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irish Soda Bread 2

I prefer soda bread with buttermilk, but this recipe takes it to the next step by adding some sour cream indulgence!

Ingredients
4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups raisins
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 and 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup sour cream

Process

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Grease two 8" round cake pans
3. Combine all dry ingredients and raisins in a large bowl.
   
4. In another bowl, blend the remaining ingredients together and then add to the bowl of dry ingredients.
5. Stir until combined and flour is moist.
   
6. Knead in the bowl - the dough will be very sticky.
   
7. Divide in half, shaping into 2 balls, and place in the center of pans.
   
8. Flatten balls a bit and then cut a deep X across the top of each loaf.
   
9. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
   
10. Cool completely on a wire rack.
    

Irish Soda Bread 1

I guess I am a day late and a dollar short. Not only did I forget to take pictures of the Irish American Soda bread I made from the Joy of Cooking recipe, but I JUST found my other recipes. Well, better late than never eh? Here's the first of two I have. This recipe doubles quite easily.

Ingredients
2 and 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1 cup milk
1 Tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)
1 egg
1 cup raisins

Process

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In one bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
   
3. IN a separate bowl, beat the egg with the milk.
   
4. Add butter, caraway seeds, and raisins to the egg and milk mixture.
5. Add sifted dry ingredients.
   
6. Bake in a greased loaf pan for about an hour. OR shape into three small loaves and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
   
7. 
   

Roly Poly's

This is the ultimate cooking with kids recipe!
Why?
Puckstopper brought this recipe home from his Home Economics class, that's why!

This recipe certainly does not have the healthy content my recipes usually do, but HiHo would be so proud to know the enthusiastic chef her grandson has become.

There's always a time and place for a little junk food! :D

Ingredients
1 can refrigerated bread sticks (the canned dough)
3 rolls, fruit by the foot, fruit snack.
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar
1 egg white beaten (or more)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375
2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with spray.
3. Unroll dough and separate into the 12 bread sticks.
4. Stretch each bread stick until it is 9 inches long.
5. Unroll all fruit rolls, cutting them evenly into 4 pieces, about 8 inches long a piece.
6. Place one fruit roll piece on each bread stick.


















7. Roll each bread stick into a coiling dough/spiral shape.
8. Place sugar in shallow dish.
9. Brush top and sides of each coil with the egg white and roll in sugar.
10. Place sugar side up on un-greased cookie sheet.
11. Bake for 11 to 16 minutes until golden brown.
12. Immediately remove from sheet and cool 5 minutes.

VARIATION!
You can lay out dough as a sheet, not separated into sticks, apply fruit rolls to sheet, and roll entire sheet into a spiral log, then cutting log into individual pieces with a knife.
Also, try cinnamon sugar as an added nice touch. !

Homemade Greek Yogurt

I just found this article through a cheese blog I follow.
I'm so excited about it that I am posting it on BOTH my blogs.
I love Greek yogurt, and now have a recipe to make it myself! YUM!


The trick to Making Yogurt Cheese in a Dish Towel

By MARK BITTMAN

Published: March 16, 2010 in The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/dining/17mini.html

"Producing yogurt cheese is quite simple. It takes a couple of hours, but your presence is required only for minutes. All you do is strain some of the water out of yogurt, until it reaches the thickness you want. For straining, I recommend a colander or coarse strainer lined with a clean cotton dish towel of fairly fine weave, what used to be called flour sack. (Many recipes suggest the use of cheesecloth, but you’d have to use about 10 layers for the same results.) Dump a quart (or whatever quantity you like) of yogurt in there, set the colander over a bowl in the refrigerator, twist or tie the top of the towel, and wait.

To speed the process, squeeze every now and then, or don’t bother. When the yogurt has reached the consistency of sour cream, twist and squeeze once more and scoop out the yogurt, which will have been reduced in volume by about half. (I suppose you could save and drink the yogurt-water, or cook with it, but I don’t.) Store the thickened yogurt in a covered container and use it within a week or so for best quality."

Thanks Mark Bittman!

Irish Bread Pudding

Ingredients
* 1/4 cup light or regular butter, melted
* 1 loaf French bread
* 1/2 to 1 cup raisins
* 1/4 cup Irish cream
* 1-1/2 cups 1% milk
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1 tbsp vanilla extract
* 1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 2 tbsp sugar
* 2 tsp cinnamon

Process

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut bread into 1" thick slices and brush melted butter on one side.
   
3. Place bread, buttered sides up, on a baking sheet.
   
4. Bake bread at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted.
   
5. Cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes, and set aside.
6. Combine raisins and Irish cream in a small bowl. Cover and let stand 10 minutes or until soft (do not drain).
7. Combine 1% milk and next 5 ingredients,(1% milk through eggs), in a large bowl. Stir well with a whisk. Add bread cubes and raisin mixture, pressing gently to moisten. Let stand 15 minutes
8. Spoon bread mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
9. Combine 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over pudding.
10. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until set.

St. Patty's Potato Cabbage Bundles

3 out of 5 people in my family have birthdays on a holiday. My Irish SP was born on St. Patrick's day so you can imagine the celebration. In March of 2004, we found this recipe in Gourmet, and it has been a St. Patrick's Day tradition for our family tradition ever since. While making the actual bundles is a high maintenance presentation, the leaves do end up to be quite scrumptious. But hands down, these are the best mashed potatoes ever, so feel free to omit the special equipment and head right for the good stuff!

Potato Cabbage Bundles

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise (1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large head leafy green cabbage (3 pounds)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 lb large boiling potatoes
• 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 3 oz extra-sharp white Cheddar, coarsely grated (1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons drained bottled horseradish
• 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs from a country-style loaf

• Special equipment: a nonstick muffin tin with 6 (1-cup) muffin cups; 12 (10- by 2-inch) strips of parchment paper
• Accompaniment: Irish bacon

Preparation

Cook onion in oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, 6 to 8 minutes.

Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot of salted water to a boil. Discard any discolored or damaged tough outer leaves from cabbage, then core cabbage and carefully lower into boiling water using a slotted spoon.

Boil cabbage, pulling off 6 large leaves (to be used as decorative wrappers and eaten if desired) with tongs as they soften and leaving them with remaining cabbage, 5 minutes. Transfer large leaves to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Transfer remaining cabbage to a colander to drain. Transfer large leaves to paper towels to drain, then pat dry.

Lightly butter muffin cups, then put 2 parchment strips in a crisscross pattern in each cup. (You will have a 2-inch overhang.) Line each cup with a large cabbage leaf. Coarsely chop enough remaining cabbage to measure 3 cups, then add to onion along with garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and water and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender and browned, about 10 minutes.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes, then cover with cold salted water by 1 inch in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain in a colander, then set potatoes in colander over saucepan to steam-dry, uncovered, 5 minutes. Mash potatoes in a large bowl, then stir in buttermilk, cheese, horseradish, 1/2 stick butter, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper until combined well.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook bread crumbs, stirring frequently, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes.

Fill each cabbage leaf with about 1/2 cup potato mixture, then divide cabbage mixture among leaves. Top with remaining potato mixture, then sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs. Fold edges of cabbage in toward filling (do not completely cover).

Bake until heated through and edges of cabbage are well browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

Transfer stuffed leaves to plates using parchment overhangs.

Cooks' note: Stuffed cabbage leaves can be assembled, but not baked, 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before baking.

Reuben Dip

This is my new favorite winter time treat! YUMMY!

Ingredients
2 small loaf of party rye squares (if you can't find this at your deli just use sandwich rye bread-it does make the best sandwiches!)
1/2 pound deli LEAN corned beef sliced and diced
1/2 pound shredded Swiss (or even more)
one can sauerkraut
Thousand Island dressing
Dijon mustard

Process

1. Drain Sauerkraut
2. Mix ingredients, add enough dressing to moisten (1/2 to 3/4 bottle)
3. Add Dijon to taste.

Bake at 350 till hot and bubbly. Serve with Rye bread, even toasted as a sandwich.

Sambal Dip

This yummy dip was one of HiHo's favorites. I made it last night for a potluck/bonfire we hosted. I have fond memories of the funny way she would enthusiastically say it's name when she made it, knowing it would always make me smile. It is full of vegetables so it is very healthy, and ever so slightly spicy with an Indian touch, but is not to be confused with the Malaysian Sambal. A keeper for sure, I typically double this recipe.

Ingredients
1 one-quarter inch slice medium size onion
1 clove garlic
2 stalks celery
1/2 large cucumber, seeded
1/2 green pepper, seeded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon crushed cumin seed
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup sour cream (and fat is fine)
fresh minced coriander/cilantro

Process

1. Grind the onion, garlic, celery, cucumber, and green pepper in a blender/food processor, using the finest knife.
   
2. Turn into a sieve over bowl and press out the juice. The juice can be saved and drunk, or added to soup, stews, or sauces.
   
3. Put vegetable mix into a medium bowl and sprinkle spices over and mix.
   
4. Blend in the tomato paste.
   
5. Add the sour cream and stir until mixed.
   
6. Chill until ready to serve.
   
7. Use as a dip for crackers, bread cubes, or fresh vegetable crudite.