I had my DNA done several summers ago and when I got the results, I was surprised and very pleased to discover that I was 27% Irish.
It brought a whole new meaning to Saint Patrick's Day because now I could actually participate in the wearing of the green with pride in my ancestry and where my roots came from.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day and what better way to celebrate than with a delicious cake! And not just any cake, but an Irish Whiskey and Ginger Cake!
This
is about to become your favourite teatime cake. It is fantastic, with a
warm golden colour and a pleasant sweet spicy flavour.
250g crystallized ginger, diced (approximately 2 cups)
3 TBS Irish whiskey
150g butter (2/3 cup)
100g caster sugar (1/2 cup)
3 large free range eggs
70g ground almonds (1/2 cup)
2 TBS ground ginger
150g plain flour (1 cup plus 1 1/2 TBS)
50g self raising flour (1/3 cup)
Preheat the oven to 150*C/300*F/ gas mark 2. Butter and line a 7 inch round baking tin with baking paper. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir together both flours the ground almonds and the ground ginger. Stir this ito the creamed mixture along with the soaked ginger and the juices from the soaking bowl. Spoon into the prepared baking tin, smoothing over the top. Sprinkle the reserved ginger over top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 80 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. This cake keeps well for 7 to 10 days in a tightly covered container.
This is a dense and moist cake that is really filled with lots of ginger flavours! Almost like a ginger pound cake, it goes really well with any hot cuppa.
You get a real ginger whammy from the abundant use of ground ginger along with crystallized ginger. I love ginger of any kind, but I adore crystallized ginger!
Crystallized ginger is sometimes known as candied ginger or ginger chews. With its soft, toothsome texture and sweet, spicy taste, crystallized ginger can be added to cookies and cakes, as well as eaten on its own.
You can buy crystallized ginger in some grocery stores, and health food stores and Asian grocers often carry it. Chewing on a piece of it when you have an upset tummy or are suffering from motion sickness is usually a huge help.
I always have a large container of it in my cupboard. It is rather high in sugar however, so don't overdo it!
It really shines in this beautiful cake however . . . moist, dense and buttery, and studded throughout with golden jewels of the crystallized ginger.
Most of the ginger gets soaked in some warm Irish whiskey for a time before you fold it into the cake.
Its a very pleasant addition, however if you didn't want to do that, you could just marinate it in some flat gingerale. This ginger gets folded into the cake batter.
The rest gets scattered across the top of the cake prior to baking, like little gold glistening stones. It doesn't sink down too far, thankfully . . .
It just sits there on top, like shiny gold pebbles in a brook. This cake is beautiful with hot drinks. I can imagine it would go down really well after a meal with an Irish Coffee, cut into thin slivers.
Oh, I am thinking a nice sliver of Cashel Blue would be really nice served with this. I will have to bake another one now, just so I can see. The thought of that combination has my tastebuds tingling!
*Irish Whiskey & Ginger Cake*
Serves 8 to 10
Place the 3/4 of the crystallized ginger into a bowl.
Reserve the remainder for later. Warm the whiskey and pour over top of
the ginger in the bowl. Let sit for fifteen minutes.
Preheat the oven to 150*C/300*F/ gas mark 2. Butter and line a 7 inch round baking tin with baking paper. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir together both flours the ground almonds and the ground ginger. Stir this ito the creamed mixture along with the soaked ginger and the juices from the soaking bowl. Spoon into the prepared baking tin, smoothing over the top. Sprinkle the reserved ginger over top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 80 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. This cake keeps well for 7 to 10 days in a tightly covered container.
This is a farmhouse type of cake . . . the kind of cake that keeps well in the larder and the kind of cake you will find yourself thinking about in the middle of the night. Perfect for elevensies, coffee break, tea time . . . well anytime, but especially nice on this special day when we celebrate everything Irish!
May the road rise to meet you,
may the wind be ever at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and the rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
may the wind be ever at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and the rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
With five children, three of them boys, I spent a lot of time cooking. And I had to be economical with my cookery also, as there was not a lot of dosh available to be spent. Food took up a large part of our budget after the rent. Here is a funny (now) story. (It wasn't so funny back then.)
My ex-husband was a Military Police Officer, in the Canadian Military, and at one time we were stationed at the British Army Training Unit Services in Suffield, Alberta. This was the major training area for the British Army in Canada at the time. The Brits would be going out into the "field" on exercises all the time and when they came back in from the "field" all the unused rations would be dumped. (I know what a gross misuse of government money) Some of the boxes would have only a few things missing and some would have not even been opened at all. There would be tins containing stewed meat, cheese, vegetables, chicken, fish, crackers, candy, chocolate, apple pie, fruit, etc.
My ex used to retrieve them from the dump and we would clean and
sterilize them. We had a nice cabinet filled with them down in the
cellar. Somewhat of a surprise as well, as we never knew what was in
what tin until we opened it. It was always a bonus day when it ended up
being a sweet tin! One day a friend was asking me where we did our
grocery shopping and my oldest son piped up, "We get our food at the dump! (He
was about 4 at the time.) Talk about being embarassed. Kids, they'll drop you in it every time!
Anyways, I digress. This tuna casserole was a real favourite that I used to make back in the day, and that my children loved. It uses things I always had in my cupboard, and that were affordable, boxed macaroni and cheese dinner, tuna, tinned soup and tinned tomatoes. OH, and some extra cheese, which, when the kids were growing up was more than likely Velveeta or cheese whiz. Now I use real cheddar, and while I was not afraid to use butter or potato chips to top it back then, I now use crumbled crackers and cooking spray. Even so, this is some good. All you need on the side is a salad and perhaps some bread and butter.
*Mom's Tuna Casserole*
Serves 4
1 (170g) tins flaked tuna in water, drained ( 2-6oz tins)
1 small onion, peeled and finely minced
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Spray a 7 by 11 casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Cook the macaroni from the dinner mix according to package directions. Drain well. Return to pan and stir together with the cheese powder from the box, undiluted soup. tomato pieces, onion, herbs, seasoning, drained tuna and 120g (1 cup) of the cheese. Mix together well and then spread in the prepared casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheese and a handful of crushed cracker crumbs. Spritz a couple of times with cooking spray.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Serve hot.
Our Spanish daughter Ariana happened by not too long after we had eaten and happily took home the leftovers to enjoy with her husband Jose. I might be able to get Todd to eat it once, but eating it twice is really pushing it for my pasta hating now- husband. At least I am lucky enough that once in a while I can get it past him at least once! He's a sweetiepie. Bon Appetit!
We love potatoes here at our house, in any way shape or form. I may
have told you this already or at least in any case I don't think I've
ever made a secret of it! My man is a meat and potatoes man and I am a
potato woman . . . a day without eating a potato in one way, shape or
form is just a day that is sadly lacking for me!
I think my oldest daughter is very much like me. Most days when I am talking to her I will ask her what has she had for her lunch and she will say potato wedges. She will be the first one to say that she doesn't really like potatoes, but what she really means is that she isn't fond of mashed potatoes, or baked potatoes, or boiled potatoes, but fry them and she is quite keen. (Who isn't?)
At
least that's my opinion! These are infinitely better and you won't be
looking to mask the lacklustre flavour with a dip of any kind, although in all honesty for presentation purposes I have shown them with dip.
They are not the most attractive pencil in the box and just looked rather sad sitting there on the plate all on their lonesome.
These tasty little wedges are very simple to do.
The hardest part will be slicing them down through without going all the
way through the skin, but never mind if you miss a few times . . .
those extra little bits get nice and crispy and extra delicious if I
don't say so myself!
This time I made a few using sweet potatoes also because sweet potatoes are low GI. They worked really well, and I confess, I liked them even more than the regular ones. There is a picture of them right at the very bottom of my post. They cooked a tiny bit quicker than the regular potatoes did.
They probably aren't something that you would want to have really, really often because of the butter, but as a once in a blue moon treat they go down really well.
*Baked Potato Wedges*
Serves 4 to 6
Serves 4 to 6
These delicious potato wedges are a bit more trouble to put together than others, but trust me, the end result is well worth the effort. Crispy edged potatoes, with a combination of delicious flavours that go right down to the skins.
4 TBS butter, melted
2 fluid ounces of tomato ketchup (1/4 cup)
1 tsp prepared french mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshy ground black pepper
4 large baking potatoes,unpeeled
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Combine the melted butter, ketchup, mustard and seasonings.
Scrub the potatoes and dry well. Cut each into 4 wedges. lengthwise. Slash each wedge crosswise at 1/4 inch intervals, but don't cut all the way through the skin. Place on a foil lined baking sheet. Brush with 1/3 of the butter mixture.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender, with crispy browned edges. Baste periodically with the remainder of the butter mixture.
Serve hot.
Note - Sweet Potatoes are also done nice this way.
Oh boy but these were some good. I hadn't made them in a really long time so they were long overdue. We had them with some rotisserie chicken that we had picked up at Costco and some broccoli. I hope you will give them a go! Bon Appetit!
I had one that very first night. It was delicious, although in all truth I didn't notice any appreciable flavour difference in it to that of a regular orange. I think probably the only real difference is in the colour, which is caused by the presence of anthocyanins, a family of antioxidant pigments common to many flowers and fruit, but somewhat rare in citrus.
I used two of them in our favourite chicken dish, which I normally use ordinary oranges in, but these blood oranges were lovely and sweet, and I loved their colour. I thought they would be perfect for the dish and I was not wrong! They provided a beautiful contrast in colour and flavour to the spring onions and feta cheese.
The recipe itself is a very simple one, as well as being quick to do and quite delicious. Its a recipe I adapted a while back from one I found in cookbook I have which is filled with recipes perfectly sized for a small family of two. We are two. Its an America's Test Kitchen Book. Those books are the best. The recipes always turn out fantastic.
We eat a lot of chicken in our house and I am always trying new ways to cook it. . . so that it doesn't get boring. This recipe definitely is NOT boring!
Seasoned, boneless, skinless chicken breasts are lightly dusted with some plain flour and then browned in a skillet on both sides. The topside is browned at a much higher temperature so that it gets truly golden brown, then you flip them over and brown the bottom side at a lower temperature. This technique is supposed to keep them nice and moist.
It does keep them nice and moist. Proper timing also prevents them from drying out too much. You want the juices to run clear, but you also don't want them to be dry. Nice and moist is the key.
The sauce is flavoured with some garlic and fennel seed. Fennel goes very well with oranges and garlic goes very well with chicken. Altogether this is a winning combination.
The sauce is not sweet in the least, but has a lovely orange flavour, which is balanced nicely with the addition when you go to serve them, of a sprinkle of salty feta cheese and the sharpness of sliced spring onions.
We both enjoyed this chicken a lot. I served it with brown rice and English Petit Pois. It went down a real treat!
*Blood Orange & Feta Chicken*
Serves 2
Trim away the pith and peel from the oranges, cut into
quarters and then cut the quarters into chunks. Season the chicken
breasts lightly with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, shaking off any
excess flour. Discard any leftover flour.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet until the oil begins to shimmer. Add the chicken breasts, presentation side down first. Cook for approximately 6 minutes, until golden brown. Reduce the temperature to medium and flip them over. Cook on the bottom sides for an additional 6 minutes or until the juices run clear. Remove to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
Add the garlic and fennel to the pan. Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the oranged and water. Cook just until the oranges have softened, a few minutes longer. Stir in any accumulated chicken juices from the plate, season to taste and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle the cooked chicken with the feta cheese and sliced spring onions. Serve immediately.
If you are looking for a way to cook chicken breasts that is delicious and just that tiny little bit different look no further! This recipe fits the bill perfectly! Let me know what you think if you try it. I think you are going to fall in love! Bon Appetit!
As a food blogger I am sometimes sent new and innovative products to try out here in the comfort of my own home. I was recently sent a really innovative "Healthy Snack" product. Karma Bites, Popped Lotus Seeds. Very unusual indeed.
According to the pack Lotus seeds come from the Euroyale fox flower which is a type of water lily. They contain protein as well as fibre and iron. They make a nice substitute for popcorn if you're grain sensitive or if you are looking for something which is a bit lighter. They are also hull-less for those who have sensitive teeth and gums, or who perhaps suffer from a digestive ailment like diverticulitis.
Lotus seeds are also known as convenient snack that contains protein with calcium, phosphorus, manganese, iron and potassium.
They come in four flavours.
Caramel - First up, the Caramel ones. The flavour here is achieved simply
through sugar and vanilla coating the popped lotus seeds. They tasted rather nice, with a subtle sweetness that isn't too overpowering. They're
nice and crunchybut there is a bit of an undertone of some flavour I am not in any way familiar with.
Himalayan Pink Salt - Light in colour with visible little specks of black, which I am assuming are parts of the Lotus seed kernals. Lightly salted and puffed, but again there is an undertone of some flavour I am not in any way familiar with, however it is not unpleasant.
Peri Peri - These had a mild but not unpleasant heat. Again, light and puffy, and moreishly crunchy. I liked!
Wasabi - Intense, just what you would expect from wasabi. Light, puffy. Crunchy. Not a huge fan of extreme spice these were my least favourite.
Overall, I would have to say that Karma Bites make for a great alternative and healthier snack for
anyone looking for a grain free, low fat, vegan or dairy free snack. I did find that there was a bit of an odd taste to them that was different than anything I have ever eaten, which . . . while a bit strange, was not unpleasant, and I quickly got used to it. I think would definitely buy a bag of these if I saw them in the local shops as it is always quite nice to have a healthier snack to binge on rather than what's normally in my cupboard.
For more information on Karma Bites and to buy online, check out their website: https://www.karmabites.co.uk/
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