FOLEY'S FOLLIES

Monday, March 15, 2010

St. Patty's Party!!!

Time for the 2nd annual St. Patrick's Day Party hosted by Kathleen at Cuisine Kathleen...Make sure you stop by her blog and link up to all the bloggers who are celebrating right along.

I'm lucky enough to be Irish on both sides of the family.  Anyone traveling to Ireland will no doubt see pubs for both the Foleys and Lynch's.  My niece, Abby, is in Ireland as we speak.  She left on Saturday and I'm anxious to hear about how she celebrated St. Patrick's in the "homeland"




An Irish dish that always looked so good to me was the "Shepherds Pie"... I wanted to try this simple recipe but also did not want such a big dish.  So the answer was to make Individual Shepherds Pie, A Taste of Home recipe.  Actually, by tradition a Shepherds Pie is to have lamb, and if you use ground beef it is know as Cottage Pie.  But I am still calling it Shepherds Pie!  They turned out so cute and tasty...and best of all they taste just as good warmed up the next day!




Now the TREATS !!!!   These are Mini-Mallow Chocolate Cups, also from Taste of Home.  I changed these up by using mint extract and folding in some mini Andes mint chips.  Topping them off with the mini chips, edible glitter and shamrock quins.  It was a labor of love making the little chocolate cups...time consuming but well worth it.





Love working with some of the molds I have, I made little containers out of white and green wafers..filling them with chocolate mousse, then topping them with an assortment of mint flavored molded designs.  What's great about these desserts is that everything is edible!





Had some mousse left over - so dressed up some of my pretty glassware..of course my Annalee Shamrock doll had to be included..





No Irish Beer or Irish Whiskey, just a creamy grasshopper...



My favorite Irish china




And of course, the manufacturer is....



Wishing everyone a very Happy St. Patricks Day,
 may the Luck of the Irish be with you all....



Leaving you with one of the all time favorite Irish songs My Mom loved... Danny Boy


Also take the time to stop by JanMary's blog , HERE, for a St. Patricks Carnival...
you won't be disappointed!!



31 comments:

Lori @ Dining Delight said...

Loved looking over your pics with "Danny Boy" playing - it is one of my fav Irish tunes and added just the right feeling when viewing your photos. Yummy looking food and beautiful dishes!
DD

Lori said...

I want one of those pies. Love Danny Boy too!

Beth said...

Thanks for stopping by and glad to meet you! This is my first visit to your blog, but it won't be my last. The chocolate mousse looks beautiful - I love your presentation! Great post for Kathleen's St Patrick's Day blog crawl!
Beth

Marigene said...

The shepherds pie looks really good. I never would have thought to make individual ones, something I will be trying...that mousse...yummy! Your china is beautiful...you should do a TT with it!

susan said...

I Had to listen to "Danny Boy"--I love to hear it! I am in awe of your desserts. The molds and edible containers are fabulous! I love TOH magazine too. I liked the old layout better, but still enjoy it. The recipes are so "doable". The filling layer in my brownies is mint too :) Happy St Patrick's day--I'm Irish too :)

Rettabug said...

I'm with you, Honey...forget the beer & whiskey...I'll take one of those awesome desserts! Each one is simply beautiful!

I'm dying to try making my own chocolate cups. Soon...maybe for Easter! Thanks for sharing yours.

Happy St. P's Day,
Rett

Cynthia said...

Barb, fun post, Barb ...
From the signs (I love the second one.) ...

to the Sheperd's pies (What a great idea to make individual ones.) ...

to the desserts (The containers made mold are so fun, and all the goodies look fantastic. I could lap up that mousse and want more.) ...

and finally, your beautiful Late Foley Shelley china and your darling Annalee mouse.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to a sweet Irish lassie.

Unknown said...

Those shepard's pies are precious and I lovee the Danny Boy :)

Blessings!
Gail

Kathleen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kathleen said...

You can be sure your niece is NOT celebrating the way Americans do! They think we are crazy..
A few gals from Ireland stopped in at the party and one linked a great video..so true! It is a holy day here.
I love the idea for indiv Shep Pie, and yes, remember last year when that guy corrected me because I used beef instead of lamb??
And the desserts look fabulous..
Thanks so much for doing all this for the Blog Crawl, my dear friend!
Slainte'

Unknown said...

Happy St Patrick's day from N Ireland.

I make shepherds pie with beef mince too - and still call it Shepherds Pie.

Danny Boy is my fave song too :)

ellen b said...

Oh the pies look deelish! How fun to have Foley items. Very cool. Lots of great green! Happy St. Patrick's Day to you...

Marsha said...

What a FUN post! hey, I had a drink with you and no one was under the table - maybe next time :)

The signs are funny but your irish china is so very beautiful and your food creations out of this world. I am sure the individual pies are as good as they look but being a chocolate lover I am blinded by those desserts!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday!

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

I was laughing as I read the signs at the beginning of this post. But... I have never listened to the song "Danny Boy" without tears in my eyes. Between those scenic photos and the song, I was crying at the end of the post. That was beautiful! And so is your food. You are a creative genius with food. Those individual "shepherd's pies are brilliant. I cannot imagine the work that went into making those beautiful chocolate cupcake holders! And what pretty Irish china (obviously made by one of your ancesstors!)laurie

A Grain of Salt said...

Barb, what a great post... fantastic idea for the individual Shepherd's pies. Wow, you went all out on the treats, just beautiful! Happt St. Pat's to you, Lass!

Debbie@Mountain Breaths said...

Barb, you must have spent a week in the kitchen :-) Great idea on the individual shepherd's pies. Joe will like them :-)

What a wonderful collection of Late Foley Shelley china!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you! Another wonderful Irish Lass. You can co-chair with Kathleen next year :-)

Elaine said...

I prefer shepherd's pie to a corned beef dinner. That mousse looks yummy too.

I'm a Foley too. My dad is a Foley and my mom is a Walsh. So I'm Irish on both sides too.

Have a wonderful celebration.

Joanne Kennedy said...

Oh yum! Now I'm hungry! Everything looks so good. Just like the pictures in a cook book!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hugs,
Joanne

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful party you are having. I just adore that cup and saucer you are showing. Happy St. Paddy's Day.

Willow

Kammy said...

Such fun ! I love anything with chocolate !! You do know how to celebrate ....
Happy St Patty's Day - are you wearing green??
*Pinch*
Kammy

Sevenbeads said...

One of the nicest Danny Boys I've ever heard. What a voice! Thank you.

I enjoy your blog.

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

Great post, Barb!

I remember that little Irish mouse and cocktail ;)

What a great idea to make mini Shepherd's pies and those desserts! Oh My! I would love one of each, please. Of course, I'd have to eat salads the rest of the week but it would be so worth it. Those little molds make such wonderful edible decorations.

I didn't know you had a dish pattern named for you - LOL!

Andrea at Opulent Cottage said...

Your food looks delicious! I hope you have a wonderful day!
Cheers, Andrea

elizabeth said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog - and leaving kind comments.
Your post made me sooo hungry for dessert!!

I have made those mini-shepherds pies before for parties etc and they are always a hit!!!
Will drop by again -
love the pictures of your kitties!!

Blondie's Journal said...

What a wonderful post. The shepherds pie looks delicious, but I am really craving the mousse!! Loved hearing Danny Boy, although it always makes me want to cry!!

Happy St. Paddy's Day! :-)

xoxo
Janie

Kim @ Starshine Chic said...

I love shepherds pie. I think I might just have to make some for dinner tonight. I loved everything you shared with us. Thanks! And thanks for visiting my blog & leaving me a comment. Happy St Patrick's Day to you!

Joyce said...

Good post and Happy St. Patrick's day to you. My maiden name is Lynch and when I visited Ireland I found out that Lynch was like Smith in America so I must be related to most of Ireland:) Such an amazing country with such friendly people. I would love to go back some day but lack or time and money prohibits a visit any time soon.
Joyce

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I made Shepard's pie for dinner tonight! It's a nice change from corned beef and cabbage. Your chocolate mousse looks so fabulous --wish I had some now!

♣ Happy St. Patrick's Day! ♣

Carrie said...

What delectable St. Paddy's Day treats!
The china is so special...

Mary Bergfeld said...

You've certainly put me in the mood for a celebration. Your meal, especially that gorgeous dessert, is picture perfect.

Anonymous said...

Shepherds pie is a family favorite here...always ground beef. Except for sometimes Venison but we still just call it Shepherds pie.
You had a lovely table~