Irish Soda Bread

This past weekend I celebrated my Irish heritage and made my friends celebrate with me. The hit of the party was this fantastic bread that I found at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandma-mcandrews-irish-soda-bread/Detail.aspx.

I made it pretty much exactly as the recipe said. Don't leave out the raisins, they are a must! They add to the moisture and flavor. This recipe makes one good-sized loaf.



Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup corn oil
1 cup raisins

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment paper.
2.In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and corn oil. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Add the raisins, and stir a few times, just until the ingredients come together into a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and with floured hands shape dough into a ball. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet, and cut a large cross in the top with a sharp knife.
3.Place the bread on a middle rack of the preheated oven, and bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

This pulled together in 10 minutes and was honestly sooo good. Luickly I made two loaves as everyone had their fill and then asked to take some home. In the end I had no leftovers. :)

Sidenote: If you want to make a nice authentic Irish meal, I served this bread with a thick, hearty country stew using cabbage, parsnips, carrots, onions, leeks and bacon, of course. On the side I also served imported Irish cheddar, which was a divine addition!

The rest of the feast:

Coconut Cream Cake

I had the responsibility to make the dessert for Christmas dinner. I was concerned with finding a great dessert that didn't require a vast amount of time. I was lucky to find this great recipe. The cake looked much fancier than it actually was, plus it tasted great!



1 (16 ounce) package white cake mix
1 (14 ounce) can cream of coconut
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (10 ounce) package flaked coconut

Prepare cake according to package directions. Bake in two 9in round pans. Cool completely.In a small bowl combine cream of coconut and condensed milk.
Place bottom layer of cake on plate. Poke holes in cake with a straw. Pour milk mixture over cake. Place 2nd tier on top of 1st tier and repeat. Spread with whipped topping. Sprinkle coconut over cake. Decorate as desired. Serve chilled.

I made this cake again last night for company and served it with fresh berries and it was even more amazing!

Frosted Cranberries

As I was looking for a pretty addition to our food table for the Ugly Sweater Party I was hosting, I came across this recipe. I am glad I decided to make it as it was a gorgeous centerpiece and fun concept. It is an incredibly simple recipe but with great results, causing the cranberries to be tart on the inside but sweet on the outside. It was a total success.



2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons pasteurized egg white or corn syrup
1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
1 cup white sugar

In a medium bowl, stir together the water and egg white until blended but not whipped. Coat cranberries with this mixture. Spread the sugar out on a baking sheet, and roll the cranberries in it until they are coated. Dry at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Use as garnishes for desserts, or eat them plain.

I found that these were actually better the next day. Also, don't store them in ziplock bags as they will go soggy and sticky.

Pumpkin Fudge

Have I mentioned how much I love everything Autumn? I love the smells of the leaves, the crisp cool air, the apple cider and the pumpkin spice. It is therefore no surprise that when I found this recipe a few weeks ago I was excited to try it. I was unsure of the results, but overall it tastes surprisingly pumpkin-ey and good. It is, however, VERY rich so if you are on a "diet" and can only eat one piece this is perfect as one piece is all anyone will want/need.

I can say that if you want something different but autumnish to take to a potluck or party, this is a fun, adventurous route and anyone that loves pumpkin will love this fudge. I omitted the pecans because I didn't have any in the house, but I am sure it would be simply divine if they were included.



Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 (12-oz.) package white chocolate morsels
1 (7-oz.) jar marshmallow crème
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation:
Stir together first 6 ingredients in a 3 1/2-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer registers 234° (soft-ball stage) or for about 12 minutes.

Remove pan from heat; stir in remaining ingredients until well blended. Pour into a greased aluminum foil-lined 9-inch square pan. Let stand 2 hours or until completely cool; cut fudge into squares.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

I know, another soup. I just have a weakness for drinking my dinner.

This cream of broccoli soup is perfect for those who don't prefer cheese, (such as my husband) however, for those that do love cheese, the soup can be enhanced by a cup of shredded cheddar.

Another neat thing about this soup is the variety of ways to use the leftovers. We took this soup and mixed it into some cooked egg noodles and added peas and chicken and topped it with bread crumbs for a classic casserole. I also really enjoyed using the soup as a topping for a baked potato.



Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
8 c. broccoli florets
3 c. chicken broth
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 c. milk
Ground pepper
Bacon bits (optional, but yummy)

Directions:
Saute onion & celery in butter. Add broccoli & broth. Cover & simmer until tender. Mash to rough texture. (If you are seeking a smoother, creamier texture you can puree the broccoli. In separate pan stir flour, butter & milk till boiling. Add to soup. Season with pepper & bacon bits.

Oh, just a side-note: I had a head of cabbage in the fridge and I put a good amount of cabbage into this soup and it was delicious!

Black Bean Dip

I have been the lucky recipient of a lot of party invitations recently and so I decided I needed a new "go-to" treat. I had a few requirements for this treat, the most important being that it needed to be savory, not sweet. I don't eat very many sweets and can really only enjoy a few bites at any given time so I mostly snack on veggies or pretzels, etc. I got the idea for a black bean dip when I rummaged through my pantry and compiled a recipe from things I already had on hand.

When I debuted it a few weeks ago, I was rather nervous as it doesn't look particularly appetizing. However, I didn't need to worry. The bowl was empty within minutes as the dip tastes divine and it is quite filling. I have also found that it is very tasty when made into a burrito. :)



Ingredients:

2 cans black beans
2 tbsp veg oil
½ med onion
1 c. corn kernels
1 can diced tomatoes, half drained
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 cube cilantro bouillon
1 cube chipotle bouillon
1 tbsp chipotle pepper seasoning (optional, but adds a good flavor dimension)
1/3 c cheese, shredded
2 tbsp lime juice

Directions:

1. Place black beans in a medium size mixing bowl, partially mash beans -- beans should remain a little chunky.
2. In a medium size frying pan, heat oil over a medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic and saute for 4 min.
3. Mix beans, remaining ingredients into the frying pan; cook for 5 minutes or until thickened.

This tastes best when it has time to sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours. I personally prefer to serve the dip just slightly warm, but it is also good when chilled or hot.

Rustic Potato Stew (sounds gourmet, eh?)

Last night I came down with some kind of sinus infection and after a super rough night, all I wanted today was some warm soup and a cozy blanket. Sadly, my mom is 1100 miles away and her homemade soup is a little out of reach right now. After taking some pills I decided to "mom up" and make a pot of nutrition filled potato soup. Once again, this was a "made my own recipe" soup where I threw in everything I had in the fridge and luckily I had some good stuff in there.


Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter
1 med onion
4 carrots, peeled & chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
7 red potatoes
2 cups cabbage, chopped
4 cups water
2 cups milk
4-6 tbsp flour
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp pepper
2 tbsp dill
2 tbsp chicken bouillon

Directions:

I started by warming up the butter in the pot and adding the onion, celery & carrots. Let it cook up for about 10 minutes before adding the water and potatoes. Bring to a boil and let it cook for about 10 minutes. In a separate dish whisk the milk and the flour together before adding it to the pot. Add cabbage, salt, pepper, dill & bouillon. Let simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through.

I think this soup was just what the doctor ordered because I am already feeling quite a bit better. This was the first time I had added cabbage and I really like the inclusion. The soup was chunky and full of veggies and putting the cabbage and potatoes together felt like an homage to my Irish heritage. ;)