Mac & Cheese for St. Patrick's Day

Every St. Patrick's Day I look for an Irish dish to make that is NOT Corned Beef and cabbage. It's not that I don't like Corned Beef, but I'm really the only one in my family who does, so we always end up with a lot of leftovers that I'm not interested in eating all on my own.

This year I happened upon this Irish Colcannon Mac and Cheese, and I knew immediately that was this year's dish. Mac and cheese is always a good idea, and with an Irish twist? I dig it.

This mac and cheese had a lot of steps. I felt like I was constantly referring back to the recipe and immediately forgetting and having to get right back to read it again. There are also a lot of dirty dishes to clean up afterwards, and I saved at least one by using precooked bacon bits. I recommend any shortcuts you can find in the process. This recipe may also be one that is better printed on paper than read on a screen.

This was yummy. I didn't even notice the cabbage in the dish once it was cooked. If you wanted to make it more festive, you could use corned beef instead of the bacon, and I bet it would be very tasty.

To end on a strong (and green) note, I made Lucky Charms bars. The family really loved these. I used my usual Krispie Bars recipe (1/2 cup salted butter, 16 oz marshmallows, one box of rice krispie cereal). Before adding the cereal, I picked out a handful of the fun marshmallows for the top. I also added a hearty handful of mini  marshmallows with the cereal.