Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Irish Soda Bread...and other things

Well, hello!

So it's been close to a year since I've updated my blog.  I feel terribly guilty about this, however, I would like to think I have an excuse.

As you know, Mr. PT and I were blessed with a sweet little girl in June of 2013.  Well, that sweet little girl has grown into a sweet, big toddler who will be two this summer!  This is very hard for me to believe; the time has truly flown by, just like everyone said it would.

I'm happy to say that our little one finally decided to grow some teeth and is eating like a madwoman these days!  She has a relatively diverse palate, and although genetics and personality are likely the cause, I would like to think I played a role in this!  Hopefully all those vegetable stir fries, smoothies, and salads gave her a heads up as to what she would be eating post-delivery.  Her favorites these days are cheese, milk, strawberries, bananas, and pancakes (my little pancake girl!).  However, she also eats rice, beans, avocado, pasta, oatmeal, broccoli, and plain yogurt!  I can't complain!

Our little girl has also grown up watching her crazy parents exercise.  While nestled in her car seat, Mr. PT would take her outside and use her as a weight for lunges and bicep curls (I'm pretty sure this is how she learned the concept of "up and down").  When big enough to stand, she would watch Mommy and Daddy share the bands for arm workouts.  She now screams "Run! Weee!" when it's time to get in the jogging stroller and shouts "my turn!" when I pull our the weights.  Her favorite toy?  Balls, of course!

Anyway, more big news on the way.  Mr. PT and I are now expecting our SECOND little blessing!  This, again, is very hard for me to believe.  Come August, we will be starting all over again with a new little person to feed healthy foods and teach band exercises to.  Not sure if our little one will be a "he" or a "she," but either way, we are very excited to give our little peanut a playmate.

So that's life here!  I'm sure life out there has been continuing on and you have many changes to report as well.  But let's get to a more serious matter...HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Yes, it's that day when we must wear green to avoid getting pinched from our coworkers (this almost happened to me today).  It's also the day to celebrate our Irish heritage, whether we can claim it or not.  To celebrate, I thought about giving our little girl green milk in her cereal, but of course, she requested pancakes for breakfast so my plan was foiled.  Next year!

Instead, I pulled out my wonderful King Arthur's Flour cookbook, given to me at my high school graduation, and found three different recipes for Irish Soda Bread.  The first was traditional, the second fruity, and the third an "Americanized" version of the old classic.  After consulting with Mr. PT, we decided to go with the American version..."but with less raisins."

So here you go!  I included the link for the recipe.  I did not make a glaze for the top since the bread has a nice, subtle sweetness of it's own. I also used less raisins, per the husband's request.  Enjoy!



Americanized Irish Soda Bread