The Perfect Irish Coffee

It's Saint Patty's Day, so when you have Irish ancestors and you're a coffee lover you have to celebrate, am I right? My first taste of any sort of alcohol was actually an Irish coffee many, many moons ago at an Irish pub, so of course it was theeee authentic Irish coffee. Little did I realize how high my standards became in that moment when it comes to a proper Irish coffee, because unless I'm in an Irish pub, if I pay somebody to make me an Irish coffee I get a cup of watered down, synthetic flavored, cheap motel tasting coffee.

That is not an Irish coffee experience.

So after trial and error, I learned to make my own. Let me tell you the real way to have your Irish coffee.

You will  need:
Approximately 1 shot of Irish whiskey (or to taste)
About 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or to taste)
Freshly-brewed, rich and strong coffee
Whipping cream

Combine whiskey and brown sugar in the bottom of your Irish Coffee mug. Add coffee until about 3/4 full. Shake whipping cream to make it frothy, and then slowly pour over a large, upside down spoon to make a layer of frothy cream over the coffee. Take a slow sip and enjoy all the layers of flavor merging together to dance on your taste buds.

That, my friends, is how the Irish enjoy the warmth and creaminess of all the good things in life.

Moist, Delicious, Whole Wheat Crazy Cake

...And how to make the best birthday cake ever for a little brother.

{scroll below for recipe}

Like most people, we love birthday cakes at our house. We also love birthday boys that come in the form of adorable 2 year-olds such as Colton.

Jimmy, being a lover of the kitchen and a huge fan of his little brother, was eager to make Colton's birthday cake himself. So I let him, and I managed to grab a few shots of the process in my poorly lit kitchen.

  

Step 1.
Mix together some crazy cake (recipe below), using your favorite whisk.

Step 2.
Keep mixing because it's a lot of fun.

Step 3.
Let your mom use some of the batter for cupcakes in cool football papers.

Step 4.
Bake it. Cool it. Make it into crumbs. If you wish to feel like a grown up chef with mad chopping skills, maybe your mom will allow you to use a butter knife.

Step 5. Cover the bottom of the platter your mom provides with cake crumbs, and then fill the tractor trailer heaping full with more crumbs. It looks like dirt. For fun, maybe your mom will let you scoop some of her leftover famous peanut butter frosting in with the crumbs (this is important: don't let her see you sneak tastes; somebody has to do it!). And if you ask nicely, maybe she will let you take hot fudge and drizzle it all over the top to make it look like mud. This is the best birthday cake ever.

Happy Birthday, Colton!

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Moist, Delicious, Whole Wheat Crazy Cake

3 cups whole wheat flour 

1/2 cup cocoa

1 3/4 cups pure cane sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt 

3 tablespoons vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup apple sauce

2 cups water

Whisk dry ingredients together. Make 3 depressions in flour mixture. Measure vinegar in one, vanilla in the other, and apple sauce in the third. Pour water over all. Mix together. Pour in greased 9x13" pan (or 16 cupcakes) for 30-35 minutes (or 20-25 for cupcakes), or until tooth pick comes out clean.

Chocolate Cranberry Shortbread

Recipe Below

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This pair of buddies are basically like my little elves. They are magical little creatures who bring so much more enchantment to Christmas. Their joy and enthusiasm in the creating and giving makes me love Christmas more and more every year. Truth is, every person needs to have a child in their holiday preparations.

Think about it...

 The very first Christmas came to us in the form of a child. It really is all about children, and must be shared and celebrated in every which possible way with them.


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Since we were all decked out in our adorable aprons, they actually wanted to take pictures together. This doesn't voluntarily happen often.

Jimmy wanted to whisk the flour and sugar, and Colton wanted to Ninja pulse the cranberries.

Chocolate Cranberry Shortbread

1/2 cup fresh frozen cranberries, chopped
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup cold butter
1 cup miniature chocolate chips
Splash of milk
1 cup chocolate chips for melting
1 additional tablespoon butter

1. Preheat oven to 325f degrees 

2. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender (or Ninja Pulse) cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in almond extract, chopped cranberries and miniature chocolate chips. Knead mixture until it forms a smooth ball; if too powdery, add a splash or two of milk. 

3. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar, flatten balls to 1-1/2-inch rounds

4. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer to wire rack and let cool. 

5. In a small saucepan, melt butter on low. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Dip half of each cookie into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place cookies on wax paper until set. Makes about 60, providing you don't share too much of the dough with the boys. 

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Cornbread

It's been a rainy and cold week around here so running ovens and making warm meals is still a good way to spend an afternoon. I personally like the flavor and texture that whole wheat flour lends to a dish, so I adapted this recipe awhile ago. Truth is, nobody even knows the wheat flour is in there. I have managed to pull the wool over the eyes of even the most anti-nutrition guys in my life with this recipe; they don't even taste the severe lack of chemicals and fat (the latter of which we make up for in the general consumption because when you live in Wisconsin, you put butter on everything).

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Cornbread

1 cup applesauce
1 1/3 cups brown sugar*
4 eggs
2 cups buttermilk**
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups cornmeal
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt

• Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 9x13" pan.
• In a large bowl, combine applesauce and brown sugar. Add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture. Stir in cornmeal, flour and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. 
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Serve hot with butter and honey. 

Other ways to enjoy it...

• Plain (seriously, it is so moist it doesn't need anything)
• As a side to soup or chili
• In a bowl with milk and possibly a little sugar or honey 

*One of these days I'm going to experiment with raw sugar or honey
**I never have buttermilk on hand so I do about 2 tablespoons of white vinegar in 2 cups of milk