Bison Christmas Chili was just one way my family celebrated the season "out of the box"

• Olive oil
• Crushed garlic
• 1 large sweet onion
• 1 large sweet red bell pepper
• 1/2 c. frozen peas
• 1 lb. ground bison – preferably organic, or at least no hormones, no antibiotics, etc.
• 28 oz. can vegetarian baked beans
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 6 oz. can tomato paste
• chili powder
• cumin
• red pepper flakes
• ground sea salt
• ground black peppercorns
• 1 T. soy sauce

Saute’ garlic in a couple tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven until fragrant, add chopped onion and bell peppers and cook till a bit soft. Push above to one side and add bison meat in chunks to pot. Cook meat through, but don’t overcook. No need to spoon or pour off fat, as the bison is lean and there won’t be much. Simply stir everything back together when the meat is cooked so the meat will pick up some of the flavor of the garlic, onion and pepper. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato paste and use spices to taste. Simmer for about 1/2 hour. You can add the peas late in the cooking so they retain some of their green color. I then poured the chili in a crock pot and took it to our family gathering. You can leave it on low and let people serve themselves. Because of the sweet peppers and baked beans the chili is sweeter, like Sloppy Joe. It’s great with tortilla chips, or crusty bread. And because it’s made with bison with vegetarian baked beans, it’s probably lower in fat and cholesterol.

Irish Whiskey Cake

This recipe is modified from a recipe in “Traditional Irish Recipes,” by George L. Thompson and a recipe I saw in a newspaper, but can’t remember where. Basically, you’ll need a pound cake (I used Sara Lee), a cup or more of Irish whiskey (I used Powers), a large box of vanilla pudding (the kind you cook), jam or preserves (I used lo-cal strawberry from Aldi), and heavy whipping cream. You’ll also need a nice glass, or crystal bowl, to layer the cake in.

Cut the pound cake in slices and arrange flat on a couple plates. Sprinkle/pour Irish whiskey on both sides of slices – depending on your taste you can moisten, or really douse the cake. Let it sit for a bit while you cook the pudding. The pudding called for 3 c. milk and I substituted 1/2 c. of that with eggnog. It could have used more. Take pudding off burner and let cool. Skim the top before you build the cake. To build the cake: Spread each cake slice with generous layer of preserves, then layer bowl with cake slices and pudding, ending with pudding. Whip a cup or more of heavy whipping cream with a little sugar to sweeten it and top the cake with a thick layer of whipped cream. Using real whipping cream makes a nice thick, not to sweet topping (as opposed to canned or frozen topping). Chill in refrigerator until you serve it. Use a spatula to cut and serve. It held together like a cake – which was surprising. It was also delicious.

Easy New Year’s Eve Appe-Tarts

• 2 tubes refrigerated crescent roll dough (8-roll size)
• Saga blue cheese
• 5 oz. bag Emerald Glazed pecans
• Fresh-made whole cranberry sauce

I made fresh cranberry sauce for these. Recipe’s on the bag of fresh cranberries, but I used 1/2 c. white and 1/2 c. brown sugar. I also added a tablespoon or so of apricot preserves and some pear liqueur to add some extra flavor. These tarts are fun and simple to make right at the party if you want. If you have kids around, give them some peanut butter, jelly and chocolate chips (or whatever they like) and let them join in and make their own tarts.

Separate the crescent dough triangles. Spread with blue cheese, cranberry sauce and top with pecans. Roll up, or fold, and pinch the dough to seal the tarts. Arrange on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake as directed until golden brown. I think it was 10-12 minutes in a 350 or 400-degree oven. Watch out! The filling is hot, so let them cool a bit while you make the cocktails. Bombay Sapphire Martinis made a great cocktail pairing.

Best Wishes for a Happy New Year and…

Chow for Now!

Eggs in Purgatory make a great snow day breakfast!

Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009, and looks like we’re toppling some snowfall records here in the Baltimore area. Could end up being in the top five worst Baltimore blizzards. What to do, besides watch it fall, bundle up, and eat comforting, warming food?   I also took the time to do some weatherizing around the house, sealing joints in the ductwork in the basement, using foam stick-back insulating strips around my door jams to seal doors against leaks, and installing more CFLs in the house, which I hope will all save me some more energy dollars, but more on that after the food talk.

So, this morning as I perused the breakfast offerings in my fridge, I didn’t want to settle with my standard day-off menu of eggs, soy bacon, grits, toast and tea. Yeah, I know, sounds boring, but, it’s one of my favorite meals. 

With everything frosty and white outside, I decide to spice it up inside with some devilish Eggs in Purgatory, one of my other favorite egg-centric meals. One that I don’t eat very often, but enjoy every time. 

Basically, Eggs in Purgatory are eggs cooked in tomato sauce. You can use straight tomato sauce, and spice it up like I did this morning, or you can use spaghetti sauce, which would already be seasoned. You’ll need a small frying pan, a small can of tomato sauce, two fresh, raw eggs, some kind of bread to toast, (pick something like a 12-grain that’ll hold up to the sauce) and cheese. Sharp cheddar, pepper jack, even parmesan work fine. And some spices for the sauce, unless you’re using spaghetti sauce. The whole thing takes about 5-10 minutes. 

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2 eggs
2 pieces bread
Sharp cheddar or other cheese for grating
Spices of your choice

Heat tomato sauce in a small frying pan on medium heat until bubbly, but not bubbling violently. Season with sea salt, freshly ground pepper, dried parsley, hot pepper flakes and a little nutmeg, or any spices you choose. Break two eggs into a cup, then slide carefully into the bubbling sauce. Make sure the sauce is bubbling just gently or the eggs won’t stay together. Cover. Put your bread in the toaster so it’s done as the eggs finish. As the eggs cook you can use a soup spoon to gently baste the tops with the sauce to set them. I cook mine til the yolks are softly hard cooked and the white is firm. You can soft boil them if you want. Hard cooking them makes them real easy to get out.

When eggs are cooked. put both pieces of toast on a warmed plate. Use a slotted spatula to lift the eggs out of the sauce and center them on each piece of toast. Evenly distribute the rest of the sauce over the eggs/toast. Grate cheese over hot eggs/sauce. You may want to slide the plate in the toaster oven for a minute to really get the cheese nice and melty.
Yum! Great dish for a snow day!

I had a free home energy audit by BGE this week. Absolutely worth the time. The auditor did a tour of my house and gave me tips on how to save more money on energy consumption. (I already have sealed my old windows with shrink-wrap, and did another 6 inches of insulation in the attic a few years ago.) She intalled a new low-flow shower head, and low-flow faucet aerator in the bathroom, and gave me 6 CFLs. There was no charge for the service or the items she installed. Go to www.bgesmartenergy.com.

Ciao for Now!

Eat that pumpkin

I carve pumpkins every year for Halloween, but the last time I actually cooked something with fresh pumpkin was a watery, not very tasty pumpkin pie about 20 years ago. So, I wasn’t inspired to try again.  Since Halloween this year, I’ve been eyeing the small uncarved pumpkin sitting on my dining room table and told myself not to throw away good food. Make something with it and eat it. Don’t waste the 2 bucks you spent on it, I told myself.

I found a simple “Smoky Pumpkin Soup” recipe in “The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook” in my kitchen. The small pumpkin was just the right size. I made a few substitutions – only using what I had available in the house. So, instead of Marsala wine, I used Sweet Vermouth. Instead of bacon, I used turkey bacon. I don’t keep unsalted butter, so I used regular butter. I didn’t have any Thyme – so I used a dash, and I mean a little dash, of poultry seasoning that had Thyme in it, among other things. Be warned - what takes the longest about this recipe is cutting, scooping, slicing, peeling and cubing the pumpkin.

Smoky Pumpkin Soup

6 slices bacon, diced, cooked crisp, fat reserved
4 T. (1/2 stick) butter
6 c. peeled pumpkin, cut in 1-inch cubes
6 c. beef boullion (I used boullion cubes)
1/2 c. sweet vermouth
dash poultry season
Fresh ground sea salt and black pepper
Heavy cream (optional)
Toasted pumpkin seeds (optional – if you want to toast the seeds you scooped out and use them for garnish or on the side.)

Cook the bacon in a stock pot. Remove the bacon, leave the fat. Add butter. Add pumpkin and saute over medium-high heat for 15 mins. stirring occasionally until pumpkin starts to brown and soften. (By the way – if you stop here and sprinkle with course salt – you have a great side dish.)

Add six cups beef stock, cover and simmer about 30 mins. Pumpkin will get very tender. Turn off heat. Add Vermouth, Thyme, salt and pepper. Here you can take it out and puree in a blender, or, I kept it on the stove and just used my hand-held mixer to blend it. It worked fine.

Add the crumbled or cut-up bacon back to the pot and simmer another couple minutes. Serve by ladeling into bowls and stirring into each a tablespoon of cream. Garnish with the toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve with hot crusty bread and butter.

PUMPKIN PIE TIP: I made a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Just a traditional one from the recipe on a can of packed pumpkin I bought at Aldi. BUT, I added a box of pumpkin spice pudding mix my friend Mare gave me. It made the pie richer and creamier. Give it a try. I got lots of compliments on it. I also made my own whipped cream by whipping some heavy cream with a little sugar. Yum. That was a nice touch.

Chow for Now!

Inside cover art, "Goin' Back To Indiana", 1971

This week seemed like a good time to get back to blogging after a long hiatus due to major surgery and the relentless business of life. As I write, “Beat It” is booming from my 30-year-old speakers. Hmmm. Perhaps the speakers and the song are about the same age.

Michael Jackson died four days ago and I’ve been in a perpetual state of nostalgia since then, as I suppose many people across the country and the world have been since the news broke. I cried on and off most of Thursday evening and Friday. Part of Saturday. Every time I hear his voice it triggers some memory. Watching the Jackson 5 TV show with my brother. Teaching ourselves how to dance watching Michael and Soul Train. Going out to clubs to dance from the time I was 16, and yes, using an illegally altered driver’s license.

I guess I had heartache growing up, but listening to my old J5 and MJ albums I don’t remember that. I only remember the joy, the unbridled thrill of the dance. A club full of people, friends, my brother’s band on stage.

I still love to dance, but now only mostly at home, still busting some pretty good moves. We had good teachers. Even though I’m 50 inside I don’t feel a day over 18 when my friends and I strutted into the Hollywood Palace on Route 40 and just let it all out on that dance floor.

What I wonder now, listening to Michael singing “Lemme hear ya say ya feel it!” from the live side of the “Going Back to Indiana” album, is where do I get to let go like that now? Nowhere. Not like that.

But where does a single 50-year-old woman go to let it rip? I really have no idea. Maybe dancing up and down the hall and around the living room will have to do.

Another thing I’ve felt from all this – reading the news stories and the outpouring of affection for the King of Pop. It’s about spirit. His was a singular talent, a singular soul, who perhaps felt very, very alone in the world because of that. Because of what fame brought him. And that’s the sad part.

All that joy he delivered, over and over and over again, and yet he seemed so tortured. What a sad, sad loss.

It sounds a bit maudlin and even corny to say that I’ve learned something about myself over the last few days. Introspection can be a good thing, although I admit to too much self-analysis these days. What I think I’ve learned is to try to absorb, hold onto, create, give out and celebrate the joys in life, from wherever and whoever they might be delivered.  Sing, dance, write, create, share. Love.

Because when it’s gone, it’s gone.

Rest lightly wherever you are Michael. And thanks.

Banana Bread with Cinnamon and Pecans

Don’t throw away those black bananas!

Banana Bread

• 1 c. sugar
• ½ cup melted butter (or margarine)
• 1 egg
• ½ t. salt
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 ½ c. flour
• 2 large ripe soft (but still yellow inside) bananas
• ¼ c. chopped pecans (optional)
• cinnamon sugar (optional)

Mix the sugar and butter thoroughly. (You don’t need to use an electric mixer. Try mixing the whole thing with a wooden spoon. It makes for a nice batter.) Add the egg and bananas and mash up the bananas with the wooden spoon so you don’t have any big chunks. Sprinkle the salt and baking soda over the batter, then sift the flour in a ½ c. at a time, mixing in between each. Stir well, adding most of the pecans, reserving about 1 T. to sprinkle on top. Don’t overwork the batter. Pour into a well-greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with remaining pecans, then evenly sprinkle cinnamon sugar lightly overall (this makes for a sweet crispy top). Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or a little longer until top is springy to the touch. Turn out onto a board, slice carefully with a sharp knife and serve warm with butter and your favorite tea or coffee.

Chow for Now!

The new Prez during his Whistle Stop Tour in Baltimore. Screen shot of WMAR TV2 coverage.

A bright day in the winter of our discontent

It seems like weeks since I sat in our tiny newsroom, three small black-and-white televisions beaming static-filled pictures and fuzzy sound of the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Yet it’s only been five days.

January 20 was a bright shining day amid a winter that seems darker and certainly, in my house, colder than any in recent memory.

I felt buoyed - as millions did that day - by a feeling that a present that looks bleak economically, socially and politically, might, we hoped, yes, we hoped, begin to slowly but surely morph into a future filled more with conciliation, hope and understanding than callousness, fear and discontent. 

The image that will stick with me is that high, wide shot of the mall from the steps of the Capitol of those two million people. Two million people. That number is still hard to absorb. Two million people. A micro- or was it a macrocosm of our nation. Even our world. And proof to me that this nation of individuals, which I often doubt will ever grow enough intellectually to grow together socially, is actually capable of feeling each other’s hope, each other’s joy, each other’s desire to come together, to break down those achingly discomfiting, awkwardly-worn barriers that this country has built, harbored and nurtured since it invited slavery, indentured servitude, and race, class and gender discrimination to flourish and survive – century after century after century.

And some (I’m realist enough to know not all) of those barriers between peoples fell that day. And fall they did. But not with a bang. No. They fell amid an almost reverential silence. Silence. How does silence happen in a sprawling crowd of two million people? A people known, not for a contemplative, peaceful nature, but for a loud, boisterous and impulsive, even violent nature.

Silence is what many people in the crowd remarked on that day. The hush as people watched and listened and hoped for our history to turn a corner.

We were late getting there. But turn that corner we did. Under a bright, cold winter sun. Beautifully and peacefully.

My favorite quote from the day’s wall-to-wall media coverage was a simple one from, if I remember correctly, a young black man from San Diego named Jackson. When asked by a National Public Radio reporter for his thoughts on the day, he replied with a smile in his voice, “I’m here with two million of my closest friends.” 

Amen, Mr. Jackson. Amen.

Tofu with Black Bean Sauce

Time for Change.

OK. The Change word is a bit overused this week, maybe, as we prepare to witness the inauguration tomorrow of our country’s first black president. Can I hear a “It’s about time!” Really.

Anyway – more later on Barack Obama and his Whistle Stop Tour through my hometown two days ago – Go B’More. Star Spangled Banner and all that. What a town. Plus musings on tomorrow’s historic event, after I get a chance to digest it all.

So, in the spirit of change, I’ve made a conscious decision to get back to the diet I used to be so adamant about. Less meat and finding more interesting and fun ways to eat healthy without boring myself to death. One of my favorite Asian dishes is Tofu in Black Bean Sauce. The other night I realized I had the basic ingredients to make it at home – never mind that I’d never made it before. This is what I love to do when I cook. Try something, put my own spin on it and see if I can do it quickly and easily. I made this and was enjoying a fragrant, steaming bowl in about 15 minutes. Change is good.

Broiled Tofu and Black Bean Sauce

 Prepare tofu:

•  1 12.3 oz. package Mori Nu Silken Tofu, firm
• 1 T. + or – minced garlic
• 1 t. + or – minced ginger
• 1 T. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 T. sesame oil
• Fresh ground black pepper

Remove tofu in block from package. Drain. Cut in cubes and dump into a bowl. Toss lightly with above ingredients, taking care not to mash the tofu, but leave the cubes as intact as possible. I usually don’t measure things very closely, so the measurements above are an approximation. I used enough garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil to achieve a nice coating on the tofu. Spread in a single layer on a baking pan and sprinkle with the fresh ground pepper. Place pan in a toaster oven at about 350-400 degrees and let the tofu brown while you’re making the back beans and noodles or rice.

Prepare black beans while you’re boiling your choice of noodles, or steaming your choice of rice:

• 1 16 oz. can black beans, drained, rinsed, mashed a bit
• 2 T. olive oil
• 2-3 T. chopped onion
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 3 T. Irish whiskey
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 1 T. brown sugar
• 2 t. sesame oil

 Soft noodles or rice

 Sauté garlic and onion in olive oil in a sauce pan until fragrant. Add black beans and toss to coat until hot. Add whiskey, soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil and let simmer on low for a few minutes so flavors can combine.

In a bowl assemble a layer of cooked noodles, or rice, then a layer of black beans, top with broiled tofu. Season with a little soy sauce if you need it. Serve with hot tea.

 ~ Chow for Now! ~

Mmmm. Comfort food.

I suppose it’s time to get back to some foodchat. I’ve been spouting off about the newspaper business (hiring, anyone?) and the DTV revolution, which, by the way, saw a bump in the road last week when the feds ran out of money for those government-sponsored discount coupons that make the $60 boxes more affordable.

 Our president-elect has suggested the transition, due Feb. 17, might be postponed until Congress can come up with more dough for the discount program. How likely is that to happen, I wonder, with a $750-billion economic recovery bill waiting in the wings?

 In any case, I don’t know about your world, you three people out there (besides my family and friends) that may have happened upon the Writers’ New Depression Cookbook, but my world is decidedly cold, lean and a bit on-edge considering the state of the economy, newspaper industry, job market and, well, my age. Not being a 30-  or even a 40-something any more, the idea of hitting the job market again is scary and depressing.

SO, comfort food in any shape or form seems to be the food of the day, or probably the whole winter, for me. Usually, during my 30-minute drive home from work I try to remember what’s in the cupboard and what warm, comforting dish I can throw together quickly when I get home, hang up my coat and get into the kitchen.

One recent chilly night, I tried to figure out what to do with some cream of celery soup, and some frozen and canned veggies. I came up with what I call Pot Pie Soup, because it resembles the filling, minus the pie crust, of one of my favorite comfort foods.

Pot Pie Soup

• 1 can cream of celery soup prepared as directed
• 1 cup of your favorite frozen mixed veggies (I used a Fiesta Mix with kidney, green and garbonza beans, carrots, red bell pepper and broccoli. It was nicely colorful)
• ½ c. frozen peas
• 1 16 oz. can sliced white potatoes
• 1 small can of sliced button mushrooms, or pieces
• 1 slice American cheese (it melts well)
• Season with a little freshly-ground pepper

Prepare the soup. Add the frozen and canned veggies. (Of course you can use fresh for anything – this is just my version of fast food). Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Before you serve it, tear up the cheese and stir until it melts. Serve with hot corn bread or muffins and lots of butter.

Ahhh…comfort food…

 ~ Chow for Now! ~

Sherlock gets his DTV

Why Sherlock needs his DTV

 In about six weeks a major, sweeping technological change is set to take place across the United States that will affect just about every household in the nation, and I’m realizing in recent days that I’m in the minority in thinking it’s a big deal. I’m in the minority, it seems, because most people don’t seem to be concerned about it at all.

If you haven’t guessed, the major technological change is the introduction of digital-only broadcast of television signals, replacing the 70-or-so-year-old analog technology. The changeover, or transition,  will, in effect, make every analog television in the country still using an antennae to receive over-the-air television signals obsolete on Feb. 17. Instantly.

Now, of course, if you are one of the minority of television viewers that still, in this age of cable, fiber-optic and satellite television, receives your television signal with an antennae, you can ward off instant obsolescence of your TV by purchasing and installing a digital signal converter box. The boxes, about the size of a small cigar box, take the digital signal coming over the air and convert it into the analog signal your old TV can understand.

Don’t take it personally when I say “old TV.” I purchased the 25-inch Hitachi color television set, which  I’m watching as I write this, at a Federated Department store in Los Angeles in 1983. The set was a $1,000 model that because it was a floor display I was able to buy for $500. That was a lot of money 25 years ago, and more than most people probably pay for televisions today.

It has and has always had great picture and sound and has only in those 25 years required one trip to the repair shop to replace a bad on-off switch. That only cost $100. I can’t think of many electronic, or mechanical things in my house, or in the driveway, that have performed flawlessly for 25 years with only one repair. Maybe my hand mixer is that old. My Statue of Liberty clock is probably older.

My point is, that when I heard my perfectly good TV was going to be useless unless I PAID FOR and INSTALLED a converter box because the government, or the FCC, or somebody, decided I  NEEDED digital television, I can tell you, I was angry.

How dare somebody say I had to PAY to keep my perfectly good TV working and receiving my perfectly good FREE television signal. Being on a budget, a very close budget at that, I wasn’t enamored of having to buy TWO boxes. Even with my government discount coupons (still available by the way at www.dtv.gov), the boxes still cost me a little more than $40 at my local Radio Shack store.

This summer, begrudgingly, I bought them. And waited until about two weeks ago to hook them up. They were very easy to install and program. But the fun didn’t stop there…

All I can say is, if you, like me, don’t like the idea and have waited to buy or install your converter box(es), DON’T WAIT! Get those suckers and hook them up ASAP!

No one, that I recall, ever addressed me, the antennae-viewer directly saying, “Hey even you people, you out there with the 30-year-old rabbit ears on top of your dusty OLD TV, even YOU will get a beautiful, clear, digital picture. And guess what, NO MORE STATIC and stations FADING IN AND OUT at the critical moment of your favorite PBS drama. Once you’ve got your digital signal dialed in, the picture is clear and sharp and steady. And all of the stations (at least in my broadcast area) come in like that.

In addition, I NOW GET EXTRA CHANNELS FOR FREE! Woo Hoo, it’s like Mini-Cable TV! My local ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates now have one or two extra channels, on which they broadcast 24-hour weather and locally produced programming. My local Public Television Station has two extra channels on which I can see different programming: PBS Select and the Spanish language network V-Me, with which I have promised myself to brush up on my rusty Spanish…

But wait! There’s more! None of my TVs have remotes that work. BUT, each new converter box comes with a remote. SO, I can now change channels, adjust the sound, and access a 24-hour electronic program guide, without leaving the relative safety of my couch.

BRAVO, FCC, and all you techno geeks out there that INSISTED on this conversion to keep the U.S. on the cutting edge!

I couldn’t be happier with my 25-year-old television with those adorable rabbit ears and the fact that I still don’t have to pay a cable, fios, or satellite network to watch it.

 For more information on the digital conversion, converter boxes, installation and discount coupons, go to www.dtv.gov.

And PLEASE if you decide to toss your old analog TV in favor of a new digital one, that doesn’t require a converter, please RECYCLE responsibly, as televisions contain many toxic chemicals and heavy metals that should not end up in a land fill and hence possibly your drinking water…

~ Chow for Now! ~

We’re all making less dough these days. Less Moola. Cash. Cheese. Benjamins. Money. And if not all, or most of us, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say a significant number of us working people are bringing home less bacon, whether through the actual loss of a job, a pay cut, frozen cost-of-living raises (boy, that measly 3 percent sure looks good now that we’re not getting it, doesn’t it?) or cuts to any number of things that affect our basic means of paying the bills. Bills that, unlike our income, are not dropping (except in the case of gasoline and how long is that miracle of the “free” market going to last?).

 Over the past year, I’ve seen hiring and cost-of-living freezes at the newspaper company I work for. And if you think hiring freezes don’t affect you if you still have a job, think again. How many more responsibilities have you taken on over the last few years because some department or other is not rehiring people they have “let go,” whether through attrition or out-and-out firing? You’re probably doing more work for the same, or effectively (without the COL), less pay than you did in previous years.

Recently, in addition to hiring and cost-of-living freezes and firings, my company has halted (for the time being, they say) tuition reimbursements. Tomorrow my cell phone allowance is evaporating. I started grad school part-time last year in an effort to better my writing skills, prepare me for a more competitive job market, and perhaps open doors to other career choices, such as teaching, should (and it doesn’t look good, folks) the newspaper industry crash and burn before it reconfigures itself in this new age and, hopefully soon, rises from the ashes like the mythical Phoenix. Amen.

Back up, you say. Boo hoo on the cell phone allowance, you don’t get that. Right. I know. It’s a luxury. But, as for many of you, especially single women who travel in your cars alone a lot, as I do, the prospect of losing that protection, not to mention convenience, would make a difference in your life, wouldn’t it? I can’t afford, really, to keep it without work helping. So, I plan to look for alternatives, such as a pay-as-you go card.

In any case, of course we’re all looking for ways to cut costs without impacting our lifestyles too much. Ha ha. We’re all really feeling it now, aren’t we? Like turning down the heat (mine’s set at 60 degrees during the day and 57 degrees at night) and the temp on the water heater. My sister-in-law gave me a 4-minute shower timer for Xmas. The idea is to save water and energy. A 4-minute shower is a challenge. Especially when I look to that hot shower as one of the few comfort/luxuries I’ve left myself.

And I don’t need to tell you about the cost of food, as discussed in earlier posts. Bread alone is creeping up near $4 a loaf in some stores for the nice multi-grain breads I used to buy.

 So, yesterday I had some of my old college friends over for brunch and in addition to the broccoli-cheese quiche I made, I planned to have a good multi-grain baguette or artisan bread to go with it.

The night before, on the way home from my favorite Irish bar (more on the Irish later), my car failed to turn into the Giant grocery store parking lot. Why? Because I knew it would cost me more than a couple bucks to get out of there.

Instead, I decided to make the bread to go along with the lunch. Don’t stop reading here. I’m not talking yeast and rising and a 48-hour process. I’m talking fresh, hot, simple, cheap bread in under an hour – to make and bake.

Although I have a few recipes for different kinds of quick breads (which only require baking soda and/or baking powder and NO yeast), I decided to make a couple loaves of simple Irish soda bread. They take 5 minutes or so to mix, require no rising time (you have to cook quick-bread dough as soon as you make it because the soda is a fast-acting leavening agent), and about 40 minutes to bake. They came out looking great with a beautiful hard crust and were dense and chewy, not crumbly.

Here’s the one I have modified from my favorite little Irish recipe book I picked up in the seaside town of Dingle, Co. Kerry, during a 2006 family trip.

Irish Soda Bread

•  2 c. all-purpose flour
• ½ t. salt
• ½ t. baking soda
• ¼ t. baking powder
• 1 c. milk – I used 2 percent milk

 Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the milk. Stir into a soft dough ball, using a wooden spoon. Flour your hands and knead the dough a few times. Turn onto a floured board and turn over a couple times to get dough fully coated with flour. Flatten the dough with the palm of your hand into a circle about an inch or so thick. With a floured knife, mark a cross on the top. Bake in a 400-degrees preheated oven for about forty minutes. Serve with soft butter.

 ~ Chow for Now! ~