Sweet Soda Bread

This is my other recipe for quick Irish Soda Bread.

It's a slightly sweet version that's especially

nice with coffee or tea.

 Butter, an egg, baking powder and sugar are
added to my classic Irish Soda Bread.
You can also add 1C of raisins. 

Then it's called Spotted Dog.

If you don't have buttermilk combine 1C milk

with 1t apple cider vinegar and let sit for 5 mins.

Whisk in the egg and the melted butter.

 Combine with the dry ingredients and lightly mix.
Dough will be sticky
(see my classic recipe.)

Put into a greased pan and cut a cross on top.

Spread with 1T reserved liquid ingredients.

Bake @375 for about 45 minutes, or

until golden.

 Eat warm with lots of butter.

Good with soups, chili, or just with butter and jam.

It's nice toasted too.

A very easy quick bread for any
time of the year!

Sweet Soda Bread

4C flour
4T sugar
1T baking powder
1t soda
1/2t salt
1-1/2C buttermilk
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
In a measuring cup whisk the
buttermilk or soured milk
with the egg and melted butter.
Add all but about 1T to the dry ingredients,
(reserving  1T in the cup)
Mix gently until the dough comes together.
Turn onto floured board and knead a few
times and form into a disk. Put into
a greased pan and cut a cross on top.
Spread the reserved buttermilk
mixture on top with your fingers.
Bake @375º until golden, about
45 minutes.
Serve warm with butter.
tip: add the  buttermilk gradually
stirring just until the dough comes
 together. Work quickly and
gently. Don't overwork.

Enjoy!

Real Irish Soda Bread

It takes mere minutes to mix this

quick soda bread and get it in the oven.

You can have warm, fresh baked bread 

 anytime you want in under 45 minutes. 

Authentic Irish Soda Bread has only

4  simple ingredients.

Flour-Soda-Salt-Buttermilk

Things you probably have on hand.
There is another version of Soda Bread
(officially called soda cake) that
is sweeter and I posted it HERE.

 If you don't have buttermilk you can mix 

1C milk with 1t cider vinegar and let it 

sit for 10 minutes. It should be room temp. 

 Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. 

Make sure the soda is fresh and hasn't expired

(use expired soda HERE).
Make a well in the center of the flour and

add just enough buttermilk so that the dough

 holds together. Mix lightly. It will be sticky. 

Don't overwork it.

 Turn it onto a floured board and use your

 floured hands to gently knead it a few times

 and shape it into a disk.

 Put it into a greased pan: pie pan or cake pan.
Cut a cross on top about 1/4" deep from one
side to the other. That's traditional and helps
it to bake and split evenly.
It also lets the fairies out....so they say.

A cast iron skillet is my favorite.

Bake in a hot 375 oven for about 35 minutes,

 until it sounds hollow and is golden.

Let cool a bit before slicing.

Eat it warm slathered with butter. YUM!

 This is not just for St. Patrick's Day.

It's so easy, you'll want it when you serve soups or

chili. It's nice for afternoon tea with butter
 and jam, or toasted in the morning.

Or, how about a grilled cheese sandwich
for lunch? Made with white cheddar cheese
and fresh pesto.

Real Irish Soda Bread
3 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1C to 1-1/2 C buttermilk

Combine the flour, salt, and soda.
Add enough buttermilk to hold it all
together. Start with 1C. Stir gently.
Turn onto a floured surface and knead
gently a few times. Shape into a disk
and put it into a greased pan.
Cut a cross into the top.
Bake in preheated 375º oven for about
35 minutes, until golden.
Serve warm with lots of soft butter.
Toast the next day for breakfast.

Enjoy! 

Links: Facebook,

Classic Oyster Stew

Listen to Patty Page singing 'Old Cape Cod'

 while you put this yummy soup together.

If you are a fan of oysters you'll love it.

It takes very little time and you'll be 

singing along with Patty.

 Pick up two 8 ounce containers of fresh shucked 

oysters from the seafood section of your supermarket. 

My Publix doesn't always carry them, 

so I check every once in a while.

 Saute the minced shallot and celery in the

 butter until very tender.

 Stir in the half & half, the salt, pepper,

 and a pinch of cayenne.

 Stir constantly. When the mixture is almost
 boiling, pour in the oysters and their liquor. 

 Stir constantly on a low simmer for
just a minute or two.

 When the oysters float to the top they are done.

The edges will curl and the stew is finished.

Add chopped fresh parsley if desired.

Remove from heat.

Add a shot of hot sauce if you want a little kick!

 Serve along with crusty warm bread. 

Add a spinach or Caesar salad and a nice glass

 of white wine and you have yourself a 

a simple Friday night supper.

Classic Oyster Stew

5 T butter

2 T minced shallots

2/3 C minced celery

3C half&half

salt, pepper, cayenne

two 8-oz containers fresh oysters

2 T chopped parsley

Melt the butter in a large skillet over 
medium heat.Cook the shallots and celery
 until very tender. Add the half&half,
 about 1/2 t salt, 1/8 t pepper and 
a pinch of cayenne. When the mixture is

almost boiling, stir in the oysters and their

liquid. Stir constantly until the oysters
float and their edges are curled. 
Add the chopped parsley and serve 
with a shake or two of hot sauce.

Serves 2 for supper.

Enjoy!

It's a nice first course for Christmas Dinner

 or a light Christmas Eve dinner with a salad and 

crusty warm French baguettes.

Links: The Charm of Home,
Between Naps On The Porch,
Stone Gable, My Romantic Home,

Profiteroles

This French dessert sounds and looks fancy but it's
so easy to make. Just in time for your special
Valentine!

 Choux pastry, filling and chocolate sauce...
what's not to love?

I made petite puffs and used ice cream
instead of the classic custard or whipped
cream for the filling.

A few very simple ingredients:
butter, flour, water, a little sugar and  eggs.

 In a small saucepan bring the 1/2C water,
1/2 stick butter, 1/2t sugar to a boil.

 Remove from heat, add the 1/2C  flour
all at once, beating rapidly with a wooden
spoon until the dough comes together.

Let cool for 5 minutes.

Beat in the eggs one at a time until
incorporated.

Beat until the batter is smooth,

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of batter 1" apart on
a sprayed baking sheet.
Smooth pointy tops with a wet finger.

Bake for 10  minutes at 425 then  reduce the oven

to 350 and bake until golden, 10-12 minutes more.

Let cool. Use a serrated knife to carefully
cut off the top 1/3 of each puff.
Fill with a scoop of ice cream.
Replace the tops and drizzle with warm
chocolate sauce. Dust with powdered sugar.

Profiteroles

1/2 C water

1/2 stick butter

1/2 t sugar

pinch salt

1/2 C flour
2 L eggs

• Heat oven to 425. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray. 
• In a medium saucepan bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil.
• Immediately remove from heat and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Beat rapidly until until the mixture pulls away from the sides, 
• about 30 seconds. Let cool 5 minutes. 
• Add eggs one at a time and beat well until the batter comes together.
• Drop by slightly rounded teaspoonfuls of batter 1" apart on the baking sheets. Smooth pointy tops with a wet finger.  
• Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350 an bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes more. Let cool. 

• 6-Cut off the tops and fill with a small scoop of ice cream. (vanilla or coffee ice cream) Replace tops and drizzle with warm chocolate sauce. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

• Makes about 2 dozen petite profiterole puffs. Serve 2-3 per person.
• If you make these ahead you can warm and crisp them
•  up a bit in a 350 over for a bout 5 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Sauce

1 C semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 C half and half or cream

2 T butter

1/2 t vanilla extract, 

In a medium glass bowl, combine the chocolate

 and cream. Microwave for 1-1/12, stirring once, 

until smooth and pourable. Stir in vanilla

or:In a small saucepan slowly melt the chips and cream.

Stir in the butter to combine. Stir in the vanilla.

or: In replace the vanilla with 1T Kahlua or Grand Marnier 

Puffs Plus: You can make these ahead and store in an 
airtight container until ready to serve. 
Freeze extras in a ziptop bag.

 No defrosting needed:
 simply slice the tops off, fill and serve.

Puffs Plus:  For savory puffs, omit the sugar and
 fill them with items like;
tuna, crab, shrimp or chicken salad. 
Bake larger puffs for a luncheon. 
Bake these 10 minutes longer at 350. 

Enjoy!

Links: Common Ground,
The Charm Of Home,
No Minimalist Here,
French Country Cottage,
My Romantic Home,
Designs By Gollum,
Between Naps On The Porch,
A Stroll Thru Life

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli

 We wanted to go to a matinee movie so I popped 

this dinner into the crock pot after lunch. 

Coming home to a ready dinner is better than take-out.

 Slice the beef and chop the garlic.

  In the pot, combine the consomme/broth
 (dilute with equal parts water if concentrated),
brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, ginger and
red pepper flakes. Add the beef and toss to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. 

 Remove about 3T sauce from the pot and combine

 with 2T cornstarch. Stir back into the pot along

with the broccoli. Cover and cook on HI for 

about 15 minutes until broccoli is just tender.

Serve over rice.

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli

1 C beef consomme or broth
(dilute if concentrated)

1/3 C brown sugar

1/3 C soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T sesame oil

1/2 t ground ginger (opt.)

1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes (opt.)

1-1/2 to 2 lbs beef chuck roast,

2 T cornstarch

broccoli florets about 4 C

Trim excess fat from the beef and slice into strips.

Combine the first 7 ingredients in the crock pot.

Add the beef slices and toss to coat. 

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

 Combine 2T cornstarch with 4 T water
to make a slurry. Stir into the pot.
Add as much broccoli as you like

You can also use a bag of frozen florets,

 no need to defrost. Stir to combine, cover

and cook on hi for 15-20 minutes to 

thicken the sauce and cook the broccoli to

your desired tenderness. 

During this time you can cook the rice.

How To Cook Rice

1-1/2C rice

3 C water

1 t salt

Combine ingredients in a medium pot, cover and to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cook until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork add a pat of butter if desired. It's always a 1 part rice ratio - 2 parts water .  Easy to remember. 1 C rice to 2 C water.

tip: I like using my crock pot timer to start this recipe so that it will be ready when I get home. It will also stop the cooking and keep it warm until you are ready to eat.

tip: For Crock Pot Steak and Peppers,omit the broccoli and toss in 2 sliced green
       peppers.
    

Enjoy!

Links: Stone Gable,
Under The Table & Dreaming

Roasted Parmesan Crusted Salmon

You can use any fish for this quick and easy

 oven roasted recipe.

We love salmon so that's what I used.

This is just over one pound of fish.

Rinse the salmon and pat dry with a paper towel.

Place on a foil lined pan. Salt and pepper. 

Cover the top completely with a mixture of 

3T mayonnaise and 2-3T grated parmesan. 

 Sprinkle on a bit of paprika if you like.

Bake @425 for 12-15 minutes depending 

on the thickness of the fish.

To serve, carefully slide a wide 

spatula between the skin and flesh. The

 skin will stick to the foil. Easy clean up too.

Dinner is served in 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Links: Designs By Gollum,
Between Naps On The Porch,
My Romantic Home