Lent is a challenge for me. I don’t like fish, and you can have pizza just so many times! Of course there’s mac and cheese, and other meatless meals, but somehow I am not in to mood to make them!
Counting tonight 4 more weeks of meatless Fridays.
Thank goodness St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t fall on Friday, or all the observers of Lent would be crying in their GREEN beer because they couldn’t have their corned beef!
Speaking of green, if you missed Wed. nights 7th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Blog Crawl, you can see it here!
42 beautiful entries, tables and recipes, don’t miss it!
I’ll be up to my elbows in flour for Soda Bread this weekend.
Loaf style or round…
Spread with some Kerry Gold butter or jam, it is a favorite here.
Irish Soda Bread....Kathleen
4 C flour
1 t salt
4 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
3/4 C sugar
2 t caraway seed
1 C raisins
1 egg
1 t vanilla (optional)
2 C buttermilk
a splash or orange juice, don’t worry, it will be fine! 
1/4 stick of soft butter
Sift dry ingredients. Mix in the seeds and raisins. Add buttermilk, oj, vanilla and mix.
Add beaten eggs and soft butter, mix
Put into 2 greased loaf pans, or 1 10 in round. Slit the top with a knife.
Bake at 350 about 30 to 35 for loaf pans, 50 for round.
Brush with butter or milk 10 min before removing from oven.
Check center to see if done, do not over bake..
You can even make it in a Bundt pan!
Here’s my contribution for a meatless meal, very easy!
Pasta , Spinach Cheese and Tomato Bake
Cook your favorite pasta, I used bow ties.
Toss cooked pasta in a bit of olive oil, pepper and grated cheese.
Line the bottom of a greased pan/casserole dish with the al dente pasta.
Cook your fresh spinach. I just throw mine in a pan on low, salt, pepper and a dash of conf sugar. cover the pan, checking to make sure you are just steaming the spinach briefly.
Place that on top of the pasta, sprinkle with freshly grated cheese and some garlic powder, or fresh minced if you prefer.
Pour some half and half over the top.
Now a layer of mozzarella, then top with seasoned sliced tomatoes. Again, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese and freshly grated pepper.
Bake till warmed through, and at the end broil for a few mins. till the cheese browns.
If you are not doing meatless some bacon crumbled on top is good too!
Serve with some warm crusty bread.
Thanks for stopping by!
I am joining ML West for Foodie Friday.
I would love a heaping serving of your meatless meal. Your Irish soda bread looks good so many ways--the swirly Bundt pan is very festive! Bandy cooked corned beef, cabbage, and carrots last night, so I got a jump on my corned beef fix. Thank you so much for joining us at FF!!! I had a great time at the pub crawl. I'm going back to see what I missed. Have a great weekend and a very happy St. Pat's Day! xxoo
ReplyDeleteWe aren't going to dinner until later and now I'm really hungry after looking at your food!
ReplyDeleteYour Irish Soda Bread looks so elegant made in a bundt pan–what a nice, versatile bread recipe!
ReplyDeleteHi Kathleen, The annual crawl was great fun! So nice to visit with all the guests and see the delicious recipes and clever tables. My dad did not like fish either and when I was little we ate fish every Friday, not just during Lent. Do you remember when it changed? I have old calendars with the fish symbol on every Friday. Your pasta dish looks delicious! And I had no idea you could make soda bread in a bundt pan. I always see the big round loaf. Thanks again for hosting and I'm looking forward to the next party. Linda
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe, I love it in the bundt pan...it's more fun! We had trouch today, even my little girls and loved it! I also give up coffee for Lent, which I adore! I can't wait to have some for breakfast come Easter Sunday...it's gotten so long, lol! God is good with us, though.
ReplyDeleteLoving the pasta dish. We do a lot of dish on this time of year too, like Eggplant Parmegan, lasagnas, etc.
Hugs,
FABBY
It all looks delicious! I might have to go into the kitchen for something to eat! '-)
ReplyDeleteThanks again for a great party.
Hello K., I do love fish, and I do meatless Wednesdays during Lent as well as Fridays! I actually gave up pizza for Lent! It is my all time favorite. I enjoyed visiting as many blogs as I could on the crawl. Always a fun time. I will strive to be a part of it again next year. I am seriously craving a good soda bread. Yours looks delicious. I love how you make mini loaves to share with your guests.
ReplyDeleteThe tomato pasta bake looks very tasty! I wish I had not had fried fish last night for dinner, I am up now at 3:00 in the morning burping it up. Ugh! I think that I may very well try your pasta recipe next Friday. I am almost finished looking at all of the posts from the crawl, there are so many wonderfully talented bloggers that took the challenge this year. So much fun to read! Have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fish lover either- fish 'n chips is about as fishy as I get! Your soda bread recipe looks easy enough. I bought a loaf but I think it looks overbaked. (Hubby grabbed it for me). The blog crawl was fun- thanks again for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI would enjoy your meatless meal! I'm a fish lover but one of our sons does not eat it so I had to make him something different on Fridays during lent and it was usually Mac 'n Cheese. Joe picked up some very tasty Irish soda bread from a great bakery that just opened last year. Great idea to use the bundt pan for the bread! I participated in four of your blog crawls and hope you do it again next year. Always a fun time!
ReplyDeleteHi Kathleen, I don't mind fish and fixed tilapia last night with some herbs and spices. Your meatless pasta meal looks delish! your Irish Soda Bread looks good in loaves, rounds or the bundt. I'd love a slice with some Kerrygold butter, please.
ReplyDeleteCount me on a serving of your fabulous meatless meal with soda bread!...Looks so delicious!...and as always your table is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI love meatless dishes, and your pasta bake it right up my alley, thanks Kathleen!
ReplyDeleteJenna
Hi Kathleen, thanks so much for hosting the wonderful St Pat's Day Blog Crawl - it was great! We don't do meatless Fridays for Lent but I try to give up something that I love or make some kind of sacrifice. I'm doing a "no sugar" for EVERY day of Lent this year and it is indeed, a sacrifice! So little compared to what our Saviour suffered for us though! I can understand how hard it is to not cook with meat though as that is the number one thing you plan when coming up with a menu choice for dinner. My son is vegan and I don't know how that came about in a family that ate a lot of meat and dairy! Love how you served your meal in a skillet pan - seeing that more and more in restaurants too.
ReplyDeleteHI KATHLEEN
ReplyDeleteWONDWERFUL JOB !!
HAPPY SAINT PATRICK´S DAY-
HUGS
MIVA
Kathllen:
ReplyDeleteThis looks great! A wonderful alternative to pizza for sure.
- Alma, The Tablescaper
At first, I thought you were talking about college basketball! I guess I have it on the brain since Wisconsin won the Big Ten yesterday :) Happy countdown on Meatless Fridays. The tomato dish sounds delicious!
ReplyDeleteYour soda bread always makes my mouth water, Kathleen!
ReplyDeleteI hope you're having a wonderfully festive St. Patrick's Day. I think this is the first time in my life that I haven't eaten the traditional foods...just didn't feel like cooking all of it for just one person. *sigh*
Your meatless dish looks yummy, too. I'll try it one of these days. thanks for the explanation.
Grilled cheese & tomato soup seems to be my best Lenten Friday meal these days.
The tomato bake looks really yummy!
ReplyDeleteGenial post.Te animo a echar un vistazo a mi post verás algunas ideas realmente interesantes, que creo te pueden inspirar. Deseo que pases un buen rato y espero que te guste y si es así y no eres seguidora espero que te hagas, gracias por visitarme. Elracodeldetall.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteYoiur spinach, cheese and tomato bake looks delicious! I could have pizza every day, Kathleen, but of course I don't. I like fish, but I also like pasta and on meatless Fridays i often combine pasta with a vegetable. I love making a cauliflower and tomato sauce, and I also love spaghetti with a butter and ricotta sauce. I often take the leftover of that and make a frittata the next day. Pesto and cheese tortelli is also good and a Chinese vegetable stir fry is also a good standby.
ReplyDeleteWishing you and your family a very Happy Easter!