Traditional Irish Soda Bread

 Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.



Over the past few weeks I have been sharing some great recipes from Golden Blossom Honey to help you get ready for the upcoming St. Patrick's Day holiday. To wrap up your holiday feast, today I've got a Traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe for you to check out.  

 

There's nothing quite like ending your savory meal with a little sweetness. After you've had your fill of corned beef and cabbage, you'll want to tuck into a homemade Irish Soda Bread for a satisfying end to a hearty St. Patrick's Day dinner. I think it's best warm right out of the oven slathered in a lot of Kerrygold Irish butter (seriously, buy the Kerrygold, you won't regret it!) and drizzled with Golden Blossom Honey. You won't need any other dessert offerings as this recipe is a real treat in itself! You could make it ahead of time and store it in an airtight container, then just pop it back into the oven to warm up if you are short on time. I like to cook these types of breads in a cast iron skillet, but you could use a pie plate or cake pan if you don't have one on hand. Additionally, I always buy the Sunmaid baking raisins because they are more juicy than the other raisins and won't dry out as much in the oven. They do cost a little more, but it's so worth the upgrade when you have a baking recipe that calls for raisins.

Ingredients

Bread:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raisins
3/4 tablespoon caraway seeds
3/4 cup milk
1 (8-ounce) container plain yogurt (low-fat is fine)
2 tablespoons GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
Topping:
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon old-fashioned oats

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

The Mahoney Family wishes you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

POW! Gluten-Free 3 Cheese Mac & Cheese

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.



I am all about finding healthier alternatives for some of our favorite dishes. We've eliminated most prepackaged foods that come into the house, and the ones that do make their way in, the labels get scrutinized first. I just recently heard about this new pasta that's made from chickpeas, called POW! Chickpea Elbows pasta. This plant-based pasta is packed with protein, making it a great addition to my healthier recipe lineup. 

From Ancient Harvest, POW! Pasta Protein line was designed to meet growing consumer demand for clean, plant-based protein alternatives. POW! Chickpea Elbow joins their original Red Lentil Rotini, Green Lentil Penne, Red Lentil Linguini, and Green Lentil Spaghetti. 

POW! Elbows help fuel your day with with 21-grams of plant-based protein and 8 grams of fiber per serving. And, it's gluten-free, non-GMO, kosher, organic, and lower in sugar, sodium, and fat than most leading competitive brands. 

After reading the label, I knew it was a pasta that I was going to feel good keeping stocked in our pantry.

3 Cheese Mac & Cheese is a staple recipe in our house, so earlier this week I replaced the white flour based pasta I have used in the past with new POW! Chickpea Elbows.

This creamy mac and cheese recipe is a real comfort food for us. It's one that I can make frequently and the family never grows bored or complains that it's on the menu again. It's super easy to make as well, my teen has no problems cooking it on her own.

Yield: Serves 6-8 Author: Theresa M

Gluten-Free 3 Cheese Mac & Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 32 ounce carton chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 box POW! Chickpea Elbow pasta
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 4 quart baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium sized pot, bring the stock to a boil. Add in Pow! Chickpea Elbows and cook 4-5 minutes, until al dente. 
3. Remove from heat. Stir in heavy whipping cream and all 3 shredded cheeses. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
4. Combine the melted butter and panko, stirring until panko is just moistened. Sprinkle over top of pasta.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve.

You can find POW! Pasta at many major retailers nationwide. To find your nearest retailer, visit the store locator at the top of the Ancient Harvest website.

Which POW! Pasta product would you like to try first?

Dark Chocolate Mint Truffles for St. Patrick's Day! #CatholicCentral #SaintPatricksDayTraditions

Disclosure: I was provided with a gift pack from Catholic Central to help facilitate this post. All opinions stated here are my own. 



Last summer we were able to take our girls to their motherland, Ireland. We spent 5 days castle hopping, sheep chasing, and chowing down on amazing traditional grub. Even for someone like me who is not of Irish descent, it was truly an incredible experience immersing myself into the Irish way of life. Just spotting that beautiful patchwork landscape from the plane, I knew we were in for a real treat.

We have always had a love of St. Patrick's Day, but this year it's a little more special since we now have an even better understanding of Ireland and St. Patrick. March is the time to celebrate St. Patrick, who is the patron saint who helped introduce Ireland to Christianity. Aside from all of the castles you'll find tucked into the Irish countryside, there are also a plethora of charming little churches to admire as well. So, I think, we have St. Patrick to thank for those.

This year, we are celebrating St. Patrick's Day by looking back through our Ireland travel photos. We also like to have a sweet treat to munch on because I took A LOT of pictures (you can see some of them on my Instagram) and while I thought about making a green dessert, I decided to go with mint instead. These Dark Chocolate Mint Truffles are a rich and indulgent treat, which would also describe your trip to Ireland.

If you want to make them green to keep it more in line with St. Patrick's Day, omit the dark chocolate and coat the truffles with Wilton green candy melts.

Yield: About 20 Truffles Author: Theresa M

 

Dark Chocolate Mint Truffles

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 30 mint cookies (I use store brand thin mints)
• 3/4 cup York mini peppermint patties
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped chocolate mint candies (I used Andes)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.
2. Place the cookies and peppermint patties in a food processor and pulse until pea-sized crumbs form. Add in the softened cream cheese and pulse until combined.
3. Scoop out about a tablespoon size amount of dough and roll into a 1 inch ball. Place the dough balls in the freezer while you prepare the chocolate coating.
4. Chop the chocolate mint candies into fine pieces. Set aside.
5. Over low heat, melt the chocolate and coconut oil until you have a smooth consistency. Coat the truffle balls with the melted chocolate, sprinkle each with a pinch of the chopped chocolate mint candies, then place in the fridge until the chocolate is set. 
6. Serve immediately, or store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

https://www.theresasmixednuts.com/2019/03/dark-chocolate-mint-truffles-for-st.html

  
                  If you liked this recipe, be sure to Pin It on Pinterest!


In the spirit of the season, Catholic Central wants to share the attached embeddable “5 Ways to Have a Shamrockin’ St. Patrick’s Day” downloadable PDF with you. It contains some fun ways you can celebrate the Shamrockin-est holiday of all! 

 

More about Catholic Central:

You have questions about the Catholic faith and what it means to be Catholic. We have answers. Using a team of witty writers, appealing hosts, and even some learned theologians, we’ve created shareable, snackable videos that teach the timeless truths and deep history of the Church with humor and heart. Produced in the Family Theater Productions studios on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, CATHOLIC CENTRAL entertains, enlightens and inspires.

Let me know in the comments below how you're celebrating St. Patrick's Day this year! Then, enter to win a Saint Patrick's Day FeastKit! Which includes: 1- Bamboo Cheese Board with slide out drawer 4 - Stainless steel cutting and serving knife to help you get your St. Patrick's Day feast on!

 

The giveaway is open to residents of the US, 13+ and will run through 3/27. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to winning email before a new winner is selected. No PO Boxes accepted. One win permitted across all blog giveaways. If you win on this blog, you will not be eligible to win again on another blog. Please enter on the giveaway widget below.

Entry-Form

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase In Theaters 3/15 #NancyDrew #TheHiddenStaircase

**“Warner Bros. provided me with a swag pack to facilitate this post. The opinions I share are my own.”**

If you love an epic mystery as much as I do, you'll be pleased to know that Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase will be hitting the theaters March 15!

This all-new film from Warner Bros., Ellen DeGeneres’ A Very Good Production and Red 56 has Nancy Drew, the iconic mystery solving teenager from the classic books, starring in a feature length film that will keep you guessing until the very end.

After the death of his wife, Carson Drew decides to leave Chicago behind and make a fresh start with his daughter 16-year-old daughter Nancy ("iT" break-out star Sophia Lillis) in River Heights. Nancy is asked by Flora to help solve the ghostly activity at her home, the Twin Elms mansion. Can she help explain the creaking footsteps, exploding light bulbs and the ominous creature? Is it the handiwork of high-school bully Derek Barnes? Or is it possible that the ghost of original owner Malcolm Colfax is back for revenge? Recruiting her best friends George and Bess, along with local “mean girl” Helen, Nancy Drew is on the case!

  

Check out this Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase Escape Room & Mystery Match Blog App to: • Welcome to the Interactive Nancy Drew Escape Room - to escape, you must solve riddles and find items to uncover the three numbers needed to open to door. Good Luck! • In the Mystery Match Video Puzzle, use your mouse to click + drag puzzle pieces to unlock clips from the film.

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase stars:

Sophia Lillis (IT and “Sharp Objects”) as Nancy Drew
Sam Trammell (“True Blood” and “This is Us”) as Carson Drew (Nancy’s father)
Linda Lavin (“The Good Wife” and Alice) as Flora
Andrea Anders (“Joey” and “Better Off Ted”) as Hannah (Nancy’s Aunt)
Laura Slade Wiggins (“Shameless”) as Helen
Zoe Renee (“The Quad”) as George
Mackenzie Graham (The Purge) as Bess

Be sure to head to the theaters March 15 to catch this all-new film!

WIN IT!

One lucky Theresa's Mixed Nuts reader is going to win a Nancy Drew Swag Pack that includes:

- Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase - film t-shirt
- Nancy Drew Escape Room Sticker Sheet (4"x6")
- Nancy Drew - Earbuds & pouch  

The giveaway is open to residents of the US, 13+ and ends 3/27. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to winning email before a new winner is selected. No PO boxes accepted. Giveaway is limited to one win across all blog giveaways. If you have won this giveaway on another blog, you are ineligible to win again. Please enter on the giveaway widget below:

Entry-Form

Honey Mustard Corned Beef & Vegetables

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

If you're a regular reader, you know I've got a few recipes I'm featuring during the next several weeks from Golden Blossom Honey to help you get your St. Patrick's Day menu not only in order, but to have it poppin' as well. Last week there was the Red Cabbage and Peppers for a side dish, but this week we're going main course with Honey Mustard Corned Beef and Vegetables. 

If you want to have a traditional Irish dinner, you can't leave out the corned beef and veggies. As you know, I like easy recipes, and this definitely falls in that category. While this one does have about a 2 hour prep/cook time, the most effort I put into it was dicing the veggies. The honey mustard adds a nice sweet and tangy touch to the dish, giving it a little extra oomph that you're sure to love. Leave out the cabbage in this recipe if you plan on making the Red Cabbage Slaw I posted last week. Or keep it if you really, really like cabbage. It's totally up to you.

Ingredients

2 pounds corned beef brisket
10 whole cloves
1/4 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 potatoes, each cut into 4 wedges
4 turnips, each cut into 4 wedges
6 carrots, peeled and quartered
1 head cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
Glaze:
1/2 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY MUSTARD

CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECIPE

You can find this recipe, as well as many more delicious recipes right on the Golden Blossom Honey recipe page! Be sure to follow Golden Blossom Honey on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on new products and promotions.

If you like this recipe, be sure to come back every Friday, where I feature a new recipe from Golden Blossom Honey!

Will you be serving traditional Irish food this St. Patrick's Day?

Montmartre Is Always A Good Idea

When doing my research on what to do in Paris when you have limited time, I kept reading that you you should skip Montmartre. As luck would have it, our Eiffel Tower tickets got cancelled a few days before we left, so I had about 2 hours to fill back up into the itinerary. At the time, I was super pissed because who wants to go to Paris and not visit the Eiffle Tower? That cancellation turned out to be one of the better things that happened on our vacation because I was able to revisit things to do in Paris, and it seemed that Montmartre had so many cool things to check out. The district is definitely not overrated as some websites tend to suggest, and I think if you skip it on your travels, you'll be missing some of the best spots in Paris.

If you have time, take in a show at Moulin Rouge. If not, at least walk by to check out the iconic building.

We weren't sure if we wanted to go to Sacre Coeur, but our ultra cool Uber driver insisted on driving us over the night we arrived so we could see it all lit up in the dark, it piqued our interest to make the trek over the next day. It's true, you have to climb a massive staircase to reach the top if you are on foot, but if you have a ride, you can get dropped off at the top, right at the bottom of Sacre Coeur. If you are there in July like we were, I would suggest getting an Uber to take you over because those stairs are brutal in the summer heat.

We didn't go in, but it was definitely worth the trek up because it is such a beautiful structure. Plus, you get some spectacular views of Paris from the top too!

I happened upon another blogger talking about her visit to le mur des je t'aime (the wall of love) about a week before we were scheduled to arrive. I had never heard of it before, so I made sure we penciled a stop in also. Here you will find "I Love You" written in every language.

Wander the streets and admire the Parisian architecture. It is lovely! You'll also notice how the old streets are really narrow, but that doesn't stop the cars from flying down at full speed.

There's no shortages of carousels in Paris, but my favorite was the one at the base of Sacre Coeur painted with all of the famous landmarks in Montmartre.

Other iconic landmarks we visited in Montmartre were The Louvre:

Notre Dame Cathedral

And the Arc de Triomphe

While I may not have gotten Eiffel Tower views, I think we managed to make the most of the cancellation, getting to see some of the best Paris had to offer in the Montmartre district. I definitely encourage you to put it on your Paris travel itinerary!

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow me on my travel themed Instagram account 

Would you brave climbing those stairs to Sacre Coeur in the summer, or would you take an Uber?