Traditional Irish Brown Soda Bread (1st post Jan 2015)

brown soda bread

 This is a delicious, easy and very healthy bread.

Ingredients

  • 250g wholemeal flour
  • 200g plain white flour
  • 1 teasp. bread soda, sieved
  • 1 teasp. salt
  • 1 egg
  • 350ml buttermilk, approx.
  • 1 teasp. Honey

Optional Topping:

  • 1 tablesp. sesame seeds or pinhead porridge oats

To Cook

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C (400°F).

Mix the flour, bread soda and salt together in a bowl.  Combine the egg with the buttermilk and honey then mix into the flour.  Add a little more buttermilk if the mixture is dry – it should be a soft dough.  Then pour the lot into a lightly oiled loaf tin.  Sprinkle the sesame seeds or porridge oats over the top of the loaf if using.

Bake for 45-50 minutes.  To know when it is cooked simply tap the bottom of the loaf – it will sound hollow when it is fully cooked. Remove from the tin and wrap in a clean tea towel while cooling.  This will keep the crust soft.

Rachel’s baked eggs with tomatoes, chorizo, chilli and cheese

baked-egg-chorizo-cheese

 
 DIRECTIONS

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4. Put a frying pan on a medium-low heat, add the olive oil then add the skinned, chopped tomatoes, see my tip, above left. Season with a good pinch of salt and cook for about 15 minutes, until the tomato sauce is thick and viscous.
Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped parsley and the crushed chilli peppers. Divide the tomato sauce between four ovenproof ramekins and break 2 eggs into each dish. Place a slice of the chorizo on top of each egg and divide the grated manchego or Parmesan cheese, whichever you’re using, between the ramekins.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the whites are set, but the yolks are just ever so slightly soft. Just before the eggs are ready, toast the slices of bread and butter them.
Remove the eggs from the oven and serve with the buttered toast.

http://www.rachelallen.com/post/baked-eggs-tomatoes-chorizo-chilli-and-cheese

Odlums Danish Apple Cake

Danish-Apple-Cake-2-e1579091698727

Danish Apple Cake

CategoryOur Top Picks

Cook Time40 mins

What you need:

  • 225g / 8oz Odlums Cream Plain Flour
  • 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
  • 125g / 4oz Butter or Margarine
  • 225g / 8oz Icing Sugar
  • Rind of 1 Lemon
  • 2 Eggs
  • 150ml / 1/4pt Milk
  • 6 Cooking Apples (peeled & thinly sliced)
  • 100g packet Flaked Almonds
  • Granulated Sugar (depending on sweetness of apples)

How to:

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Lightly grease an ovenproof dish about 28cms x 18cms (11″ x 7″).
  2. Cream together the butter or margarine and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the lemon rind.
  4. Sieve flour and baking powder. Add the flour to the batter, alternately with the milk.
  5. Spread half the mixture into prepared dish, layer half the apples over this and top with remaining mixture. Arrange the apple slices on top. Sprinkle with sugar if wished and finally sprinkle over the flaked almonds.
  6. Bake for about 40 minutes until well risen and firm to the touch.
  7. Serve with cream, ice cream or cr̬me fraiche.

https://www.odlums.ie/recipes/danish-apple-cake/?fbclid=IwAR1QJDJLE62k4PcRLvM-k5V1D7EXYnR09G5B4CLg4eglgT0h-j0sSbndETw

Rachel’s baked eggs with tomatoes, chorizo, chilli and cheese

baked-egg-chorizo-cheese

 
 DIRECTIONS

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4. Put a frying pan on a medium-low heat, add the olive oil then add the skinned, chopped tomatoes, see my tip, above left. Season with a good pinch of salt and cook for about 15 minutes, until the tomato sauce is thick and viscous.
Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped parsley and the crushed chilli peppers. Divide the tomato sauce between four ovenproof ramekins and break 2 eggs into each dish. Place a slice of the chorizo on top of each egg and divide the grated manchego or Parmesan cheese, whichever you’re using, between the ramekins.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the whites are set, but the yolks are just ever so slightly soft. Just before the eggs are ready, toast the slices of bread and butter them.
Remove the eggs from the oven and serve with the buttered toast.

http://www.rachelallen.com/post/baked-eggs-tomatoes-chorizo-chilli-and-cheese

Lunchtime – Avonmore Mediterranean pasta with a glass of milk 😛

avon pasta salad apr 16

Ingredients

  • 200g Tagliatelle or 150g Spaghetti
  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1/2 medium Red Onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 Garlic Clove, crushed
  • 1 Red Pepper sliced
  • 50g Pitted Black Olives, quartered
  • 10 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
  • 75g Sundried Tomatoes, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Cook pasta as per pack instructions. Drain and toss in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and leave to one
side.
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan and then add onion followed by garlic. Fry for 2 minutes,
add red peppers & continue to cook for 1 minute.
3. Reduce heat and add cooked pasta to the frying pan. Stir in olives, basil, cherry and sundried
tomatoes.
4. Transfer to a serving dish, top with Avonmore Grated Cheddar & Mozzarella cheese and scatter
with rocket leaves.
5. Season with cracked black pepper & serve immediately.

Sweet And Moist Greek Honey Cake #HaughtonHoney

greek-honey-cake-1-w450h450

A sticky Greek cake that tastes a little like the much more complicated Greek dessert Baklava

Thanks to Angela for this simple cake recipe that kids just love.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of plain flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of orange zest
  • 3/4 cup of butter
  • 3/4 cup of white sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup of milk
  • 1 cup of chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup of Haughton Honey
  • 1 cup of white sugar
  • 3/4 cup of water
  • 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 175c/350F. Grease and lightly flour a 9″ square cake tin. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and orange rind. Set this to one side.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the butter and the sugar with a whisk until light and fluffy. Then blend in the eggs one at a time. Gently blend in the flour mixture prepared earlier with the milk and stir in the walnuts.
  3. Pour the batter in to the prepared tin. Place in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes and then cut the cake into diamond shapes before pouring the honey syrup over. Decorate with lemon zest if you wish.
  4. To make the honey syrup combine the honey, 1 cup of white sugar and 3/4 cup of water. Bring slowly to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and continue cooking for a further 2 minutes. Keep warm before pouring on to the cake.

Notes for the cook: if you have a fan-assisted oven then reduce the specified temperature in the recipe by about 15% ~ 1 teaspoon = 5ml and 1 tablespoon = 15ml ~ some ingredients are measured in cups and some equivalents are; 150g, 6oz (1/2 cup) = 120ml, 4fl oz

http://www.haughtonhoney.com/our-honey/recipes/sweet-and-moist-greek-honey-cake

Dark Chocolate Apricot Cookie Pizza :Kerrygoldusa.com

chocolate-apricot-pizza-3

Prep: 1 Hour

Cook: 20 Minutes

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
  • 4 ounces Kerrygold Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup apricot preserves
  • 8 ounces of dark chocolate, chopped

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute, until nice and creamy.

Slowly stream in the sugar to the butter, while beating constantly.

Next, add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 3 batches, mixing between each addition.

Gather the dough into a ball, press it flat into a disk, and wrap it in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350.

Roll the dough out into a 12” circle on a piece of parchment paper.

Transfer the parchment paper to a baking pan, and bake the cookie pizza until set, about 18 minutes. The edges should start to turn golden brown. The center may be a bit puffy, but it will settle as it cools.

Let the cookie pizza completely cool before proceeding.

Spread the apricot jam on the pizza. Top with the chopped chocolate and slice into wedges before serving.

Use the sugar cookie crust as a base, and top with all of your favorite toppings. A cream cheese frosting with sprinkles would be a great kids’ version (or an adult that eats like a kid). If you love white chocolate, it would be great here alone, or mixed in with the dark chocolate.

DARK CHOCOLATE APRICOT COOKIE PIZZA