St. Patrick's Day

It seems only fitting to post something about this very green holiday today.  So here are some facts you may not know about St. Patrick's Day.

- I just overheard that people eat Green Mashed Potatoes on this holiday, I've never heard of eating green mashed potatoes

- It is a holiday to celebrate Irish culture

- It is a traditional holiday for spiritual renewal

- Saint Patrick is credited for bringing Christianity to Ireland

- Saint Patrick is most commonly know for driving snakes from Ireland

- Below is a stained glass window from  a church in Dublin that portrays Saint Patrick

(Here is a website dedicated to St. Patrick's Day if you'd like to find out some more interesting facts http://www.st-patricks-day.com/ )

 

The Importance of Shoes

Imagine for a minute what your feet would be like without shoes. 

Did you think of much? 

Well let's start out with an easier question rather than jumping right in.  What do we use shoes for?  Well many would say to cover our feet, or to protect our feet from the outside elements.  This is true, but why do you buy shoes then?  Most women would say "Because they're really cute and I have the perfect top to match them" and most men would say "Because the pair I have on are falling apart and my mother/wife is nagging me about getting new ones", two very different answers for buying a pair of shoes, that are simply for protecting our feet. 

But where would we be without shoes?  I know I would have some pretty sore feet.  As for today they would also be very wet, as it is raining right now.  Your feet would be burnt and calloused in the summer from walking on the hot pavement and they would be blue and possibly missing a toe or two in the winter from walking in the snow. 

Sometimes we under value things that mean a great deal to our daily lives.  We kick them off when we get home not bothering to untie them and throw them to the back our closet when we are "cleaning" our rooms or houses. 

This is something to think about today, why are shoes important to you?  What do your shoes mean to you? 

Adventures in Cooking

I am really enjoying cooking right now so I decided to make some desserts yesterday.  I made eclairs and key lime cupcakes.  The cupcakes were just a mix from a box, but I made the eclairs from scratch.  So I'll tell you about that recipe. 

I had made these once before for a foods day in my french class in high school and I kind of just winged it and did my own sort of recipe, so here is my improvisation taken from a cookbook and a youtube video. 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of water
3 oz butter, 6 tbsp
1 cup flour
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
4-5 eggs
1 box Instant Vanilla Pudding, jello brand (any flavor with do)
1 conatiner chocolate icing





*Picture - two of the eclairs, and one of the cupcakes (that is a pot of gold on the cupcake for St. Patrick's Day)*
Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees (Fahrenhiet).  Bring milk, water, and butter to a roiling boil.  Add salt, sugar and flour once boiling. 
2.  Stire with a wooden spoon until the dough rolls into a ball shape. 
3.  Remove from heat.
4.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, and mix until a thick mixture.  (You may not need all 5 eggs, you may only need 4)
5.  Put mixture into a plastic bag with one corner cut out and form into "fingers" (about the length and width of a finger) on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
6.  Put into oven at 450 for 10 minutes.
7.  Turn pan around, lower temperature to 375, put in for 15 minutes.
8.  Let cool.
9.  Make instant pudding for filling. 
10.  Add chocolate, or other desired topping, on top. 

I have a few extra tips for making these because it can be tricky, especially the first time.
1.  After the eclairs have cooled, use a straw, such as one you would get at a McDonald's. to poke a hole through one end of the eclair, but do not push the straw through the other end, this make filling the eclairs with the filling much easier.
2.  When you are ready to add the topping, if it is icing, I reccommend heating up the container of icing, without the lid, for 15 seconds.  This loosens it up just enough to make it easier to spread on, but doesn't make it too runny so that it runs off the top. 
3.  You can also add fruit to the top of the eclairs, I used strawberries this time. 
4.  You can also make substitutes for the pusing inside, you can use a jam or jelly as well as any flavor of pudding. 

If you try it out, leave a comment and let me know how it turns out!