Let's Eat!

Bake up some warm Irish comfort this St. Paddy's day with a loaf of Irish Soda Bread. Great for and Irish breakfast or a mid-day snack for your wee little mouth.

 I am partial to Ina Garten's recipe. After all Ina and I go way back (wink, wink)

Ina's Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 cup dried currants

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

* If you've made a recipe calling for currants before you know it is like being on an Indiana Jones quest to find them. I finally found them at Maceys (if you live in Utah) in the dried fruit section. The box looks like this:

For a little added yumminess serve your bread with butter and jam.

If you can get your hands on them....I love it with Rose's lemon lime marmalade (nice and green for St. Patrick's day) and clotted cream/Devonshire cream. Sometimes you can find them at speciality food stores. 

For those of you in Utah, Harmons sells Double Devon Cream. At their Draper store it is in the Deli refrigerator case by the fresh mozzarella and smoked salmon. If not, you can try your hand at making Clotted Cream yourself (click the link for the recipe)

Now go forth and stuff your o'face.

Ina Garten's

Herb Coeur A La Creme

Our new go to recipe for a holiday cheese ball. Some cheese balls can taste so heavy and processed, this one is delicious and taste, oh so European. For an added bit of yumminess serve it with crackers and smoked salmon.

Herb Coeur A La Creme Recipe

 Thai Pineapple Chicken Curry

My husband and I have a favorite Thai restaurant in town and among their most delicious dishes is Pineapple Curry. After much researching and tweaking I came up with the near perfect replica to the restaurant style Pineapple Curry and I thought I would share it with all of you.

Thai Pineapple Chicken Curry

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked rice (I use calrose or jasmine)
• 4 cup water (for my high altitude friends....I usually add an extra 1/4 cup of water)
• 1 teaspoon - 3 Tablespoons red curry paste  (start with 1 tsp and work up from there until you reach desired spiciness)
• 2 tsp yellow curry powder
• 2 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk
• 2 skinless, boneless Chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips
• 2-3 tablespoons fish sauce (my husband prefers less....I prefer more)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups sliced bamboo shoots, drained
• 1 can baby corn
• 1/2 green bell pepper, julienned
• 1/2 small onion,thinly sliced
• 1 cup pineapple chunks, drained

Directions

1. Bring rice and water to a boil in a pot. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 25 minutes.
2. In a bowl, whisk together curry paste, curry powder, fish sauce, sugar and  coconut milk. This is the time to test the spice level of the sauce and add more curry paste if necessary. Transfer to a large frying pan, and mix in chicken, baby corn and bamboo shoots. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium head and cook 15 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear.
3. Add green bell pepper, and onion into the pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer until peppers are tender. Remove from heat, and stir in pineapple. Serve over the cooked rice. 

 Bon Apetit!!

 

 Grub for the Day O' Green!

 The phrase "Kiss Me I'm Irish" is a legitimate statement in our house. I have a proud Irish heritage that I strive to include in different aspects of my life. Whether it is the shamrock I sewed onto my bridal garter or listening to my recording of famed Irish musicians James Galway and the Chieftains. Of course, every year, with out fail, we have our traditional Irish feast of Corned Beef, Cabbage, potatoes and carrots. I even muscled through and made it the year I was pregnant with my twins; with double the morning sickness and I thought the smell of the simmering Irish delight was going to be the death of me. But it all came down to "tradition, TRADITION!"
Here are some of our family "go to" recipes for our St Patrick's day celebrations.

For an easy tender and tasty, NOT chewy corned beef, start with a flat cut of corned beef. The flat cut is a bit more expensive but is worth the price. It is far less fatty and chewy than a point cut. Here is the link to my never fail Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe. The recipe calls for a bottle of stout or dark ale but you could substitute water or beef broth if you would like.

After we have stuffed ourselves silly with Corned Beef we eat a sweet treat that, isn't quite traditionally Irish, but, it is a green EASY family favorite.

Lime Jello Poke Cake

1 box white cake mix (I like Betty Crocker)

1 Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box

1 box (4-serving size) lime flavored gelatin

1 cup boiling water

 1/2 cup cold water

1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed (3 cups)

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan).
• Make and bake cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool completely in pan, about 1 hour.
• Pierce cooled cake all over with fork. In small bowl, stir gelatin and boiling water until smooth; stir in cold water. Pour over cake. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Refrigerate 2 hours. Frost with whipped topping. Store covered in refrigerator.

Happy Shamrock-ing Everyone!!