Baking Bread - Irish Style!

Since my Corned Beef was actually NOT traditionally Irish, I decided to make something that is. I've always been curious about Soda Bread cuz there are so few ingredients but they look so hearty and delicious. I found a large variety of recipes but decided on this one from one of my favorite blogs, Baking Bites. According to The Preservation of Irish Soda Bread Society though (yes they do exist!), my version would be considered a "Spotted Dog" since I added raisins. I really like the dense texture of this bread and the raisins added just the perfect hint of sweetness. I can see why this bread was a staple in the old days cuz you could easily fill up on this really inexpensive side dish. (Hint: MUST smear a pat of butter on it!)

Slow Cooked Corned Beef = YUM!

It's almost St Patty's Day, which means that there are a lotta of Corned Beef recipes floating around. After some research though, I found that pork was actually the main staple in the Irish culture. So I guess the whole idea of celebrating St Patty's Day with Corned Beef is a total myth BUT I thought it'd be fun to make it anyway. I found many recipes that called for boiling the meat or baking it for a few hours but I thought putting it in the slow cooker would be the best way. Corned Beef is a tougher cut of meat so I knew it would come out super tender that way and I was SO right! Since Greg doesn't like cabbage, I just threw in some carrots and potatoes instead. Everything was SO flavorful and I can't wait to make sandwiches with the left-over meat!

Another Yummy Pear Bread

My last pear bread was really good so when I saw this recipe for Pecan Pear Bread, I knew I had to make it. It completely rivaled the other one! I chopped the pear up in my mini food processor and added some dried cranberries for sweetness and color. SO good! I can't wait to have it for breakfast tomorrow!

My Healthy Baked Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are yummy but they're usually oily, fried and definitely not too healthy. BUT I decided to try a baked version and they came out REALLY good! The trick to getting that nice crispy skin is brushing a lil bit of oil on the rolls before placing them in the oven. I made a simple filling of ground pork and coleslaw mix but I think next time I might experiment with some shrimp or even baked tofu.

Ingredients: (10 rolls)


1/2 lb ground pork
1 c coleslaw mix
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp corn starch
1 Tbsp water
10 (7-in) spring roll wrappers
1 Tbsp vegetable oil


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 425°F.


2. Cook pork in a saucepan over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Remove from heat and drain. In a medium bowl, mix together pork, coleslaw, green onions, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger and garlic.


3. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl.


4. Place approximately 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture in the center of spring roll wrappers. Roll wrappers around the mixture, folding edges inward to close. Moisten fingers in the cornstarch and water mixture, and brush wrapper seams to seal.


5. Arrange spring rolls in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with vegetable oil. Bake for 20 minutes, until hot and lightly browned.

Stuffed Pasta Never Fail Me

Whenever I'm out of ideas for dinner, I know I can always turn to stuffed pasta. It's one of my "go-to" meals that I can make with ingredients I usually have on hand. It's such a versatile dish too and I know it's gonna turn out yummy! Tonight, I stuffed some jumbo shells with a mixture of Italian sausage and Ricotta. Then I jazzed up some jarred Vodka sauce with some mushrooms and baked everything in the oven with LOTS of Mozzarella on top. Quick and easy! Now it's time to watch Lost!

More Ravioli Filling

I had the last of my left-over Ravioli filling sitting in my freezer so I decided to try a muffin recipe I saw in a cookbook. They were awesome! There's something just so comforting about the smell of sweet potatoes baking in the oven. The pumpkin pie spice reminded me of how much I miss the holidays! Is it really only March?

Ingredients: (6 muffins)


1 c all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 c mashed sweet potatoes
1/4 c maple syrup
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 butter, melted and cooled
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c chopped walnuts
1/4 c raisins


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease or line 6 muffins cups.


2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spice. In another bowl, stir together sweet potato, syrup, egg, butter, water and vanilla until blended. Add to dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Stir in walnuts and raisins.


3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool 5 min before removing muffins from cups and finish cooling on wire rack. Serve warm or store in an airtight container at room temperature. These muffins freeze well.

Mexican Style Lasagna

I really wanted to make Enchiladas for dinner but discovered that I had no Enchilada Sauce. I did have plenty of Taco Sauce so I decided to make Mexican Lasagna instead. I can't believe it's been so long since I've made this! This time I used some left-over pulled pork that's been sitting in my freezer and it was SO yummy! Isn't it a beauty?

All plated with some sour cream on top ready to be DEVOURED!

Ingredients: (4 servings)


2 c shredded pork
1 c Taco Sauce, divided
1 can (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes with green chili
1 Tbsp chili powder
8 flour tortillas (6-inch)
2 c shredded Mexican-style cheese


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or spray an 8-in baking dish with cooking spray.


2. In a large bowl, mix together the meat, half of the Taco sauce, tomatoes and chili powder.


3. Pour the remaining Taco sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange 4 tortillas on top, followed by half the beef mixture and half the cheese. Repeat layers.


4. Bake for 20 min, until cheese is bubbly. Let stand 5 min. Serve with sour cream and chopped green onions on top.