Irish Soda Bread and Tea~

It's the second week of March, and in our house that means Irish Soda Bread. After lunch today College Girl got the ingredients out to make a fresh loaf of bread: buttermilk, flour, baking soda and salt.

                      Always remember to forget the troubles that passed away,
                                   But never forget the blessings that come each day

If you have not made soda bread before you may be surprised at how few ingredients are needed and how simple it is! I turned to one of my favorite recipes from the May 1996 Bon Appetit magazine.

            May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings, slow to make enemies, and quick to make friends~

To make the White Soda Bread you need~

• 3 and 1/2 cup unbleached flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt

1 and 1/2 cup buttermilk

Combine dry ingredients. I usually put my baking soda through a strainer to alleviate lumps. Pour buttermilk into the dry ingredients, stir until large clumps form.

Turn out onto floured surface and knead for one minute. Shape into 6" by 2" round~

Place round on cookie sheet. I prefer to sprinkle cornmeal on the cookie sheet under the dough, but I did not have any on hand today so I used parchment.

Cut an 'X' in the top; bake for about 34 minutes at 425 degrees. Loaf should be browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

May those that love us, love us; and those that don't love us, may God turn their hearts; if he can't turn there hearts, then may he turn their ankles, so we'll know them by their limp~

When the bread was cool it was time for a cup of tea!

This afternoon we had Lyon's Gold Blend..an Irish favorite sent directly from Ireland by my friend CathiO.

With good Irish butter and some blackberry preserves, we had a snack any leprechaun would trade some gold for, don't you think? A red-headed 'cailin', or girl, joins us with flowers in her hair~

She wears a claddagh on her dress and around her neck~

Her green eyes sparkle and her cheeks are kissed with freckles~

She dances jigs and reels. 'Da' (Dad) plays the bodhran and she plays simple tunes on her whistle~

Her curls bounce when she laughs~

She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,
Yet 'twas not her beauty alone that won me,
Oh, no, 'twas the truth in her eyes ever beaming
That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee.
The cool shades of evening their mantle were spreading,
And Mary, all smiling, was list'ning to me.
The moon through the valley her pale rays was shedding
When I won the heart of the Rose of Tralee.

W. P. Mulchinock

For each petal on the shamrock this brings a wish your way.
Good health, good luck, and happiness for today and every day~

On the table was our Slainte shamrock. Slainte is a spoken Irish toast and literally means 'health'. A quick online check for the pronunciation gave me: Sláinte means 'health' in Gaelic and the pronunciation depends on your dialect.
In the South and West you'd say "slawnt-yeh" or "slant-yeh", in the North it's "slain-cheh".

The tea was hot, the bread was warm and the company was sweet! We used our claddagh footed mugs ~

                    May you have food and raiment, a soft pillow for your head,
                   May you be forty years in heaven before the devil knows you're dead~

                ~which have shamrocks on the reverse side~

The handles are sweetly curved~ There is no mark on the bottom, so I don't know the manufacturer.

Do you do something to celebrate St. Patrick's Day? I'm not one for green beer but would love to try the recipes for Baked Cabbage, Potato Soup or Apple Blackberry Pie I spotted in the magazine!

May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon the fields. And, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.

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