Recipes – Backyard Brilliant

As a grandmother to 6 fabulous kids, I'm always on the look-out for new and fun ideas to add to existing family traditions. March offers the opportunity of St. Patrick's Day! St. Patrick's Day began as a religious feast for the patron Saint of Ireland, and is celebrated on March 17, the date of his death. Are there any kids out there who do not like to make a mess with grandma...(otherwise known as cooking!) I consulted various recipes in my files, (not the techno savvy files but the old fashioned clipped recipes covering the past 15 years) and came up with several options. Soda bread, corned beef and cabbage, and Blarney Stones were the front runners. I quickly deleted the cabbage-- knowing this particular group of kids, and then tried the soda bread which was delicious with soup. However, I needed something a little more exciting to make with the grandkids, so I settled on the Blarney Stones. The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone located at Blarney Castle, built in 1200AD. Built into one of the walls on the third story is the Stone of Eloquence, the Blarney Stone. Kiss it and you'll never be at a loss for words! At the end of the post you'll find a picture of Blarney Castle. This recipe appeared in the 2002 edition Taste of Home and I used the original recipe for the cake and modified the icing recipe. I have noted the changes I made in the frosting. Blarney Stones 4 eggs 1-3/4 c. sugar 1 t.vanilla extract 1-3/4 c. all purpose flour 3 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt 1 c. milk 1/4 c. butter, melted Frosting 7-1/2 c. confectioners' sugar *used 4c. 2/3 c. milk *used 1/3 c. 2 t. vanilla *used 1 t. 1/8 t. salt * a pinch 6 c. finely chopped peanuts *needed all the nuts but added 1/4 c. softened butter to the frosting. Directions In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until thick and lemon-colored, about 4 minutes. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to egg mixture. Beat on low speed just until combined. Beat in milk and butter. Pour into a greased 13x9" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool on a rack. Cut into squares. Freeze the cut squares overnight. For frosting, beat all the ingredients, except the nuts, until smooth. Frost the top and sides of frozen cake squares; roll in peanuts. Place on wire rack or tray to set. Yield, about 2 dozen. The Blarney Stones tasted great! The cake is almost a sponge cake and the addition of the butter to the frosting adds flavor and a creamy texture. For those of you with a peanut allergy, you can use rice krispies instead. Once frosted these Blarney Stones were on the large size. I would reduce the size of your square to about 1". Cutting the Blarney this small makes for lots of Blarney stones!! Every cooking experience with grandchildren (ages 7, 5, and 3) presents lots of learning opportunities. The oldest was able to tell me how many 1/4 cup measures we needed to make a cup, the younger ones kept track of the counting, and everyone practiced waiting and taking turns. I'm not sure if this recipe will be a regular St. Patrick's Day tradition with my grandchildren, but it allowed an opportunity to experience the rhythm of the seasons, face to face interactions, and a connection between the generations. Grammie Extrordinaire . . .and that's no Blarney!