Easter Meal Ideas
April 9, 2009 by Andrea 
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Filed under Holidays
Need some ideas for your Easter dinner? We have a few favorites to share.
Happy Easter from our family to yours!
Roast Leg of Lamb with Cracked Peppercorns and Herbs Read more
Irish Beef Stew
March 17, 2009 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Holidays, Soups & Stews
Beef stew is one of my favorite comfort foods, both for the wonderful flavor and the ease of preparation. I saw this recipe at Epicurious a couple years ago and then saw Elise’s notes on how they used some red wine and Guinness Stout in place of some of the beef stock, an idea that definitely appealed to me. For my own touches, I added a pound of beef soup bones for extra flavor, used Yukon Gold potatoes instead of russet, and of course used fresh thyme from our garden. Though it’s not strictly traditional, this recipe has become a St. Patrick’s Day tradition for our family, a stew we look forward to every year. Read more
St. Patrick’s Day Ideas
March 16, 2009 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Holidays
If you are planning a little St. Patrick’s Day celebration, here’s a few ideas for you.
Guinness Milk Chocolate Ice Cream
St. Patrick’s Day Ideas From Around the Blogs
Simply Recipes – Irish Beef Stew
Kitchen Parade – Caraway Corned Beef
Guinness Gingerbread
March 10, 2009 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Dessert, Holidays
I realize this is not a traditional St. Patrick’s Day recipe by any means, but it is a tasty way to use Guinness Stout, the king of Irish stouts, in your baking. Guinness and chocolate are a perfect pair, and they work especially well with the spicy ginger, pepper, and smoky cinnamon. The gingerbread only takes a few minutes to mix up, so it’s a quick and easy dessert to serve at a St. Patrick’s Day celebration or any time of year.
The gingerbread was a hit at our house and Michael even said it was the best gingerbread he’d ever tasted as he went back for seconds. The flavor and moistness kept us coming back for more.
More Recipes For St. Patrick’s Day
Mardi Gras Celebrations
February 23, 2009 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Holidays
Tuesday is Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, and we have a few suggestions to help you make a Cajun or Creole style celebration.
Emeril’s Jambalaya with Chicken, Shrimp, Andouille, and Ham, no tomatoes. Read more
Slow Rise Panettone
December 25, 2008 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Breads, Holidays
We like to make fruit-studded breads during the holidays, and the boxed panettones look so pretty and tall, but my experience has been that they are mostly dry and flavorless or have a fake taste to them. I’ve wanted to bake my own for a while and read many recipes in my search for a good panettone.
I saw Jim Lahey’s slow rise panettone recipe in Gourmet’s December edition and knew right away that this was the recipe for me. Shipping costs on panettone molds were a little prohibitive—even more than the cost of the paper molds—and I thought I wouldn’t get to make it. Fortunately King Arthur Flour offered a free shipping deal last week and my panettone papers arrived on Monday, a few days before Christmas and in just the nick of time to make this lovely bread for Christmas morning breakfast.
Lahey is famous for his no-knead bread, and he uses the same cold rise technique to bring wonderful flavor to his panettone (which is kneaded with a heavy duty mixer). The bread takes up to 24 hours to make, so start a couple days before you serve it. This is how I would break up the steps:
