Irish Cream & Mint Iced Mocha

Chocolate, mint, Irish cream, & coffee- you simply cannot go wrong with this Irish Cream & Mint Iced Mocha for St. Patrick’s Day (or any day!)...

This post first appeared over at Real Housemoms where I’m a contributor.

Back in my younger days, St. Patrick’s Day used to be an all day celebration for me. It was a day filled with dancing to Irish bands, drinking green beer, and just basically acting like a fool. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but at least a good 7 or so years have passed since I pulled my last all day’er for St. Paddy’s Day. 





These days I might dance a goofy jig with my 4 year old and wear a little green, but long gone are those all day parties to celebrate our favorite Irish holiday. And long gone is my affection for pitchers of green-tinted beer too… thank goodness. I would much rather be sipping on one of these Irish Cream & Mint Iced Mocha’s nowadays. :)

This spiked iced mocha starts with a very simple to make Andes Mint infused vodka. You are literally a little vodka, a handful of Andes Mint, a glass jar, & 24 hours from having the best chocolate-mint flavored vodka ever. Then you shake that Andes Mint-infused vodka with a little Irish cream & your favorite espresso and pour over ice. 





Chocolate, mint, Irish cream, & coffee- you simply cannot go wrong with that flavor combo for St. Patrick’s Day no matter how you find yourself celebrating it this year...

Bailey's Nutella Mug Cake

Ready in less than 3 minutes, this Bailey's Nutella Mug Cake is a fudgy, yet fluffy chocolate cake for one that is drizzled with a simple Irish cream glaze...

For years, I have been celebrating St. Patrick's Day without giving it very little thought as to why. I mean, I am not Irish. (There may be a teeny fraction of a percent of Irish blood in me somewhere. ;) ) I am not Catholic. I have never even traveled to Ireland. But without fail it is a holiday that I gleefully and willingly take part in year after year. 

In my younger years, St. Patrick's Day was a blur of green beer, dancing to bands with Irish sounding names, and seeking out the nearest local "Irish" pub. In more recent times, it has become the perfect excuse to enjoy some of my favorite Irish-inspired foods. 

It wasn't until this past week that I actually asked myself why. Why do we- Americans who may be 100% Irish or 100% not Irish- celebrate St. Patrick's Day each and every year? The former history teacher in me got the better of me, and I did a little researching...

Irish Coffee French Toast Casserole {Spiked! Recipe Challenge}

St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow, and I know quite a few of you may be celebrating all things green tonight.  So I am giving you all an Irish Cream spiked french toast casserole that you can put together before you head out the door for the evening.  You just have to wake up tomorrow morning, preheat the oven, and then pop it in the oven.  No matter how much tonight hurts tomorrow morning, you all could manage that much, right? ;)

What you will need:

4 eggs, beaten

1 14 oz can of coconut milk

1 cup of strongly brewed coffee

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream

1 tsp vanilla

1 shot of Irish whiskey (I used Jameson. This is optional, but it isn't truly Irish coffee unless there is a little whiskey in it, right? ;))

About 8 slices of day old French or Italian bread (would also be great with Irish soda bread if you happen to have some of that lying around ;) )

Spray a 13x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat your 4 eggs.  Whisk in the coconut milk until well incorporated.

Add in the rest of the ingredients- the coffee through the whiskey- and continue whisking.  

Slice your day old bread into 8 thick slices.  Arrange the bread slices in a double layer in your prepared baking pan.

Now pour your egg/coconut milk/coffee mixture over top of the layered bread slices.  Using the back of a wooden spoon, press the down the bread slices into the liquid to make sure each layer is absorbing it.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning just preheat your oven to 350 degrees, take your french toast casserole out of the fridge, and bake for 40-45 minutes.   It should be somewhat set in the middle and the edges should be crispy and golden when done.

I served my Irish Coffee French Toast casserole with a simple sprinkling of powdered sugar. Fresh whipped cream would also be wonderful with this.

Tuesday marks the start of submissions for the second ever Spiked! Recipe Challenge.  I have to admit- I am pretty excited about the recipe ingredient for this month- Irish Cream!  Even if you happened to miss the Spiked! Challenge sign-ups, you can still get in on the fun.  Just be sure that the Spiked! button is in your actual post & you come back here to link up your Irish Cream spiked recipe posts on Tuesday and Wednesday. :)  You can grab the HTML for the button here.

Are you all ready for Tuesday's Spiked! Recipe Challenge submissions?  I can't wait to see everyone's recipes! :)

Irish Coffee French Toast Casserole

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: Overnight

Cook Time: 40-45 minutes

6043830

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 14 oz can of coconut milk
• 1 cup of strongly brewed coffee
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 shot of Irish whiskey (I used Jameson)
• About 8 slices of day old French or Italian bread

Instructions

Spray a 13x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat your 4 eggs. Whisk in the coconut milk until well incorporated.

Add in the rest of the ingredients- the coffee through the whiskey- and continue whisking.

Slice your day old bread into 8 thick slices. Arrange the bread slices in a double layer in your prepared baking pan.

Now pour your egg/coconut milk/coffee mixture over top of the layered bread slices. Using the back of a wooden spoon, press the down the bread slices into the liquid to make sure each layer is absorbing it.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning just preheat your oven to 350 degrees, take your french toast casserole out of the fridge, and bake for 40-45 minutes. It should be somewhat set in the middle and the edges should be crispy and golden when done.

Powered by Recipage

Spiked! ~Irish Cream Recipe Challenge~

It is no big secret that myself and my good foodie blogger friend, Julie from This Gal Cooks  love to cook and bake with alcohol.   Don't believe me?  Then make sure to check out my recipes for Slow Cooker Captain & Coke Pulled Chicken and Framboise Raspberry Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Buttercream.  Or Julie's Taco Soup and Cheddar Beer Bread.  

Julie & I have teamed up to bring you all a recipe challenge with a twist (of lime or lemon, if you please ;) )- your recipe must feature the alcoholic beverage being spotlighted that month! Every two months there will be a new Spiked! Recipe Challenge with a new featured boozy beverage.  March's featured ingredient is....  Irish Cream liqueur!  It only seems appropriate for the greenest and most Irish month of the year, right?  ;)  

So, let's get to the rules...

Julie and I would like for you to follow us via one of our many social media outlets.  Your choice- GFC, Bloglovin, RSS feed, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest... you get the idea.  Plus, following us both will keep you in the loop about upcoming dates for the challenges, announcements of winners, and so on.

You need to sign up by adding a link to your blog's home page in the linky at the end of this post.  Be sure to include your email address when adding your link- this is how we will email you all updates and reminders for the contest!

You must have the Spiked! button in your recipe post to be considered as an entrant.  It would also be SUPER awesome if you included the button on your sidebar, but it is not a requirement to win. ;)

<a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">href</span>="http://www.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">thefrugalfoodiemama</span>.com/p/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">spi</span>.html"><<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">img</span> border="0" <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">src</span>="http://i1163.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">photobucket</span>.com/albums/q543/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">jmurkerson</span>/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">SPIKEDRECIPECHALLENGE</span>_zps72efc014.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">png</span>" /></a>

The recipe you submit MUST BE YOUR OWN.  You can be inspired by another's recipe (and please include a link back somewhere in your post to that original recipe), but you must make that recipe your own in some way.

The recipe must feature the beverage of choice.  This month's Spiked! ingredient is Irish Cream.  It does not have to be a big name Irish Cream liqueur- you can use an off brand. Your recipe can be anything BUT a drink recipe.  You must cook or bake with the Spiked! ingredient.  

You must link up your Irish Cream recipe when the linky goes live on March 18, 2013 to be considered for judging.  The linky will remain open for just two days.  No entries will be accepted past that date.

All recipes will be judged by myself and Julie from This Gal Cooks.  
The winner will be announced one week after the entry linky has closed and will be emailed as well as announced on each of our blogs.  

The winner of the Spiked! Challenge will receive bragging rights of course, but there are a few other perks...

A Frugal Foodie Friends ad spot (250 x 300) with Frugal Foodie Mama for 30 days (starting April 1st)- plus a spotlight post on Frugal Foodie Mama featuring the winner, their winning recipe, and their blog!

A Friends of This Gal Cooks ad spot (250 x 100) with This Gal Cooks for 30 days.

Important Dates to Remember:
March 5th- Sign-ups start
March 11th- Sign-ups end
March 18th- Linky opens to submit your recipe entries (You will have only the 18th and 19th to link up!)
March 25th- The Spiked! Irish Cream Recipe Challenge winner will be crowned!

Spread the word!  Send out a tweet about the contest... We have made it super easy with the nifty little button below:)

Tweet