Irish Soda Bread

To round out our week of Irish recipes to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I would have a real traditional recipe for Irish Soda Bread. I’ve heard a lot about this bread, so I think I will have to make it myself. Earlier this week I had two other great recipes to go with the theme – Corned Beef and Cabbage, and Shepherd’s Pie – in case you missed them, and the bread would be a delightful addition to the meal.

You can find a lot of recipes with different variations – I even found one with Raisins. But according to The Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread:

Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, Buttermilk

Anything else added makes it a “Tea Cake!”

So I decided that this would be the best place to find the recipe. Their website states:

THE SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF IRISH SODA BREAD. INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY AND PREPARATION OF TRADITIONAL IRISH SODA BREAD AS CREATED BY OUR ANCESTORS.

So who would know better? The site itself is rather interesting, so take a look around! There is more than one recipe here, but I decided to highlight the original, which stays true to the above statement, the ingredients are no more than flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk.

It should take about 10 minutes of prep time, and about 40 minutes total baking time for one skillet of bread.

Irish Soda Bread

Source:  The Society for the Preservation of Irish Soda Bread

Shepherd’s Pie

This week I am focusing on some good old-fashioned Irish recipes to go along with the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day.  Monday we had Corned Beef and Cabbage, and today’s recipe is for Shepherd’s Pie. This is one dish that I have never made, but have thought about many times. I don’t know why but it just appeals to me. I need to run it past my partner in crime and she if she is interested in trying it out!

Shepherd’s Pie has a meat filling that is topped with a potato mixture. It has a lot of ingredients! The meaty filling includes bacon, onions, ground beef, carrots, peas, tomato paste, garlic, broth, beer, rosemary, cheese and more! The garlicky potato topping is made with potatoes, sour cream, beef broth, butter, salt, pepper, and 10 whole garlic cloves! It’s not a overwhelming as it sounds. With all of these ingredients – it is still very easy to make and only takes 20 minutes of prep time!

Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8 servings
Level: Easy

Shepherd’s Pie

Source: Foodnetwork

Corned Beef and Cabbage

I’ve seen a lot of advertising lately for St. Patrick’s day, which got me thinking of course about recipes. Also, when grocery shopping last week I happened to see a really nice looking brisket that I was going to buy, until I was overruled and asked to make steak again using my recently added Grilled Steak Marinade Recipe. How could I refuse? Plus, I already had a roast in my cart. Maybe next time.

Anyway, I thought that this week I would focus on a couple of good recipes to celebrate the day with, or to make just because they look delicious!  Today I thought I would start with Corned Beef and Cabbage. Later in the week I will have Shepherd’s Pie and Irish Soda Bread.

No only does this look yummy, it’s prepared in a crock pot! Which is great since the holiday falls on a Tuesday this year. The ingredients include cider vinegar, onion, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and of course, the corned beef brisket. It only takes about 15 minutes to prepare, and then just set your crock pot on low and let it cook for 8 hours!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Serves: 6-8

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Source: Food.com

Coq au Vin

Today’s recipe is a lovely Coq au Vin from Julia Child. I have always wanted to try Coq au Vin, but always thought that it would be too hard to make. After looking at this recipe though, I don’t know what I was afraid of! While it’s not a simple throw together meal, this is definitely something that I can make! This recipe even has a slow-cooker option, but I think I would rather make it the way the recipe was originally intended.

This tasty dish is made with some wonderful ingredients, and I think served alongside parsley or garlic potatoes, a nice salad and french bread, I think this would make a lovely meal! Serve the same red wine you used to make the dish and you have a dinner that would be perfect for a dinner party!

Ingredients include lardons (or very thick-cut bacon), olive oil, chicken, Cognac, bay leaf, thyme, white onions, red wine, chicken or beef stock, garlic and mushrooms.

Preparation: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Coq au Vin

Source: Julia Child, via Letie’s Culinaria

Braised Oxtail

I don’t know why, but this recipe appeals to me. I have never had Oxtail, nor thought about eating it. Until now. Oxtail is the tail of the steer, which doesn’t sound particularly appetizing, but somehow looks really good!  According to the recipe,this meat must be cooked slowly cooked slowly for a long time using moist heat, which makes a rich and delicious sauce. And it says that the meat itself is absolutely succulent, and it has a lot of my favorite ingredients like onion, garlic, and red wine, so I thought, why not?

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 180 minutes
Total Time: 225 minutes

Braised Oxtail

Source: Culinaryarts.About.com

Blueberry Lemon Crepes with Custard Sauce

Today I have an absolutely delectable dessert! Personally, I love anything made with blueberries – whether it’s pie, smoothies, or cake! Yum!!  So when I ran across this gorgeous looking dessert, my heart actually skipped a beat.

These mouth-watering Blueberry Lemon Crepes with Custard Sauce are just what the name suggests. The crepes and custard sauce are made with your basic ingredients, and the filling is simply blueberry jam or preserves and lemon. The crepes are arranged by placing a bit of Custard Sauce on the plate, and then the Crepes, and topped with confectioner’s sugar! With such a lovely presentation, these Blueberry Crepes would be a wonderful end to an intimate dinner party.

If you need a little help with the preparation, there is a video in the link to the recipe

Total Time:  50 minutes
Prep:  30 minutes
Cook:  20 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
Level:  Intermediate

Blueberry Lemon Crepes with Custard Sauce

Source: Foodnetwork

Chocolate Lasagna

Oh my! I’ve had this recipe on my mind for a while now, but haven’t had the right opportunity to make it. I have it bookmarked, and have even talked about making it, but somehow I just haven’t gotten around to it. The truth is, I think, I want to make it for a large gathering so that I don’t eat to much of it! Chocolate Lasagna – just the name makes my mouth water! And it looks just as good. It is most definitely falls under the category of Sinful Desserts!

This wonderful lasagna is made with Oreos, butter, cream cheese, sugar, milk, Cool Whip, chocolate pudding and mini chocolate chips! Wow, I think I just gained a pound! This would be a great dessert for a party, and it will look really good on your table!

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: N/A
Total Time: 1 hour 20 min (1 hour in Freezer)

Chocolate Lasagna

Source: Center Cut Cook

Ribollita with Italian Sausage

Today I have a really wonderful sounding Italian dish from Bon Appétit. Full of flavor, this would be a perfect weekend dish, and although classic ribollita is typically cooked a day ahead of time and is probably best so that the flavors really meld, there is no reason that you have to wait! You do however, want to make sure that you prepare the bread a day before, because fresh bread does not make good croutons! I make my own all the time, and-old bread always works best.

This dish looks absolutely delicious, and how could it not be? Made with sourdough bread, sweet Italian sausage, dry white wine, onion, carrots, celery, anchovy fillets, garlic, crushed red pepper, Tuscan kale, tomatoes, cannellini beans, chicken borth, red wine vinegar, Parmesan and more, this is sure to hit the spot with all of your dinner guests!

Paired with your favorite Red Wine, this would make a great dish for a dinner party. My favorite Italian wine is a good Chianti Classico, and it would be perfect with this meal! And with the time that it takes to make this dish, you may want to go ahead and open a bottle so you have something to sip while you prepare your meal. But don’t have too much, and be sure to save some for your guests!

This recipe doesn’t say how long it takes to prepare, but it’s not one you can throw together in 15 minutes.

Cooking Time: About 2 hours
Serves: 6

Ribollita with Italian Sausage

 

Source: Bon Appétit

No Sugar Apple Pie

As promised, today I have something for those that need to watch their sugar intake. It is really hard, especially for diabetics, to satisfy that sweet craving without spiking those blood sugars! And even if you are not diabetic, that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a good healthy dessert once in a while. This recipe sounds really good and I bet you won’t even miss the added sugar! Made with fresh apples, unsweetened apple juice and cinnamon, this is a simple recipe with only 4 ingredients for the filling. I have also provided a recipe for a basic double pie crust. You can of course, just buy some pre-made dough and go with that!

There were no specifics given for preparing this, however, it will probably take about 15-20 minutes of prep time, not including the pie crust if you choose to make your own, and 45 minutes baking time.

No Sugar Apple Pie

Source: AllRecipes

Pastry for Double Pie-Crust Recipe

TOTAL TIME: Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

MAKES: 6-8 servings

Source: Taste of Home

Chocolate Cream Pie

Well, I guess it’s obvious where my head is today! Sweets. Sometimes you just have to have something sweet to get you through the day. If this doesn’t do the trick, I don’t know what will! This decadent dessert is made with unsweetened cocoa powder, sugar, semisweet chocolate, vanilla, whipping cream, sour cream, and powdered sugar.  Oh my, I think I got a sugar rush just writing that!

And no, this should not be a weekly dessert, and it is most certainly not for those who need to control their sugar intake, or those who are allergic to chocolate. I will do my best to find something later this week that would be better for you, or, anyone for that matter. That said, if you really want something sweet and chocolaty, this certainly fills the bill. It would be a wonderful dessert for a dinner party too!

Serves: 8
Prep Time: 45 mins
Bake Time: 18 mins
Chill 4 hrs or overnight

Chocolate Cream Pie

Source: Midwest Living