Instead of serving only butter with your dinner bread, try using my olive oil dipping sauce. This one is Italian style. But you can mix any herbs you like. If you have left over don’t throw it away. Use it to marinate boneless chicken or fish.

Ingredients;
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1/2 clove mashed fresh garlic
1 TSP of each; dried basil, grated cheese such as Parmesan and dried parsley
Dash of each; dried oregano, red pepper flakes

Mix together at least an hour before serving.
Serve with a crusty warm bread.

This Sour Cream Pound Cake recipe is flavorful and moist.
I served it topped with whipped cream, strawberry sauce and fresh mixed berries. Ice cream works well too.

Ingredients;
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1/2 TSP vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour, I use unbleached
1 TSP baking powder
1 TSP baking soda
1/2 TSP salt

Directions;
Heat oven to 350. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the sour cream, eggs and vanilla and mix well. Mix together the dry ingredients and add slowly to the creamed mixture and blend until smooth. Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean or bake in a loaf pan, pictured.
Adjust the baking time accordingly by testing the loaves with a toothpick.

I’ve had a lot of company lately, baking sweets for them. Cannoli cream, peach cobbler, sour cream pound cake… A few leftover sweets from each.

I made a Sunday brunch dessert. Cubed the pound cake, topped it with cannolii cream and the peaches from the cobbler. Looks good and I didn’t have to waste the leftovers….

This is the classic dinner served in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Many tell me its not made in Ireland that it’s an American tradition.
Whoever makes it doesn’t affect the taste. It’s flavorful, easy to make and crock pot friendly.

Make my Irish Soda Bread recipe too and you’ll have a real crowd pleasing dinner!!

Ingredients;
3-5LB corned beef with the seasoning packet included, I like the brisket cut. It will shrink and lose about 1/3 it’s weight when cooked so keep that in mind for your portions needed
1- 2 heads fresh cabbage, each cut into 8 wedges
6-8 med size red potatoes, leave the skin on or peel them
4 Carrots, cut into 2″ pieces
Onion cut in half
Celery stalk cut in half

Directions;
The amounts of ingredients for this dish can vary to whatever you need to cook; more meat or more vegetables won’t change the cooking method.
Rinse the corned beef and place it with the seasoning packet in a stock pot or crock pot big enough to fit all of the ingredients. Cover with potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and then the cabbage wedges.  Fill the pot with enough water to cover about half the cabbage. Simmer on low for about 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender.  Let the meat sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before slicing.  Serve with a good whole grain mustard, a crusty rye bread and my Irish Soda bread.

I always make this Split Pea Soup after a holiday when I served ham. The ham bone gives so much flavor to the soup and the pieces of ham get shredded off to compliment the peas. You can use a sliced ham steak or something similar if you don’t have a ham bone. Finished with a little light cream gives this soup a full body taste. Make extra as it freezes very well. Serve with croutons on top if you like.

Ingredients:
1 LB bag of dried green split peas, rinsed
2 stalks of celery, minced fine (I use my processor)
2-3 carrots, minced fine
2 med onions, minced fine
2 bay leaves
32oz unsalted or low sodium chicken stock
2 cups of water
Ham bone with some ham left on it or a ham steak
pepper to taste ( add salt at the end after tasting, sometimes the ham has plenty)
Finish with a 1/2 cup light or heavy cream

Directions:
In a large stock pot or crock pot, rinse and drain the peas. Add all the ingredients except the cream and bring to a boil. Stir and lower to a simmer covered for about 2 hours then uncover until the peas are soft and the soup begins to thicken. Stir in the cream at the very end and simmer just a few minutes and serve.

**Omit the ham and lower the cream to make it truly health friendly