Make this St. Patrick's Day unforgettable with these Irish-inspired recipes. We've got freckle and soda bread, leprechaun pie, traditional Irish stew, green velvet cupcakes and more.

Sides and Appetizers

• Irish Brown Soda Bread This turn-of-the-century traditional Irish bread uses baking soda instead of yeast for a foolproof recipe perfect for St. Paddy's Day. Rolled oats and sweet buttermilk enhance the flavors of this rustic bread.
• Irish Freckle Bread This delicious, traditional soda bread recipe -- freckled with currants, raisins or cranberries -- is irresistible served warm with butter. It's ridiculously easy to make, even if you've never made bread before.
• Irish Soda Bannock This delightful scone-type bread is studded with festive dried fruit, such as raisins or currants. A traditional favorite for St. Patrick's Day, it also makes for a fun Christmas treat for the kids.
• Pot o' Gold Soup Carrot coins are hidden at the bottom of every bowl of this creamy golden soup. With every spoonful, you get just a little richer!
• Reuben Sandwiches These hearty grilled sandwiches are made with corned beef, Swiss, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing on rye and make a quick fix for lunches and light suppers. Serve them with a steamy bowl of soup, a zesty slaw or juicy pickles.

Dinner

• Creamy Colcannon Loaded with hearty cabbage, potatoes and leeks, this satisfying side dish is traditional St. Patrick's Day fare. If you like, you can substitute dark greens such as kale for the cabbage.
• Dublin Coddle Every Irish granny has her own variation of this comfort dish. Potatoes, sausages and bacon -- all staples of Dublin coddle. What's not to love?
• Quick Irish Stew Don't wait for St. Patrick's Day to enjoy satisfying Irish stew. This dish, full of tender chicken, potatoes, carrots, onion, mushrooms, mixed veggies and plenty of herbs and spices, makes a hearty homestyle stew in no time.
• Traditional Irish Stew Lean lamb is layered with potatoes and other veggies and baked to fork-tenderness. A perfect main dish for a St. Patrick's Day dinner, and a great way to introduce kids to a new meat.
• Irish Chicken Stew with Dumplings Nothing could be more comforting than a hearty homemade stew of shredded chicken and a medley of root vegetables, except, perhaps, if you threw in some delicious dumplings, which is exactly what we did.

Dessert

• Create Your Own Cupcakes Whip up a batch of these basic cupcakes and let them be the canvas for your child's imagination. With a little inspiration included, your little ones can decorate them to their heart's content with sprinkles, frosting and candies galore.
• Green Velvet Cupcakes Green through and through -- these cupcakes really are velvety and scrumptious. Have your kids decorate the tops for St. Patrick's Day with shamrocks made out of gumdrops and green licorice strings, or just sprinkle with green decorating sugar. Fun to make ahead for dessert of a yummy snack.
• Irish Flag Sugar Cookies Bring the luck of the Irish into your home for St. Paddy's Day with these crisp sugar cookies frosted to resemble the Irish flag. Or use cookie cutters to create sugary shamrocks or leprechauns instead.
• Leprechaun Pie Attract all the leprechauns in your neighbourhood with this heavenly green pie filled with white chocolate mousse. Flavoured with mint or vanilla, it's absolutely delicious for St. Patrick's day, or for dessert any day.
• Shamrock Cookies Let your little leprechauns in on the fun by baking up these pretty St. Patrick's Day shamrocks that get their gorgeous green color from instant pistachio pudding mix.

Beverages

• Emerald Isle Punch A magical layer of green foam floats on top of this pastel punch making it a perfect beverage for St. Patrick's Day. Refreshing as an Irish spring!
• Lime Punch This bright green punch, flavored with lime, pineapple, orange and ginger ale, makes a refreshingly festive drink for your next St. Paddy's Day, Halloween or Christmas party.
• St. Patrick's Day Punch With only two ingredients - lime sherbet and 7-up/Sprite, this tasty and thirst-quenching mix makes a perfect addition to your shamrock soiree.

Get ideas for St. Patrick's Day crafts, and try these fun coloring pages.

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