Top 'O the Mornin!!

Top 'o the morning to ye all!! And Happy St. Patrick's Day! Now, I will reveal upfront that unfortunately, I have absolutely not one ounce of Irish in my blood. Luckily, the Irish pumps strongly in me soul. That's right, this orange lass is most definitely an orange and not a green, except on this loveliest of days. This lady is all English and Dutch with a hint of German. Dang. But, I do have a little sparkle of green in my big brown eyes, so I've got that going for me, which is nice.


As my family and friends can attest to, I have always been a little Irish-obsessed. I admit it, I even hunted for leprechauns when I was but a wee one. I never found me one, but then again, I also never found a unicorn so maybe the leprechauns never made it on the boat with Noah either. I may or may not have planned an Irish wedding (to whom? you may question. Eh, don't ask me I haven't met him yet) that includes a step-dancing flower girl and a wedding couple dance where I rip off the bottom half of my dress and do a jig. Too much? Not for this girl. I lovemesomeIrishmen. And....my opportunity may finally be upon me this June when I venture off to Sweden to visit our dear friend David. He asked me recently what I would like to do while on my vaca, afterall, it is my first time going over there. I do have a lot of things I want to see in Sweden including, but not limited to: the countryside, lakes, maybe some castles, a may pole, soccer players. But, one other thing I threw on the list...a 2 day trip over to Ireland!! This is pretty feasible since travel in European countries is common and relatively low cost. Oh, how I long to see the lush green links, some blarney stones and a fine Irish pub filled with whiskey to the brim! Wish me luck in my qwest for I'm sure it will be difficult to return to the rolling prairies of Nebraska after seeing the stunning green hillsides of  The Land.And who knows, maybe I'll finally find me a leprechaun!!

Although I am simply a follower of the hearty holiday, one of my colleagues is a true Irishman and in such accustomed fashion, he brought homemade Irish Soda Bread to work today!! I love Irish Soda Bread not only because it is unlike most breads you are used to but because it is so pretty. Bread, pretty? Yes, it is. It has a crackly, floury golden crust that entices your taste buds and sends this "eat me, I'm yummy" message to your stomach which is usually covered in green on this most auspicious of days and automatically you think, "I want to eat that bread." So cut yourself a slice, top it with some sweet cream butter and maybe a little honey and enjoy.

I am planning on making some bread tonight once I finish celebrating my "Happy Hair Cut Day" with my favorite stylist. I am going to use this recipe from Simply Recipes and am excited to use my cast iron skillet. Wish me luck as I attempt my first go 'round at this traditional dish!

Nom Nom Naan

A three day weekend. Oh it held so much promise. Starting with a fabulous staff holiday party complete with me winning a gift card for some delish food at the Embassy Suites hotel and some dancing at a new lounge downtown, but ending with a runny nose and phlemmy cough. Boo. After spending much of Sunday lounging on the couch watching movies and tv, I decided some comfort food would do just the trick to make me feel better. Well, along with my strict regimen of cold pills, allergy pills, humidifier refills, medicinal tea (No, Carrie, I am not drinking"pot-tea") I do believe some homemade Naan should do the trick.


Indian food is something that I find very comforting. It fills you up with this warm, savory and spicy feeling that can be washed down with a glass of red wine and a dollop of hummus on some naan. Naan is an Indian bread that somewhat resembles a pita and can be made to encompass any flavor you may choose. For my first attempt at homemade naan, I played it safe and only topped the bread with flavors. I used garlic powder, curry, cumin, butter and some pesto. Next time, I plan on incorporating raisins in some of my dough balls, adding pine nuts to the dough and maybe even trying a sweet naan with honey and cinnamon. 


Have you ever taken a bite of something and just closed your eyes and savored the texture, flavor, chewy goodness and warm feeling it brought to your senses? Well, good Lord, you need to and you can do it with this bread. This was seriously a very simple process and totally worth the outcome. Dip it in a little Olive Oil or hummus and share this starter with friends and family, they will be sure to thank you for the experience....and compliment you on your brilliance in the kitchen ;)
Enjoy, friends!


Ingredients:   Makes 8 loaves of Naan
2 cups all purpose flour or wheat flour
1/2 cup of warm milk
1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp oil

Instructions:
1. Mix all the dry ingredients together and make a well in the center of flour.
2. Combine milk and yogurt and pour half of it into the well and with your hands, slowly mix it together.
3. Add the rest of the liquid slowly and combine it all together slowly until a soft dough is made. The dough should be soft enough for you to be able to dig your finger into it without applying any pressure. If dough sticks to hand too much then use little bit of oil on hand and then punch into the dough.
4. Cover with damp cloth and let it sit in a warm place for at least 2 hours. I pre-heated my oven to 175°, turned it off and then set the dough inside.

5. After a few hours, dust your working board, take out the dough and knead it for about 2-3 minutes. 
6. Divide the dough into smaller balls (in this case you should get about 8 balls to make naans).
7. Dust the board again and flatten the balls to make bread which is a little thick and elongated. Roll these balls out flatter than what you think may be necessary, they will puff up!
8. Sprinkle one side of the dough with whichever flavor you want.
9. Brush the other side with water.

Heat a thick bottom skillet or a wok or any heavy bottom pan with a lid. Once its nicely hot place the naan wet side down which would stick and cover it with a lid. I used a cast iron skillet and it worked perfectly.
Let it cook for about 30 secs or until you see bubbles on it. Flip the naan and cook it on the other side for a couple of minutes until you see a few charred brown spots, then you will know it's ready!

Neiman Marcus Delights

Uh muh gawd. To look at a picture of this Heavenly carb delight teases my tastebuds and make me yearn to once again be seated at the Neiman Marcus Fashion Cafe. Steph told me of this delicious, pop over and the impact it had on your life once the flaky and buttery bits hit your mouth, but let me tell you, I had no idea. Then, to add the strawberry butter to your palate, someone get me some water because I am starting to get all hot and bothered again just thinking about this. 

Seriously, if you get a chance to go to a Neiman Marcus cafe for brunch/lunch/dinner or really just a snack anytime during the day, be sure to ask for 2 of their speciality pop overs. You won't regret it. And please, send one to me ;)

Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bread

This bread comes with quite the name, but its combination of ingredients and flavors will whet your palate. I have engineered this recipe to cut down on the calories and add enriched nutrients. As with most of the sweet treats in my repertoire, I have added my favorite dark chocolate chips, Ghirardelli...yum.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup quick oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup no-sugar-added applesauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 smashed bananas
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients
3. In a separate mixing bowl, smash the bananas and then mix peanut butter, applesauce and eggs.
4. Slowly combine the wet and dry ingredients and add chips and nuts.
5. Pour batter into two bread pans
6. Pop in the oven and cook for 50 minutes

*If top of the bread starts to brown too much, cover with foil to retain moisture and prevent over-browning

Applesauce Raisin Nut Bread

As fall sets in and the leaves are turning beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow I can't help but be in the baking mood. Fall is the perfect time to try out some new recipes that will more than likely turn into year round favorites. I have adapted this recipe from a simple applesauce bread and added a little extra something to it. Enjoy!

Applesauce Raisin Nut Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup applesauce (feel free to use low sugar, cinnamon or regular)

2 eggs (I used 1 egg and 1 egg white)

1/4 cup canola oil (the extra applesauce makes up for using less oil)

3 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

1/8 cup brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pans.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, mix sugar with applesauce, eggs, oil and milk. Add it to the flour bowl and mix well. Stir in walnuts and raisins.

4. Spoon into pans. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of each loaf before baking for 1 hour, until a wooden pick comes out clean. If the loaves become too brown while baking, cover with foil and continue.

Depending on how your oven heats, adjust the time accordingly, I only baked mine for 50 min and probably could do 45 min.