or you can make your own shells. You can also fill them with store bought spinach dip (again easier option) or you can make your own.
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 (10-oz.) package frozen spinach, defrosted and chopped
1 c. canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella
1/4 c. grated Parmesan
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tube crescent dough
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a mini muffin tin with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out crescent dough, pinching seams together. Cut into 24 squares. Place squares into muffin tin slots and spoon 1 tablespoon of dip into the dough. Top with remaining mozzarella.
Bake until pastry is golden and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes
3. Jalapeno Potato Poppers
They are a staple party snack and they fit in with the green-themed. While these are typically served in bigger gatherings, I am sure your household and designated visitors will have no problem eating all of them by yourselves!
Ingredients:
15 small red potatoes approximately 1 pound
6 slices bacon
4 ounces cream cheese softened
1/4 cup jalapeno chopped into small pieces + additional to slice
1 cup cheddar cheese
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°.
Wash potatoes and dry with a paper towel. Poke each potato once or twice with a fork. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until tender.
While potatoes bake, cook and crumble bacon, dice 1/4 cup jalapenos and cut 30 thin slices.
Let cool enough to handle. Cut each potato in half, scoop out insides with a melon baller, leaving a thin layer of potato close to the skin. Place inside of potato in a medium bowl.
Add cream cheese, bacon, and jalapenos to the potato, mix well.
Divide filling among potato halves. Top with cheddar cheese and one jalapeno slice; bake for 20 minutes.
Serve warm.
4. Leprechaun Bark
So far, we have covered our salty and cheesy basis. However, if you have a sweet tooth this sweet addition is sure to conquer it! Leprechaun bark is easy to make and this recipe will save you even more time since it is a no-bake recipe.
Ingredients:
Rainbow Candy
Lucky Charms Cereal
Gold Cake Decorations
White Chocolate
Green Candy Melts
Instructions:
Melt the white chocolate and green candy melts in separate bowls. Melt them by putting them in the microwave for 1 minute on high heat. Spread a white later and then a green layer and decorate with your St. Patrick's Day-themed candy.
Freeze until hard and then break apart to eat. Super simple, super tasty and fun.