If you wish to entice a leprechaun this St. Patrick’s Day, you’re going to need some leprechaun-scaled food. The same applies for fairies, elves, gnomes and other small, whimsical creatures. Here are some tantalizing ways to satisfy hungry leprechauns and fairies who have come for tea or pranks.
Mini Burgers
You’ll need:
A box of Nilla wafers
A bag of small peppermint patties such as York
Shredded coconut
Green food coloring
Red or yellow “Fruit by the Foot” (frosting can be substituted)
Sesame seeds, optional
Corn syrup, optional
Toothpicks, optional
1. Dissolve a drop of green food coloring into a cup of water.
2. Place about 1/4 cup of shredded coconut into a mixing bowl and pour the food coloring over it. Mix the coconut to coat it with color and then let it sit a few minutes to make sure the color is absorbed. Pat dry with a paper towel. That is the lettuce for your burger.
3. Roll out the “Fruit by the Foot” and cut small squares of red or yellow to represent tomato slices and cheese.
4. If you wish your Nilla wafer “buns” to have sesame seeds on it, place the desired number of wafers on a flat surface, covered with wax paper. Dip a toothpick into the corn syrup and dot the wafers with drops of the syrup. Carefully place a sesame seed on each syrup drop. Let them sit for a couple of minutes to dry.
5. Assemble the “burger” by starting with a wafer for the bottom bun and then adding a peppermint patty, the fruit square(s), the coconut, and, finally, the top bun.
6. Nibble with tiny bites, just like the leprechauns do.
Jell-O Rainbow
You’ll need:
One small package each of gelatins in red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple
Hot water for each package, per package directions
Approx. 2 c. Cool Whip, if you want a white layer between colors
Many small containers or one large flat one (like an 8×8 pan)
Non-stick spray
1. Dissolve Jell-O in boiling water (Do not add cold water). Spray large flat pan or separate bowls (as flat as possible) with non-stick spray.
2. Place each color in a separate bowl or place 2/3 of your first color in the flat pan as a layer. Chill, trying to keep the Jell-O flat.
3. If making one large pan, wait until gelatin is set to add a next layer of color, in rainbow-color order, listed above. Repeat with all colors. If you want white between your color layers, then mix 1/3 c. cool whip into your remaining 1/3 c. Jell-O and add that layer to the previous layer, letting it set before moving on.
4. If making many small pans, once gelatin is set, cut each color into uniform squares or rectangles. Place shapes on platters or plates in rainbow-color order, listed above.
5. If making one large mold, wait until the final layer has set and carefully cut the Jell-O so that it reveals the rainbow through each layer.
This is a great blog post about Jell-O Rainbows.
Other miniature and whimsical food ideas include:
Cucumber-round sandwiches with cream cheese inside
Sandwiches cut in flower or other shapes with cookie cutters
Chicken tahini salad on mini pita rounds
Mini bagels spread with cream cheese and covered with sprinkles
Mini mushroom cupcakes with red frosting tops covered with round white sprinkles
Animal-cracker “sandwiches” with jam inside
Jell-O butterflies or other shapes using cookie cutters
Juice served in miniature tea cups or plastic mugs, available at craft and hobby stores
You may want to do more than put out food for your leprechaun. If you wish to capture one, here are three leprechaun catchers you can make.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Equinox (surely a magical time).
Also from Slow Family:
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Leprechaun Mischief, Lucky Clovers and Green Food
Photos: Saucy Dragonfly, Mark Flickett
