Growing up Irish

More on this soon, but can we say Irish Soda Bread French Toast?  Yum!

A picture of those pokey sticks!

Those college food memories...

Life as always has been crazy and I’ve been meaning to get this post up for almost three weeks.  The pressure has been coming from all sides because it is coming from people in my life that have been part of my life for so long.  Many of them have shared those little moments that make life amazing and I hope that they will be sharing those moments for the rest of my life.

Pokey sticks were a favorite staple from Gumby’s Pizza in Champaign where I went to school at UIUC. The things were cheap and filled us up when we were starving college students whether we had be out to all hours having fun or studying into the wee hours of the morning.  I have to admit that they were even better when you had only about three hours of sleep in the past 48 hours…  Hey, I blame it on studio and being an architecture major!

Pokey Sticks are really a cheese pizza without the sauce, but there was a different type of taste that is hard to nail down.  We were joking around that A should drive down to Champaign (a three hour drive!) to pick some up for an annual dinner with friends.  It had been a crazy week and me being me, I googled pokey stick recipes!  Those that know me really aren’t surprised by this anymore J

I found two recipes that sounded like they would taste right, but there were a few problems from my point of view.  Neither crust recipe went in the stand mixer and I love using my stand mixer anytime I can, so I found Tyler Florence’s recipe and adapted it just a smidge since I can’t leave well enough alone.  Then the two topping parts of the recipes, I combined together just a bit to create the version I did since using margarine just made more sense and mayo (in my mind) does not belong near the pizza food group.  Oh and then there is the fact that I am generally not a fan of mayonnaise at all…

Notes:  Use margarine for the topping!  (and that’s a butter snob saying that – this needs the different flavor!)  Plus with how cheap pokey sticks were and still are for that matter, I’m guessing that butter was not even an option J

Pokey Sticks!

Recipe Adapted from Tyler Florence (crust) and from Erin Sellin on Great Cooks Community (topping)

Pizza Dough for the Crust (this makes enough for one large pokey stick recipe)

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra (I used Tuscan herb flavored olive oil and want to try garlic next time!)
• 3 cups 00 flour, plus more for dusting

Directions

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Turn the mixer on low and add the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium; stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough by squeezing a small amount together: if it's crumbly, add more water; if it's sticky, add more flour - 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough gathers into a ball, this should take about 5 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times; kneading until it's smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot (i.e. over a gas pilot light) until doubled in size, about 1 hour. This is a good time to stick a pizza stone in the oven and preheat them to 500 degrees F.

Once the dough is domed and spongy, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll and stretch the dough into a cylinder and divide into 3 equal pieces. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes so it will be easier to roll out.

Topping
¼-1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (the real stuff if you are feeling fancy or just have it on hand)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1-2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon minced garlic (to taste)

1/4 cup margarine, melted
8 ounces part skim Mozzarella Cheese, grated (use the brick, like Kraft, it actually works better than fresh)

While the dough is rising mix together the cheese, and seasonings in a small bowl. Melt the margarine, and mix in the seasonings.  Combine the shredded cheese together.
Spread the dough out onto a prepared baking sheet or pizza stone. Spread the margarine mixture around the entire surface, and top with the cheese combination.
Bake at 450 degrees, for 12-14 minutes. And how you cut them matters as well – be sure to cut once across the middle, and then cut opposite that way, to make little sticks.

A bit of Soda Bread...

Life is absolutely crazy these days in terms of the professional and personal lives!  This time last year I would have never thought that I would planning a wedding in the midst of finishing grad school...  ok, maybe I was hoping, but that's another story! ;)

My whole goal through all of this craziness is to not become a bridezilla while balancing my personal and professional lives.  The last thing I want to do is become someone that is completely consumed with making thier wedding perfect and have that be their entire life while planning.  I have to let things fall into place to a point so that I contiue to enjoy my life while also paying attention to the timelines and spreadsheets galore.

To remain true to me and my spirit, I need to remember the little things that bring joy to those I care for.  My sister started saying that I need to be parted from my Kitchen Aid mixer as the wedding approaches or there is going to be a cookie explosion at Christmas bigger than it'ever been before.  My brother was on board with the plan until my fiance pointed out that he wouldn't be getting his pistachio chocolate chip cookies for Christmas...  The brother decided that there was no need to take the mixer away!

The friends have another favorite - my Irish Soda Bread!  They start asking about it weeks before St. Patrick's Day and ask when the soda bread will be arriving at the party (I used to be notoriously late until the fiance started having a larger influence)!

This is one of my favorite recipes of all time and as long as you are careful about not over-mixing it, it turns out perfectly everytime.  Serve it warm with just a bit of butter - ohhhh, yum!

(And whoops...  It was gone so quick, I didn't get a picture!  But I will be making more on Friday)

Fennel Soda Bread

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

12 Servings

Prep Time: 20 Min

Cook Time: 1 Hr

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon fennel seed

2 eggs, beaten

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

2 teaspoons melted butter

3 tablespoons butter, chilled

Directions

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch round cake pan or two 8 inch cake pans.

2.     In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and fennel seed. In another bowl, stir together the eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, until just blended using a large spoon. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Dot with the 3 tablespoons of chilled butter.

3.     Bake for about 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until puffed and golden. Cut into wedges and serve warm. (If you use two pans, the baking time is reduced by about 20 minutes or so)

The most requested cookie in my arsenal...

Yes, these cookies do look a bit green for those that have never had a pistachio chocolate chip cookie!  Lots of friends keep asking me for this recipe and I'm finally posting it :)

These cookies have been in my recipe file for quite awhile, ever since a friend made them over 6 or 7 years ago (I just know I've had the recipe typed up for five years according to my computer!).  Renee started a trend for herself the first time she made them and is usually making them for any party she attends.  Once I got the recipe and started making them, my brother requests a batch as part of his Christmas present every year.  Other friends recently admitted that these are one of their favorites too...

So here's my version of the recipe since I've tweaked it a bit over the years...  There is one simple substitution that you can make too as I know not everyone has buttermilk powder in their fridge (hey, it's a great alternative to buying milk when you usually don't finish a container before it goes bad!  Works really well for soda bread too and keeps longer.  Single cans can be found at grocery stores)

One very important note - do NOT use an electric mixer when mixing this recipe.  Mix these by hand for the best results, the cookies will be softer.  Also, do not refrigerate this dough before baking since the best results happen with fresh dough.

Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies
From the Kitchen of Renee Tataryn
Ingredients:
3 ¼ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons buttermilk powder (like this one)
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons water                                                                              
1 small package instant pistachio pudding
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 ounces chocolate chips (5 of milk chocolate and 5 of semi-sweet)

NOTE:  HAND MIX!!!

Directions:
1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.      Whisk flour, powder, buttermilk powder and salt together.  Set aside.
3.      Beat butter and sugar until well blended
4.      Add eggs, water and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture, blend until creamy.
5.      Add flour and pudding to the butter mixture.  Mix until stiff.
6.      Add chocolate chips
7.      Make dough into teaspoon sized balls and place 1 ½” apart on a cookie sheet.
8.      Bake 10-12 minutes until they get a slight tinge of brown or appear to be just about done on top.
9.      Sprinkle with powdered sugar once cool, if desired

Substitution:  You can substitute milk for the buttermilk powder and water.  Just skip the buttermilk powder and substitute milk (skim, 2% whatever you prefer) for the water.

Enjoy!

A little more Hope

A couple of people have stumbled by my blog in the time since I started it and have done very little with it.  There really wasn't much of a purpose behind it and I couldn't really figure out what I wanted to be saying.  Random posting took place every so often and I kept wanting to write these insightful posts or beautifully documented recipes, but it wasn't happening...

Then as I was doing my Christmas baking and planning out this glamorous cookie post, I realized that the little things that are important are the things that keep getting forgotten.  Those are the things that I love.  Little moments add up to the big moments and are always working to shape our lives as we keep living.  Truth be told, I bake in the middle of the night most of the time and never seem to take pictures.  Sure, I could have taken pictures the day after Christmas when it was beautifully bright out (not normal in the Chicagoland area at the end of December!) but I had day after Christmas shopping to do so I could get ready to meet this little munchkin and spend time with her older brother and sisters and parents.  It was a short trip to Nashville, but so very worth it!  She's going to be so big the next time that I see her!

The cookie post will be coming shortly in several chuncks as I re-bake some and just post the recipes to others.  All the cookies were wonderful including my first ever batch of french macaroons, but it was time to enjoy the little, very important ones in life.  Isn't she absolutely precious?  Auntie Jen loves you and thinks the world is so much better off for having you here little Hope!  (And I know your mama is enjoying the fact that it is easier to breathe again, because after all, it's the little things!)



The blessings that add up...

It's after three in the morning and I'm wide awake baking for Christmas - a time of family and traditions that root themselves deep in your heart.  This year brings some new ones for me.  It's the first year of family traditions with my fiancee's family and the splitting of the holiday is still a new phenomenon in my life.  It's also the first year without either of my dad's parents since Grandpa passed away in April.
I miss him and Grandma tremendously.  There was always the gathering of the O side of the family on Christmas Eve with tons of people (that would just be my dad, a few of his siblings, thier spouses, kids and us), appetizers and cookies aplenty.  Christmas Day would be the H side of the family - a smaller gathering since my mom only had one sister.  I grew up cooking and baking with the influence of my Grandmas.  I remember always being in the kitchen with them.

As a result, I'm known as a cook and a baker, but primarily the baker at Christmas time.  I'm in charge of any and all baked goods.  There are the requested varieties and the new recipes being tried.  Some are gluten-free and sugar-free, all are butter and egg filled, some are naturally sugar free (yes, it's possible!), but all are baked with love.

Family and friends all look at the number of cookies, but to me it's a lot of work that is completely worth it because to me cooking and baking have always been synomonous with love.  It's a simple thing that relaxes me and gives me a chance to provide something wonderful to those I love.

One of the best Christmas gifts I just recieved came via a conversation on Facebook with a cousin that lives in Alaska!  I now have Grandma H's recipes for Zucchini Bread and Pumpkin Bread!  Next baking project is de-glutenify it for her daughters :)  (Thankfully, Grandma is still with us but she hasn't baked in years and her kitchen was damaged due to a burst pipe so we don't know what happened to some of the recipes...)

Thank you so much Melinda!