Irish Soda Bread with Golden Raisins

It's cold and snowy outside so all I wanted for the past few days was soup and bread. I ended up making an awesome tomato cabbage barley soup but there was no bread to be found in the house. *gasp* Clearly I have been slacking since I always have at least one type of homemade bread in the house. I didn't want to wait hours for a yeasted bread so I decided on Irish Soda Bread with Golden Raisins (page 400). Yes I know those aren't golden raisins. It doesn't matter though because the Thompson raisins I used were excellent as well, so back off!

Anyway, the bread is super easy to put together with ingredients you most likely have kicking around. It bakes up in about 45 minutes and the result is a warm, dense loaf which is wonderful slathered with margarine and served alongside a hearty soup or stew. This bread however, is best the same day you make it as there's really not much fat in it (i.e., it doesn't store well).

Taste-wise, it is a fairly neutral bread. Since there isn't any yeast or a lot of other flavourful ingredients, there isn't a ton of flavour. That neutral taste though goes for any Irish Soda Bread and it means it goes well with a savoury soup or stew or even a sweet jam. Even though there are raisins in it, the bread doesn't clash with other dishes. It went surprisingly well with my strong-tasting, heavy soup.

The next time you want some bread to go along with your soup or stew, give this a shot. It's easy, neutral-tasting, fast and a nice change of pace from yeasted bread.

Hula Cookies

I recently organized an event for the German department at my university and decided to bake some cookies to take. Because, I mean, you know. The season and all. (No, well, it was just a good excuse to bake; I'm ever on the look-out for those.) The Hula Cookies (page 435) had one grad student complimenting me repeatedly between cookie after cookie. I sent some to a friend in Chicago, too, who enjoyed them just as much as I did while I was tasting for quality—a good chef has to taste first, right? Don't want to serve a dud. Multiple tastes ensures the first delectable piece wasn't an outlier. This is all pour l'art du baking, non?


Basically, they're thumbprint cookies with a tropical jam of your choice; all I could find was strawberry-mango, which resulted in a great tangy touch with each buttery bite. I chose them in particular for this because among the delightful panoply that is German wintertime baked goodies, there's a certain jam-filled kind I though could be suggested with these cookies.

Each is a pure little piece of homemade goodness; a cheerful little note from simpler times.

- - Ulpia, makes life so sweet – pour a little sugar on it! - -

Whipped Cream vs. Cashew Crème

I enjoy a good show-down, especially if it involves foods I get to sample. So I whipped up some crèmes and got to tasting.

Cashew Crème (page 501), pictured above:

• thicker in consistency
• cashews! nothing says creamy like those there nuts
• rich cashew taste with enough of a life of its own to be positively delightful eaten as-is like a pudding

Whipped Cream (page 501):

• smooth but a little on the thin side; even potentially runny (this can be affected by the type of tofu used; if more tofu is used than the recipe suggests, it gets a much better consistency and a milder taste, which, as is, is a punch of sweetness—so eyeball and adjust and taste, taste, taste)
• fairly tasty, but a tad too sweet with a bit of an aftertaste

Verdict: Cashew please.

If you're looking for a creamy dessert topping, the Cashew Crème is the way to go; while the taste of the whipped is fair to good, the consistency isn't there; it's too runny and not at all thick, maybe some cornstarch is in order: or maybe just make the cashew crème—it is in all respects heavenly.

What others thought? Well, the Cashew Crème was heartily approved previously by five guests. The Whipped was tried by my mother and her mother, just as a quick spoonful; they liked the taste, but in no way more than the cashew. Either way, it's too runny to function as a whipped topping unless you adjust the ratios. It could do well on a fruit salad, though, or a bowlful of granola, or poured over pancakes or French toast or waffles as a sauce. Or over anything as a sauce.

Anyway I still like the cashews more. Om nom nom.

- - Ulpia, where there's a whip—PTSCH!—there's a way - -

Mexican Fideo Soup with Pinto Beans

I had purchased the missing items for the Mexican Fideo Soup with Pinto Beans on page 159 but The Divine Miss V beat me to making it.

I do agree with her assessment on the flavor. The spices need to be upped if having right away. I'll see how sitting overnight changes the flavor.

Otherwise the soup is edible with the suggested flavoring you just may need to add something.

I did have Fideo so did use that. I also cooked the onions in a separate pot for saving time and I didn't see any special reason for using the same pot. I would have an extra dish to wash regardless.

When I make this again I'm going to check and see if there are any hotter chilies (the recipe suggests hot or mild) and see if that changes the flavor.

ETA 12/21--I tried to soup today and as The Divine Miss V said the flavors meld together better with the suggested measurements once allowed to sit.

--Gymmie

Black Bean and Corn Burritos

I love burritos and the Black Bean and Corn Burritos on Page 127 hit the spot.

This can be a quick snack as it just takes as long to heat up the filling and warm the tortillas.

I forgot to double check my Salsa as when I went to grab it it was bad :(.



But I added some Sriacha and all was nom :).

--Gymmie

Three Bean Soup

The Three Bean Soup on page 161 is very delicious and addicting.

I had some celery and carrots that hadn't been touched in a while so it made good sense to use them up.

I think soup has become my newest addiction so simple to put together.

--Gymmie

Three Bean Chili

The Three Bean Chili on page 249 is a very filling dish or snack.

The Chile in Adobo adds the extra zing to the Chili. In my measuring I inadvertently added too much Chili Powder when it dumped in but it didn't seem to alter the taste negatively.


--Gymmie