Dublin Coddle

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It's that St. Patrick's time of year!  What better way to celebrate than by making an Irish recipe to enjoy with your Irish beer/whisky (or to soak it up at least!)?  This recipe is so delicious and fantastic, I can't wait to have it again (and I won't even have the excuse of the holiday because I have no shame)!

The recipe notes for this coddle gives a great background so I will let it do the talking while I finish my bowl of coddle:

"This traditional supper dish of sausages, bacon, onions and potatoes dates back at least as far as the early eighteenth century. It seems to be more of a city dish than a rural one; it was a favorite of Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels and dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin.... The name of the dish is probably descended from the older word caudle, derived from a French word meaning "to boil gently, parboil, or stew"...Serve with Guinness and Irish soda bread. Although this is an easy to prepare one pot meal and its simplicity belies its amazing taste and flavor - comfort food at its best!"

I mean, can you really go wrong with potatoes, onions, bacon and sausage! (Side note:  I didn't get around to making soda bread this year, but it's already on the list for next year!)

Dublin coddle
adapted from www.food.com

makes 6 servings

1 pound bacon (local favorite Stonecross Farm), diced
1 pound sausage links (local favorite Stonecross Farm), diced
2 onions, sliced
2 pounds potatoes (local), diced
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1. Heat a pot up to medium.
2.  Add bacon and cook until browned.
3. Add sausage links and onions to bacon; cook until browned.
4. Add potatoes and broth.
5. Boil potatoes until tender about 40 minutes.
6. Season with pepper (you shouldn't need salt).
7. Serve topped with parsley, bread, and Guinness (please drink responsibly!).

Sláinte! (cheers/good health)

My favorite Irish proverb

Jennifer is the chef behind a girl eats world.  Head over for more seasonal, KY Proud recipes!

Bourbon Hot Chocolate

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With the Bluegrass State well into its millionth snow day of 2015, we could all use a treat. This hot chocolate is rich, warm, and bourbon-y. (As y'all have heard me say countless times, I prefer to use a spicy, wheated bourbon like Maker's Mark in chocolate recipes.) The bourbon can easily be omitted to make a family-friendly treat; it's still pretty delicious. The secret to this recipe is to let the chocolate-covered marshmallows melt and create a swirly, special topping. 

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•  ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup raw sugar
• Dash salt
• ½ cup boiling water 
• 3 cups milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• ¼ cup Kentucky bourbon whiskey
• Trader Joe’s chocolate-covered marshmallows

1. Sift cocoa powder, sugar, and salt and add to medium saucepan. Add boiling water and whisk until smoorth
2. Turn the burner to medium heat.
3. Add milk, stirring frequently.
4. Remove from heat; add vanilla and bourbon.
5. Pour in mugs and add marshmallows. Allow marshmallows to melt, creating a swirled topping. 

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Snow Day Shrimp and Grits Casserole

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Max and Sophie's Snow Day!

Yesterday morning, we awoke to a whole lot of snow here in Louisville, and heard stories of far greater snowfall across the Commonwealth. As adults, we don't get to enjoy "Snow Days" quite as much as kids do. There isn't the same thrill of getting an unexpected day off -- in fact, my beau and I both worked from home. We did take some time out to enjoy our dogs' glee (a snowy yard is like Disney World for Labrador Retrievers!), and I made a shrimp and grits casserole worthy of a special day. The recipe I used was for a double batch, but it could be easily cut in half.

• 3 cups milk
• 3 cup chicken broth
• 1 two-pound bag Weisenberger Mills grits
• 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 pounds peeled and deveined medium shrimp, coarsely chopped
• 6 slices thick cut bacon, cut into lardons
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5-6 green onions, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper

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1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Drizzle oil in bottom of dutch oven; put on medium-high burner. Add bacon pieces, turning occasionally, until browned. Toss shrimp in 1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning and add to dutch oven. Cook about 90 seconds on each side or until pink. Remove from heat to avoid further cooking.
3. While bacon is browning, combine milk and broth in saucepan and bring to a boil. Add grits and garlic to pan. Stir constantly, cooking about 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in shrimp, bacon, and cheese. Add vegetables and remaining Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. 
4. Pour into greased 11 x 15" baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until set.

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Valentine's Day is around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than to make your sweetheart dark chocolate truffles?  This recipe is easy to do in an afternoon, or as a last minute idea-not that you didn't plan anything ;o)

dark chocolate truffles

you can cover with coconut, chopped nuts, etc

traditionally truffles are covered with cocoa powder

dark chocolate truffles

makes 30 truffles

16 oz dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa), chopped

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pinch sea salt

1/4 cup cocoa powder, toasted coconut, or toasted nuts, for rolling

1. Heat chocolate, oil, and 3 Tbsp water in a double boiler, stirring, until just melted. 
2. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and sea salt.
3. Transfer to an 8-inch baking dish and refrigerate until mixture is set but still pliable, about 2 hours. 
4. Using a 1-inch scoop or spoon, scoop out chocolate mixture and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. 
5. Coat hands in cocoa and roll chocolate into balls. 
6. Refrigerate on parchment-lined baking sheet 10 minutes or until outsides firm up again.
7. Roll in the topping of your choice--more cocoa powder, toasted coconut, toasted chopped nuts, etc
8. Enjoy!

There is also no shame in making these for yourself as a special treat regardless of the time of year!  How else do you think these got made?  Not that I need much of an excuse to make anything with chocolate!

Jennifer is the chef behind a girl eats world.  For more delicious recipes, head over and hang out for a while!