An Irish Meal

I love St. Patrick's Day. Green happens to be one of my favorite colors. Two years ago, my family and I visited Ireland for a family reunion (thanks to my mom).

On this special day, Our traditional meal is corned beef, cabbage and potatoes. The background music is Irish music, of course. Evening entertainment is Irish dancing performed by my daughters. All this in the comfort of my own home.

Oh - let's not forget the Irish soda bread. Since I don't have a cast ironed pan yet, I've resorted to buying it from Sprouts. No, it's not the same, but it will do. Having Barry's tea from Ireland with our soda bread makes a perfect breakfast on this special day. How I love our traditions!

I've put the recipe here so I don't forget.

Irish Soda Bread
(My mother-in-law's recipe)

2 c all purpose white flour (measured out of a coffee 8-10 oz coffee cup ;)
2 cups wheat flour
2-3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
(Carraway seeds can be added here if you like)

mix dry ingredients well with a fork

(REMOVE WEDDING AND OTHER RINGS NOW :0)

add 2 large eggs
and just less than 1/2 the container of a quart of buttermilk...poured out slowly two or three times during mixing. Mix with large fork in a spiral motion from outside to inside of dough, scraping sides of bowl to ensure all dry and wet ingredients are mixed together. BARELY knead dough ball, just enough to keep it all in one lump. Sprinkle a little extra flour around the bowl/dough ball as needed to ensure it is dry enough to lift out of the bowl.

Place rounded dough in well seasoned cast iron pan (if you have any concerns about bread sticking to pan, line with parment paper). Press dough very gently into circular shape.

Tradition calls for a floured knife to be used to "cut" a cross into the top of the bread from edge to edge (about a 1/4" deep). Then, using knife again, drop knife blade into center of each quadrant created by the cross twice, so as to make knife-blade sized crosses in each quadrant, while blessing the bread and those who eat it, "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Bake at 350 to 375 degrees for 35 minutes on a middle rack.

Outer crust will brown and harden, but bread is done when a knife inserted through the bread at highest peak of the crust comes out
free of doughy streaks...

Remove from oven. Turn rounded "loaf" of bread out of the pan and cool upside down for quickest results. If you can, wait till cool before slicing. Cut bread in half down the middle, then turning the bread up on it's flat side, cut 1/4" thick slices down from the rounded top.