Buttermilk Trick

How many times have you needed just a half cup of buttermilk to make biscuits and then the rest of the pint has somehow been shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten?

Well, I have wasted more buttermilk in my life than I care to admit, but recently I got smarter.

I started freezing half cups of buttermilk in those cute little snack-sized zippy bags.

Freeze them flat on a half sheet pan and once frozen you can stack them up.

Then when you need a half a cup to make biscuits or say, 2 cups to make soda bread, just take it out and thaw.

UPDATE: I just remembered how hard it was to fill the little bags without making a mess. After many failed attempts, I came up with a system that works: Measure your 1/2 cup into a cup with a spout, pinch the zipper most of the way closed and THEN pour the milk into the bag. It's much easier to get the bag sealed without having most of it go all over the counter. I won't tell you how many times I spilled before I figured out a way to do it neatly!

Are you ready?

Saint Patrick's day is coming. Are you ready?

Here's our fun menu for the day:

Breakfast

Bangers
Irish Soda Bread, toasted
McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal

Lunch "Pub Grub"

Grilled Cheese sandwiches made with Irish Soda Bread and imported aged Dubliner Cheese.

Dinner

Corned Beef and Cabbage
Colcannon ( mashed Potato/Cabbage/Bacon and scallions with a "knob of butter")
Irish Soda Bread
Ice Cold Guiness
Fruit Scones for dessert

If you want to make Irish Soda Bread you need to get busy and do it today! It needs a day to "age" to perfection.

Here's the recipe:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. (Sift together several times to be sure soda is distributed throughout) Blend egg and buttermilk together, and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix just until moistened. Stir in butter. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Wrap in foil for several hours, or overnight, for best flavor.

God's Minute 3/16

When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put these in remembrance that thou stir up the gifts of God, which is in them by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.--2 Timothy 1:5-7

A PRAYER FOR FAMILY

OUR Father, we thank Thee for binding this family together by the sacred tie of common blood. We remember with how much sacrificial love its life has been created and sustained. We bless Thee for a mother's travail and tenderness, for a father's faithful toil. Knit us together by our common joys and sorrows, so that even if we are far removed from one another, nothing may estrange our hearts. When the youngest of us is old and gray-headed, may the momories of our home still be sweet and dear. May the children's children of this family still have the vigor and virtues of our best forefathers, and may the faith, too, of our fathers burn brightly in their hearts. Deal graciously with our loved ones. Give us our daily bread and strength for our daily tasks. To Thee we commit the life and destiny of each, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

Prof. Walter Rauschenbusch, A.B., D.D.,
Rochester, New York

Why I am a Baptist by Professor Rauschenbusch

Chicken Cacciatore

This is a favorite family recipe. I am making it to take to church tonight and the whole house smells wonderful. This recipe is easy and very flavorful. I originally found it in a Martha Stewart magazine years ago.

Chicken Cacciatore

1 cup flour + salt and pepper: mix together for coating mix
3 lbs. chicken parts (thighs and legs), skin removed and reserved
2 TB extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, cut into 1 inch dice
4 garlic cloves (or 4 tsp minced garlic)
12 oz. button mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
1 cup dry white wine (sauvignon blanc is good)
1 cup chicken broth
3 cans diced tomatoes

seasonings:
oregano, basil, parsley and crushed red pepper (Season to taste--you know what your family likes! Usually I'm all for fresh herbs but in this recipe I used dried--they just hold up better)

Shake skinned chicken in bag with flour mixture and set aside. Brown chicken skins in large dutch oven over medium heat, until fat has been rendered and skin is browned. Discard skin.

Add olive oil (if needed) to chicken fat and brown chicken on all sides, a few pieces at a time.
Transfer to platter. Add onion to pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms; cook, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Raise heat to medium high. Add the wine, scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add chicken broth with tomatoes and seasonings. Return chicken to pot along with any drippings on platter. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through and very tender, about 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the butter and TB flour to form a smooth paste and stir into pot to thicken.

This recipe may be made ahead (up to three days). Flavor is enhanced with re-heating on low. Serve over fettucini noodles. Can be served "bone-in" or boned. The sauce is thin--not like a rich, thick spaghetti sauce, but don't let that fool you. There is nothing 'thin' about the flavor.

The Ides of March

Everything you ever wanted to know about The Ides of March.