It's that time of year again...........

T minus 15 days till St. Paddys. The be all, end all holiday in my book. Sure I love Christmas and Thanksgiving as much as the next, but there's something about this time of year and this particular holiday, that makes me come alive. Maybe it's the beautiful lush, rolling green hills of my sleepy farm town of Petaluma, with the specks of newly born spring lamb that graze the hills or the grey drizzle that still looms the sky. Ah, heck it could even be the flow of Guinness running through in my blood! I think St. Patrick's Day just reminds me of Ireland. A single day to celebrate the joy of what is Irish. Great food, an abundance of stout and whiskey of course, but more importantly good friends and family. Although the St. Patrick's Day celebration in America is just another typical Tuesday night at the local pub in Ireland, the Irish sure know how to feckin party! So with that said, I've decided to share one of my favorite things to make this time of year. A traditional Irish Soda Bread. (A recipe for potatoes would have been a bit too predictable) This is one of the easiest breads to make, no yeast or countless rising necessary, and it's also one of the first things I learned to make at Ballymaloe Cookery School. Eat it with some soup or stew or even just a nice tall pint of the dark stuff.

This bread is also very versatile. You can add raisins or currants for a Spotted Dog bread, a mix of chopped herbs or my personal fav, chocolate chips for a Stripy Cat. Don't ask.

White Soda Bread

makes 1 loaf

Preheat oven to 475

3 1/3 cups unbleached flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

up to 1 pint buttermilk

Sift all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.

Pour in 3/4 of the buttermilk. Using one hand in the shape of a claw,

stir mixture in a circular motion from the center to the outside of

the bowl incorporating all of the flour. The mixture should be soft and

not too wet or sticky. Add remaining buttermilk as needed.

Once the mixture has all come together, turn dough out on to a lightly

floured work surface. Wash and dry your hands. Tidy up the edges of the

dough to make a round loaf. Move to a baking sheet. Take a large chopping

knife and cut a deep cross the top of the loaf. Then prick each corner of the

cross. This is part of the Irish folklore to ward off evil spirits by making the

shape of a cross. The pricking of the corners is to let the "fairies" out and

not to jinx the bread. This is a time honored tradition and not a single loaf

of soda bread is made in Ireland without this step.

Bake the bread in the oven at 475 for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven

to 400 for another 30 or until cooked. The bread is done when you hear a

hollow sound when you tap the bottom of the loaf.

My favorite way to eat this bread is warm, fresh out of the oven with Kerrygold

Irish butter. You can really use any butter you like, but Kerrygold will give you

the best cozy, feels like you're in Ireland experience. There really is no comparison.

Once the bread has cooled it's nice toasted with Kerrygold and some yummy jam.

Enjoy!

Sláinte!

As a way to bring folks up to speed, I've decided to start from the beginning and provide a little background and history about myself and why I decided to start this blog.

2 1/2 years ago, I decided to leave my life as I knew it and move to Ireland. I left my job in real estate where although the money was often good, I knew my heart and true calling lye elsewhere. I knew this was a bold move, but I felt it was a risk worth taking to follow my heart and pursue my dream. So upon deciding what to do once I arrived in Ireland, I was faced with quite a pickle. I could find work, in a pub or restaurant, but that would be too typical. I wanted something more. I knew I loved food, and had always toyed with the idea of attending culinary school, although the CIA and Le Cordon Bleu were of no interested to me. Was there such a thing as a cooking school in Ireland? Ahhhhhh yes, I would soon discover there would be. But a cooking school in Ireland? What would the curriculum consist of? Potatoes? Soda Bread?

Enter Ballymaloe Cookery School in Southern County Cork. Shanagarry to be exact. 500 yards from the beach among the rolling hills and grazing cows. This would be the adventure of a lifetime.

Stay tuned....more to follow......

Aaaaah, I find myself sick with a terrible cold. First one in nearly 2 years. What's a foodie to do when you can't taste anything? Soup, yeah ok, a warm substance that you can't decipher any flavors in. Those look like bits of chicken and carrot, but I sure as hell can't taste it. Hopefully the tea will help and my palate will return before too long.

I've decided to start this blog as a way to share my passion for food, among many other things, with friends, family and anyone else out there who cares to tune in. Along with some of my recipes, food ideas, an occasional restaurant review and other miscellaneous tid bits, you might also find some random rants or raves about the every so controversial subject of love. Bare with me, I don't claim to be any sort of a writer or even decent at that, but I do have a love for the subject of food as I'm sure many others out there can relate to, so perhaps you'll find something somewhere along the line that sparks an interest to you. Enjoy!