There once was a party of eight

Who had themes for their dinner plate

This March cook with green

To keep the world clean

And St. Patty's we'll all celebrate!

Please bring your favorite green dish to the home of Ann & Jason!

Irish Flag Jello Shots & Mojitos:  Katie & Denis

With her Irish heritage, Katie brought some true "Go Green" spirit to our St. Patty's Day celebration!  Since it was the first time we had a Saturday night Culinary Couples at Ann & Jason's, we took advantage and started the night off right with some Irish Flag jello shots!

 
To follow, Katie & Denis made one of our favorite green drinks - Mojitos!  We kept Katie pretty busy for the first part of the evening, drinking the delicious Mojitos about as fast as should could make them!

And we can't forget the Green Flash IPA, Green Flash Hop Head Red, as well as the festive green bottled beers - Heineken & Stella!

Recipes:

Irish Flag Jello Shots:

·         3-4 Oranges

·         Lime Jell-O

·         1 cup boiling water

·         ½ cup vodka

·         ½ cup cold water (if you want them stronger replace cold water with additional ½ cup vodka)

Slice oranges in half and scoop out the insides.  Then lay oranges flat on a plate or tray.

Prepare Jell-O, add boiling water to mix and stir.  Once dissolved, add in vodka and cold water.  Mix.

Carefully pour Jell-O shot mixture into the orange halves.  Place in fridge overnight to solify.

Once solid, slice oranges into smaller segments and serve.

Mojitos:

·         12 fresh spearmint leaves

·         1/2 lime

·         2 tablespoons simple syrup

·         Ice

·         1 1/2 ounces light rum

·         Club soda

·         Lime wedge and mint sprig, for garnish

In a tall glass, muddle or mash together the mint leaves and lime. Add the simple syrup and fill the glass with ice. Add the rum and top with club soda, stir well. Garnish with a lime wedge and a sprig of mint.

Cilantro-Jalapeno Hummus:  Heather & Eric

Heather & Eric did not mess around when it came to bringing a green appetizer!  Their cilantro-jalapeno hummus with its 10-second delayed "kick" was a definite crowd-pleaser.

Served atop a cucumber and garnished with either cilantro or chives, it made a beautiful display of green!

Recipe:
http://www.food.com/recipe/cilantro-jalapeno-hummus-and-tabouli-a-la-pita-jungle-467047

Heather & Eric scored the sides of the cucumber with a fork before slicing them to give them an elegant look!

Green Chili Chicken Chimis, Arroz Verde & Cucumber Avocado Salad:  Ann & Jason

As you would expect, the main dish was everything green!  Ann had a long line of green products checking out of the grocery store!

Be sure to let your cucumbers "macerate" - according to Jason these cucumbers are not going to ejaculate themselves!

Recipes:

Green Chili Chicken Chimis:
Yields 8 servings

Herdez Salsa Verde
Greek yogurt
1 pound chicken
4 Anaheim chiles
8 oz package fat free cream cheese
8-16 oz shredded Mexican cheese
1 package taco seasoning

8 flour tortillas
Olive oil spray
Santa Cruz Green Chili Paste
1 cup chopped green onion
8 oz sour cream or Greek yogurt

We marinated the chicken overnight in half Herdez Salsa Verde and half Greek yogurt.  Before cooking the chicken, rinse off the yogurt.  Add more Herdez Salsa Verde and bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes until done.  Shred chicken and set aside.

Roast Anaheim chiles by putting under the broiler on high until their skins turn black.  Turn occasionally until all sides are roasted.  Put chiles in a plastic bag and seal tightly.  Put a kitchen towel around the bag.  Let the chiles set for at least 30 minutes.  Peal the skins off the chiles and discard the skins and seeds.  Chop the chiles coarsely.

Mix roasted chopped chiles and shredded chicken with cream cheese, Mexican cheese and taco seasoning in a large bowl.  Evenly divide the mixture among the 8 tortillas and fold each tortilla into a rectangular packet around the filling.

Spray all sides of the tortillas with olive oil spray.  Place a cooling tray on top of a baking sheet lined in tin foil.  Place the chimis on the cooling tray and put the cooling tray and baking sheet in the oven for 30-45 minutes on 350 until chimis are lightly browned and crispy. 

Meanwhile, make Green Chili Paste according to instructions on the jar. 

Let the chimis cool slightly before eating.  Place on a plate and ladle warm sauce over top.  Sprinkle with more Mexican cheese, if desired, green onions, and a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Arroz Verde:
Yields 8 servings

2/3 c tightly packed cilantro
1 1/3 c tightly packed fresh spinach leaves
1 2/3 c low-salt chicken broth
1 2/3 c milk
1 1/3 t salt
3 T unsalted butter
1 T olive oil
2 c long-grain rice (white or brown)
1/3 c finely minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced

Put cilantro, spinach, broth in blender and blend until the vegetables are pureed.  Add milk, salt and blend.

In med saucepan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat.  When butter is melted, add the rice and cook stirring about every 30 seconds until it just begins to brown, 3-4 minutes.  Add the onion and garlic and cook 1 min, stirring constantly.  Add the contents of the blender, stir well, turn heat to high, and bring to boil.  Cover the pan, turn heat to low, and cook according to instructions on rice package. 

Cucumber Avocado Salad:
www.theendlessmeal.com/cucumber-avocado-salad

Green Velvet Cupcakes:  Ryan & MJ

We finished off our "Go Green" celebration with the very green cupcakes brought to us by Ryan & MJ.  These were incredibly moist and covered in an amazing cream cheese frosting.  They made our tongues green and, according to Heather, they even make your teeth feel "furry"!

After dessert, Katie & Heather enjoyed some Green Tea while Ann & MJ finished off the Irish Flag jello shots!

Recipe:
http://www.withsprinklesontop.net/?p=1226