St. Patrick's Day 2021

St. Patrick's Day whilst at school was the best. Every kid joined in the festivities by wearing green and bringing some sort of green food for a pizza party. Covid has taken many things but me making a big production of holidays is not one of them. My daughter has enjoyed looking forward for each holiday so let's get started on St. Patrick's Day.  

Soda Bread Printable Recipe

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 3/4 Cups Wheat Flour

1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda

1 1/2 Tsp. Kosher Salt

2 Cups Buttermilk

2 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside until needed.

In a large bowl stir together both of the flours, salt, and baking soda. Add in the buttermilk and stir by hand until it is too tough to stir anymore.

Sprinkle the additional 2 Tbsp. flour onto a clean work surface, scrape out your dough from the bowl, and sprinkle with a little bit of flour on the top.

Gently knead the dough 8 times, form into a ball.

Transfer to your prepared baking sheet and cut across on the surface using a serrated knife.

Bake for 20 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 395 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack, allow the bread to cool 25-30 minutes before slicing.

Serve along some salted butter and enjoy.

Soda Bread

Irish Beef Stew Printable Recipe

2 lbs. Beef Chuck, cut into 1 inch pieces 

4 Tbsp. Olive Oil

6-8 Cloves of Garlic, minced

6 Cups Water

2 Tbsp. Beef Bullion Powder 

1 Cup Guinness Extra Stout

1 Cup Red Wine

2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 Tbsp. Thyme, finely chopped (save the stems)

1 Tbsp. Rosemary, finely chopped (save the stems)

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

2-3 Bay Leaves

3 Tbsp. Butter

3 lbs. Potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 Shallot, finely minced

1 Onion, finely chopped

4-5 Carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 Stalks of Celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 Cup Parsley, finely chopped

Kosher Salt 
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Lay out your beef pieces and pat dry on both sides. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides.

In a Dutch oven or large pot using medium high heat, add in the olive oil. Working in batches sear each side of your beef chunks, set aside once all pieces are seared.

In the same pot, add in 1 Tbsp. butter, shallot, garlic, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add in the tomato paste and cook it for an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Add the red wine, Guinness, stir, and let it cook down for 1-2 minutes. Add in the bay leaves, thyme stems, rosemary stems, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, water, beef bouillon powder, stir and the beef. Let it simmer for 45 minutes.

After the initial 45 minutes, remove the rosemary and thyme stems, and using a large spoon skim the top of the stew for any unnecessary  fat. Let the stew continue to cook.

Meanwhile, in a separate skillet using medium high heat, add in the remaining 2 tbsp. butter, onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, thyme and rosemary, season with freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of salt. Sauté the vegetables for 12-15 minutes turn off heat and put them in the pot with the beef.

Cook the stew for another 30-45 minutes or until the beef and vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves and one again skim the top of the stew of any additional fat. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. 

Remove from heat, and dish out portions of your stew into a bowl, top with parsley and enjoy.

Chocolate Cake with Malted Cream Cheese Frosting Printable Recipe

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 Tsp. Baking Powder

2 Tsp. Baking Soda

1 Tsp. Kosher Salt

2 Large Eggs

1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Milk

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

2 Cups Granulated Sugar

3/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 Cup Boiling Water

1 Tbsp. Instant Coffee

Malted Cream Cheese Frosting

1 Stick Butter

1 8 oz. Cream Cheese

3 Cups Powdered Sugar

1/2 Cup Malted Milk Powder

1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Kosher Salt

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

*if you want a malted chocolate frosting add in 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder and 1/2 Cup chocolate malted milk powder in place of the regular milk powder*

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease two 9 inch round cake pans.

In a large bowl, mix together the hot water, instant coffee and stir to combine. Stir in the oil, milk, vanilla and eggs. Whisk until well combined.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and whisk until well combined. Divide the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow the cakes to cool inside the cake pans for 15-20 then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. 

To make the frosting, in a large bowl add in the butter and cream cheese and using an electric mixer mix for 1-2 minutes making sure to scrape down the sides in order to fully incorporate. 

In a separate bowl combine the malted milk powder (if you're making the chocolate version add in the chocolate malted milk powder here), vanilla extract, heavy cream and mix to combine. 

Slowly add the milk mixture to the butter mixture and beat until well combined. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Gradually add in the powdered sugar (if you're making the chocolate version add in the cocoa powder here as well)and mix on low until incorporated. Then increase the speed to high and whip until fluffy about 3-4 minutes.

Frost the cake as desired. Serve and enjoy :) 

You can make this into cupcakes as well. Just bake them for 18-20 minutes and allow them to cool completely before you frost them.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Malted Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

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