Celebrate St Paddy's Day with Christine's Soda Bread

Been too busy with the Scotland blog, but my mom reminded me to keep up with this one too. Here's a recipe to make March 17th a delicious day. Enjoy!

IRISH SODA BREAD

2-1/4 cups of white flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teas. salt

1/2 teas. baking soda

1-1/2 teas. baking powder

1 cup buttermilk, store bought or home made

1 cup raisins

1 Tbl. caraway seeds

If making your own buttermilk, put1 tablespoon of cider or white vinegar into a glass measuring cup. Add milk to the one-cup line. Stir. Allow to rest for 10 minutes or longer.

Meanwhile put all dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together. Add raisins and caraway seeds and mix again. Add buttermilk and stir just enough to mix together.

Turn dough onto a well-floured board, flour hands if necessary and knead about 20 times. Form into a ball. Use a sharp knife to cut a cross on the top of the ball. Place in greased cast iron skillet or fry pan (or any round cake pan or cookie sheet). Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn down the oven to 350 degrees and bake another 40 minutes until the bread sounds hollow when knocked on the bottom.

Post-Holidays Healthy Meals

If you're like me, you needed a serious curtailing of food intake after the holidays! These two recipes are filling, but keep the calories under control. Hope you like them!!

Turkey and Black Bean Chili

This recipe is one of a few that everyone in our house will eat (and it's not even white). It's delicious and ready in about twenty minutes. I like to serve it with homemade corn bread from Fanny Farmer cookbook.

1# ground turkey

1 t vegetable oil

1 green pepper, chopped

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, pressed

1 T chili powder

2 t oregano

1 t cumin

1/4 t cayenne (optional)

1 can diced tomatoes (or half a box, if you're avoiding the BPA in cans)

2 - 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed

1 c frozen corn (optional)

Cook turkey until browned or no longer pink in large saucepan. Set aside and rinse out pan. Saute onions, garlic, and peppers in oil until softened. Add spices and cook a few minutes. Add tomatoes, turkey and beans (and corn if using). Simmer five minutes (or until ready to serve).

Curried-Coconut Lentils

adpated from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

1 T vegetable oil

1/2 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, pressed

1 T grated, fresh ginger

1 t turmeric

1 T curry powder

1 can (or 1/2 box) chopped tomatoes

1/4 c shredded coconut (unsweetened, large shred is the best)

1 c lentils

2-4 c vegetable stock

1-2 c coconut milk

In a large saucepan, saute onion, garlic, ginger with oil for 10+ minutes on low. Turn up to medium-high and add turmeric and curry powder; cook for a few minutes. Stir in tomatoes, coconut, lentils, stock and coconut milk. Simmer on medium-low for 30-40 minutes or until lentils are tender, adding more liquid if needed. (Freezes well!)

Another Holiday Recipe

By popular demand, well at least from Grammy:

Kay Sullivan's Cranberry Bread

Mix together:
4 c flour
1 t salt
3 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 c sugar

Add 2 eggs

Put in measuring cup then add to mixture:
juice and grated rind of 2 oranges
4 T Shortening
enough boiling water to make 1 1/2 cups

Add
2 c quartered cranberries
1 c chopped walnuts

Pour mixture into two loaf pans, greased and floured and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
Deliver to your children's teachers, if you truly want to follow Grammy's traditions.

Christmas Cookies

A long standing Christmas tradition is baking cookies! I can remember years when finishing the cookies seemed like an insurmountable burden, as it was my mom doing most of the work with only limited help from her young children. Then, as we got older, we did a lot of the work for her. Now, I've pared the choices down to my favorites -- Mexican Chocolates, Viennese Crescents and Chewy Noels -- and force my kids into labor. Another batch I also make is Christmas Cut-outs, but in my opinion, these are just for the kids to have fun with, since they don't have the flavor of the other types. Last year, I discovered the easiest and quickest cookie that became a new tradition, Rolo-Pretzel Sandwiches. So, choices for every taste and any amount of time. Enjoy!

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE COOKIES

(Source: Christine Heard)

11/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 c sugar

1 1/2 t vanilla

1 large egg

1/4 t salt

1 large pinch finely ground black pepper

1 large pinch cayenne

3/4 t cinnamon

3/4 c cocoa

1 1/2 c white flour

Thoroughly beat softened butter. Add sugar and cream well. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Add spices and salt; mix well. Add cocoa and mix well. Add flour and mix with your hand; batter will be very stiff. Put flour on a board. Shape dough into a cylinder about 2” by 10”. Wrap in wax paper. Freeze until firm (or up to several weeks). Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the roll in slices that are 1/4” to 1/3” thick. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet 1-1/2” to 2” apart. Bake 10-11 minutes until almost firm to touch. Do not overcook. Cool briefly before removing from pan to cooling rack.

(Comments from Christine: These unbelievably delicious and fairly easy-to-make cookies are a Christmas favorite in my family. They came from a chocolate recipe book in a house I was cleaning … well worth a day’s pay! I always double the recipe so as to have plenty or to keep a roll in the freezer for another time.)

Viennese Crescents

1 c butter

1/4 c sugar

2 c flour

1 c finely chopped almonds

1 t vanilla

confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Stir in flour, almonds, and vanilla. Shape into small crescents (3x1x1/2). Roll in confectioner's sugar. Bake for 35 mintues. Cool on wire rack, then roll in confectioner's sugar again.

Chewy Noels

2 T butter melted in a 9x9 pan

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

1 c brown sugar

5 T flour

1/8 t baking soda

1/8 t salt

1 c chopped walnuts

confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs and vanilla together. Mix in rest of ingredients, except confectioner's sugar. Add to pan with melted butter. Bake 25 minutes. Turn out onto waxed paper and dust lightly with confectioner's sugar.

Christmas Cut-Out Cookies

1 c margarine (I like Imperial for baking)

2/3 c sugar

1 1/4 t salt

2 t vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/2 c flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, Beat margarine and sugar together. Beat in salt, vanilla, and eggs. Add flour. Form into a flat circle, wrap in waxed paper, and chill. Roll out (uses a lot of extra flour usually) and cut out with cutters. Decorate by brushing with egg white and sprinkling on colored sugar or holiday sprinkles. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. (Dough can be frozen.)

Rolo-Pretzel Sandwiches

1 bag Rolo candy, unwrapped

1 bag square pretzels (regular are fine also)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. Place pretzels on cookie sheet, top with an unwrapped Rolo. Bake for 4-5 minutes until Rolos are soft. Top with another pretzel. Cool slightly (though best when eaten while warm). Options for topping: instead of another pretzel, use a M&M (red and green) or pecan. So fast, so easy, so good!

Irish Roots

These recipe are all time favorites of mine because they are new takes on Irish classics. Despite the carb content, they are healthy due to the whole grain and vegetables, and they taste delicious. I recommend a slice of the bread toasted with some of Clucky/Christine's raspberry jam (if you're lucky enough to have a jar)!

Colcannon

(source: Good Food Book by Jane Brody)

1 pound potatoes, washed and peeled

1 pound green cabbage, shredded or chopped (about 4+ cups)

1 large onion, chopped

1/4 c milk

1 T butter

1/3 -1/2 c shredded, sharp Cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until tender but not mushy. Drain, reserving water. Boil cabbage and onion for 5 minutes in the potato water. Drain. Mash potatoes with milk and butter until smooth. Add cabbage and onion mixture. Mix two-thirds of cheese into potato mixture and season with salt and pepper. Put potato mixture into a greased casserole or baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Heat in moderate oven (between 325 and 425 degrees) until warmed through.

Brown Soda Bread

(source: Cooking Light)

2 1/2 c of whole-wheat flour

1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/2 c steel cut oats

2 T brown sugar

1 T wheat germ

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

2 c buttermilk

1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine flours and next six ingredients (through salt). Combine buttermilk and egg; add to flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Spoon mixture into a greased loaf pan. Bake for one hour and five minutes or until a pick inserted in center comes out clean. Invert onto wire rack to cool.

More Sweets!

In case you did not get enough calories in over Thanksgiving, here's a classic recipe from my mom!

THE BEST BROWNIES

(source: The Fanny Farmer Boston Cookbook)

2 squares unsweetened chocolate OR 6 Tbl. unsweetened cocoa

1/4 cup butter 6 Tbl. butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup walnut pieces

Melt chocolate and butter (or cocoa and butter) over low heat in heavy pan. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Spread in well greased 8x8 square pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, until a straw inserted comes out clean and top is dull and dry. Do not overcook. Cool for 10 minutes, then cut into 16 squares.

Thanksgiving Favorites

I decided to post the Creamed Onions recipe because it is such a Grammy dish, to me. I remember many holidays when she would make this in her electric casserole -- white with a clear top. Amy Daisy asked for Tollhouse Pie and Peppery Turnips, so two bonus recipes for your holiday meal. Enjoy eating and being with loved ones. I am always thankful for our fun and wild family, but this is a good day to bask in the love, whether you are near or far.

Creamed Onions

(source: Louise, the Queen, Heard)

2 T butter

4 T flour

1-2 c light cream (mixed with milk if you want a slightly lighter version)

salt and white pepper, to taste

4 jars of Aunt Nellie's Holland style onions (white, pearl-sized) -- This brand always reminds me of Nell O'Connell.

Make sauce -- melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour until a thick paste forms. Slowly add cream/milk (about 1/2 c at a time), stirring with a wire whisk until each addition is fully incorporated and sauce is smooth. Take your time and get rid of lumps. Add salt and white pepper, if desired. When sauce is about the consistency of gravy, add drained onions (reserve water for gravy). Let simmer at lowest possible heat until dinner. If sauce gets too thick, add some onion water.

Peppery Turnips

(source: Good Food Book by Jane Brody)

2 t butter

2 T honey

1 pound turnips, peeled and finely diced

1/2 t freshly ground pepper

1 T minced fresh parsley (optional)

In a saucepan or skillet, melt butter and honey over moderately low heat. Add turnips and pepper. Cover pan and cook until turnips are tender, stirring once, about 12+ minutes (turnips should brown slightly). Sprinkle turnips with parsley before serving.

Tollhouse Pie

(source: The Red Barn, Milbridge, ME -- first discovered during blueberry raking season)

2 eggs

1/2 c flour

1/2 c white sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1 c butter, melted then cooled to room temperature

16 oz package chocolate chips

1 c walnuts, chopped

1 - 9 inch pie shell, unbaked

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat eggs until foamy (I use a wire whisk). Add flour and sugar -- beat well. Mix i melted butter, then chips and nuts. Pour into pie shell. Bake for one hour. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream or both!