Cead Mile Failte!

       Happy belated Saint Patrick's Day to all the Irish folks out there! I myself am half Irish and that half is obvious (red hair, blue/green eyes and cough...a mild temper...cough). As with every year I either make the traditional Corned Beef and potatoes ( I leave out the cabbage to appease my olfactory peace of mind) and Soda Bread, or the Hubs, offspring and I are invited to a party where the fixings are made by someone else. This year was no exception. We had to skip the party this year due to the Hub's job so on St Pats we invited a couple of friends over for a low key evening of merry making. Good times were had by all and the offspring played like it was going out of style!

      This year I added something baked to the meal. i wouldn't be me if I hadn't. Along with the Corned Beef we had the Soda Bread. I've had this recipe for years and for the life of me I cannot remember where in the world I got it. Normally I tweak any recipe I find to make it my own somehow, but this particular one is great on its own. It can be made with or without raisins. As for me, I love raisins whether they reside in bread or are covered with chocolate or yogurt. Raisins and me are BFF!

photo by Amanda @Mandies Sugar Bowl

Irish Soda Bread  yields: 12 servings
5 C All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
5 tsp Baking Powder
1 stick (1/2 C) Butter, softened
1 1/4 c Raisins (optional)
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 c Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 to 2 C Buttermilk (you can do a buttermilk sub. but the taste of the bread is not the same)

     Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the flour, salt, soda and baking powder in a large bowl. Unwrap the butter and save the wrapper (to grease the cookie sheet). Mix butter in with a spoon.  Add the raisins, eggs, and sugar. Mix these together well. At some point your going to need your hands. (I nix the spoon altogether. Less dishes = a happy me!) Scoop the dry ingredients up from the bottom so that everything is mixed to an equal consistancy. Add the buttermilk a little at a time. Stop when the dough becomes sticky (For me it's usually after adding 1 1/2 c of the buttermilk). Take the dough out of the bowl and place on a floured surface. Knead the dough 10 times. More than that will change the texture of the dough. Cut into half to make two loaves. Using the butter wrapper, grease a cookie sheet (you can also use parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray. This technique has never changed the bread in any way for me.) Score the top of the bread with a cross an "x" for decoration and to help with make the top crusty. Place the bread in the oven for 45-60 minutes (45 mins. works for me.) or until the bread is a nutty brown. Test before removing by inserting a skewer or slim knife in the center. If it comes out clean, then the bread is done. Cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!!

photo by Amanda @Mandie's Sugar Bowl

        For dessert this year I added something new to the day. I made Chocolate Stout Cupcakes courtesy of Dave Lieberman at Food Network. I didn't change much as the recipe I used before Dave's was way too buttery. For this recipe I left out the salt with no repercussions. I also made a different butter-cream than Dave used. The result was sooooooo much better than my first attempt!! I also filled them with a chocolate ganache. The ganache part I have to tweak a bit more, but on the whole they came out fantastic! To top it all off I hand piped some chocolate Shamrocks for the occasion. All in all the evening was great. Everyone had a lot of laughs and a great time, which is the Irish way. I hope your St. Pats was great as well! Sláinte! (Cheers in Gaelic)