Homemade Bailey's Irish Cream

I hope you all enjoyed your St. Patrick's Day.  It was a great, but very busy and fast weekend!  I had two birthday parties to attend - One of which was for my dad.  As soon as I found this recipe for homemade Bailey's Irish Cream, I knew I had to try it.  I thought it would make the perfect gift for my dad since he's a big fan of the liqueur.

The recipe I used happens to be vegan because it calls for coconut milk as opposed to cream.  I enjoyed the end result because it had a nice hint of coconut.  It may be because I used cream of coconut instead of full fat coconut milk, but everyone seemed to enjoy it.  If you do use cream of coconut, please note that once the liqueur has chilled the fat will separate and rise to the top.  I simply strained the liquid into another bowl and it was fine after that.  The liqueur will separate but that is because no emulsifier was added to prevent separation (vegetable oil is added to the real deal to prevent this from happening).  It's not a big deal - Just be sure to shake or whisk the liqueur before using.

Since I gave this to my dad for his birthday, we all made sure to do a celebratory shot (or three) in honor of the birthday boy.  My brother and I opted to toast my dad with some car bombs - Man are they good with homemade Irish cream!  This is a super simple recipe and is delicious on its own or with your morning coffee.  :)  You can find the full recipe here at Oh She Glows.

Irish Bread

I'm excited to share this family recipe with you.  It's one of my favorites and I look forward to making this every March.  My mom calls this bread scawn, but I just don't like the name.  It's...  Weird.  So, it's my blog and I will refer to the bread as just Irish bread.  :)  Every year I look forward to St. Patrick's Day because of this bread.  My family may be the only one that associates this holiday with food but you would too if your mom made this every year for as long as you can remember!

I dug out the recipe and decided I wanted to adapt it to make a healthier version - There are a few swaps that can be made to beef up the nutritional value of this recipe.  I replaced part of the all purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour.  I also used skim milk and only half the amount of sugar.  Truth be told, I was unable to tell I used less sugar and I plan on using my version of the recipe from now on.  Good thing my mom doesn't know how to surf the web so she won't see that I prefer my recipe over hers!  ;)

Irish Bread
Serves: 1  :)

4 cups all purpose flour (You can substitute up to half of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 - 1 cup sugar
5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups raisins (I used a combination of golden and Thompson)
2 eggs
About 1 1/4 cups skim milk (or fat free buttermilk)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup granulated or green sanding sugar
Water
Nonstick spray

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare two 9x5 or 8x4 loaf pans by spraying with nonstick spray and set aside.  Tip: I find using the 8x4 disposable foil pans are great for this recipe as I usually give away one loaf.  I also prefer the smaller pan as the loaf bakes up a bit taller than when you bake the bread in the 9x5 loaf pan.

Combine flour through raisins.  Add the eggs to a 2 cup liquid measuring cup and beat together.  Add enough milk so that the eggs and milk equal 1 1/2 cups.  Add the vanilla and add the mixture to the dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined.  The dough will be sticky, so resist the urge to add more flour.

Evenly divide the dough between the prepared loaf pans and bake for about 40 minutes.  Optional: While the bread is baking, combine the sugar and enough water for a thin glaze (You can also sprinkle sugar directly on the dough before baking).  It's not necessary to add the sugar, but it adds a nice crunch to the top.

After 40 minutes of baking, brush the top of the bread with the glaze and bake for another 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

This bread is great toasted and topped with some delicious Irish butter.

Sláinte

Spinach and Basil Pesto with Lemon

St. Patrick's Day is less than a week away so I decided I would share a few recipes inspired by the holiday.  While pesto doesn't tend to come to mind when you think of traditional St. Patrick's Day fare, the color is definitely on point!  Also, with spring right around the corner, this is a great recipe that pairs well with seafood and chicken as well as pasta.

I'm always looking for easy weeknight meals and pesto comes together really quickly so it is a great option for those nights you need something fast.  It also freezes well so you can always double the recipe and put any unused portion in a zip-top bag and freeze for another meal.

Since I was serving this with pasta and shrimp, I decided to add lemon zest to the mix.  That's one of the great things about pesto - You can add in anything from cilantro to sundried tomatoes.  I also added spinach to increase the nutritional value - Any way to fit in a veggie!  This recipe is super simple because you toss everything in a food processor and let it whirl (I made mine in a food processor but you can easily make it in a blender).

 

Spinach and Basil Pesto with Lemon
Serves: 4

3 handfuls of fresh spinach
2 handfuls of basil
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Zest and juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper

Add everything but the olive oil into a food processor.  Cover and begin blending while streaming in the olive oil.  I like my pesto a bit on the thicker side if I'm serving it with pasta.  I'll use the pasta water to thin it out some.  If I am serving this over chicken, I'll add a bit more olive oil so it's slightly thinner.