Irish Soda Bread

Keeping it traditional with a simple Irish Soda Bread. This bread is probably the easiest bread I have made in that it doesn't require kneading, and goes from bowl to oven in less than 10 minutes. Simple! Irish Soda Bread has a nice crispy crust, and a fantastic, moist center. This is definitely my new go to recipe whenever I'm in the mood for bread. It was perfect paired with Irish Stew. :)

Irish Stew

Okay, I'm not Irish (as far as I know there's not a drop of Irish blood in me, could be wrong), and I've never been to Ireland, but there's something about St. Patrick's Day that I just love. I think it's the color green, my favorite. Maybe it's that I have an excuse to drink beer (some of which is green!). Oh, and don't think I've forgetten about the FOOD! These may not be the reasons this holiday began, but they are damn good enough for me to want to celebrate it.

I wanted to make a traditional Irish dinner in honor of the holiday, what better place to look for a recipe than Donal Skehan's blog? He is Irish, afterall! This recipe is traditional, with the exception that it uses beef instead of lamb. It's an amazing one pot stew that comes together pretty quick. It has a wonderful taste, and just the right amount of chunky veggies. Served with some Irish Soda Bread, this is the perfect St. Patty's Day dinner. :)

Dive of the Month: Bruges Waffles & Frites {Guinness Float Recipe}

*Guinness Float Recipe at bottom of post*

Bruges Waffles and Frites- a cute, tiny shop - barely big enough to fit the Man, the owner, an employee and myself inside- located in downtown Salt Lake across the street from Pioneer Park. This popular spot is run by Pierre Vandamme, a German native, specializing in Belgian waffles and frites (fries). They have a small fridge that contains mounds of yeast raised dough waiting for the waffle grill. What makes these waffles, called Liege Waffles, so unique is that the dough contains pieces of pearl sugar which melts into caramel when cooked. This makes for one deliciously sweet waffle. The outside is crisp with a dense, soft center that's bursting with caramel chunks. It's so good that you really don't need any toppings on it.

pearl sugar in the batter turns into caramel when cooked

Nonetheless, the Man and I did order two waffles with different toppings. The first was topped with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream and fresh raspberries. It was really good, I loved the combination of the ice cream and waffle. The second waffle was topped with strawberries and a delicious Crème fraiche. This waffle was to die for! The crème fraiche is amazing, and is absolute heavin in your mouth when combined with the strawberries and waffle.

Belgian waffle with strawberries and creme fraiche

Their frites are also delicious with a crispy crust, very soft inside. We enjoyed our frites on a huge sandwich known as The Machine Gun. The Machine Gun is a sausage sandwich topped with frites and a really tasty sauce (not sure what it was) served on a baguette roll. The Man wolfed this beast down in a matter of minutes! His only complaint was that the sausage was really tiny. Oh well, it was still really good.

Our expierence at Bruges was really good. The staff was super friendly, our cashier was very informative in telling us all there was to know about the food, and Pierre was really friendly coming out to us as we were finishing our meal to ask how it was. The waffles and sandwich were a little pricey, but well worth it. We will definitely be visiting again and again :)

*****
Bruges Waffles and Frites
336 West Broadway
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101

(801)363.4444
Hours: Mon-Thurs. 9-7  Fri-Sat  9-9  Closed Sunday
Price: $ entrees under $10 (keep in mind that the Machine Gun is almost $9, and the waffles run from $3 and up depending on what toppings you get, toppings are between $1 and $3 each)






And now for the Guinness Float. For Adults only, please!

My last recipe for National Ice Cream Month. This is a great dessert for you beer lovers out there. It takes the classic Root Beer Float and replaces root beer with good old Guinness. This drink is really creamy, and the vanilla ice cream gives the dark beer a nice flavor that's actually pretty tasty.

This would be a great dessert to enjoy on St. Patrick's Day. Cheers!

-Jess