How to Make a Hearty St. Patrick's Day Buffet

St. Patrick's Day, March 17, is the day we celebrate the Irish culture. What better way to celebrate St. Patrick's day than with a party! The Luck o' the Irish is already with you, since St. Patrick's day is on a Saturday this year! Wear some green, have some friends over, and enjoy St. Patrick's day with a St. Patrick's Day buffet.

For the main course serve a hearty Irish Stew. For dessert, delight in the delicious St. Patrick's Day fudge you used as a centerpiece before dinner. And after dinner, a warm, satisfying Irish Coffee tops it all off.

The food is easy to prepare ahead of time, and inexpensive. Plus, the St. Patrick's Day fudge doubles as your St. Patrick's Day centerpiece on your buffet. All in all, it's a no-fuss holiday meal so you can spend your day enjoying good friends, good times, and good food.

St. Patrick's Day Fudge/Centerpiece

This centerpiece decoration is a no-fail microwave fudge in the shape of a big shamrock. To make it green, you can either make an easy vanilla icing, colored green, or else color some flaked coconut green, and cover the shamrock with the coconut. Two variations are presented -- a mint variety without nuts, which goes well with the coffee, and the regular chocolate nut fudge, an age-old favorite flavor.

I've used this fudge for many holidays, shaping and decorating it according to whichever holiday applied, and it has never failed to please. It's also very easy and quick to make. Here's the recipe:

2 8 oz packages of semi-sweet baking chocolate squares
1 tsp vanilla
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup pecans or walnuts (optional)
a few drops of mint flavoring (optional, if you want chocolate mint fudge -- no nuts in this variation)

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate pieces and the condensed milk at 100% power until the chocolate is almost melted. This will take about a minute or two, depending on your microwave. Stir together to completely melt the chocolate and mix. Add the vanilla. Add the nuts or mint flavoring as desired.