Irish Fruit Brack

Irish Fruit Brack
(serves 4-8)

2 lb mixed dried fruit (I use dried Bartlett pears, blueberries, dark cherries, and golden raisins)
6 oz brown sugar
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 cup hot strong tea (I use English breakfast, but any black tea will do)
4 tbsp Irish whiskey
4 eggs worth of egg whites
3 large spoonfuls whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Place fruit, sugar, lemon juice and zest, tea, and whiskey in a large mixing bowl and let it soak for about four hours.
Preheat oven to 300 F.
Spray an 8x8 cake pan with butter Pam or brush it with melted margarine.
Pour eggs and vanilla extract over the soaked fruit and mix thoroughly.
Sift flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon together. Add to fruit mixture until dry ingredients and mixed in and moistened.
Pour bowl's contents into greased cake pan and bake for two hours.

Serve and enjoy. :)

Steak and Guinness Casserole

Many traditional Irish foods are laden with potatoes and butter and other delicious, high calorie-high carb foods. In this case, I tried a "healthier" spin on the traditional for St. Patrick's Day.

Steak and Guinness Casserole
(serves 6-8)

2 lbs steak (1 lb lean angus steak and 1 lb non-lean), cubed
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp brown sugar
2 large red onions, chopped into tiny pieces
1 bag sliced white mushrooms, chopped into tiny pieces
2 11.2 oz bottles Guinness draught
2 cups beef broth
2 large carrots, chopped into tiny pieces
2 baby green cabbages (halved, outer leaves removed, then the inside chopped up)
3 cloves garlic
thyme, a few pinches
olive oil

Mix flour, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Prepare a large pan with a couple teaspoons of olive oil.
Coat 1 inch cubes of steak in seasoned flour and brown them in the pan over medium heat. When meat is browned, remove steak to an extra large pot.
Lightly brown onions, garlic, and mushrooms in the meat juice (add a little extra oil if needed), then add to the beef in the pot.
Into the pot, add chopped cabbage, carrots, thyme, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt.
Pour Guinness and beef stock into the pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Spoon meat and vegetables out of the pot with a slotted spoon into a large casserole dish.
Reduce the remaining liquid to a gravy by simmering for 30 minutes over high heat.
Layer the large outer cabbage leaves over the top of the meat and vegetables, sprinkle a little brown sugar over the tops of the leaves.
Set the oven to 300 F.
Once the gravy is reduced, pour the thickened liquid over the top and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Serve hot in a bowl. Go on. Have a peace. It's good for you. :)

Garlic Ginger Dressing

Everyone is always telling us to eat more veggies, but a lot of people don't like the taste of some of the things that are best for them. Here's one of my favorite homemade dressings and a few recommendations for how to use it.

Garlic Ginger Dressing
2 tbsp minced ginger
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp agave nectar
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup water

Mix all in an empty pickle jar, close the lid, shake, and store in the refrigerator. Shake well before serving each time.

The salad I usually make with this dressing contains 4 stalks asparagus (grilled and then chilled), thinly sliced carrots (about 2 handfuls), romaine lettuce, mixed greens, and a handful of cherry tomatoes. Sometimes, I add bean sprouts (if they're fresh) or the "tree top" parts of broccoli. Pour about 1/2 tbsp of the dressing over top in a lidded, plastic carrier and shake to combine well with all elements of the salad. Pour out into a nice shallow bowl (or whatever you choose to serve in). Sprinkle sesame seeds on top for a garnish.

Go on, have a peace. Have a mouthful. :)

The Party Poppers

For those of you who do not know my friend Lira - the talented and wondrous Lira Kellerman (see website) - she is getting engaged. Normally, when someone I adore finds someone they adore, I am very happy for them. In this case, the someone I adore found someone she adores who also happens to be one of my dearest friends. The very happy has officially been squared. So, of course, when I was asked to provide a snack for their engagement party, I answered an unequivocal yes. I would have said yes if she'd asked me to roast a rack of lamb and grow mint leaves for the jelly, but - luckily for me - she had something smaller and sweeter in mind.

The party poppers are so easy to make - so versatile and so delicious - that they are perfect for any occasion. They are sweet and salty, so in a room full of crackers and cakes, they straddle the line of desserts and savories. Awesome, right?

Here's a simple recipe that you should guard and keep as a secret for yourself. :) Everyone deserves a tasty secret.

Party Poppers
(serves a room full of people)

1 bag salted pretzels (the normal pretzel shape)
2 small bags of Rolos
(Note: you can replace the Rolos with basically any chocolate candy - KitKat bars are good. So are Reeses. Also: candied ginger, caramel drops, and dried cherries.)

There are a couple of options on how to pull this off, but I am sharing the easiest possible method. If you want the more complex versions, I am willing to share them. Privately. *winkwink* Secrets, secrets...

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lay out pretzels to cover the entire space of the parchment paper. Unwrap and halve your Rolos. Place 1 half Rolo on each pretzel until all the pretzels have a partner. Bake for 2 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet carefully - use oven gloves if you have them - and let cool on the counter for 2 minutes. Then carefully transfer the parchment paper covered in melty pretzels into your refrigerator. Let cool for ~20 minutes. In the meantime, you can re-parchment the cookie sheet and start in on your next batch until all the pretzels are chocolate covered and cooling in parchment paper layers in your fridge. Serve cold or room temperature and enjoy. :)

Warning: On this blog, I try to make things that are guilt-free. And these are. In small quantities. The trouble is that they're mildly addictive and you can't make just a few. You have to make a massive batch. So. Serve them at parties, freeze them, and use them as an opportunity to practice your willpower and portion control - those are skills that need to be worked out just the same as your muscles anyway. :) Go on, have a peace.