Happy St. Paddy's Day!!

It's too cold to parade, so instead I'm cooking. I'll share a couple of recipes.

Irish Soda Bread

4 C. flour

3/4 C. sugar

1 1/4 stick oleo or butter

1 t. salt

2 t. bk. pwd.

1 1/4 t. bk. soda

1 1/2 C. raisins, soaked in warm water to plump (I don't use them)

2 C. buttermilk

1/2 C. ch. walnuts

Cut oleo into dry ingredients until the crumb is fine. Slowly pour in buttermilk. (Drain raisins and add.) Add nuts. The dough will be very sticky and thick. I use a wooden spoon for the nuts.

Divide into two greased pie pans. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. If serving for breakfast, I glaze with a thin powdered sugar frosting. Most Irish soda breads I see commercially are very dry and dark. This one is quite moist.

For the kiddies, you might make Paddy's Potatoes. This is a candy that looks like a miniature potato.

5T melted butter

1 C peanut butter

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. vanilla

1 1/2 C. pwd. sugar

Mix butter and peanut butter together. Add salt and vanilla. Slowly add pwd. sugar until dough is stiff enough to mold. Roll small balls (potato shaped) of mixture into 1/2 t. cinnamon and 2 t. cocoa mixture. This gives the dusty potato appearance. Stud small pieces of nuts into ball for "eyes". Chill. Makes 2 dozen.

Since this Recipe Day, maybe you would like one for Unleavened Bread-we use this at our non-orthodox Seder. It's good for Holy Thursday's dinner too. From Rev. Bob:

1 C. flour

1 C. whole wheat flour

1 t. salt

1 t. sugar

3/4 t. bk. soda

Mix all dry ingred. together. Add 2 T. shortening, cut into dry ingred.

Mix 1 T. honey with 3/4 C. hot water. Add to dry mixture. Form a ball. Dough should not be so moist you need to flour the rolling pin and surface. Knead if necessary. Roll out to 1/4 " thick. Cut into saucer sized rounds. Score with knife like you're cutting a pie. Preheat 425. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-11 min. Yield 3-4 circles.

And yes, the corned beef is in the pot!