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Irish Soda Bread

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Kaitlin

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! One of my favorite memories growing up was my mom making Irish Soda bread during March. It is a fairly straightforward bread and is really quite easy. The bread uses baking powder and baking soda instead of yeast as its leavening agent. Irish Soda Bread is also made with buttermilk that reacts with the baking soda to make it rise. Soda bread is a mostly savory bread, but it usually has some kind of dried fruit in it (raisins, currants, etc) that add a bit of sweetness. My mom’s version has caraway seeds in it that add a little bit of an anise flavor to it (caraway seeds are typically found in rye bread) and I just love it. I wanted to make this with currants but couldn’t find any, so I used raisins. Feel free to substitute golden raisins or currants. Ingredients: 3 cups coarse wholemeal flour 1 cup all purpose flour 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 2 tablespoons caraway seeds 1 cup raisins or other dried fruit 2 cups buttermilk, or more if needed

Pull-Apart Party Loaf and Giveaway!

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Kaitlin

Let’s be honest, one of the best parts of Super Bowl Sunday is the food. Although I’m excited to hang out with friends as we root for (so far) the most successful graduate in our class (Go Flacco!) and watch some amazing commercials, I’m more focused on the tasty treats that come along with the viewing. I’ve been in the Football Food spirit for a while now. Last week, Land O’ Lakes and Rebecca of Foodie With Family hosted a webinar all about food for the big game. We discussed a bunch of different group-friendly snacks, which ones travel well to other locations, and even how to keep food safe while it is sitting out during the game. Land O’ Lakes has a great round up of game day favorites, so be sure to check it out for some inspiration here. I learned a lot, but I was unfortunately kind of distracted. Why? Because the first darn photo they showed me was of a Pull-Apart Party Loaf. Look at that loaf! I loved it so much, I made a test batch of my own to share with you! I also received a nifty prize package for participating, … Continue reading →

Slow Cooker Apple French Toast Casserole

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Kaitlin

I love recipes that make it easy to serve a bunch of people with minimal effort. A slow cooker is usually a go-to for those types of recipes but I’ve never considered using it to make breakfast before. The Ninja Cooking System is the perfect tool for it though. They sent over this recipe for an Apple French Toast Casserole and I couldn’t wait for the weekend to come so I could make it. This recipe makes 8 servings so it would be great for breakfast for a larger group but I also packed up the rest of my servings to reheat during the week. Ingredients: ½ cup butter 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup chopped walnuts ½ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup pure maple syrup 1 loaf challah bread (about 1 pound), cut into cubes 6 large eggs 2 cups vanilla almond milk (or normal milk) 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Pinch salt Confectioners’ sugar

A Taste of Ireland

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Kaitlin

With St. Patrick’s Day fast approaching I have been thinking back to my trip to Ireland quite a bit. I had such a great time that I wanted to relive a little piece of it, through food of course! I was chosen to be a part of Foodbuzz’s 24×24 for March so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to make some Irish treats. I invited my Dad, boyfriend and Aunt who all came on the trip with me to Ireland as well as my grandpa, who grew up in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland, and my mom, who didn’t get to do the trip with us. I honestly was a bit nervous about this undertaking, I didn’t want to disappoint my grandpa or mess up a traditional meal! We began with a mini traditional Irish breakfast for an appetizer. An Irish breakfast consists of black and white pudding, bangers (sausage), rashers (bacon), a fried egg, baked beans, and a fried tomato. Because this was just an appetizer, I used quail eggs instead of traditional eggs. I found the black and white pudding, bangers and rashers on foodireland.com, a great website for Irish food products. A traditional Irish breakfast … Continue reading →

Bacon, Egg & Toast Cups with Spinach

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Kaitlin

I came across this Martha Stewart recipe this week and was kind of mad at myself for not thinking of it first. It’s brilliant. I love the idea of an entire breakfast within one little “muffin”. This would be a wonderful idea for a breakfast with guests: they look wonderful and really don’t take much time or preparation at all. Ingredients: (makes 4) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 6 slices sandwich bread (I strongly suggest the Rye-Pumpernickel Swirl bread) 4 slices bacon 12 spinach leaves Salt and pepper, to taste Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Lightly brush 4 muffin cups with butter (Muffin cups are the tins that come with only six, not twelve. I left the two in the center empty but you can easily change this recipe to make 6). Using a rolling pin, flatten the bread slices. If you have a 4 1/4 cookie cutter, use that to cut 6 rounds. I ended up using the top of a jar and using a knife. Mine were a bit smaller, so I cut 12 rounds from 6 pieces of bread. Reserve four as rounds. Cut the remaining 8 in half. Press a round into the bottom of … Continue reading →

French Toast with Maple-Apple Compote

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Kaitlin

I love French toast. I may or may not have had dreams about Sabrina’s French Toast (in the Italian Market in Philly) but I always have a bit of eater’s remorse when I realize how many calories I managed to consume before 10 am. I must not be the only one, because Cooking Light had a lighter French Toast recipe that takes advantage of seasonal apples in their most recent issue. Ingredients (4 servings): Compote: Cooking spray 1 teaspoon butter 3 sliced and peeled Fuji apples 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon French toast: 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract A pinch of salt 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 4 knotted challah rolls 2 teaspoons butter, divided Powdered sugar (optional) Prepare the apples. Peel the apples and slice into somewhat even sizes so that they cook evenly. If you cannot find Fuji apples, Cooking Light suggests substituting Liberty, Pink Lady, or Jonahold apples because they will maintain their shape while cooking. Heat a saute pan over medium heat and coat the pan with cooking spray. Melt 1 teaspoon butter and add the apples. Cook for … Continue reading →

Stuffed Pumpkin with Cranberry-Raisin Bread Pudding

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Kaitlin

When I came across the title of this recipe, I was intrigued. I wasn’t sure if this would actually be a success, but it sounded so interesting I had to give it a try. So behold, Stuffed Pumpkin Cranberry-Raisin Bread Pudding. Ingredients: 1 pie pumpkin, about the size of your hand 1 stick of butter (1/4 cup) plus 1 teaspoon butter, melted and divided 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1 large egg 1/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup half and half 1/3 chopped pecans 1/2 a raisin bread loaf, cut into smaller pieces 1/4 cup fresh cranberries Lemon-Vanilla Sauce, to taste 1 vanilla bean, split 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch A pinch of salt 1 teaspoon butter or margarine 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add the butter to a pot over low heat to melt. Cut off the top of the pumpkin. Reserve the lid. Scoop out the pumpkin seeds and pulp. Brush the inside of the pumpkin with 1 teaspoon melted butter. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon brown sugar. Cut the bread into similar sized pieces. Top with the … Continue reading →

Pumpkin Spice Bread

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Kaitlin

I was really hoping to make actual pumpkin bread using Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale, but I couldn’t find pumpkin puree anywhere! Two years in a row of crop shortages are making it very difficult for me to enjoy my favorite ingredient. Anyways, I instead made a Pumpkin Spice Bread. Ingredients: 1 Dogfish Head Punkin Ale (or other Pumpkin Beer) 1/2 cup brown sugar 3 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ginger 1/4teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1/2 cup walnuts Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add the brown sugar, flour, baking powder, spices and salt to a medium sized bowl. Mix to combine. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Add the beer. It will fizz up a lot! Fold the dry ingredients into the beer until just combined. You do not want to over stir it, or the bread will not rise. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and stir to combine. Spray a bread pan with cooking spray and add the dough to the pan. Cook for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out … Continue reading →

Baked Brie

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Kaitlin

There is a Moroccan restaurant in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia called Figs that has the most fantastic Baked Brie dish. It comes in a clay pot and is topped with honey, lavender and almonds. I randomly had a craving for this appetizer this weekend and decided to try to make my own. I didn’t think searching for lavender during a hurricane was my best choice, so I had to omit that ingredient. Ingredients: 1 wheel of brie Honey Toasted Almond Slivers Craisins (Dried Cranberries) Day Old Bread, or Toasted Pita To prepare, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add brie to an oven safe ramekin. If you do not have one, you can also just place the brie on a cooking sheet, but this might get a bit messy. Slice the bread. If it is fresh, add it to a baking dish so that you can toast it in the oven. Cook the brie for 10 to 12 minutes. (The bread should go in for about 3-5 minutes to harden a bit) If you made this on a cookie sheet, transfer the brie to a plate. Drizzle honey over the brie, to taste. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and craisins. … Continue reading →