Alas, leprechauns don’t deliver treats on St. Patrick’s Day (they could take a tip from the Easter Bunny). You’ll have to bake your own leprechaun gingerbread men.

Make your own gingerbread cookie recipe or use this one from Brown Eyed Baker for Grandma’s Molasses:

RECIPE: GINGERBREAD MEN

Ingredients For 30 Cookies

2. SCATTER butter pieces over flour mixture and process until mixture is sandy and resembles very fine meal, about 15 seconds. With machine running, gradually add molasses and milk; process until dough is evenly moistened and forms soft mass, about 10 seconds. (Alternatively, in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and baking soda at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer and add butter pieces; mix at medium-low speed until mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, about 1½ minutes. Reduce speed to low and, with mixer running, gradually add molasses and milk; mix until dough is evenly moistened, about 20 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.)

3. SCRAPE dough onto work surface; divide in half. Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll ¼-inch thick between two large sheets of parchment paper. Leaving dough sandwiched between parchment layers, stack on cookie sheet and freeze until firm, 15 to 20 minutes. (Alternatively, refrigerate dough 2 hours or overnight.)

4. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

5. REMOVE one dough sheet from freezer; place on work surface. Peel off top parchment sheet and lay it back in place. Flip dough over; peel off and discard second parchment layer. Cut dough into gingerbread people or round cookies, transferring shapes to parchment-line cookie sheets with a wide metal spatula, spacing them ¾-inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough until cookie sheets are full.

6. BAKE cookies until set in centers and dough barely retains imprint when touched very gently with fingertip, 8 to 11 minutes, rotating cookie sheet from front to back halfway through baking time. Do not overbake. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes, then remove with wide metal spatula to wire rack; cool to room temperature.

7. GATHER scraps; repeat rolling, cutting and baking in steps 3 and 5. Repeat with remaining dough until all dough is used.

6. DECORATE with royal icing once cookies are cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
 
ROYAL ICING RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SIFT together sugar and cream of tartar.

2. BEAT in 4 beaten egg whites with an electric mixer. Beat for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape.

3. TINT with food color as desired.

What a great accompaniment to a pre-dinner beer on St. Patrick’s Day! The “shamrock” is made with a shamrock cookie cutter and sliced avocado.

Who’d have thought to pair corned beef and avocado? The California Avocado Commission!

And they’re not just for St. Patrick’s Day. Serve them with a beer anytime with a regular slice of avocado on top; or use a different cookie cutter for other holidays.
 
 
RECIPE: SHAMROCK AVOCADO & CORNED BEEF BITES

Ingredients

1. MAKE the shamrocks. With the peel still on, slice four slices (¼-inch thick) from the sides of the whole avocado. Remove the pit from the center section and slice the avocado in half lengthwise. Then peel the slices.

2. USING a small shamrock-shaped cookie cutter, cut shamrock-shaped avocado pieces for each cracker. Cover the surface with plastic wrap so avocado doesn’t discolor; set aside.

3. PLACE the remaining avocado in a small bowl and stir in the pickles. Spread the avocado mixture on each cracker.

4. TOP with two squares of corned beef, then an avocado shamrock. Serve.
 
 
MORE IRISH-STYLE RECIPES

Vermont Smoke and Cure has added three new turkey flavors to its award-winning RealSticks collection.

Made from all-natural, humanely raised turkey, the new RealSticks flavors include Turkey Ancho, Turkey Honey Mustard and Turkey Uncured Pepperoni. They join BBQ, Chipotle, Cracked Pepper and Original.

For those who want an all natural, grab-and-go meat snack, the one-ounce sticks are easy to carry and easy to eat—no mess. They provide a boost of long-lasting energy for just 70 calories per stick, and 0-2 carbs depending on flavor. The products are gluten free and have no unpopular additives: no antibiotics, no hormones, no sodium nitrite, no preservatives, no soy and no MSG.

The snacks meet USDA school snack sodium guidelines, with 75% less fat and 50% less salt than leading brands.

RealSticks retail for $1.69 per 1-ounce stick or $29.95 per box of 24 sticks. You can find them at natural foods stores, select Whole Foods Markets, specialty outdoor retailers, and online at VtSmokeAndCure.com.

Avocado and sour cream on toast is a favorite breakfast of Chef Lorena Garcia.

The photo may look like poached eggs—which is another topping optionl.

But that’s tangy sour cream atop the chopped avocado.

And while it’s a south-of-the-border concept, where sour cream is called cremam it’s a great green dish for St. Patrick’s Day.

Not everything has to be corned beef, cabbage and soda bread!
 
 
RECIPE: AVOCADO TOAST WITH SOUR CREAM

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. TOAST bread. Top with avocado slices.

Delicious anytime, try it for breakfast on St. Patrick’s Day. Photo courtesy Chef Lorena Garcia.

[1] Deconstructed pasta carbonara. Here’s the recipe (photo © Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton).

[2] Deconstructed cheesecake maintains the flavors and textures of the original (photo © Garret Kern). See more from Garret Kern.

[3] Deconstructed blueberry pie à la mode from Linda Anctil (photo © Linda Anctil | Playing With Fire And Water).

Deconstruction is an avant-garde culinary trend of the last 15 years or so, championed by the famed Catalan chef Ferran Adrià, who has referred to his cooking as “deconstructivist.”

Hervé This, the “father of molecular gastronomy,” reintroduced the concept in 2004 as “culinary constructivism.” Essentially, all of the components and flavors of a classic dish are taken apart and presented in a new shape or form.

The idea is art plus fun, and the deconstruction must taste as good as the original. For example:

 
 
18 MORE DECONSTRUCTED RECIPES

 
When you’ve finished your own deconstructed dish, send us a photo.