Irish Soda Bread

QUESTIONNAIRE:

Have you ever chosen a particular restaurant just because they serve great bread on the table?

Have you ever ordered mussels just to be able to dip large amounts of bread into the broth?

Do you have a loaf of bread on your counter right now that costs more than you would like to admit?

Have you ever chosen a sandwich at a deli based soley on what bread it came on?

If you answered yes to these questions you may be...a BREAD-AHOLIC.

And you maaaaaaaay love bread as much as I do. Though loving bread as much as I do is a hard and possibly unobtainable goal.

I know, I know, you're disappointed, but only one of us can be the bread queen. And considering I’m pretty sure 80% of my body is made of bread, I have to say I win that title.

As much as I love bread, and as simple as some recipes will tell you it is to make, making your own bread can easily go terribly, terribly wrong (BELIEVE ME!).

This is exactly why when I have a hankering for some fresh bread, I love QUICK BREADS!

You see, they are...well...QUICK!! No rising, no kneeding, just GREAT BREAD...QUICK!! And the quicker I am eating this bread, the better it is for not only me, but everyone around me ;)

RECIPE:

4 cups all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Wash:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup buttermilk

         

        Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a large baking sheet. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in the buttermilk and egg and mix till just combined. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine the ¼ cup melted butter with the ¼ cup buttermilk and brush the loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  During the baking process brush the loaf with the butter and buttermilk wash at least once.

NOTES:

• The buttermilk wash will burn if it gets on your pan so try to not let it drip too much over the sides of your bread.
• You can brush with the buttermilk as often as you wish just make sure you give it at least 10minutes with no extra brushing of the wash at the end of the baking to allow the top to brown completely.
• It is supposed to be a little chunky and not overly smooth so don’t over knead it. 

You might also like these recipes:

• Roasted Garlic
• Appetizer Cups
• Irish Soda Bread
• Cookie Dough Truffles
• Brocolli Tacos

Brie + Jam Crostini

I’m obsessed with appetizers.

I’m the kind of person who would rather pick at a million different things all night than sit down to a full meal (and of course then I convince myself I didn’t eat nearly as much ;)

And when I host a party, I like to have as many things as possible in mini size, like a fun size candy bar, the perfect amount for one person...

Or at least the perfect amount for one person per one minute!!

And though a baked brie can be heaven. It’s big, messy, and once all the good toppings are gone you are just left with melted cheese. 

NOT that melted cheese isn’t arguably my favorite food. Oh! And un-melted cheese my second favorite…yes...that seems fair.

BACK TO THE POINT....

So like everything else in my life I took a classic baked brie and made it mini!! These have all the flavors of a baked brie in a two bites (or one bite for my husband). Perfection...

RECIPE:

1 small baguette

1 wedge Brie (approx. 6oz)

1-1.5cups Raspberry Jam

8 sprigs of Thyme

Cut baguette into 16 ½-1inch thick slices, cutting on an angle. Toast until just lightly toasted. Top with a heaping tbs of jam, then a ¼- ½ inch slice of Brie and finally the leaves from about half a sprig of thyme. Put in a toaster oven or regular oven until cheese is mostly melted. Serve warm and ENJOY!

Notes: 

• Lots of jams work with this recipe, my favs are apricot, strawberry and blackberry
• Make sure to put a nice thick layer of jam, there should be an equal amount of jam to cheese
• To get the thyme leaves off the stem easily simply run your fingers against the grain along the stem
• These are still good even when they become room temp, the cheese stays a little melted

You might also like these recipes:

• Roasted Garlic
• Appetizer Cups
• Irish Soda Bread
• Cookie Dough Truffles
• Brocolli Tacos

Cookie Dough Truffle

It’s a relief to know that every now and then a crazy idea of mine actually works out in the kitchen. You see I have a tendency to experiment...

...AKA mess up perfectly good recipes, especially if I’m baking...

I get unshakeable ideas in my head and they simply will not go away! And yes, sometimes they don’t quite work. But, there are other times when they just...well...WORK! This time, oh baby! It just WORKED!

3 ingredients...TOTALLY RIDICULOUSLY GOOD!!  Yes, the joys of experimenting! Enjoy the delicious fruits of my labor...

RECIPE:

1 12oz box of Entenmann’s original soft Chocolate Chips Cookies

4oz Cream cheese

10-12 oz Milk chocolate

Combine cookies and cream cheese in a food processor, and process till the mixture forms one dough-like ball.  Let mixture chill for 1hr in the fridge or 15min in freezer.  Roll into 1inch balls and put back in fridge for 30minutes or freezer for 15minutes.  Make a double boiler by putting a glass or metal bowl on a sauce pan with a simmering inch of water.  Put chocolate in the bowl and stir until melted.  Take a couple balls from the fridge and drop them in chocolate, remove with a fork, shake off excess chocolate and set on wax paper or a silpat.  Let set in fridge and ENJOY!!

Notes:

• If you are having problems with the dough balls falling apart when trying to dip in the chocolate let them chill for longer and then try again.
• The more chocolate you shake off when scooping out the balls the less of a puddle will form under the ball when it is hardening up.
• If you don’t have wax paper or a silpat than spray a baking sheet or tin foil with cooking spray and use that to put the finished balls on.
• I like these right out of the fridge because the chocolate is harder and gives you more of a bite, but they are good at room temp too, just softer.

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You might also like these recipes:

• Brocolli Tacos
• Spinach + Artichoke Bites
• Challah Hangover Sandwich
• Berry Keylime "Cheesecake"
• Popovers

Brownie Bites with Caramel Centers

RECIPE:

1 Package Brownie Mix

24 Frozen Rolos

Prepare the brownie mix to packages instructions. Grease a mini muffin pan and fill each cup 3/4 of the way full with batter. Insert an unwrapped frozen rolo into the center of each cup and cover with batter. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan and remove by inserting a knife into the cup, on the side and pop out the brownie bite. Enjoy!!

NOTES:

• WATCH THE VIDEO, THERE ARE SOME SUBTELTIES THAT MAKE THIS PROCESS EASIER

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You might also like these recipes:

• Chewy Coco Pebble Bars
• Roasted Garlic + Basil Hummus
• Irish Soda Bread
• Cookie Dough Truffles
• S'more Fudge

Roasted Garlic + Basil Hummus

I have a tendency to overdo things.

Bigger...Bolder...Spicier...these are words I like!!

When I first started cooking my spice cabinet became my favorite new toy and anything I made included at least 10 of my little friends. Some of their names being garlic powder, onion powder and red pepper flakes among my best buddies.

We were having a great time but the romance couldn’t last.

As much as I loved the kick of flavor my friends added to my new creations it was sometimes just too much. It took me a long time to realize that MORE isn’t always BETTER…I know, it's a hard to accept.

Eventually the roamance faded and me and my favorite buddies saw each other less and less and hummus like this were able to be born.

Simple and yet PERFECT…

Recipe:

1 15-19oz can Garbanzo Beans (aka chick peas)

2 Heads Roasted Garlic (click for how to roast garlic)

10 Large Basil leaves

Salt

¼ - ½ cup Olive Oil

Combine everything besides oil in a food processor and pulse.  Stream in olive oil while your food processor is on until you get a smooth consistency.

NOTES:         

• As with many dips and hummus the longer this sits in the fridge the better it tastes
• Don’t be afraid of salt! This needs quite a bit!

You might also like these recipes:

• Roasted Garlic
• Appetizer Cups
• Irish Soda Bread
• Cookie Dough Truffles
• Brocolli Tacos

Red Pepper + Lemon Dip

The food processor is my best friend.

As much as I love to be in the kitchen, there is always a point that if I have to chop one more clove of garlic I just might snap. Let's face it, prep is no fun! That’s why all the big name chefs have prep cooks in their restaurants. The prep cooks do all the dirty work and the real chefs get to just throw things in a pan and light them on fire.

So the closest thing to a prep cook that I can manage in my meager kitchen is...THE FOOD PROCESSOR.

I call him Francesco.

There is nothing better than throwing a bunch of ingredients into Francesco’s able hands and suddenly having something, well...quite tasty! So I bring you yet another quick dip featuring my partner in crime, the food processor...

RECIPE:

2 Roasted Red Peppers

1lemon Juice and Zest

2Tbs Olive Oil

1.5tsp salt

1Tbs parsley

1Tbs basil

6oz cream cheese

      Put all ingredients in a food processor and chop until pureed and smooth. Serve on it’s own as a dip or over pasta, shrimp or chicken! ENJOY!

You might also like these recipes:

• Brownie Bites with Caramel Centers
• Roasted Garlic + Basil Hummus
• Irish Soda Bread
• Cookie Dough Truffles
• Dill Hummus

Oreo Brownies

   

Since I am not a very technical type of baker, I have found an easy forumula to develop new dessert recipes and create things that are highly addictive and just plain DELICIOUS.

Here is the formula: Take two things you love AND SMASH THEM TOGETHER!!

Sounds simple enough, right?! It’s a marriage of two already delicious things coming together to create a new and possibly even more delicious creation.

So Oreos?...check...Brownies?...check...Oreo Brownies?? Ah ha! Why the hell not!!!

RECIPE:

1 package Brownie Mix

1 sleeve Oreo Cookies

     Prepare your favorite brownie mix to the packaged instructions. Put in the pan you wish to bake them in (i.e. 13by9, muffin tin) split oreo’s in halves and thirds and push down into batter. Bake immediately until brownies are cooked through and ENJOY!!

NOTES:

• Bake brownies immediately after adding the oreos, if the batter sits too long with the oreos in it the cookies will start to disintegrate and will create a brownie mess when you bake it. Believe me, I know :/
• I like slightly bigger chunks of oreo so you really bite into an oreo. 

You might also like these recipes:

• Chewy Coco Pebble Bars
• Grandma Bea's Peanut Butter Pie
• Banana Bread
• Cookie Dough Truffles
• S'more Fudge

How to Bread Chicken

RECIPE:

5 sliced thin cutlets, about 1lbs

1 egg

3 cups Plain Bread Crumbs

1/2 cup Flour

Salt and Pepper

In a bowl scramble egg with 1 tbs water. In another bowl put the bread crumbs. And in another bowl put the flour. Add 1/4tsp salt and 1/8tsp pepper to each dish and stir to combine. Take the cutlet and coat in the flour, then dunk in the egg until coated, then put it into the bread crumbs and press the crumbs onto the cutlet. 

Bake at 450 for 8-10minutes or until the center is 165 degrees

You might also like these recipes:

• Brownie Bites with Caramel Centers
• Roasted Garlic + Basil Hummus
• Irish Soda Bread
• Cookie Dough Truffles
• Brie + Jam Crostini

Fresh Pasta

RECIPE:

3+1/3 cup Semolina Flour

4 large eggs (7/8 cup)

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Tbs Olive Oil

2 Tbs Water

Mix together with you mixer paddle for 30 seconds. Change to a dough hook and mix 2 minute. Kneed for 2-3minutes. Dough is ready to put through your pasta maker. Whatever dough your not using at the moment wrap in plastic wrap or seal in a plastic storage bag to keep moist.

**Wathc the video**

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You might also like these recipes:

• Brocolli Tacos
• Spinach + Artichoke Bites
• Challah Hangover Sandwich
• Gnudi
• Popovers

Mango and Honey Crostini

Balance

It’s one of those words that's thrown around a lot when it comes to food...life...relationships...

EVERYTHING!

And as much as I would love to fix all your life's problems, let’s start with the food, this is only a food blog after all! 

Balance in a dish makes you want to keep on going back for that next bite.

You want your food to be sweet but not too sweet, salty but not too salty, creamy but not “food coma, never leaving the house” creamy.  

Well, may I present you BALANCE in the form of a crostini. 

Sticky sweet honey BALANCED by a sprinkle of salt, perfectly ripened mango BALANCED by bright and “wake up your taste buds” mint. And of course a spread of cream cheese which gives me BALANCE in my life just because...well...it is cheese...

(I’m a simple person :)

RECIPE:

1 small baguette, 16 ¼ to ½ inch slices

1 block Cream Cheese 

1 Lemon- Zest

2 Mangos 

 1/3 cup Mint leaves, loosely packed

¼ cup Honey

Salt

Toast bread slices till lightly toasted.  Let bread cool and top with approx 1Tbs of Cream Cheese and a couple grates of lemon zest.  Top that with finely chopped mango and mint.  Finally drizzle 1tsp honey over the mango and mint and finish with a sprinkle of salt.  Enjoy!! 

Notes:

• You could use most spreadable cheeses instead of cream cheese
• You could sub apricot, plum, pineapple, grapes or berries for the mango

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You might also like these recipes:

• Brocolli Tacos
• Spinach + Artichoke Bites
• Challah Hangover Sandwich
• Berry Keylime "Cheesecake"
• Popovers