Lucky Me!

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
~Irish Blessing

"What do you get when you cross poison ivy with a four leaf clover?  A rash of good luck!" -unknown
 

     Here's another month block from Art to Heart.  The cute wire quilt holders come from Ackfeld Wire. 

 

     Check out this quilt.  It was made from a panel from a line called Garden Song from Benartex.  The pattern has a border made from tulip blocks.

     I thought it would be fun to post some green recipes to help celebrate this month.  Not a lot of people care for split pea soup but I really like it so it gets included.

Split Pea Soup With Ham

 

2 ¼  cups (1 lb.) dry green split peas              ¼ tsp. pepper

8 cups cold water                                            ¼ tsp. dried marjoram, crushed

3 tsp. chicken bouillon granules                      ½ tsp. smoked paprika

2 cups diced ham                                            2 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped                              2 medium carrots, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced                                    1 bay leaf

½ tsp. Italian seasoning                                   seasoned croutons

pinch of thyme                                               

            Rinse dry green split peas.  In a large heavy pan, combine peas, water, bouillon, ham, onion, Italian seasoning, thyme, pepper, dried marjoram, paprika and bay leaf.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover; simmer for 1 hour.  Stir occasionally.   Stir in carrots and celery.  Cover; simmer 30 minutes more.  Season to taste with salt if desired.   Top with seasoned croutons when serving.  Serves  8-10.  You can also put all ingredients (except croutons) in crockpot and cook on high for 6-8 hours or until soup has thickened to desired consistency and peas are cooked.

     This salad was served at a Women's function in our area.  It was so good I had to ask for the recipe.

 

Spinach Bow Tie Pasta Salad

1 (12 oz.) pkg. bow tie pasta

3 chicken breasts, cooked and seasoned, diced

1 bag fresh spinach

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Craisins

Almonds

Dressing:

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup vinegar

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce

3 Tbspn. sugar

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Gently toss salad ingredients together and pour dressing on before serving.  Use as many almonds, craisins and dressing as desired.

     Last of all, here is a delicious green cake recipe.  It comes from Taste of Home.

 

 

Wearing O' Green Cake Recipe

 

One bite of this moist, colorful cake and you'll think you've found the pot o' gold at the end of the rainbow. It's the perfect dessert to round out your St. Patrick's Day feast. —Marge Nicol, Shannon, Illinois

 

Wearing O' Green Cake Recipe

• Prep: 25 min. Bake: 30 min. + cooling
• Yield: 12-15 Servings

 

Ingredients

• 1 package white cake mix (regular size)
• 2 packages (3 ounces each) lime gelatin
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup cold water
• TOPPING:
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• Green sprinkles

Directions

• Prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. In a small bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water; stir in cold water and set aside.
• With a meat fork or wooden skewer, poke holes about 2 in. apart into cooled cake. Slowly pour gelatin over cake. Cover and refrigerate.
• In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes (mixture will be thick). Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cake. Decorate with sprinkles. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 12-15 servings.

Originally published as Wearing O' Green Cake in Taste of Home February/March 2005, p21
 

 

 

 

     Since everyone is so interested in finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow this month, I thought I would post a little bit about the book called Mama's Bank Account.  This is a fun little book about a family whose parents came from Norway and settled in San Francisco.  It tells of all their little secrets of how they saved and earned money.  The "Mama" in the book is a delightful character who you just can't help but admire. 

We had a fun family outing to the bowling alley.  And I tried something new-- the boys talked me into playing laser tag.  It was really fun.  I'd do it again in a minute.