Irish Soda Bread


Nearly every year, when I was growing up, my mom prepared this bread for St. Patrick's Day. I recall demanding it more often, but I can't remember if she caved-in to my demands or not.

When I started playing in the kitchen routinely, this was one of the first recipes that I hunted through her recipe box for. When I lived in England, I found that Mark's & Spencer sold a soda bread that satisfied my needs similarly, but it wasn't quite right. This recipe is the quintessential soda bread for me, partly because of the twist that my mom put on it.

Normal soda breads call for the addition of caraway seeds and raisins, but my mom added orange zest and orange extract instead. Sometimes I make a simple orange glaze to go on the top of the bread. I have brought a loaf to school a few times and shared it with my students. It received the high school student seal of approval.

Irish soda bread

• 3 ½ to 4 cups unbleached flour (or use 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour plus 1 cup unbleached)
• ½ to ¾ cup raw or brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 ¼ cups buttermilk (or regular milk soured with 1 teaspoon vinegar)
• ½ cup golden raisins or currants (optional)
  
• 1-2 teaspoon dried caraway seeds (optional)
• *1 teaspoon orange extract (alternate version)
  
• *2 teaspoon orange zest (alternate version)

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. Cut the butter into the flour mixture, using two knives or a pastry cutter, until crumbly.
4. Add egg and buttermilk (*extract and zest if making orange version). Mix until moistened. The dough will be stiff. Add raisins or currants and caraway seeds, working into the dough.
5. Form into a round loaf on a greased baking sheet, adding more flour as necessary. Use a knife to cut a spiral or cross on the top, if you wish.
6. Bake one hour. Best served warm, and eaten the same day you bake it.

The past few times that I have made the bread, it hasn't risen appropriately (evil oven perhaps?), so I made a few adjustments to the recipe, and am proud to say that this bread rose like a dream. Also, this time, due to J's insistence, I left out most of the orange (no zest, just a bit of extract) and added the caraway seeds. Oh, he was right. They really did add a new dimension to the bread, and I didn't find myself missing the orange at all. Perhaps next year, I will just have to make both.

Carrot Cake!


Having been logging my calories for the past few months, and actually seeing some lasting results, I decided to splurge a bit. Running through the list of desserts that I have successfully prepared before, nothing sounded right for the particular urge I was feeling. Also, the limited ingredients that I have on hand in Japan stifle my creativity sometimes.

The trick here is tweaking the recipes enough so that a single meal or cake doesn't cost as much as your rent. That usually means cutting back on the butter, the nuts, and many special ingredients that you wouldn't think would cost so much (powdered sugar, seriously how are you that expensive?) Fortunately, J and I brought two massive bags of nuts (walnuts and pecans, respectively) back from the US in January. I also had a bag of carrots on-hand. So, I decided to try my hand at creating a delicious and not 'overwhelmingly bad for us' carrot cake.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
  
• ¾ cups canola oil
  
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
  
• 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
  
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 3 cups grated carrots
  
• ½ cup chopped pineapple
  
• 1 cup pecans chopped

Icing

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 8 ounces (one package) cream cheese, softened
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (to top)
  

*I would probably swap the pecans and walnuts (inside to outside) next time

Mix the wet ingredients together, then add into the dried. Fold in carrots, pineapple, and finally nuts. Pour into greased baking tray or cake pans. I baked at 180C for about 50 minutes, but the time will vary depending on your oven, because my oven is a bit of a monster. The icing was mixed and applied after the cake cooled, then the nuts were placed haphazardly on top.

The recipe requires some fiddling, as it came out really moist and dense. J mocked the sound of a piece dropping onto a serving plate. PLOP! It was delicious, but not perfect. This recipe is going in the "needs adjustments" file, but for a first attempt, I'd say it was a success.

Bangkok is for monkeys


I have become the prefectural advisor for our ken, and in doing so, have swamped myself. Smooth move on my part. All in all, I enjoy the added spice to my normal work routine, and I get to take a weekly business trip to Toyama. However, with all the wacky regional meetings and orientations this time of year, things were a bit hectic. And who doesn't enjoy a good whinge?

On top of that fun, Bunny and I are taking the GRE next weekend in Osaka, and have been studying our brains out. What's more (I just wanted to say that, because it is a popular phrase around my school right now, appearing in essays and peppered in my JTE's speech) I am taking sankyuu again in December, and I have no doubt about passing, but am trying to study for that as well as start preparing for nikyuu next year, which is evil (so I hear).

It's nice to be busy, and I am getting into the flow of it now. I have been finding time to cook more (samosas and banana bread recently) and go to the gym somewhat regularly, in an effort to prevent old lady wings from forming under my arms. Eeew, you know what I am talking about, and I don't want them! Also, I need to train for the team marathon in 3 weeks, and for diving in December.


Which leads me to Thailand. I had a fantastic yet all too short two weeks near Bangkok. During the days, I explored the city thoroughly, parks, shopping districts, random streets, rivers, etc.


I took and amazing yoga class at . I swear, I think I saw god. J and I ate too much food, and I gorged myself on fresh fruit from the market near his apt. Mmmm... dragonfruit!


We partied with Holzer and FDan at night, and I managed to see numerous projectiles being shot from interesting locations. This includes a banana aimed at the two of us. Thank god it didn't have a lot of umph behind it!


J had to work during the day, but we had a 3 days weekend escape to Hua Hin. I got my beaching in, we hung out with large narded beach dogs, and we found a delicious and authentic Italian place our last night there. I think the best time was probably sitting on the pier and relaxing with a beer. (bonus, that rhymed!)

Oh and there was a baby elephant wandering around downtown Bangkok, being exploited for money that almost made me cry :( The upside was, I got to meet Thai Elvis!



the end

them's a lot of shoes


A few weeks back, I opened my apartment to 15 ravenous ALTs, a nihonjin with a cold, a CIR, a Simpson, and a dead bird. Hilarity, and a very manky carpet ensued.

the beginning of the feast

my apartment looks deceivingly large without the doors up

My first solo apple pie... Please enjoy gazing at my supremely unorganized spice rack to the right! Oh, and my ralph shirt ironically says, "drop it like it's hot!"

Yuta's got my back with the ice cream, inari llama agrees.

One down... the tryptophan begins its lethal assault.

Second victim, he's only awake to thank us for his sharpee bindi.

Thanks for coming, everyone! We are on again next year, but the turkey isn't invited! Special shout-out to Timmy the party animal for helping procure genocidal ice cream, and Bunni for assisting in the mass hysteria that was the pre-eating hour or so. Oh, and for Adam, for being a good sport and canvas about/for my marker antics. Cheers!