Irish Soda Bread

Many years ago, my grandma enjoyed shopping at the bakery in the basement level of Marshall Field's. There was always a sale table where day-old breads, cakes and pasteries were displayed, and Grandma loved their Irish soda bread. It had a cake-like texture, and definitely a considerable amount of sugar. I've tried many times to recreate it. This is as close as I got:

Irish Soda Bread by Goldie

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 pint (2 cups) sour cream
1 cup golden raisins

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
   
2. Grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
3. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
   
4. Add the eggs, sour cream and raisins and mix until just combined.
   
5. Distribute batter evenly between the two pans.
6. Bake loaves at 325˚ for 1 hour.
   

NOTE: You could also bake these in two round casserole dishes, for more traditional-shaped loaves.

Missing old friends

Tony is a good friend of ours who moved back to New Jersey, where most of his family lives. He comes to visit occasionally and either stays with us or other friends in Chicago. I have a lot of very funny friends, but, man, I gotta tell you, other than my husband, Tony is the funniest guy I know (sorry, JST!). Not just funny, but also a very good cook. Miss you terribly, Bean Curd...this one's for you...

Tony's Goat Cheese Dip

2 4-oz packages of goat cheese
salt (to taste)
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup of chopped pistachios
1/2 stick of butter
optional: fresh cut chives, minced

1. Let the cheese and butter soften at room temp. Whip together with a fork, blending well.
2. Take a fairly large garlic clove and chop into little pieces. add a teaspoon of salt to the garlic, and with the back of spoon smush together until it makes a paste.
   
3. Add the garlic-salt paste to the cheese-butter mix and whip that together.
4. Add the pistachios and chopped up chives (the chives are really optional).
5. Heat at 10-second intervals in the microwave, stirring frequently, until the texture "loosens up" but is not too hot.
   
6. Serve with melba rounds, pita chips, or crackers.
7. Prepare to find it irresistible and gain ten pounds.

[NOTE: I sometimes stretch this recipe out by adding a block of cream cheese, which also tames down the flavor of the goat cheese, because it can be overwhelming if you've never tried it before.]

True Devotion - A Fan's Story

I had actually written this story a few years ago...okay, maybe it was ten years ago...and it still tells well. My husband and I are huge Chicago Blackhawks fans. Huge. Rabid. As in, you probably wouldn't want to sit in front of me at a game, unless you like your ears bleeding from someone screaming behind you. But, anyway, this story is completely true....

It was a dark and stormy night…. (ha, ha!)

Actually, it had been snowing for a good part of the day and into the evening. Not a heavy snow; just a lot of big, fluffy snowflakes falling continuously.

My husband was working late and I was home from work—I forget why—doing things around the house and running a few errands.

At about 6pm, he called to tell me that he would be home around 8pm, and asked me to set up the TiVo to record the game that night. I can't recall whether the game was in Buffalo or Boston, but I quickly realized it was going to be on an hour earlier that I had originally anticipated, so I thanked him for the reminder and went downstairs to turn on the tv.

Pixelation. Then, that little blue bar at the bottom of the screen: No satellite signal

NO! How could this happen? It wasn't snowing all that hard, and it was a light, fluffy snow. Not the kind of snow that sticks to your satellite dish and disrupts your feed!

I went outside to evaluate the situation. Our house had what is called a "hip roof"; meaning it's high and pointy. Only the edge of the dish was visible from where I stood in the back yard. Still, I picked up a handful of snow, crushed it together, and threw the snowball at the dish in hopes of clearing the layer of snow off.

I missed. Completely.

So I stepped back about five feet, gathered more snow and threw another one. I couldn't tell where that one landed. Another five feet back and the branches of a huge tree were in the path of the next hopeful snowball.

Back inside to check the picture. Nothing. Damn it. Back outside.

'How in the world am I going to….?' I pondered as I stood on the back step; then I spotted the garden hose, still on its reel, not put away for the winter. Ah, good—that'll work!

Silently thanking my lazy husband, I turned on the faucet. Water sprayed me in the face. I shut off the faucet and looked at the sprayer nozzle. Cracked. The metal had split when the water inside the nozzle froze and expanded.

Silently cursing my lazy husband, I went to the garage to look for the other sprayer nozzle. Gone. Nowhere to be found. Ran in the house and checked the utility room. Nothing. Black electrical tape sitting on a shelf caught my eye. Good deal.

Now noticing the cold outside, I unscrewed the nozzle and took it into the basement to apply the electrical tape. Back outside.

With cold hands, I happily unwound the hose and dragged it over to the other side of the house where the dish sits atop the high roof. Piece of cake.

I ran to the driveway and turned on the water again, then ran back around to pick up the hose. As far as I could estimate, I was aiming the water at the dish, but it was hard to tell, and I was getting cold real fast. So I went back to the faucet and shut it off, then went downstairs to check the tv.

Nothing. No picture. Damn it!

Back outside. Turned the water on. Ran back to the hose at the side of the house.

'If only I could see a little better…' I mumbled to myself. Water was beginning to get past the tape—the sprayer was dripping. An idea hit me: the ladder!

From the garage, I managed to drag our long aluminum extension ladder through the snow and over to the side of the house. The sprayer handle was dripping more and more—black electrical tape was never intended to be water-proof—so I tried to hurry up and get the ladder against the side of the house.

I went about four rungs up, dragging the heavy hose, which was dripping and becoming clumped with snow from the ground. Saying a prayer, "please let this work, please let this work," I held the hose up and pressed the sprayer handle with my half-frozen hand. The jet of water wasn't going far enough, so I went up two more rungs on the ladder and sprayed again.

Dropping the hose and my wet glove to the ground, I muttered, "Well, that ought to do it," and climbed down, with a feeling of accomplishment. Back inside.

Nothing. No picture. Damn it!!!

Back outside. Another pair of gloves. Up the ladder, higher this time, aim for the dish. Sprayer nozzle speckling my glasses so that I can't see. Water dripping down my arm, soaking my jacket. One more rung. Leaning, leaning…

I can't see. I'm cold. I'm getting soaked. I REALLY want to see this game now, and I'm not going to give up until I do! Back inside.

Not a thing. No Hawks. Damn it!!!

Back outside. Wet glasses off—can't see. Take off wet jacket and wrap it around the hand that's holding the now badly-leaking sprayer nozzle. Loudly curse the pathetic electrical tape that isn't holding. Back up ladder, up to edge of roof this time. Anger makes me bold. Aim hose, hold on to gutter, lean farther, spray water….

And then I heard it: thunder.

Only twice before in my life have I heard thunder and seen lightning in a snow storm.

Thunder, hmmm. So here I am on a high extension ladder, holding onto a metal gutter, spraying water into the air…

"Aw, man, this ain't right…." I say aloud as I continue spraying water over the roof, as well as drenching myself with the broken, taped nozzle. "That's GOT to do it…." Back inside.

The first period is just ending. I have tv again. I got my Hawks.

"#@$%, yeah!!!" I yelled to no one in particular.


NOTE: As far as I can recall, the Hawks won this game.

Irish Stew

Grandpa Dorton was Irish-Apache, and the Irish in him was a big fan of soups and stews. I used to cook a lot of soup for grandma and grandpa later in their lives, and I usually made or bought bread to accompany the soup, because after all, what good is soup without bread to sop up the broth? Irish stew is meant to be served with a hearty wheat bread, oat muffins, or a nice baguette.

Irish Stew

2 lbs. stew meat, cubed generously (This may be a chuck roast, or meat purchased under the somewhat ambiguous title "stew meat.")
1 very large onion—diced into big chunks
8 to 10 small new red potatoes; peeled & cut into chunks
2 or 3 medium carrots; peeled and cut into large chunks
2 stalks of celery, each cut into 3 pieces
6 cups of water

SEASONINGS:
4 beef bouillon cubes
4 garlic cloves, pressed (or 2 tsp. crushed garlic from a jar)
2 tsp. marjoram
2 Tblsp. parsley flakes
1 squirt of ketchup (no, seriously)

DESTRUCTIONS:

1. Ahead of time, you may want to put meat tenderizer on the beef, but you don't have to—the longer you let the stew simmer, the more tender the meat will get.
2. Brown meat in large pot or Dutch oven with a dab of olive oil. To sear meat, put pot on stove and allow to heat well (toss a small piece of meat in and listen for the "SSSSS!"—then, it's hot).
3. Chop onion into large chunks and add to meat. Mix around to distribute for even cooking. (most of the onion will disintegrate as it cooks, anyways)
4. Add garlic, marjoram, and parsley flakes; stir well. Let cook a while to blend the flavor of the seasonings.
5. Meanwhile, start peeling your potatoes. Cut them into cubes as large or small as you like. Add to meat in pot. Stir.
6. Cut your celery into chunks; usually about 3" long or so. Add to pot as well. Give it another stir.
7. Peel your carrots and chop them into chunks as large or small as you prefer. Give the pot another big stir.
8. Now you can add your bouillon cubes and water. The water should be enough to cover all of the meat and vegetables; if not, add more water 1/2 cup at a time.
9. Add the 'squirt' of catsup/ketchup. How much? Not so much that the stew turns red. Probably about 2 tablespoons.
10. Bring ingredients to a good boil—uncovered. Leave at a medium boil for 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning on the bottom (it helps if you have a non-stick pot).
    
11. Taste it! If it needs anything like salt, this would be the time to add it!
12. Turn heat way down and place lid on at a slight angle, so that it's not sealed. Let simmer for at least an hour. Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally.

Creamy Shell Soup

I first made this a few weeks ago...okay, it might have been November, I can't remember...and my husband absolutely loved it. It's easy enough to make, even if you do let the pasta get over-cooked.

3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 small onion, diced
1 can navy beans
1 (large) can mushrooms, drained (I had actually used fresh ones, because I had some)
6 c. water
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 bay leaf
spices: poultry seasoning, chives, coriander, parsley flakes, salt, & pepper.
2 c. uncooked pasta shells (small or medium; either is fine)

Roux: 4 T. butter w/ 4 T. flour & +/- 4 c. milk

1. Dice chicken into 1/2 – 1/4 inch cubes; mince onion; put into stock pot with 6 cups of water. Add seasonings and bouillon cubes.
   
2. Bring to a boil, and add mushrooms and navy beans.
   
3. Once boiling again, add pasta & begin making roux by melting butter in small sauce pan.
   
4. Stir four into melted butter, and cook, adding milk slowly.
   
5. Bring to a boil and watch for it to thicken to a nice rich consistency, then add to stock pot. Stir well to blend.
   

Goldie's Baked Mostaccioli

2 pounds lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1/2 of a large sweet onion, minced
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon minced garlic (from jar)
Spices: parsley flakes, oregano, marjoram, tarragon, sage, black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 box (16 oz.) mostaccioli
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
1 cup (4 oz.) mozzarella cheese, shredded

1. In large frying pan, sauté onion until lightly browned; remove from pan and set aside.
2. Brown ground beef/turkey; drain grease. Remove from heat.
3. Add onions back in; add pasta sauce, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms, brown sugar and spices. Mix well.
4. In large stockpot, bring salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta; cook until al dente. Drain pasta very well and put back into pot.
5. Mix meat sauce into pasta; stir well.
6. Pour into large baking/casserole dish; top with Romano and mozzarella.
7. Bake—covered—at 350˚ for 20 minutes. Remove lid/foil and bake 10 minutes more.
   

Grandpa Dorton and chocolate cake

In the year 1918, an epidemic of influenza* spread through the United States—about 28% of the population suffered, and 500,000 to 675,000 died. My great grandmother was one of those who did not survive. My grandfather was only six years old when his mother died, and his best memory of her was the cakes she made: devil's food chocolate cake with white [marshmallow] frosting and coconut on top. This recipe is dedicated to the memory of my grandpa…


Devil's Food Cake with Coconut Frosting

3/4 c. cocoa
2/3 c. boiling water
2 c. sugar
1 c. butter, softened
4 eggs
1 c. fresh buttermilk
2 1/2 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1/4 t. salt

1. Preheat oven to 325˚. Grease and flour 12 cup Bundt pan.
2. Stir cocoa into boiling water until dissolved; set aside.
   
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, butter and eggs until very light and fluffy.
   
4. Add buttermilk; mix well. Add all remaining ingredients, including dissolved cocoa; mix well. Pour into prepared Bundt pan.
5. Bake at 325˚ for 65 to 75 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan; cool on rack.
   

Marshmallow Frosting

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine or butter, softened
1 jar (7 oz.) JET-PUFFED Marshmallow Creme
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
1 to 2 Tbsp. milk, divided
1 pkg. shredded coconut flakes

1. Place margarine, marshmallow creme and vanilla in small bowl; beat on medium speed until well blended.
   
2. Gradually add sugar, beating after each addition until well blended.
3. Blend in 1 Tbsp. of the milk. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. milk if necessary for desired spreading consistency.
   
4. Press shredded coconut onto top and sides of frosted cake.
   

*references:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/influenza-epidemic/