Tasty Tuesday

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It just so happens that this week's Tasty Tuesday is a recipe that I make every year for St. Patrick's Day. Actually, I made it this weekend for my St. Patty's Day party on Saturday, but that's just because I'm too busy to make it during the work week. It sounds a little strange, but it is fantastic!!!

Steak and Guinness Pie

Ingredients

1 pie pastry for double 10-12 in. pie
1 2-lb Round steak
1 TBSP Flour
1 TBSP Brown sugar
1 TBSP Raisins
1 small-med onion
1 bottle Guinness stout
8 Slices bacon
3 TBSP shortening
Directions

1. Cut the steak into bite sized cubes, roll in seasoned flour, and brown in the shortening with the bacon, chopped small.

2. Place the meat in a casserole, peel and chop the onions, and fry until golden before adding them to the meat. Add the raisins and brown sugar, pour in the Guinness, cover tightly and cook in a very moderate oven (325-350F) for 2 1/2 hours.

3. Stir occasionally, and add a little more Guinness or water if the rich brown gravy gets too thick. Meanwhile, line a deep pie dish with half the pie crust: bake it:

4. Add the Guinness/beef mixture from the casserole, cover with the top layer of pie crust, and bake until finished, probably about 10 more minutes.

Jason was my brilliant sous chef as he made the pastry look beautiful! Really, this dish is so tasty it's not even funny. After attending my party a few years back my friend Amy asked for my recipe and later that year made it for a family get together. The family had an "appetizer contest" and she made Guinness Pie for it. She won the contest with my recipe! It's a prize winning pie and worth a try.
Another delicious St. Patrick's Day recipe next week!

Getting Ready for St. Patrick's Day

This weekend I am having my almost annual St. Patrick's Day party. I'm not much of a holiday decorator, with the exception of Christmas, but over the years I have acquired many St. Patty's Day gifts that I put out for a festive party. I will share more with you later, but when I pulled out the box of decorations the other day, this one made me laugh out loud (just like it does every time).

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Wait for it...I promise it's worth it!

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That's right, it's a leprechaun toilet seat cover and rug. Once a year this leprechaun comes out of the garage and has a seat (ha, ha, get it?) in my guest bathroom. I even laugh when I get it set up. He is cute, but does sometimes frighten the guests who aren't expecting him to be there. This guy was a gift from the one and only Jason from The Jason Show. Every year he reminds me to put it out, but seriously how could I possibly forget the toilet seat leprechaun!

Tasty Tuesday

I made this as an appetizer for last weekend's Super Bowl. This is a regular staple in my appetizer repertoire an it's always a hit, plus it's super easy! Slàinte!

Mexican Cheese Dip
Ingredients
4 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 small can diced green chilies
dash of garlic powder
1 small can chopped olives
2 chopped tomatoes
tortilla chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. In a large bowl, stir cheese, mayo, chilies, and garlic powder until mixed thoroughly.
2. Add 1/2 can of olives to mixture. Save remaining olives for later.
3. Spread mixture into baking dish.
4. Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is melted and just bubbling, about 15 minutes.
5. Sprinkle chopped tomatoes and remaining olives over the top.
6. Serve with tortilla chips.

Sorry the picture is a little blurry because I was being knocked aside by football fans pushing and shoving to get to this dish. Before leaving, I wrote the recipe down for 3 other people. I promise you, it will be a hit!

Note: I know many of you are thinking, "I thought she didn't like mayonnaise?" That's right, I don't! I can't think about it too hard, but because it's all cooked up, I can't tell it's in the dip. The worse part is scooping it out of the jar into the bowl. My 1 cup measurement is always a bit skewed because I look away and sing really loud to myself so I don't have to see it or hear it. Once it's cooked up though, you never know it's there!