One of our favorite breads

This is a delicious white version of Irish soda bread. We have a more traditional version using whole wheat that you can find if you click here. In my studying on the subject, I have found that, because soda bread does not traditionally contain extras such as eggs, this recipe would more likely be considered "cake" in Ireland. I'm going to keep calling it bread. Either way, it's easy and delicious, especially with a lovely dose of honey butter.

THE RECIPE:

1 1/2 c. buttermilk*
1 egg
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
3 3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. cold butter, cut into small chunks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Whisk together buttermilk, egg and baking soda in large measuring cup, and set aside while preparing other ingredients. Eventually it will start foaming.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large mixing bowl. Cut cold butter into dry ingredients with pastry blender -- or rub chunks into flour between clean fingertips -- until mixture is coarsely combined. Stir in 1 1/4 cups buttermilk mixture, adding more as needed, until dough is a shaggy mass -- wet, but firm enough to hold its shape. Scrape out into a mound onto prepared baking sheet. Brush remaining buttermilk on top and sprinkle with flour, if desired, for a rustic look.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (Baking times may vary by location. I live in a high-altitude state.)



*I usually make my own sour milk. Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar into a large measuring cup, then add enough milk to make 1 1/2 cups. Stir and let stand for 10 minutes before adding egg and baking soda as written above.

O'Dougherty approved

This loaf is a foot across. It's dense and crusty and even a little dry, but there's something my family just loves about it. We are Doughertys, after all. And this is Irish soda bread. It really is tasty.

I got the recipe from "Bon Appetit," which published it as "Mrs. O'Callaghan's Soda Bread," from Ballinalacken Castle Country House and Restaurant, in Ireland. This is traditional Irish soda bread, with the exception of the addition of sugar, which cooks have started including only in recent generations. Many recipes online call for eggs or dried fruit. These may taste good but would be considered "cake" in Ireland, not bread.

I am in love with the idea of having freshly baked bread in less than an hour, start to finish. There's no yeast, no rising time, and very little kneading. The baking soda's abilities as a leavening agent are amazing and make a great science lesson for the kids.

THE RECIPE:

Nonstick cooking spray
3 c. all-purpose flour
3 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. (half a stick) chilled margarine or butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 c. buttermilk*

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray heavy baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. Whisk together flours, sugar, soda and salt. Add butter and cut into flour mixture until no large chunks remain. Add buttermilk and stir until shaggy dough forms. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead only until dough comes together, about 10 turns. Shape dough into 9-inch round, about 1 inch high.

Place on baking sheet. Cut a large X, about 1/2 inch deep, in top of dough, almost all the way to edges. Bake dough in center of oven until a bamboo skewer goes in without sticking and comes out clean. Mine was perfect at 32 minutes. The original recipe says 55 to 60 minutes. I attribute the significant difference to my altitude, which is 4,200 feet. Transfer bread to wire rack and cool completely. Serve with honey butter or jam.

*Or pour 2 tablespoons vinegar into a 2-cup measuring cup, then add milk to make 2 cups liquid. Stir and let stand for 10 minutes.

Our compliments to the Irish

This recipe is a delicious twist on mashed potatoes. It's called colcannon -- a mix of potatoes and cabbage -- and it's a traditional Irish side dish, which made it a perfect choice for St. Patrick's Day. Our family loves to try new things, and this was a winner. It was a great complement to our corned beef. We will definitely make this again.

THE RECIPE:

8 medium potatoes (between 2 1/2 and 3 pounds)*
1 stick butter
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 head green cabbage, chopped
1 c. milk
7 green onions, white and green parts chopped

Scrub potatoes and cut into chunks. In a large pot, boil potatoes in water until they easily fall off after being pricked by fork. Drain, then mash with butter, salt and pepper. I use an electric mixer.

Mix milk and onions in small saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are tender and milk is frothy and has absorbed their flavor. Pour into potatoes and mash together.

In large pot, bring water to boil, then add chopped cabbage. Boil only about 2 minutes, so cabbage is just tender but NOT mushy. Drain well, then stir into mashed potatoes. Do not use electric mixer on this part.

*I used red potatoes and left the skins on.

Below you'll see a plate of our St. Patrick's Day feast.

Cinnamon rolls reinvented

Oh dear. It's terribly rude of me to suggest you should have these cinnamon roll pancakes for breakfast, because they aren't very healthy. But you should. You probably have a special occasion you could use as an excuse. Ours was St. Patrick's Day, as you'll see from the picture below with the green glaze. This recipe was delicious. I got it from a website called Recipe Girl. You can go there to find helpful tips for making these.

THE RECIPE:

Cinnamon swirl
Cream cheese glaze
Pancake batter

Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat. On my electric stove top, No. 4 worked great. Make pancakes as usual, except squirt a swirl of cinnamon onto each when bubbles start forming on the batter. Keep the swirl about an inch away from the edge of the pancake.

Flip pancakes when bubbles pop and bottom of pancake is golden brown. Cook a couple of minutes more, until other side is nicely browned. Wipe out pan with paper towel, then repeat the process. Serve pancakes with cream cheese glaze. Makes about 8.

Cinnamon swirl:

4 Tbsp. butter, very softened
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

Stir together ingredients and spoon into a piping bag or thick plastic baggie with tip cut off. Tip should have about a 1/4-inch opening.

Cream cheese glaze:

4 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Milk for thinning

Whisk butter and cream cheese together. Add powdered sugar and vanilla, then thin with milk as desired.

Pancakes: (or use your own batter)

1 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp. cooking oil

Mix dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients and mix until just moistened.

Pick your colors

I thought this glass block Jell-O looked so cute when I saw it on Our Best Bites. I just had to make it. What's funny, though, is I don't really love Jell-O unless it's been spruced up, like this or this. So, even though the recipe made a festive side dish for St. Patrick's Day, I didn't think the taste was anything special. You Jell-O fanatics out there will probably beg to differ.

THE RECIPE:

4 3-ounce packages Jell-O, any colors
2 packets unflavored gelatin (such as Knox)
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Find as many containers as you have colors of Jell-O -- Tupperware or glass baking dishes will do. I used an 8x8 baking dish for my green because I had three packages of it. I used a small square plastic container for my yellow because I only had one package. If you choose four different colors, you will need four small containers. Spray with cooking spray. Clear out a shelf in your fridge.

Mix 1 cup boiling water with each package of Jell-O. That's it. Stir until dissolved and pour into containers so that Jell-O is up to an inch deep. Refrigerate several hours, or until firm.

Mix unflavored gelatin with 1/2 cup cold water. Let stand until thickened. Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water and sweetened condensed milk. Allow to cool while slicing colored Jell-O into small squares and tossing together in sprayed 9x13 pan. Pour milk mixture over all. Try to poke down any squares that want to stick out. Refrigerate overnight.

St. Patrick's Day dessert

My kids took St. Patrick's Day very seriously this year. They literally pinched me at least 100 times in the morning, until I put on a green shirt. I got with the program, and everything was green after that! We had a St. Patrick's Day dinner of corned beef and a bunch of yummy green sides.

We ended the night with the lime Jell-O cream cheese pie you see above. It is the easiest thing in the world to throw together, and its thick, creamy, Jell-O-y filling is delicious. You must serve it with fresh whipped cream. Plan ahead for refrigeration time.

THE RECIPE:

1 graham cracker pie crust
1 3-ounce package lime Jell-O
1 c. boiling water
8 ounces light cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. lime juice

Dissolve Jell-O into boiling water. Add cream cheese and beat with electric mixer until smooth and combined. Add lime juice. Pour into pie crust. Refrigerate at least four hours, until set.

Creamy and dreamy

One of the side dishes for our St. Patrick's Day dinner was this creamy Jello. It is far better than plain Jello, of which I am not usually a fan. The recipe comes from my aunt Susan, who usually makes it for Thanksgiving, using orange Jello instead of lime. She tops it with mandarin oranges. I like it best with orange, but the lime was really yummy, and orange just wouldn't have had quite the same effect for St. Patrick's Day. So, if you're on the fence about Jello, make it creamy and you will be pleasantly surprised.

THE RECIPE:

1 package Jello (a flavor that goes with lemon)

1 package cook-and-serve lemon pudding

In saucepan, make lemon pudding according to package directions. While it cools, make gelatin according to package directions. Whisk the two together until frothy and well-mixed. Pour into 9x13 pan, cover and refrigerate all day or overnight.

A little luck o' the Irish

Corned beef with mustard sauce is the traditional Irish-American meal for St. Patrick's Day. It is really good and so easy to make. It is usually served with cabbage, but we served ours with roasted asparagus, which we absolutely love. Mind you, asparagus isn't just for St. Patrick's Day. You'll want to mark this recipe and use it all through spring!

CORNED BEEF:

1 corned beef brisket, flat cut*
Seasoning packet that comes with the meat
Water

Put corned beef in slow cooker. Cover with water, then sprinkle with seasoning. Cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8 to 10 hours. *There are two popular cuts of corned beef brisket, flat cut and point cut. I recommend the flat cut, even though it's more expensive. Every thread of meat on the point cut is laced with fat.

MUSTARD SAUCE:

1/8 c. mayo

1/8 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard (I used spicy brown for half)
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. creamy horseradish

Mix ingredients well. Use as a dipping sauce for corned beef. Refrigerate leftovers.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS:

Asparagus spears, washed
1 Tbsp. olive oil or melted butter
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Break off woody ends of washed asparagus. Bend the end of the spear, and the asparagus will know what to do. It snaps where it needs to. Arrange spears on shallow baking pan or cookie sheet. Drizzle oil over all, then roll spears around so they are well-coated. Season with salt and pepper. Bake spears of medium thickness for about 10 minutes. Skinny spears may need less time, and thick ones may need more. Asparagus is best when it is still a little crisp. Don't make them mushy!