It's almost St. Paddy's Day, and you know what that means? Well, for me it means shamrock shake season. Last year we did a taste test between the McDonald's classic and our homemade version. You'll have to read the post to find out which shake won. BUT -- in case you want to make your own, we found the ULTIMATE shamrock shake recipe. Top Secret Recipes reverse-engineers popular fast food and other favorite foods. Their recipe makes enough for two shakes, so if you're making this for kids you may want to double the recipe.

Notice that their recipe calls for mint extract, but not peppermint extract. Also, I'm not sure why they use "low fat milk" rather than whole. Maybe it's to get the right consistency? I figure you're already making this with ice cream so you might as well go all the way and use whole milk. But that's just me. I'm decadent like that.

When it comes to St. Patrick's Day, it's often the drink rather than the food that takes center stage in our celebrations. Whether it's whiskey in a jar, green beer, or Irish coffee, there are themed drinks o' plenty for the festivities. When it comes to the food, however, it's usually a big helping of corned beef and cabbage and ... well, that's about all most people come up with for this holiday.

That's fine if you like it, but there are plenty who don't, or who would appreciate a little something different (or in addition to it) this year. Here are five fantastic Irish-inspired dishes to consider serving during your weekend shenanigans.

St. Patrick's Day might just be one of the most underrated, incredibly fun holidays of the year. Who can get enough Irish soda bread?! Okay, just kidding. But really, it's a fab excuse to bake up any type of dessert with some green flair and Irish flavor.

Take these Irish Car Bomb cupcakes, which were inspired by the infamous cocktail made of Irish stout, Irish cream, and Irish whiskey. In cupcake form, it means Guinness chocolate cake, Jameson chocolate ganache, and Baileys frosting ... Oof. But don't worry -- even if you're not a big fan of booze, these are still a sweet and only slightly wicked treat to make for St. Patty's!

Whether you're Irish or not, St. Patrick's Day is one of the best holidays when it comes to celebrating. There are no presents to buy, no major feast to slave over, and relatively no pressure. Your biggest burden is to eat, drink, and be merry ... and find as many ways to use green as possible. 

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to turn most any dish green. From some not-so-natural agents to those that are free of anything artificial at all and will please the truly green crowd, here five fun ways to turn everything you eat and drink green for the day ... or longer if you like. 

McDonald's shake, left; My shake, rightEvery time St. Patrick's Day rolls around I have one thing my mind: Shamrock Shakes. When I was a wee lass, McDonald's was reserved as a special treat. We would get one of those green shakes once a year -- and they were magical!

Shamrock Shakes disappeared in the dark ages of the 1990s. They're back now! But since the 1990s I have been making my own Shamrock Shakes. How do my shakes compare with the real ones? I had to find out! So we did our own taste test here at The Stir.

Keep reading to see how the homemade Shamrock Shakes compare with the real deal.

St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, and we're prepping you with all the recipes you'll need! Today we're taking a break from the green and talking Guinness. Yup, recipes using that hearty, heady chocolate stout made in Ireland. Long ago I tried to drink a pint of Guinness on St. Paddy's Day, and I only got about a quarter of the way through. So I decided on that day (after I recovered) that I would find other ways to enjoy my chocolate stout.

So here they are: desserts, dinners, even a drink. They're all rich and intense -- just like the beer. But we know you can handle it!

A little whiskey never hurt anybody (I said, a little whiskey), but you still might want to keep these Irish Coffee Cupcakes out of the kids' reach this St. Patrick's Day. Unless, that is, they're running wild and you really want them to take a nap. (Kidding!)

That's because these cupcakes, as you might have guessed from their name, have a bit of a kick to them. Just a wee bit of a kick. Unless, that is, you happen to spill a little extra Jameson into the bowl when you're making the frosting. (Seriously, I wasn't kidding that time.)

Either way, these are ah-mazing.

When it comes to baked goods these days, it seems you can do no wrong by mixing up a red velvet cake recipe. In the last few years, the phenomenon has gone from being a joke in Steel Magnolias (the "bloody" groom's cake!) to America's favorite dessert.

But on St. Patrick's Day, fuggetabout RED -- green rules supreme! Just ask my fellow Chicagoans who dye the entire Chicago River green! So, how about baking cupcakes that have the best of both worlds -- velvet and green? Ooooh ... yes, I know you're with me on this! And who better to turn to for said recipe than Irish baking diva Christi Johnstone, who writes the adorable, mouth-watering blog, LoveFromtheOven.com? This here adorable cupcake is her own work, and you know you wanna piece of that.