Chief worker bee thinks he's Irish :). Also my whole meal recipe
Over here in CozieLand chief worker bee refers to himself as Irish. I find this amusing because he is Toronto born and bred but it's true to say he is an Irish citizen. I can't really say St.Patrick's Day is an event but it we do try and mark it.
Food - of course
- Shepherd's Pie, with mashed Spud is basically Jim's favourite meal and I indulge him but only on St.Paddy's.
- Marrowfats (those are Irish peas )
- Dairy Gold butter on Whole Meal ( I'll include the recipe below)
And apple cake the way Eileen makes it. Which means different every time because she isn't much for recipes.
Clearly my menu is pretty simple so how to make it Irish-y? Guinness for sure but I don't head out to the dollar store and festoon the place with sparkly shamrocks. I bring on the green.
Anything green, in any shade all jumbled together. And of course I bring out my lanterns for ambiance. The tree of life with its Celtic motif's in multiple sizes and of course the shamrock design. All around Ireland, it seems the shamrock prevails.... The clover, you won't find it on Belleek or on Nicholas Mosse or Carrigaline - it's the shamrock all the way.
And of course music.
Music plays a big role in our St. Patrick's Day with everything from Sinead O'Connor to The Chieftains and, of course, The Cranberries blasting out of the kitchen speakers. Here's a link to a Spotify playlist I'll be using
A Wee Dram to Top it Off:
And of course we raise a glass. We savour a dram of Bushmills (where my paternal granny's family is from) and we plan on enjoying a surprise bottle of Egan's Whiskey which was a very cool Christmas gift.
Not a bad way celebrate our Irish heritage as solstice approaches..... Sláinte! Now, go ahead and try your hand at my Whole Meal recipe!
Eileen's Whole Meal - makes two pans - Oven temp: 375 degrees
In a big bowl:
6 cups of white flour
2 cups of wheat bran ( this combo is a rough approximation of whole meal flour which isn't available here in Canada
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp of baking soda (this is for insurance)
1 tsp salt
1 litre (or quart) of buttermilk
Mix it all together - but just barely
I grease my two 9" round pans and then dust them with cornmeal for a bit more crunch on the bottom of the loaves.
I divide and plop the batter into the pans and then cut across the batter with a knife dividing it into quarters. This gives it a nice look but is otherwise functionally meaningless.
Bake for 45-50 minutes depending on your oven and then turn them out onto a rack to cool.
Spread with cold butter and enjoy!