Ides of March

The other day while I was cleaning, I noticed our toothbrushes seemed to be multiplying. I didn't know how this was possible but there were twice as many toothbrushes as people living in this house. (Maybe our friends are slowly moving in and we didn't realize it. First, they leave a toothbrush then next they will want a part of a closet.)

So, I called everyone to grab their toothbrush. My son comes into the bathroom and grabs 4, yes let me repeat 4, toothbrushes. I ask him why he needed so many toothbrushes especially since he is losing his teeth. He shrugged and said he just needed them. I asked him to retire two of them and he could still keep two. The question I have is where did he get the toothbrushes?

Since it is the Ides of March, I decided to make a Caesar Salad.This salad was great. All my children loved it. My husband happened to be in the kitchen when I add the anchovy so he was reluctant to have any. He did however eat the croutons and loved them. So did my son who was very disappointed that I hadn't made more.

Caesar Salad
Homemade croutons (see below)
Caesar Dressing (see below)
Romaine Lettuce
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Clean and dry the lettuce.
2. Add the lettuce to a bowl.
3. Top the lettuce with the dressing and Parmesan Cheese. Toss.
4. Add the croutons and serve.

Homemade Croutons
1/2 loaf of Italian bread, cubed
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried parsley/oregano
salt for seasoning to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Add the cubed bread to a bowl.
3. Top with the olive oil, garlic powder, and the oregano. Toss.
4. Spread the cubed bread evenly onto a baking sheet.
5. Season with salt.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes or golden brown.

Caesar Salad Dressing
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
3 cloves garlic
1 cup lite mayonnaise
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 anchovie, raw and chopped
black pepper for seasoning to taste

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth.
2. Store in a sealed container until ready to use.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats.

Did you already know.........
-Julius Caesar married three times.
-Julius Caesar was romantically involved with Cleopatra but could not married because Roman law.
-The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar and the month of July is named for him.
-Julius Caesar was born around July 12th, 100 B.C.

Liebster Blog Award

I would like to think Emily of Ruf Love for nominating me for this award. I think it is very sweet. Please check out her blog especially for the great food and photos. She makes me want to convince my sisters to have another baby in the family. Babies are so wonderful! We both belong to the Pastry Queen Project which is a lot of fun and I look forward to participating every week. My family also look forward to the great recipes I've been trying out.


Here are the rules:

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.
3. Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.
4. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserves to be noticed. (Sorry if someone has more than 200 followers. I used Google Reader Subscribers and Facebook followers as my reference.)
5. Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog.

Creative Missy- Missy blogs about recipes and knitting plus inspiration. She also participates in the Pastry Queen Project. The recipes she has made look amazing.  

Cupcakes and Kale Chips- Brianne blogs about food and her family. 

Growing Brains-Heather blogs about raising 3 wonderful boys and one precious little girl. 

 Mygrations- Gary travels the world and documents it on his blog. How I would love to travel to a new, exciting destination.

She Makes and Bakes-Emily blogs amazing recipes like a Guinness Challah. Emily also participates in the Pastry Queen Project. 

Thank you again Emily!

St. Patrick's Day Green

Do you wear green on St. Patrick's Day? Not only do we wear green on St. Patrick's Day, we even wear green the night before. Who really wants to be woken up by being pinched? Don't worry no one has been pinched to this date. It is like a game and no one gets caught without green in this household. Plus I wouldn't pinch anyone hard but I couldn't guarantee the kids play by the same rules. I sure don't want to find out.

Last year, I purchased The Perfect Scoop cookbook by David Lebovitz and my ice cream machine gets used often. If my husband had his way, it would be used daily. He has been disappointed lately since I haven't used it once this year. I wanted to continue with an Irish theme that was kid friendly. Since I didn't find one I liked, I decided to create one using the Chocolate Ice Cream, Philadelphia-Style as my template. The end result was delicious!

Irish Mint Chocolate Ice Cream
3/4 cups of Baileys Irish Cream Coffee Creamer
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
6 Tbsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 package of Andes Mint Chocolates, 18 pieces chopped
1 cup low fat milk
1/4 tsp mint extract

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, mix the creamer, heavy cream, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.
2. Over medium heat, mix the mixture until a rolling boil.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the chopped bittersweet chocolate and half of the chopped mint chocolates.
4. Stir until the chocolate has melted.
5. Add the milk and the mint extract until well combined.
6. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
7. Add the mixture to an ice cream machine. 
8. Follow the ice cream machine's instructions for the amount of time to mix the mixture.
9. At the end of the mixing cycle time, add the remaining chopped mint chocolates.

Created by Jen of Sweet Morris.

Did you already know..........
-The first St. Patrick's Day parade occurred in New York City in 1762.
-Besides New York, Boston, Savannah, Philadelphia, and Chicago have a St. Patrick's Day parade.
-Every year, Chicago dyes the Chicago River green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The city has been doing this tradition since 1962.

Butterflake Herb Loaf

Are you having corn beef and cabbage this week? We will be having it on Saturday. Since it is on sale this week, I always buy two of the corn beef and freeze one. It freezes very well. I guess that means we will be having Turkey soon since I will need to make room in the freezer.

 My husband never had corn beef and cabbage before he married me. His family didn't have any special Irish meal on Saint Patrick's Day. I will also be making this bread. My husband loved this bread. He said it was awesome and would have it every day.  My son agreed since he ate the remaining bread for breakfast the next day. This recipe makes 2 loafs. It looks complicated but it really isn't hard. The filling can be changed up. Maybe this weekend I'll add some Irish cheddar, doesn't that sound good?

Butterflake Herb Loaf
1 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tsp instant dry yeast
4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp whole white all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp rosemary
1 1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry basil

Directions:

1. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.
2. In a small pan, bring the milk to a simmer.
3. In a mixing bowl, pour the milk over the butter.
4. Add the sugar and salt. Allow the mixture to cool to lukewarm.
5. When the temperature is around 110 degrees F, add the eggs, yeast, and 3 1/2 cups of flour. Begin to mix the dough.
6. After mixing for 3 minutes, begin to add the remaining flour until the dough is soft and smooth. The dough should not be sticky. 
7. Cover the dough and allow to rise for 1 hour.
8. While the dough is rising, combine the softened butter with the herbs in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
9. After the dough has risen, roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness.
10. Use a circle biscuit cutter (circular cookie cutter or glass) cut out circles from the dough.
11. With each circle, butter one side with the herb butter. 
12. Fold the circle in half. and place the folded circle dough into the greased loaf pan vertically. Any scraps place on top of the loaf.
13. Cover the pan and allow to rise for another hour. 
14. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
15. Place the loaf pan uncovered in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
16. If the loaf becomes to brown on top, cover with foil or parchment paper.
17. Allow to cool for a few minutes and enjoy.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur. 

Did you already know.......
-In 390, Saint Patrick was born in Britain. He was not Irish.
-When he was 16 years old, Saint Patrick was kidnapped.
-Saint Patrick was a slave in Ireland for seven years before escaping and returning to Britain.
-Saint Patrick became a priest and returned to Ireland to convert the Irish to Christianity.

Bourbon Cookies

Any surname with an O'..., you know is Irish. You don't have to guess their family nationality. When I met my husband, I knew he was Irish. (It really wouldn't have mattered his family origins anyways.) Now if he had told me his last name was O'Trouble, I may have waited for a longer courtship. 

My nationality is English, French, American Indian, Martian, and etc. I am just kidding about the Martian. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention. I am 100% Earthitarian. Earthitarian sounds more intelligent than Earthling. 

Since Saint Patrick's Day is next Saturday, I figured I would make some clover shaped cookies. I could not find a clover cookie cutter. I even had a 101 cookie cutter kit and it didn't have a clover. I ended up making one. I made some with currents and green sugar. I was pleasantly surprised how sweet they were even with the Bourbon. These cookies taste great the first day but the next day they taste a little flat. 

Bourbon Currant Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour, sifted (plus more for work surface)
1/3 cup bourbon
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.
3. Add 1 egg, flour, bourbon, and the currants.
4. Mix until well combined.
5. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness.
6. Cut out desired shapes.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg with the heavy cream.
8. Brush the cookies with the egg cream wash.
9. Space the cookies 1 inch apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
10. Bake until pale golden brown about 12 to 15 minutes.
11. Allow to cool on wire rack.

 Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies.

Did you already know......

-O'.. means descendent of ...
-A lot of Irish surnames have a coat of arms.
-There are maps to trace your family clan and surname to a specific location in Ireland. 

Since we are all Irish on Saint Patrick's Day, I figured we all need Irish names. I guess I'll go by Brianna next Saturday. Here is a site to pick your Irish name. Hopefully, I will remember to answer to the name.