Irish Soda Bread

Last weekend I actually made two types of Irish Soda Bread: A more traditional one and the one pictured above with fruit in it. Both were delicious, but I think this was the better of the two, served plain or with some Irish butter.

1 cup golden raisins and/or currants
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. fine salt
4 TBS cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Put the raisins and currants in a bowl and cover with hot water for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cake flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter using your hands and work it into flour mixture. Stir in the currants.

Add the buttermilk and stir with a spatula, just until the flour is moistened and comes together in a shaggy dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead lightly until just smooth, about 2 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and place on the center of the prepared baking sheet.

Using a sharp knife cut a 1/4-inch-deep "X" into the top of the dough. Bake until well browned, about 1 hour.

(adapted from a Food Network recipe)

ooops...guess I took a little hiatus. I haven't had much good news to share. The economy sucks.

We went to 7 fishes at Toscano tonight and the food was even better than previous years, just a little emptier.

Hmmm....don't really know what to post anymore. Off from work today to use up my vacation days. R was supposed to be off as well so we could go golfing, but he had some new guy starting at work today. Eh, it's kind crummy out anyway. It's cold in the house, but still warm enough that I don't want to fire up the heat yet.

Riveting, I know.

String Cheese Incident - indeed!

On Friday, I brought a simple salad of romaine & feta, oregano with oil and vinegar to work. MK asked me at work if she could have the perfect piece of feta that was sitting in it. I gave her 'the eye'.

You try to take my cheese, I will cut you.

I'm turning R into a hippie! He's asking about solar panels.....mmmwwwahahahaha, I made an organic farmers' market veggie gratin and he wanted to buy a composter today.

As Homer would say:

"Go suck a bible Flanders!"


(does it make sense? no. but I don't care!)

On the way home from work I came upon a car accident and called 911 for the first time. Kind of scary. Only one car was involved and the guy got out of the vehicle after a little bit (another woman went up to him to check to see if he was okay) but I was nervous if I did the right thing (calling 911 in the first place, leaving after I saw it was okay....)

I'm happy to have a long weekend.

Well, I did feel like July flew by....

..And Apparently I have posted in a month! It's been a crazy bust month of barbeques, wedding receptions, happy hours, dining out and cooking with all the great produce we get at the farmer's market.

Hope I'll be better about posting soon - I've been crazy busy for awhile - but I finally put in for some vacation days!