Spring is in the Air………or was that air freshener?

Well, it snowed yesterday and it hailed today and it was raining when I was driving home, but you can’t get me down. I can feel the Spring that is popping its head around the corner. You know that Spring starts officially on March 20th and today is the 17th. What does that tell you! Today it was so funny; I had to wear green, because after 50 something years, I can’t get out of the habit. Anyway I wore this Kelly Green sport shirt with a collar and I tied this St. Patty’s day tie around it and wore it to work, why do you say that is so funny. Well I have had the tie since the 90’s and it has the Tasmanian devil with a pair of underwear that has 3 leaf clovers all over it. He is standing with an umbrella with gold coins falling on him. Does that make since? Well neither did my tie. , I felt silly, but it was the spirit that counted. I am home now and my wife is making corned beef and cabbage, oh yum. I wish my kids were here with us tonight, they love this stuff. My daughter is going to make it over Sunday, and my wife wants to make it again. I think I will have my fill of it by then. Anyway, I was thinking on the way home, I hope that it get’s warmer soon. Well, guess what. It is going to! I was looking at my poor lawn; it is all brown and waiting for that temperature to awaken its green face. My last blog, you got some ideas about green, well my lawn is crying out for some of it. So, I am going to pray for some warmer weather. Do you think that is wrong? Well, I won’t tell anyone if you don’t. Yah right! I don’t have any recipes; this is just some thought about the upcoming season change, which I have been waiting for ever since Ground Hog’s day, and that is a long time. So think of me Monday, when I will be celebrating Spring!!!

ARE YOU GREEN WITH ENVY OR IS IT ………….GREEN FOR ST. PATTY’S DAY?

I have always been involved in St. Patrick’s Day, or as we would affectionally call it St. Patty’s day. When I was in elementary school, we had to wear green or we would be pinched, if I didn’t wear green, I would tell everyone that I was wearing green, they would look me over before they would get their fingers ready to pounce and I said that my “eyes” were green. They would all look at me with searching eyes and then they would all still pounce on me??? Oh well, it was a lot of fun anyway. we would get cookies that were frosted with green frosting and our teeth, tongue and lips would turn green. My dad was big on this day, because with ancestry by the name of Sweeney, that came over on the boat from the “Mother” country we were thrown into it. I don’t remember if my Mom was so “thrown” into it, since she was Russian, but I do remember that we did celebrate in some way. Now my wife on the other hand loved corned beef and cabbage. I worked for a boss that was Irish and he would have us spend ½ of the day celebrating it with the day off and eating catered Irish food from the local Irish pub/restaurant. If you remember I don’t like cabbage, which stemmed from my early childhood. but, I did break down one time and try it. The Beef seemed to salty and spiced with something that I didn’t like, My wife would make it and my kids loved it. Since I couldn’t let them “enjoy” the feast by themselves, I would try it every once and awhile, but after a few years I starting to like it and I finally came to love it. My wife did add a lot of butter to the cabbage and it would really make you crave it. Doesn’t butter make everything taste good? Here is a little history that I found in one of my favorite food websites.

St. Patrick’s Ireland
By Ita Artt

Join the hooley and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in true Irish style with the "freshest of food and oldest of drink."


Born in Wales, St. Patrick first encountered Ireland when he was taken there as a slave by Irish pirates at the age of 16. He tended sheep for six years on Slemish Mountain in County Antrim before managing to escape back to England.
He became a priest, and expressed his desire to return to Irish soil so he could preach the faith throughout the island. However, a different Patrick was chosen by the bishop to go to Ireland, but historians maintain that he never made it across the turbulent Irish Sea.
Finally, Patrick got his wish, and his mission in Ireland lasted for 30 years. Afterward, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in A.D. 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick’s Day ever since.
St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated publicly in Boston in 1737. The international celebrations then became increasingly common after the great potato famine forced huge numbers of Irish folk to America, Australia, and Europe.
Nowadays, the festivities are more of a secular celebration, but it is actually a religious feast day that falls during Lent. Custom has it that fasting was set aside for one day to allow the nation to celebrate their culture and rich harvest.
Today, Ireland has plenty to celebrate. It’s economically booming and gastronomically wealthy. From Downpatrick to Dublin on the east coast and Glencolumbkille to Galway on the west (and all points in between), this small island has it all: organic meats, seafood, rich dairy products, fruit orchards, and an abundance of vegetables.
The west coast of Ireland, including the Aran Islands, is home to a few salmon smokehouses. Local pubs serve this delicacy on fresh wheaten bread with slices of lemon and freshly ground black pepper, alongside a creamy pint of "the black stuff." The sea provides lobsters, prawns, oysters, and mussels and all kinds of fish including cod, plaice, herring, and mackerel.
Another jewel from the sea is dulse. This edible salty seaweed, which is usually eaten on its own, can be mixed with mashed potato to make dulse champ. Irish moss, known as carrageen moss, is gathered from the sea in the spring and, due to its gelling properties, used to make beautiful, solid mousse pudding.
Ireland’s excellent aged cheeses and rich creamy salted butters are now imported to the United States and are readily available from good supermarkets or delicatessens.
The love of a good drink hasn’t faltered amongst the Irish either. It wasn’t long ago that farmers in the hills of Donegal distilled alcohol from potatoes. The drink was called poteen or poitin (pronounced "pot-cheen"), named after the "little pot" in which it is normally made. It was illegal due to being nearly 100 proof and highly intoxicating. Nowadays, locals are happy enough drinking world-famous whiskey and stout because they know that "if you can’t go to heaven, may you at least die in Ireland."

Now that you are officially all caught up in the history and beauty of Ireland, we have some recipes to show you how to enjoy one of our favorite holidays:

Amazingly Easy Irish Soda Bread

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 50 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 5 Minutes

Yields: 20 servings

"The batter for this unadulterated soda bread features buttermilk for a special richness."

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

Mum's Irish Apple Pie

Submitted by: Brian Francis Green
Prep Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Ready In: 2 Hours

Yields: 8 servings

"As a little boy I grew up helping my mother make apple and fruit pies. She was from Cork in southern Ireland so I'm guessing the recipe is Irish and possibly the same one her mother taught her. Sadly my mum is no longer with us, but her legendary apple pie lives on in my memory. I promise you will love this pie!"

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons shortening
1/4 cup sour cream
1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
5 large Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch pie pan.
2. To Make Crust: In a large bowl, combine flours, salt and sugar. Cut in butter and shortening until coarse crumbs are formed. Mix in sour cream and lemon juice. Keep mixing until dough forms a ball; dough may be slightly lumpy, this is fine. Wrap dough ball in plastic wrap and allow to chill for 1 hour.
3. Once chilled, take dough out of refrigerator and cut it in half; keep one half covered and in the refrigerator. Roll dough to 1/8 of an inch. To lift pie shell, roll dough around rolling pin and then unroll into pie pan. Trim overhanging edges of pie crust.
4. To Make Filling: Place apples into pie shell. In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour and nutmeg; mix thoroughly. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Squirt lemon juice over apples. Place pie in refrigerator while top crust is rolled out.
5. Remove pie from refrigerator. Brush outer edge of bottom crust with beaten egg. Place second crust on top of pie; crimp pie shell edges together. Brush entire top crust with egg and cut 4 steam slots into it.
6. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow pie to completely cool before serving. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Irish Bannock

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Ready In: 55 Minutes

Yields: 8 servings

"This is a round buttermilk loaf with currants that resembles nothing so much as a giant scone. Enjoy this bread for breakfast."

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup dried currants

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into flour mixture with pastry cutter. Add buttermilk until dough is soft. Stir in currants.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth. Form dough into a 7 inch round. Place on a lightly oiled cake pan or cookie sheet. Cut 1/2 inch deep cross side to side. Score with cross 1/2 inch deep on the top.
3. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 40 minutes.

Colcannon

Yields: 5 servings

"This is a recipe from County Mayo. It is traditional Halloween fare but good anytime! Kale can be substituted for cabbage."

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound cabbage
1 pound potatoes
2 leeks
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch ground mace
1/2 cup butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large saucepan, boil cabbage until tender; remove and chop or blend well. Set aside and keep warm. Boil potatoes until tender. Remove from heat and drain.
2. Chop leeks, green parts as well as white, and simmer them in just enough milk to cover, until they are soft.
3. Season and mash potatoes well. Stir in cooked leeks and milk. Blend in the kale or cabbage and heat until the whole is a pale green fluff. Make a well in the center and pour in the melted butter. Mix well.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 3 Hours
Ready In: 3 Hours 20 Minutes

Yields: 8 servings

"This recipe takes time but you won't be disappointed. Give yourself a little luck o' the Irish with this Americanized version of an Irish feast. Serve with butter and Irish soda bread."

INGREDIENTS:
4 1/2 pounds corned beef brisket
5 black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 onion, peeled and left whole
2 bay leaves
1 pinch salt

1 small head cabbage, cored and cut into wedges
6 large potatoes, quartered
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a 6 quart Dutch oven, Place the beef brisket, peppercorns, garlic powder, onion, bay leaves and salt. Fill pan with water to cover everything plus one inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Skim off any residue that floats to the top. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 hours, until meat can be pulled apart with a fork.
2. Once the meat is done, add the cabbage, potatoes and carrots, pressing them down into the liquid. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Skim off any oil that comes to the surface. Stir in the butter and parsley. Remove the pot from the heat.
3. Remove meat from the pot and place onto a serving dish and let rest for 15 minutes. Also remove vegetables to a bowl and keep warm. Slice meat on the diagonal against the grain. Serve meat on a platter and spoon juices over meat and vegetables.

Irish Lamb Stew

Submitted by: Danny O'Flaugherty

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 2 Hours 25 Minutes
Ready In: 2 Hours 45 Minutes

Yields: 10 servings

"Juicy cubes of lamb are tossed in seasoned flour and browned in bacon fat - and that's just the start of this rich and hearty stew! Garlic, onion, beef stock, carrots, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and wine all converge to make a one-pot Irish feast."

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 pounds thickly sliced bacon, diced
6 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup water
4 cups beef stock
2 teaspoons white sugar
4 cups diced carrots
2 large onions cut into bite-size pieces
3 potatoes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup white wine

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2. Put lamb, salt, pepper, and flour in large mixing bowl. Toss to coat meat evenly. Brown the meat in a frying pan with bacon fat.
3. Place meat into stock pot (leave 1/4 cup of fat in frying pan). Add the garlic and yellow onion and sauté till onion begins to become golden. Deglaze frying pan with 1/2 cup water and add the garlic-onion mixture to the stock pot with bacon pieces, beef stock, and sugar. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
4. Add carrots, onions, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and wine to pot. Reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Simple Scones

Yields: 8 servings

"Make a holiday breakfast -- or afternoon tea -- really special with these sweet bakery treats."

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup raisins (or dried currants)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg

DIRECTIONS:
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in butter (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then stir in raisins.
3. In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.
4. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)
5. Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Now, I think you are green with envy, that you aren’t at the table now with all of these delicacies in front of you and BAM, you get pinched and you are awake and it is all there, just waiting for you. Make these recipes and you will be one that people will talk about as they are green with envy. Happy St. Patty’s Day!!! And enjoy!

Chicken Soup………..and “Soul”…….

Did you ever have one of those days when you have to have “soul” food? Well, last night was my night. It was cold and windy, and my wife hadn’t arrived home from work yet. I thought wouldn’t it be nice to have something for dinner that we both like, that is simple and fast, (duh, that is what I do best), so when she walked into the house she would smell the best smell of all, hot chicken stock boiling on the stove. In a couple of blogs ago, (Saturday, January 14, “The Dreaded “D” Word----) I gave you a recipe for Klotski, an Old Russian, (or my mom’s), invention for “soul” food. It is the best. I do it a little different; my version is faster, isn’t that the way it is now? I just use instant chicken bouillon, eggs, milk and enough flour to make a base that you use an ice teaspoon to dole out one at a time and drop into the soup and let it float to the top, sort of like dumplings. That is about all you do, it is hot and steamy, and tastes so good. We just put some dill on top go into the family room and flick the switch for our instant fire place and sit down and cover ourselves up with whatever blanket or afgan that is available, and watch some Tivo, usually Ellen Degeneres, or Oprah Winfrey. Last night I went and rented a copy of the “Aviator”, the movie based, (loosely) on Howard Hughes life. It was amazing to see how he developed that psychological thing about germs. (I think we all have some of that, but not to his extent….especially in the food business), Well, anyway, when I grew up I lived in the same area that he tested the “spruce goose” as they called it and it was in a shed, floating, after it’s one and only maiden voyage. We used to fish next to it, if I remember correctly the wings were off and just the hull was there, the wings were stored somewhere else. He was quite the celebrity in those days, he was always splashed around on the newspaper with all of his starlets that he dated, and I think they wanted to be, (also), celebrities. So I sort of grew up with him, I wanted to be just like him…….I think a lot of young men did in those days. It was sad to see what happened to him at the end. He had such promise and such dreams. I am sure if he lived and didn’t have those afflictions, (that basically took him down), that the world would definitely be changed for the better, at least in the aviation area. I don’t know why I do that, I sort of move away from my original theme and into something totally different. But, I guess that is what I do when I am sitting at the computer and writing about my experiences. I think we all do that, or do we??? Well, anyway I am back to the living and want to give you some of the best of the best chicken soup recipes, and here they are:

Mother-in-law Chicken Soup
Prep Time: 10 MinutesCook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 40 MinutesYields: 6 servings

"A simple nourishing soup made with plenty of chicken and rice.”

INGREDIENTS:
1 (4 pound) whole chicken
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 onion, quartered
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain rice

DIRECTIONS:
1. Rinse chicken and place into a large stockpot. Add broth and water to cover. Put in the onion, celery stalk and carrot. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is falling off the bones, about 45 minutes.
2. Remove chicken from the broth and set aside to cool. Discard onion, celery and carrot. Add rice and continue to simmer for 20 minutes, until rice is tender. Separate the chicken meat from the bones and skin. Shred and return to the pot. Serve hot with corn bread and salad.


Cheese and Broccoli Chicken Soup
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 169 members
Prep Time: 10 MinutesCook Time: 1 Hour
Ready In: 1 Hour 10 MinutesYields: 10 servings

"This is a thick and creamy cheddar cheese soup with chunks of chicken meat and broccoli florets."

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
11 cups water
3 cubes chicken bouillon
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces
2 heads fresh broccoli, cut into florets
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup light cream
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a 5-quart pot, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in flour, stirring constantly until a thick paste forms. Remove from pot, and set aside.
2. In same pot, combine water, bouillon cubes, chicken, broccoli, salt and pepper. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Stir in the flour mixture a little bit at a time until soup thickens. Simmer 5 minutes. Reduce heat, and stir in cream. Mix in cheese 1 cup at a time, and stir until melted.

Cream of Chicken Soup

Yields: 4 servings

"Roux-thickened milk is the base for this creamy chicken soup seasoned with garlic powder and black pepper."

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 cups finely chopped, cooked chicken meat
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black
pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a 3 quart saucepan, heat oil. Gradually stir in flour. Let this form a paste, or roux. Then, gradually stir in the milk and continue stirring until thickened.
2. Add chicken to white sauce mixture. Add sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix well and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.
3. If soup is not as thick as desired, mix a small amount of corn starch with a small amount of water and add to soup. Simmer for 10 minutes.


Mexican Chicken Soup
Prep Time: 20 MinutesCook Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 40 MinutesYields: 6 servings

"Tired of plain old Chicken Soup? Try this spunky Mexican inspired masterpiece. Adding the avocado is a must! We also add a little grated cheese and crushed tortilla chips."

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup water
3 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lay chicken breasts onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, cool and shred or cut into strips.
2. While the chicken is cooking, heat oil in a stockpot and cook the onions and celery until soft. Stir in the water and chicken broth. Season with cumin, black pepper and remaining taco seasoning mix. Simmer for 30 minutes for the flavors to mingle. Add the tomatoes, cilantro and chicken, simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve hot topped with avocado, shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips.