#BrunchWeek: Bacon and Egg Sandwiches on Cheddar Biscuits

May 8, 2015May 9, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 5 Comments

We’re continuing with the third annual #BrunchWeek hosted by Terri of Love and Confections and Shaina of Take a Bite out of Boca. I’ve been told you can’t have a brunch event without an egg dish. While I could easily disagree, I can see my mom’s point. Most people love eggs and eat them daily for breakfast. I have never been in that camp.

So what to do?

The only egg dish I’ve ever liked (and have even ordered at a brunch place!) is Eggs Benedict. I tried my hand at making Eggs Benedict at home before, and we loved them! But poaching the eggs and making the hollandaise sauce requires too much active attention; I won’t be attempting it again until the little man can play on his own (or takes longer naps…) safely.

Instead I decided on a breakfast sandwich, one I could make each element of separately.

I caramelized some onions and wilted in some kale. I used my mandolin to slice some Easter egg radishes provided by Cal-Organic. I fried up some bacon and some eggs.

To make my sandwiches a step above the rest, I assembled them on top of homemade cheddar biscuits – using Cabot Cheese Seriously Sharp Cheddar.

Using a 3″ biscuit cutter, this recipe yields 18-20 biscuits.

Cheddar Biscuits

Ingredients:

9 tbsp butter
2 1/2 C flour
1 C white whole wheat flour
2 tbsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 C shredded Seriously Sharp Cheddar
1 1/2 C buttermilk
1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Steps:

Cut butter into cubes and set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
With the paddle attachment mix in the butter and shredded cheese. Mix until combined and texture is crumbly.
Pour in buttermilk and mix until dough comes together.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until combined. Pat to 3/4″ thick. Use a 3″ biscuit cutter to cut biscuits and place on prepared baking sheets. (Note: Do not twist the cutter, doing so will pinch the edges and you won’t have that flaky biscuit.)
Brush biscuits with egg wash. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
To make sandwiches: Cut biscuit in half. Top one half with caramelized onions, wilted kale, and a fried egg. Top the other half with a drizzle of honey, bacon, and thinly sliced radishes. Reassemble and enjoy.

*The biscuit recipe is adapted from Donya at http://asouthern-soul.blogspot.com/2013/04/cheddar-cheese-biscuits.html?*

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more brunch recipes today:

BrunchWeek Beverages:
Mango Swirled Coconut Margarita from The Little Ferraro Kitchen.
Bruleed Grapefruit Mojito from Healthy Delicious.
Strawberry Orange Blossom Sparkler from Baking a Moment.

BrunchWeek Egg Dishes:
Bacon and Egg Sandwiches on Cheddar Biscuits from Sew You Think You Can Cook.

BrunchWeek Breads, Grains and Pastries:
Lemon Blueberry Crepes from Love and Confections.
Java Jolt Overnight Oats from Take A Bite Out Of Boca.
Hagelslag-Covered Bread from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
Nutella Stuffed Aebleskiver from greens & chocolate.
Baked French Toast Boats from The Spiffy Cookie.
Skinny Banana Oat Flaxseed Cookies from Hip Foodie Mom.
Cinnamon Sugar French Toast Sticks from Making Miracles.
Cheddar Pear Proscuitto Pull-Apart Bread from It Bakes Me Happy.
Alpine Cheese Grisini from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner.

BrunchWeek Main Dishes:
Bacon Cheddar Hashbrown Pancake from Pink Cake Plate.
Huevos Rancheros Burgers from The Redhead Baker.

BrunchWeek Fruits, Vegetables and Sides:
Fresh Mint and Orange Blossom Fruit Salad from Sarcastic Cooking.
Citrus and Cilantro Carrot Slaw from A Day in the Life on the Farm

BrunchWeek Desserts:
Mini Apple Pear Pies from Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine.
Strawberry Cake from Chelsea’s Messy Apron.
Chocolate Chip Walnut Coffee Cake from girlichef.
Raspberry Oatmeal Bars from My Catholic Kitchen.

Disclaimer: Thank you to #BrunchWeek Sponsors: Bob’s Red Mill, Cabot Creamery Cooperative, California Walnuts, Dixie Crystals, Grimmway Farms/Cal-Organic/True Juice, KitchenAid, Le Creuset, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Pacari Chocolate, Stonyfield Organic, Vidalia Onions, and Woot Froot for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #BrunchWeek. All opinions are my own.

#BrunchWeek: Pear Coffee Cake and Fruit & Cheese Salad

May 7, 2015May 9, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 12 Comments

Welcome back to the third annual #BrunchWeek hosted by Terri of Love and Confections and Shaina of Take a Bite out of Boca.

I couldn’t celebrate a week of brunch without another variation of my very popular coffee cake and when Woot Froot was announced as a #BrunchWeek sponsor I knew I’d utilize the fruit they sent. Because peaches and nectarines (what they’re most famous for) aren’t in season until next month, we received sliced pears and destemmed grapes. I decided to use the pears in my coffee cake! After many bundt baking attempts at putting foods in cakes I tossed the chopped pears in flour (and cinnamon for good measure).

I have made this coffee cake so many times and have done so using either sour cream or yogurt – we’ve even used lemon Greek yogurt once in a pinch! I saw another opportunity to use a sponsored product – Stonyfield Organic yogurt! (I buy their YoBaby yogurts for the little man, and it’s definitely his favorite food.) I used whole milk vanilla yogurt in this coffee cake and it’s absolutely delicious, a great accompaniment to the pears!

I like to top my coffee cakes with a crumble that includes oats. Conveniently enough Bob’s Red Mill provided participating bloggers with a bag of old fashioned rolled oats!

Not only am I sharing my coffee cake recipe today – I’m using Cabot Cheese White Oak Cheddar in a fruit salad! The way I figured it, people often eat fruit with their cheese plate so why not combine it in a sweet and savory dressing.

Pear Coffee Cake

Ingredients for topping:

3/8 C flour
1/3 C Dixie Crystals Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 1/2 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1/4 C rolled oats

Ingredients for cake:

2 C + 1 tbsp flour, divided use
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 C Dixie Crystals Granulated Sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C whole milk vanilla yogurt
1 C peeled and diced pears
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Steps:

Make the topping: whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using your fingers, break the butter into small pieces and combine with the topping. After combined add the oats. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8″ square cake pan with foil and grease.
Make the cake: In a large bowl whisk together 2 C flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add in the vanilla.
Incorporate a third of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Once combined add 1/2 C of yogurt. Add another third of the dry ingredients. Once combined add the last 1/2 C of yogurt. Add in the final third of the dry ingredients.
Toss pears in remaining flour and cinnamon.
Assemble the cake: Place half of the cake batter in the prepared cake pan. Evenly distribute the pears and top with remaining batter. Top the cake with the topping from step 1.
Bake for 65 minutes, or until a knife comes out cleanly.
Allow cake to cool for 5 minutes and remove the cake from the pan by the foil. Serve your cake with fruit & cheese salad (recipe below)!

Fruit & Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

3 C chopped pears
2 C sliced red grapes
1 Fuji apple, diced
6 oz White Oak Cheddar Cheese, cubed
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C agave nectar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade

Steps:

In a large bowl, toss together fruit and cheese.
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, agave, and vanilla. Season to taste with salt.
Dress fruit salad with the dressing and add in the basil. Keep cold.

*The dressing recipe is modified from Michael at http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/fruit-salad-with-savoury-dressings/12917/*

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more brunch recipes today:

BrunchWeek Beverages:
Grape Mojito from The Spiffy Cookie.

BrunchWeek Egg Dishes:
Caramelized Onion, Kale, Bacon and Cheddar Strata from Love and Confections.
Kale and Toasted Quinoa Egg White Scramble from Take A Bite Out Of Boca.
Breakfast Enchiladas from Cooking in Stilettos
Croque Madame Breakfast Casserole from Bread Booze Bacon.
Rainbow Chard and Cheddar Cheese Frittata from My Catholic Kitchen.

BrunchWeek Breads, Grains and Pastries:
Perfect French Toast from Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine.
Oat Breakfast Cookies from Pink Cake Plate.
Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes with Spiced Pear Syrup from The Redhead Baker.
Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake Muffins from Making Miracles.
Classic Buttermilk Pancakes from That Skinny Chick Can Bake.
Bacci Bread and Pear Pudding from A Day in the Life on the Farm.
Pear Coffee Cake and Fruit & Cheese Salad from Sew You Think You Can Cook.

BrunchWeek Main Dishes:
Waldorf Quinoa Chicken Salad from Cupcake & Kale Chips.

BrunchWeek Fruits, Vegetables and Sides:
Chilled Strawberry Soup from The Suburban Soapbox

BrunchWeek Desserts:
Orange Blossom Olive Oil Cake with Mango Citrus Glaze from Taste Cook Sip.
Walnut Meringue Banana Mess from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner.

#BrunchWeek: Papas con Chorizo

May 5, 2015May 6, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 6 Comments

Happy Cinco de Mayo everybody! And happy day two of the third annual #BrunchWeek hosted by Terri of Love and Confections and Shaina of Take a Bite out of Boca!

I’ve been meaning to venture into the breakfast world of Mexican cuisine, but always manage to forget about it. Until today! Thanks to Cinco de Mayo falling during this year’s #BrunchWeek I finally had my opportunity.

Today I bring you the simplest dish, perfect to accompany any brunch menu. Potatoes are always a perfect side at breakfast, so why not trade in those classic hash-browns for papas con chorizo! Potatoes, chorizo, and cheese. You can’t possibly go wrong! If you want to turn this dish into a main course you could add some scrambled eggs and serve breakfast burrito style.

Le Creuset is one of our #BrunchWeek sponsors and I receive their new Revolution Bi-Material Slotted Turner. Let me take a minute and tell you about this great product! The materials used in creating this spatula are of great quality and don’t scratch the surface of skillets and dishes. It’s a very sturdy product and can stand up to flipping a wide variety of foods and the angle of the handle makes using it very easy and comfortable; I not only used it for mixing and serving these potatoes but also flipped burgers without any trouble. The slotted turner could also withstand the pressure I put on it to break up the chorizo as it cooked in the skillet.

Papas con Chorizo

Ingredients:

1 lb gold potatoes, peeled and diced
3 links Mexican chorizo, casings removed
1 C shredded Mexican blend cheese

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until almost fork tender.
In a cast iron skillet (or oven-safe skillet), brown chorizo over medium-high heat, breaking up. Cook completely.
Drain potatoes and add to the skillet with the chorizo. Toss, gently, to combine. Cover with cheese and put in the oven for 7-10 minutes until cheese is melted and potatoes are fully cooked.

*This recipe is adapted from David at http://leitesculinaria.com/85425/recipes-potatoes-mexican-chorizo.html*

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more brunch recipes today:

BrunchWeek Beverages:
Oat-Chata from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

BrunchWeek Egg Dishes:
Build Your Own Benedicts from A Day in the Life on the Farm.
Ham, Asparagus and Goat Cheese Egg Muffin Cups from Cupcakes & Kale Chips.

BrunchWeek Breads, Grains and Pastries:
Donut Holes with a Trio of Dipping Sauces from The Redhead Baker.
Trail Mix Granola from Making Miracles.
Bananas Foster Baked Oatmeal from The Suburban Soapbox.

BrunchWeek Main Dishes:
Vegetarian Breakfast Enchiladas from The Spiffy Cookie.

BrunchWeek Fruits, Vegetables and Sides:
Caramelized Onion and Sweet Potato Hash from Take A Bite Out Of Boca.
Asparagus and Heirloom Carrots Salad from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner.
Roasted Grape & Bleu Cheese Bruschetta from Bread Booze Bacon.
Papas con Chorizo from Sew You Think You Can Cook.

BrunchWeek Desserts:
Whiskey Walnut Tart from Love and Confections.

SRC: Nacho Cheese Sauce

March 23, 2015March 21, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 28 Comments

Today is another Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! In the secret recipe club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day! So while I was immersed in my assigned blog, someone else was picking through mine! I’m so excited to be part of this group, to see what on my blog peaks other’s interests and to stumble upon new blogs and new recipes.

This month I was assigned the blog Burnt Apple. In her about me section, Burnt Apple admits to being a not-so-great cook, but after having kids she turned it around and you can see her success on her site. Her husband has diabetes so her page is full of healthier meals. Not that I picked one… there were just too many cinnamony desserts to pick from! Like cinnamon pie – WHAT?! And churros – but hey, they’re baked and not fried. And then there were apple cinnamon quinoa cookies – quinoa’s good for you, right?

I decided to go in a savory direction. But still, not exactly a healthy one. We’re talking nacho cheese sauce people! I enjoy this guilty pleasure at sporting events and the bowling alley. Add it to your March Madness party for a dip everyone will enjoy!

I doubled the recipe and needed to use whole milk in addition to the evaporated milk. I found I needed to add a little extra splash of milk to the nacho cheese sauce to get my desired texture.

Nacho Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

8 oz mild cheddar cheese, cubed
8 oz pepper jack cheese, cubed
1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
1/2 C whole milk
2 tbsp cornstarch

Steps:

Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Melt over medium heat until sauce is smooth, bubbly, and thick.
Serve over chip with pickled jalapenos, if desired.

*This recipe is adapted from http://burntapple.com/2014/07/14/theater-style-nacho-cheese-sauce/*

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

CIC: Cauliflower & Cheese

March 20, 2015March 19, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 14 Comments

Hey I made it! Talk about procrastination. I made my Crazy Ingredient Challenge dish yesterday during the little man’s naptime. I had to do this during naptime because it required the food processor and my little man absolutely hates it when we run the Ninja. I’m talking completely loses it with big ole alligator tears. We try taking him over to the machine and even let him help push the buttons, trying to prove that we are in control of the loud noise, but it’s not working. So, I prefer to wait to use it if I’m the only one home.

The ingredients that won the vote this month are Cauliflower and Cheese – any kind of cheese! I thought first of doing mashed cauliflower and potatoes with cream cheese. But we had mashed potatoes earlier this week. I really wanted to try a cauliflower crust pizza, but knew I wouldn’t have the time to get that done. (It’s still on my bucket list though.)

I have been keeping a bean dip in the fridge for my afternoon snacks, either hummus or black bean, and thought that’d be a great way to “sneak” cauliflower into the menu. The cheese I decided to use was Parmesan. This dip ended up reminding me of pizza (I now see how cauliflower works in place of crust) so I added some oregano to the mix, if I had sun-dried tomatoes that would’ve gone in too! Veggies are a perfect healthy dipper but pita chips or even whole grain tortilla chips work nicely too.

Cauliflower Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided use
1 can (15oz) great north beans (or any white bean), drained and rinsed
1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese
zest 1 Meyer lemon
juice 1 Meyer lemon
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Steps:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Break cauliflower into florets, about 1″ in size. Place on a baking sheet and toss with 2 tbsp olive oil. Bake 25 minutes, until lightly golden.
In a large food process, pulse beans, roasted cauliflower, cheese, zest and juice of the lemon, garlic, oregano, S+P, and up to 1/4 C water. Pulse until smooth. Season to taste with additional S+P if needed.

*This recipe is modified from Lauren at http://www.fromthelittleyellowkitchen.com/2012/02/22/roasted-cauliflower-white-bean-dip/*

To see the other bloggers who participated in this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge click on the link below.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

March 9, 2015March 8, 2015 ~ lk529 ~ 5 Comments

Mexican Monday has taken a serious hit this year. The league that I bowl on happens on Monday nights and while I don’t bowl every week it’s often enough that our traditional dinner gets switched around or even skipped.

The enchiladas I’m sharing with you today are a meatless variety – perfect for a Friday during this Lenten period. Which is when I made them. If you want to add some meat to these be my guest; cooked shredded pork or chicken would be great. The meat isn’t missed though.

There are some changes I would make though. The sweet potato is cubed instead of mashed, which provides body and meatiness to the filling, but I struggled with the texture. Next time, I’ll mash the sweet potato and add some Mexican rice to the filling to add some more substance.

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato
1/2 C corn & black bean salsa (I used Kroger brand)
2 C shreded Mexican blend cheese, divided use
2 C red enchilada sauce
8 flour tortillas

Steps:

Microwave potato for 10 minutes. Allow to cool and remove the skin. Cube or mash as desired.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix sweet potato with salsa and 1 1/2 C of cheese.
Pour half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish.
Assemble enchiladas: Place about 1/3 C of the sweet potato filling into each tortilla, roll, and place seam side down in the prepared casserole dish.
Top enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake 20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden.

*This recipe is adapted from Averie at http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/06/sweet-potato-corn-and-black-bean-enchiladas.html*

Cheesy Turkey and Rice Skillet

November 25, 2014November 25, 2014 ~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Today’s Thanksgiving leftovers recipe is one that I’ve made in my kitchen before. I made this one pot meal last month when my mother-in-law was visiting. We had just joined Sam’s Club and had a coupon for a free rotisserie chicken! This skillet meal was a perfect way to use some of that chicken. We all went back for seconds. So when I decided to Thanksgiving leftovers leading up to Turkey Day I knew this dish would be on the menu.

What makes this meal perfect for after Thanksgiving is that it only dirties one pot. Okay, two pots because you need to cook some rice ahead of time. But after a whole day of pulling out casserole dishes you forgot you had, eating on that once-a-year china, and stacking up the Tuperware it’s nice to not have to wash eight thousand dishes.

This recipe can be adjusted based on your leftovers. Swap out the broccoli for some green beans or Brussels sprouts.

Cheesy Turkey and Rice Skillet

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
2 1/2 C broccoli
2 tbsp flour
2 C milk
1/2 tsp ground mustard
2 C diced cooked turkey
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
2 C cooked rice (brown, white, or a mix of both)

Steps:

In a high sided skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute onion and broccoli until tender. Stir in flour. Slowly mix in the milk. Allow to simmer until thickened slightly. Season with ground mustard, S+P.
Add in the cooked turkey. Melt in the cheese. Mix in the rice.

*This recipe is adapted from Lauren at http://www.laurenslatest.com/broccoli-cheddar-brown-rice-skillet/*

Sweet Potato and Chorizo Quesadillas

October 6, 2014October 5, 2014 ~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

I must admit, I haven’t quite gotten into a menu planning rhythm yet. Between the move and becoming a new mom it’s been hard to create some sort of schedule, but now that my husband has started his new job things might evolve into our new normal.

I’m still planning out my blog post ideas a month at a time, and I try and set a date for when I will make which dish. What I haven’t been doing is determining what we’re actually having for dinner in advance and most nights turn into a “what can we throw together?” kind of meal. Honestly though, this method means we’re saving money and wasting less food! I’m going to keep the “use what we have” mentality to plan my weekly menus – when I get back to planning weekly menus.

This Mexican Monday post evolved from just that – four easy ingredients that created a quick Monday dinner.

Sweet Potato and Chorizo Quesadillas

Ingredients:

1 small sweet potato
1/2 lb Mexican chorizo
4 flour tortillas
1/2 C shredded cheese

Steps

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash potato and poke with a fork. Bake 40-50 minutes until fork tender. Allow to cool before peeling. Mash potato.
In a small skillet over medium high heat, brown the chorizo until fully cooked.
Assemble quesadillas by spreading the mashed sweet potato on two of the quesadillas. Place one plain tortilla in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle with half of the cheese, top with half of the chorizo, and place the tortilla with the mashed sweet potato potato side down on top of the quesadilla. Cook on both sides until cheese is melted and tortillas are golden. Repeat for the second quesadilla.
Serve with your favorite salsa.

#10DaysofTailgate: Chile con Queso

September 29, 2014September 29, 2014 ~ lk529 ~ 5 Comments

It’s Monday and it’s still #10DaysofTailgate hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. That means my #10DaysofTailgate post gets a Mexican Monday twist!

Okay, it’s not really Mexican. It’s actually far from being real Mexican. Queso is definitely an American Mexican appetizer. And this one uses processed cheese. But there is Chipotle involved.

Today’s dip features two of our wonderful #10DaysofTailgate sponsors: El Diablo Hot & Spicy Mustard and Bob’s Red Mill. Combine their products with Velveeta and you have a dip fit to make any tailgater happy.

Bob’s Red Mill provided us with a bag of their 13 Bean Soup Mix. With it, I made 13 bean chili to do a play on my mandatory tailgating dip. I even added El Diablo Chipotle Mustard to give it another depth of flavor – a tiny bit of heat and a mustardy bite of vinegar.

Chile con Queso

Ingredients for the chili:

1 1/2 C 13 Bean Soup Mix
1 lb ground beef
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 C canned diced tomatoes
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Steps for the chili:

Soften beans by boiling for five minutes. Remove from heat and soak at least one hour. Drain.
Cover beans with 5 C water and simmer until tender 2-3 hours.
Brown ground beef. Add onion and garlic, cook until translucent. Drain.
Add beef, tomatoes, chili powder, and S+P to the beans. Bring to a gentle boil and cook 50-60 minutes.

Ingredients for the Chile con Queso:

1 C chili (recommended recipe above)
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
5 tsp El Diablo Chipotle Mustard

Steps for the Chile con Queso:

In a saucepan heat up chili.
Melt in cheese.
Add mustard and stir until combined.
Keep warm in slow cooker. And serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more tailgating recipes today:

Starters
BBQ Sausage & Cheese Plate by The Spiffy Cookie
Vegified Hot “Wings” by Curious Cuisiniere
Fried Polenta Cakes with Grilled Tomato and Mozzarella Salad by Love and Confections
Smoky Karma Stovetop Beans by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Mains

Kicking Karma Veggie Fajita Pizza by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Not Ketchup Cherry Chipotle Steak Tacos by Making Miracles

BBQ Chickpea Sliders with Apple Slaw by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy

Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili by The Pajama Chef

Beef Kabobs by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Irish Bread Braid

March 17, 2014March 16, 2014 ~ lk529 ~ 7 Comments

SPD13

I never really celebrated St. Patrick’s Day until moving to the panhandle and becoming best friends with Kate. St. Patrick’s Day 2011 coincided with Auburn’s Spring Break and we had Kate and her now husband Josh over for a simple dinner and game night – individual meatloaves and mashed potatoes. That event began a four year tradition. In 2012 Kate and Josh were now living here and we went to their apartment for Ruben Egg Rolls, Shepherd’s Pie, and a yogurt parfait with angel food cake and mango. (Lesson learned – do not dye vanilla pudding green, it will mess with your mind and fool your taste buds.) I hosted in 2013 and served an Irish bread braid, individual meatloaves, and colcannon. Kate brought over a beautiful rainbow cake too!

This year marks our fourth, and probably final (as we’re moving this summer), St. Patrick’s Day together. It’s Kate’s turn to host and we’re combining our favorites – the Irish bread braid, Ruben egg rolls, Shepherd’s pie with shamrock rolls, and for dessert maple shortbread cookies and chocolate chip ice cream. It’s a big menu for four people, but we’re going all out this year!

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it – my crescent rolls were very easily tear-able and no matter how much I pinched and tried to make the dough seamless there was no hope. Instead I made a rustic-looking tart. But the flavors were still beautiful. I don’t know if the dough warmed up too much in the 30 minute drive to Kate’s or if using the name brand product is simply too good at it’s job – Stuart suggested maybe buying a generic brand of crescent dough in the hopes that it’s not as perforated. Here’s the real advice – if your store sells seamless crescent dough, buy it! None of my local stores do.

Last year I made this bread braid (see pre-baked photo in above collage) for St. Patrick’s Day and it was such a hit that Stuart requested it again for Easter. I will probably make it again, and if I’m successful in the braid I’ll post it!

Irish Bread Braid

Ingredients:

3 red potatoes
3 C chopped kale, stems removed
2 cans seamless crescent roll dough
1/2 lb sliced corned beef
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
caraway seeds, for sprinkling

Steps:

Boil kale in salted water for 4 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and set aside.
Boil potatoes until tender. Let cool, slice, and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
On a greased baking sheet, unroll crescent dough and press side-by-side lengthwise into one larger rectangle. Additionally, press together all perforated seams if not using seamless.
Place corned beef in the center of the rectangle, leaving 3″ on each side. Top with potato slices, kale, and shredded cheese.
~~Cut dough into the same number of strips on each side of the filling, leaving an inch buffer around the filling. Criss-cross the strips over the filling to create a braid.~~ Fold crescent dough around the filling to create a rustic tart. (See above photos.)
In a small bowl whisk the egg with 1 tbsp water. Brush the bread with egg wash and sprinkle with caraway seeds and kosher salt, if desired.
Bake for 25 minutes. If your bread braid turned into a rustic tart lightly cover with aluminum foil for 20 minutes, remove foil and bake another 5-8 minutes until the crust is golden and cooked through. Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

*This recipe is modified from girlversusdough at http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/irish-bread-braid/aa8ebb56-1255-4cec-996f-3de32cb5456e*