Hello My Sweet Blog Friends,

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope everyone is wearing a bit of green today. I think it's a fun holiday. My kids are going to wear green and celebrate St. Patrick's Day. When I lived in New York I enjoyed the St. Patty's Day Parade.

I also hope that those of you who have kids are enjoying Spring Break. I am thrilled that my kids have a week off from school. It gives me time to catch up on things and relax a bit too. I will be posting Easter eggs and bunnies in the next day or two. Easter is another fun holiday I look forward too.
I sure hope that all of you who have had tons of snow will soon have lots of sunshine. I've had gorgeous weather here in West Palm and am so grateful for it.
Sorry I don't have green products to share, but here are a few Martha Stewart St. Patty's Day recipes and other recipes I thought might be fun to make.

Pasta and White Beans with Broccoli Pesto

prep: 15 mins

total time: 25 mins
servings: 4
INGREDIENTS

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 bunch broccoli, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
10 ounces short pasta, such as fusilli
5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 ounce Parmesan, finely grated (1/4 cup), plus more for serving (optional)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
1/2 small garlic clove
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
DIRECTIONS
Step 1

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook broccoli until tender and bright green, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to a food processor. Return water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.
Step 2

To food processor, add oil, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, parsley, and garlic. Puree until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down side as needed. Transfer pesto to pot with pasta. Stir to coat, adding enough reserved pasta water to make a creamy sauce. Stir in beans and heat over medium until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan, if desired.

Here is a yummy cookie recipe:

Clover Cookies

INGREDIENTS

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Green sanding sugar

DIRECTIONS

Step 1

Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl; set aside. Combine butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment; cream on high speed until fluffy. Beat in eggs
Step 2

Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two additions, mixing until well combined. Mix in vanilla. Divide dough in half, and cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.
Step 3

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out 1 piece of dough on a lightly floured work surface 1/8 inch thick. With a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut out 25 rounds. Working with 1 round at a time, place clover stencil on top; sprinkle surface with sanding sugar.

Step 4

Arrange rounds on parchment- or nonstick baking mat-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes, or until ready to bake. Repeat process with remaining dough.
Step 5

Bake, one sheet at a time, until edges just start to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

And last, but not least I thought I would share a yummy Shamrock Shake.

Homemade Shamrock Shake

Yield: 2 shakes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups of your favorite vanilla ice cream
1½ cups whole milk
½ teaspoon mint extract
Green food coloring (enough to get the shade of green you want)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth and blended. Divide between two glasses, top with whipped cream and enjoy!

(Recipe adapted from The Family Kitchen)