Happy St. Patty's Day! - Irish soda bread and Irish Potatoes!

I am so horrible at blogging. there are a number of reasons.

1) I tend to be ridiculously verbose, so it takes me so long to write things.

2) It's so nice outside today (SPRING!!!), and I spend my whole day sitting in front of a computer, so by the time I get home, I just would rather not look

at more screens.

3) I am apparently great at starting projects and not so great at finishing them. There is further evidence of this in the bags and bags of yarn projects that i started and never finished. sigh.

But! today's St. Pattys day, and thought I am in no way, shape, or form Irish, I do love food.

I've been wanting to try making Irish Soda bread since World Communion Sunday back in the fall when one of the church ladies made Irish Soda bread. yum yum yum.

Apparently there's lots of controversy over Irish Soda Bread - as in what the traditional method for making it is. It seems like traditionally ther

e would be 4 ingreds. flour, baking soda (hence the name), butter milk and something that i'm forgetting (good story, right?). No raisins, no currants, no caraway seed, etc. So, according to some, this slightly sweet recipe is an abomination. but it's also UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS.

so so so so yummy. CARBS!

Dense- but not too dense. and moist (although I know how some folks feel about that word), and the currants were great!

I made 2 loafs (instead of the traditional cast iron pan) and I brought one of them into work. it was GONE in TWO HOURS!! that's success, it'd say. I also got a "standing ovation email" from my roommate who brought some to work. yea. it's delicious.

It's from Epicurious.com, via Bon Appetit. You can s

ee more here:

Ingredients

-5 cups all purpose flour

-1 cup sugar

-1 tablespoon baking powder

-1 1/2 teaspoons salt

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, room temperature

-2 1/2 cups raisins or currants. Soak in hot water for 15-20 minutes, drain before use.

-3 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional - I didn't use 'em)

-2 1/2 cups buttermilk

-1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter heavy ovenproof 10- to 12-

inch-diameter skillet with 2- to 2 1/2-inch-high sides. (or 2 – 9x5” bread loaf pans). Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Add butter; using fingertips, rub in until coarse crumbs form. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds. Whisk buttermilk and egg in medium bowl to blend. Add to dough; using wooden spoon, stir just until well incorporated (dough will be very sticky).

Transfer dough to prepared skillet; smooth top, mounding slightly in center. Using small sharp knife dipped into flour, cut 1-inch-deep X in top center of dough. Bake until bread is cooked through and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool bread in skillet 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in foil; store at room temperature.)

We also made Irish Potatoes!!!

They're neither potatoes nor irish - they're candy!

1/4 c butter (room temperature)

4 oz cream cheese (half a stick)

cream together

Add and cream together again:

1 tsp Vanilla

4 cups Confectioners Sugar

mix together

2 1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Cool in the fridge for a bit

roll in 1 TBSP cinnamon

Eat! Nom nom nom!!