I’ve always loved St. Patrick’s Day, I mean really, who doesn’t like a good pinch every now and then? I have a lil’ bit o’ Irish in my blood (something like 9 generations back, and there are conflicting accounts), so I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to host a “green” TEST NEST. Guests testers Mindy Booth, Jason & Erica Gardner (plus baby in tummy), Jane Madsen, David Caine, Tim Tanner and Sally Atkinson all came with their festive spirits (but I forgot to take a picture of everyone in green). Here are the results:

Mocktail: Mint Mojito (3 Star)

I’m sure that any Mojito recipe you could find would work great. I didn’t have a cocktail shaker or a way to press the mint leaves to release their flavor so I’ll have to keep working on this one. I used powdered sugar, which is a good substitute for superfine (caster) sugar. Of course you’ll want to squeeze fresh lime juice and use the sparkling water of your choice.

Appetizer: Crostini with Feta Chile Spread (4 Star)

This recipe is fairly easy to make and was full of flavor. If you have sensitive skin I’d recommend wearing gloves while peeling the chilies after blackening them. My hands were burning so bad that I had to go to bed with an ice pack wrapped around them.

1st Course: Leek Soup (4 Star)

I can’t find the exact recipe I used from William & Sonoma to link, but it called for leeks, onions, celery and one potato so it was a really simple leek soup, but the color turned out beautifully light green. I used croutons, fresh grated parmesan cheese and parsley for the garnish.

2nd Course: Chicken & Artichoke Fricassee with Morel Mushrooms (4.5 Star)

This recipe is full of complex flavors and is fairly intricate but not really difficult to make. This dish is expensive to make because of the Morel Mushrooms. I was first introduced to Morels by Bill Atkinson, so I had to call the expert to help me locate them. Since they were not in season I had to use dried Morels (still very expensive) and soak them in water. They turned out just as flavorful. If you’ve never had a dish with Morels I’d recommend trying one, they really are a prized delicatessen for gourmet cooking. If you hate mushrooms trying Morels will change your mind.

Dessert: Lucky Mint Brownies (5 Star)

I used a Hershey’s recipe for the Brownies and then my sis-in-law’s recipe for the mint frosting. The brownie was perfect and easy to make so I’ll probably stick to this one and continue to try lots of different toppings. One tester thought the icing was a little too thick but he was quickly overruled by the others who were of the opinion that you can take off the frosting if you’re someone who doesn’t like it as sweet.