0 Irish Soda bread

Here is other recipe for St. Patrick's Day, Irish Soda Bread. Sadly, I never tried one but will do that soon.

Irish Soda Bread

Gourmet | March 2002

yield: Makes 2 (6-inch) loaves

active time: 15 minutes

total time: 2 1/2 hours

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons caraway seeds

1 cup raisins

1 3/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a large baking sheet, knocking off excess flour.

Sift together 4 cups flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and stir in sugar, caraway, and raisins. Add buttermilk and stir just until dough is evenly moistened but still lumpy.

Transfer dough to a well-floured surface and gently knead with floured hands about 8 times to form a soft but slightly less sticky dough. Halve dough and form into 2 balls. Pat out each ball into a domed 6-inch round on baking sheet. Cut a 1/2-inch-deep X on top of each loaf with a sharp knife, then brush loaves with butter.

Bake in middle of oven until golden brown and bottoms sound hollow when tapped, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer loaves to racks to cool completely.

0 Irish Lamb Stew

There are some recipes that I have to borrow from, for some reasons that I don't have in my files. Many good Recipes that I read about Irish Lamb Stew but I don't know which is best. I am sure some of you foodies already have one--care to share? Ok, Happy Patrick's Day! Bon Appetit.

Irish Lamb Stew

From EatingWell: February/March 2006

8 servings, generous 1 cup each

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 8 1/2 hours

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 3/4 pounds white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 large leeks, white part only, halved, washed (see Tip) and thinly sliced

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped

PREPARATION

Combine lamb, potatoes, leeks, carrots, celery, broth, thyme, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker; stir to combine. Put the lid on and cook on low until the lamb is fork-tender, about 8 hours. Stir in parsley before serving.

TIPS & NOTES

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month. | Equipment: 6-quart slow cooker

Tip: To clean leeks, trim and discard green tops and white roots. Split leeks lengthwise and place in plenty of water. Swish the leeks in the water to release any sand or soil. Drain. Repeat until no grit remains.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 266 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 65 mg cholesterol; 27 g carbohydrates; 23 g protein; 4 g fiber; 427 mg sodium; 803 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (139% daily value), Vitamin C (26% dv), Potassium (23% dv), Folate & Iron (15% dv).

1 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetables, 2 lean meat

0 Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage

One of my favorite holiday crockpot that I can make it ahead of time. Turn it on in the morning and later, come home to smell the corned beef. You can buy them at grocery store--it have spice mixture and something ready to cook in crockpot or whatever you have a pot to use. Here is the recipe--it is very easy to follow.

Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage

For St. Patrick's Day or any cold winter day, this recipe for classic Corned Beef and Cabbage is delicious and super easy too.

Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 10 hours

Ingredients:

6 carrots. cut into chunks

2 onions, chopped

2-3 lb. corned beef brisket with seasoning packet

12 oz. can beer (non alcoholic is fine)

2 Tbsp. yellow mustard

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup water

8 wedges cabbage

Preparation:

In 4-6 quart crockpot, combine carrots and onions. Rinse corned beef under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in crockpot and sprinkle with contents of seasoning mix. Pour beer over brisket and spread mustard on brisket. In small bowl mix brown sugar with water and pour over brisket. Cover crockpot and cook on low setting for 11-12 hours.

Remove corned beef from crockpot and cover with foil to keep warm. Add cabbage wedges to vegetables and liquid in crockpot. Cover crockpot and cook on high for additional 30-40 minutes or until cabbage is crisp tender.

To serve, cut corned beef across grain into thin slices. Remove vegetables from slow cooker with slotted spoon and serve with corned beef. Serve cooking juices over the food, if desired. Offer additional mustard on the side. 8 servings

2 Ghetto? in DeafRead?

Having watched some V-blogging by Deaf until the word, ghetto came up and stick to my mind. I don’t see a reason why I should leave from DeafRead, I haven’t “hear” any attacks on me or my blog. As long as I followed their rules about my blogging, I hope I might entertain many future Deaf Foodies and post my tasty blog—it seemed that no one put comments in my blog from people who came from DeafRead. I was little disappointed but very glad that DeafRead still take my blog posts for you Deaf Friends to read some tasty recipes or try something new. Looked like that my blog were ignored because the Deaf readers don’t feel like to read—I just said that as I think this way.

Until one day, I received the emails from Deaf friends that talked about having my blog in their blog, mentioned that DeafRead is “ghettoizing” many Deaf Blogs and put them in Extra section. I had check the word, ghetto in dictionary and this gave me different picture that Deaf friend tried to tell me—in sense of prejudice toward the ethnic group and put them in the section area of town with serious restrictions, or any different treatments resulted by biased stereotype or discrimination. There is no verb for this word but I do understand a verb this way. I want you to know that I didn’t get different treatment by submitted my blog to them, have them put my blog in an Extra section. I don’t recall any complaints from DeafRead Editors but I knew that they banned few blogs because commercialize their promotions—I already checked them out for good examples that they can give me to see—very interesting stuffs that I need to avoid from putting anything in my blog.

I have to say that I am sorry, I did not submit my blog to anyone after I visited their blogs or v-bogs or, whatever they called their blog, for some impressions that I want to mention. I am sorry to say more but I am hoping that I am wrong…. Considering their comments on DeafRead, they gave me an impression that they have negative talks toward their DeafRead Editors and their works with accepting some obnoxious blogs into their site to hurt other blogger or insulting others as they hoped to be the representatives in Deaf Community. I had seen some very bad blogging from Deaf bloggers, and I am tired of their floggings on other Deaf Friends. Few times I have to visit their blogs and left my comments there and asked them to tone their language down or abstain from talking something negative toward other Deaf Bloggers. One of my questions: have you write your email to editors about their actions or something needed to be fixed correctly instead of leaving the Deaf Read with little misunderstanding talks. Please help me to understand more about why good Deaf Bloggers left. Other than that, I, sometime, wondered if Deaf Editors check many blogs every day before posting them in their site. I am certain that they are very busy to read many posts for you—please consider their hard working, I knew it is tedious to check every post before accepting them into their website, either front page or in Extra section.

I have to check around and see what their major reasons that they left DeafRead are. I noticed the words that are mentioned: wrong freedom of speech, concerns about name-calling, whatever to bash about, or many disagreements among good bloggers about what subject like cochlear implant or good heart pacemaker. There are few good v-blogs that mentioned why they left DeafRead and they do have my respect with their wishes and their dreams about future Deaf Community. Hope many young Deaf generations look up at us as “Wise Deaf People” instead of “Deaf-bashing-other-Deaf People.” Sometime, I am uncertain about short future with DeafRead, but I want to stay little longer, hope for they come with something better.

With their reasons, I had a tendency to agree with them and had the respect to their opinions that they desired to leave DeafRead for good. I knew that there are many bad blogs that are unworthy to visit by me, I usually ignored them and find something very pleasure to read or watch their video. Otherwise, you need some very thick skin to absorb their big ugly freedom of speech.

Think about “Wise Deaf People” or “Deaf-bashing-other-Deaf People”—which one you want to be? That’s your choice that will affect your next Deaf generation. Sometime, I felt little sad about some lousy blogs to brighten my day with smog of negativity. I hope that I might get more delights in good blogs from Deaf Friends every day. I have to wait for some changes in wind that will influence my future decision with DeafRead then I will know.

I am hoping that I am wrong—but thank you for your time to read.