Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk

• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon white sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Stir the milk and vinegar together, and allow to stand until curdled, about 10 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet. In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

3. Gradually stir the soured milk into the flour mixture until the dough just comes together, and turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Knead a few times, and shape into a round. Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut an X shape into the top of the dough to release steam and help the bread keep its round shape.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 45 minutes.

One-Pan Tomato and Spinach Chicken

One-pan meals are awesome! Savory Chicken Broth, red wine, and tomatoes create a flavorful sauce for the chicken and pasta ensuring a restaurant-quality dish you will definitely enjoy!

Ingredients

• 10 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• ¼ cup red wine

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained

• 1 cup Chicken Broth

• 4 ounces uncooked penne pasta

• ¾ cup water

• 4 cups baby spinach

Directions

1. Season the chicken as desired. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until well browned, stirring often. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

2. Add the onion to the skillet and cook until tender-crisp, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and heat to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

3. Stir in the tomatoes, Chicken Broth, penne, and water; heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes or until the penne is tender, stirring occasionally. Return the chicken to the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the spinach and cook for 1 minute or until the spinach is wilted.

Slow Cooker Chicken Marrakesh

This Moroccan-style recipe is so easy to make, it might just become a tradition in your household.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced (Optional)

• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 2-inch pieces

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

Directions

1. Place the onion, garlic, carrots, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, and chicken breast pieces into a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, parsley, and salt, and sprinkle over the chicken and vegetables. Pour in the tomatoes, and stir to combine.

2. Cover the cooker, set to High, and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened, 4 to 5 hours.

Cook's Note:

You can use chicken thighs instead of breasts, if you prefer. Increase the amount of salt if the flavor is too bland. This recipe is versatile: you can substitute red peppers, zucchini, etc. for other vegetables.

Vaselopita - Greek New Years Cake

On this week’s episode of The Keep Growing Podcast, we looked at 2023 garden trends. Greek-inspired gardens are hot right now so let’s get that trend started with this cake! Traditional Greek New Years Day bread. Served as a coffee cake for breakfast. Also the person who receives the quarter inside gets good luck for 1 year!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter

• 2 cups white sugar

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 6 eggs

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• ¼ cup blanched slivered almonds

• 2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 10 inch round cake pan.

• Step 2

  In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light. Stir in the flour and mix until the mixture is mealy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Combine the baking powder and milk, add to the egg mixture, mix well. Then combine the lemon juice and baking soda, stir into the batter. Pour into the prepared cake pan.

• Step 3

  Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and sprinkle the nuts and sugar over the cake, then return it to the oven for 20 to 30 additional minutes, until cake springs back to the touch. Gently cut a small hole in the cake and place a quarter in the hole. Try to cover the hole with sugar. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto a plate.

• Step 4

  Serve cake warm. Each person in the family gets a slice starting with the youngest. The person who gets the quarter in their piece, gets good luck for the whole year!

Christmas Brunch Casserole

This recipe is great to prepare on Christmas Eve and bake on the morning of Christmas Day.

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon

• 2 onions, chopped

• 2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 4 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 4 eggs

• 1 1/2 cups milk

• 1 pinch dried parsley

• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside. Add the mushrooms and onion to the skillet; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent and the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish with the tablespoon of butter. Place potatoes in bottom of prepared dish. Sprinkle with salt, garlic salt, and pepper. Top with crumbled bacon, then add the onions and mushrooms.

3. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and parsley. Pour the beaten eggs over the casserole and top with grated cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 400F.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until set.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’m not much of a baker. Cooking is easy, but with baking you need to be more exact with measurements. If you’re like me, this recipe is the perfect route to go.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoons hot water

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.

3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.