Minty green mini-cupcakes

by Amy
(Oregon)

1 white cake mix
can white frosting
green food coloring
Brach's green/white or green/chocolate star mints
pure peppermint oil
green food color
powdered sugar

cupcake liners
cookie press
ziplock freezer bag pint size
dish towel
hammer

Prepare cake mix according to box, color richly with food coloring, add 6-10 drops mint, according to taste.

Bake at 320F for 10-11 minutes, cool completely, dust with powdered sugar if you want a white base for your frosting decoration.

Add color and touch of mint to frosting. Color it to compliment the shade of the cake

Using shamrock design apply frosting shamrock in the center of each cupcake, or you can use a florette or other design.

Put candies in a ziplock bag and wrap in dish towel, use hammer to crunch up the candies to lightly sprinkle on the cupcakes.

Alternately, you can omit the powdered sugar and completely frost the cakes with white, green or chocolate frosting (mint added or not). You can also add a single mint in the center of the top instead of the crumbs.

YIELDS 48-54 mini cupcakes

Green Fruit Salad

Kiwi slices
Green grapes cut in half
Green apple
Cut kiwi into slices or small cubes. Cut green grapes in half. Wash green apple and leave the peel on. Cut apple in cubes. Mix ingredients together.

Green Snack Ideas

1. Go for fruit. There is a lot of green fruits that you can cut up into small pieces or make into a green fruit salad. Green grapes, green apples, kiwifruit, avocado.


2. Spreads. Tint cream cheese or white frosting with a small amount of green food coloring and have kids spread on crackers or oatmeal cookies.


3. Vegetables. The great thing about green is there are a lot of healthy green things to eat! Lettuce, cucumbers, celery, broccoli, green peppers, spinach and green beans. Snack on these individually or have kids make their own salad.


4. Green Jell-O.


5. Add green food coloring to bread dough, biscuits or soft pretzel dough. Shape and bake.


6. Make a green sour cream dip for your green vegetables.


7. Make a green milkshake.


8. Pickles and cheese cubes.


9. Make pistachio pudding and place in small plastic cups.


10. Add a few drops of green coloring to a cup of milk. Or add a little bit of pistachio pudding and stir.


11. Pesto pasta!


12. Green pancakes. Just add, yep you guessed it, green food coloring to your pancake batter. Try pouring your pancake batter into a clover shape.


13. Green eggs and ham.

Green Fruit Salad

Green Apple Snack

Green apple wedges

Cream cheese

Green food coloring

Tint the cream cheese with a few drops of green food coloring. Have the kids spread cream cheese on top of apple wedges. Enjoy a simple green snack.