Irish Soda Bread

So every year I do a post on 17 or 7 Irish heroes in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day, and each post I mention how I will be making Irish Soda Bread.

It is so good-and I usually spend the rest of the week eating the bread for breakfast with my tea.

from Under Capricorn (1949)

So this year I decided it is time for me to actually share the recipe I use, borrowed from my sister blog MysteriousEats.wordpress.com, so you can make your own for the holiday.

Ingredients:

• Shortening
• 2.5 Cups of All-Purpose Flour, plus extra for later
• 2 Tablespoons of Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
• 3 Tablespoons of Butter
• About 1 Cup of Buttermilk
• Additional Butter, Softened

Directions:

1. Heat Oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Grease cookie sheet with shortening.
3. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
4. Cut in 3 tablespoons of butter, using a pastry blender or crisscrossing two knives, until mixture looks like fine crumbs.
5. Stir in just enough buttermilk so dough leaves the side of the bowl.
6. Place dough on a lightly floured surface, gently roll the dough to coat.
7. Knead 1 to 2 mins, or until smooth.
8. Shape into a round loaf, about 6.5 inches in diameter.
9. Place on the cookie sheet. Cut an X shape about 1/2 inch deep through loaf with floured knife.
10. Bake 35-45 mins or until golden brown.
11. Remove from cookie sheet.
12. Brush with additional softened butter.
13. Cool completely, about 30 mins, before cutting.

It was delicious! I ended up making two (gotta use up that buttermilk) one for me and one for my Sunday School class. I wasn’t sure the kids would like the bread, but they surprised me and ate almost the whole entire thing.

Or in this case, bread

One thing that I find fascinating is that the the “X” you cut into the bread traditionally was supposed to represent a cross. With the cross on the bread, and bread representing the body of Christ- Irish Soda Bread always makes me think of communion and The Last Supper. Maybe I should make it for Good Friday this year as well?

Well if you make it for Saint Patrick’s Day or just to eat, for yourself or others-I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 🙂 I can’t stop eating it.

And an early-Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

For more bread recipes, go to Slow-Cooker Bread

For more recipes, go to Iced Blackberry Infused Earl Grey Tea

Amish Baked Oatmeal

Or scones!

So I love tea

And I am always on the lookout for new recipes to go with my teatime. This one my sister blog, Mysterious Eats, posted and it looked so good, I decided I needed to try it out with my tea time.

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Eggs
• 1/2 Cup of Light Brown Sugar
• 1.5 Tsp of Baking Powder
• 1 Tsp of Cinnamon
• 1.5 Tsp of Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 Tsp of Salt
• 1 1/4 Cup of Milk
• 1/4 Cup of Butter, Melted
• 3 Cups of Rolled Oats (Quick Oats work too)
• Cinnamon Sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter an 8×8 inch baking dish, set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs.
4. Add in brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until there are no lumps.
5. Stir in milk and melted butter.
6. Add oats and mix well.
7. Pour into prepared baking dish and spread evenly. (At this point you can refrigerate overnight or bake immediately.)
8. Bake in oven 30-40 mins until it is set.
9. Top with cinnamon and sugar.
10. Cut into squares and serve warm with fresh nuts, milk, a little cream, half and half, maple syrup, or honey of desired.

Unlike my sister blog I took a couple tablespoons of my hot Earl Grey tea and poured them over the top of the square and I thought it tasted fantastic! I would recommend this for you tea time.

For more goodies to make with your tea, go to Cheese Round

For more recipes, go to Green Tea Frappuccino

Green Tea Frappuccino

So I know some of you are thinking…uh didn’t you say you were going to resume reviewing Rational Creatures?

You are all 100% right. However, this weekend I left the hot three digit heat to visit my friend in cool, comfortable degree weather-San Jose.

I was hoping to have the next installment of Rational Creatures ready but it’s isn’t and I don’t want to post a lackluster review for a book that I have been enjoying. So instead I thought I would pause and share a yummy tea recipe that will help you beat this summer (it’s not fall in California until October) heat.

This recipe comes from my sister blog, MysteriousEats, and is a way to make a homemade Green Tea Frappuccino which stars one of my favorite teas:

So I mentioned in Matcha, Matcha, Matcha that my niece and I would go on these faux-around the world trips. One day she wanted to go to Japan so I planned a trip around town and then we ended the day with the tea ceremony. As I had leftover Matcha and I love the Starbucks Green Tea Frappuccino-it was a no brainer to use my sister blog’s recipe and make my own.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of Ice Cubes (Less than 10)
• 1 Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream
• 1 Cup of Milk
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon of Sugar
• 2 Teaspoons of Matcha Green Tea Powder
• 1/8 Teaspoon of Vanilla or Vanilla Extract
• Xanthan Gum (Optional)
• Whipped Cream (Optional)

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients in a blender.
2. Pulse and blend on high until thorough.
3. Add whipped cream if you want.

It’s absolutely delicious!

For more tea posts, go to I Won the Regency Marketplace Giveaway

For more Mysterious Eats recipes, go to Cheese Round

For more recipes, go to Matcha, Matcha, Matcha

For more Jane Austen quotes, go to Rational Creatures: Elizabeth & Charlotte

Cheese Round

So my friend is getting married!

Last year she threw me a “Jane Austen Tea Party Bridal Shower“

This year, she wanted a “Spring Tea Bridal Shower”. She asked me to make a Cheese Round for the party. The original title of the recipe is Christmas Cheese Round from my sister blog, MysteriousEats.wordpress.com. I’ve made it before for our cheese and fruit/movie parties we always have. We love cheese.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Cup of finely chopped Pecans (I used my blender to take care of it)
• 8 0z Cream Cheese Brick
• 1/2 Cup of Chopped Green Onions

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients. Pack into a round or ball.
2. Chill for two hours to overnight.
3. Serve with crackers or bread

The crackers I chose were Milton’s Everything Crackers (the best!), Organic Triscuit Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil, and the Mary’s Gone Crackers Gluten-Free Crackers. All were from the Grocery Outlet, so they are all $1.99.

YUM!

This is the best cheese round/ball or whatever you want to call it that I have ever had. I could eat the whole thing myself.

I recommend it for your next party or tea party.

For more recipes, go to Scottish Oatcakes

For more recipes from Mysterious Eats, go to Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

For more Bridal Showers, go to Jane Austen Bridal Shower

For more Tea Parties, go to My Niece Wanted a Tea Party

I Ran Out of Milk So I Put Buttermilk in My Tea

So buttermilk…I have never really drank it or used it except when making Irish Soda Bread for Saint Patrick’s Day.

Next year I promise to do a post on it, for now if you want to make it yourself, head over to my sister blog MysteriousEats.wordpress.com. Anyways, every year I am leftover with buttermilk and have no clue what to do with it.

I know most of you are thinking: pancakes.

I’m not really a big pancake fan, so I’m not into that.

Meh.

The other day I ran out of milk, and I LOVE milk in my tea. I don’t like to drink my tea without it.

Now normally I would just go to the store and buy more but its been raining.

Actually, that’s not an accurate description. It has been storming-windy, sheets of water, etc. The type of weather that makes you want to just stay home in pajamas with a good book or movie…

 

And tea!

But I had no milk!!!!!

So then the idea came to me…what about buttermilk?

I had never even drank buttermilk before, I mean I know you can make a substitute using vinegar so I’m pretty sure it isn’t sweet. And I know in the one Ramona book they call it “sour”

“How else am I supposed to reach things?” Ramona successfully broke the egg and tossed the shell onto the counter. “Now I need buttermilk.” Beezus broke the news. There was no buttermilk in the refrigerator. “What’ll I do?” whispered Ramona in a panic. “Here. Use this.” Beezus thrust the carton of banana yoghurt at her sister. “Yoghurt is sort of sour, so it might work.” The kitchen door opened a crack.“What’s going on in there?” inquired Mr. Quimby.” Ramona Quimby, Age 8

But then in Westerns they always have the men drinking it when they come back from working the fields and such.

So I tried it and…

It is so sour! It’s like drinking plain greek yogurt.

I can’t imagine drinking a whole glass of it. But I thought maybe a few drops…?

It came out…okay. I only did a tiny bit and put in quite  lot of sugar. I don’t recommend it for everyday use, but only in a tight squeeze and only a little bit.

Well in the end it worked out, and I got my tea.

For more tea posts, go to I Tried Tea & Me’s Tea Infused Facial Cubes

For a recipe that uses buttermilk (which I had completely forgot about), go to Harlem Tea Room Cheddar-Thyme Scones

For more rainy days, go to A Water-Logged White Christmas

For more C.S. Lewis’ quotes, go to Book Club Picks: A Wrinkle in Time