Tired of eating cole slaw after St. Patrick's Day?  Here is a simple recipe to handle a couple of the cabbages we know you'll catch at next year's Patrick's Day parade.

• 1 large or 2 small cabbages
• 12 or 16 strips of bacon
• 4 whole allspice berries
• 10.5 oz bacon or chicken broth (one soup can)
• pepper, liquid or dry
• salt

Cut the cabbage in half and boil for 15 minutes in salted water.  Drain, and soak in cold water for 1 minute, then drain well and slice.  Line the bottom of a casserole with half of the bacon strips, then put the cabbage on top and add the seasonings.  Add enough stock to barely cover the cabbage, then put the remaining strips of bacon on top.  Cover and simmer for one hour, until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Serve hot with the potatoes you caught along with the cabbages.

To add a little south Louisiana spice to the dish, a few dashes of Tobasco pepper sauce will give it a spark not often seen in Ireland.  If you are not familiar with Tobasco sauce, then visit The Tobasco PepperFest site.  It's a fun site with more recipes and things to do.

 Barmbrack Cake  
I found this recipe in a great collection of Irish recipes at Caro's Home on the Web (which is long gone).  This recipe reminds me so much of the King Cake tradition we have for Mardi Gras.

Perhaps the most distinctive Irish cake is the barmbrack.  It comes from the Gaelic 'barm breac' (meaning the speckled bread).  On Halloween the barmbrack is baked with a wedding ring wrapped in paper and mixed into the dough.  Traditionally, if your slice of the barmbrack contained the wedding ring, you would be engaged before the year was out!

• 1 pound flour
• 1/2 grated nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 2 ounce butter
• 3/4 ounce dried yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 well beaten eggs
• 1/2 ounce sultanas
• 1/2 pound currants
• 4 ounce chopped candied peel
• 1/2 pint of milk

Sift the flour, nutmeg and salt together and rub butter into flour.  Cream the yeast in a cup with a teaspoon of sugar.  Add the rest of the sugar to the flour mixture and mix well.  Warm the milk slightly and add to the yeast and most of the beaten eggs.  Add liquid to the dry ingredients and beat well until batter is stiff.  Fold in currants, raisins and peel.  Put into a greased 8 inch cake tin so that the mixture only half fills the tin.  Cover with a cloth and leave to rise in a warm place until mixture has doubled in size (about 1 hour).  Brush top of the dough with a little beaten egg to give a glaze and bake at 400F for approximately 1 hour (stick a knife or skewer in the center and if it comes out clean, then its done!).

 

 Peaches and Cream Bread  
I enjoy playing with my bread machine and trying my hand at different recipes I find scattered where ever.  This bread recipe makes a pleasant change from raisin cinnamon bread, but has a delightful flavor and texture.  The recipe makes a pound and a half loaf of bread.

• 3/4 cup water (90-100 degrees)
• 3 cups white bread flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoon dry milk
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup dried peaches (coarsely diced)
• 1/2 cup peach yogurt
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon yeast (fast rise) or 3 teaspoons yeast (active dry)

Add the ingredients in order.  For a creamy texture, use low fat yogurt.  If you are counting calories, nonfat yogurt will do.  For a more cobbler effect, increase nutmeg and cinnamon to taste.  This bread tends to have a dark crust so use the light crust option.

 

 Crabmeat and Shrimp Au Gratin  
Another seafood delight, designed for those without easy access to fresh seafood.  It is fairly easy to make and even easier to eat.

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons minced or grated green onion
• 1/2 pound of crabmeat (1 can)
• 1 cup peeled shrimp
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 clove minced garlic
• dry mustard
• bread crumbs
• season to taste

Saute the onions in 4 tablespoons of butter until soft (save the other 2 tablespoons) .   Add shrimp and crabmeat.   Cook until the shrimp are pink.   While shrimp are cooking, melt the other two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan.   Add the flour.   Mix throughly.   Cook over a low heat until bubbly.   Stir in the milk.   Bring to a boil and cook 1-2 minutes.   This should yield one cup of a white sauce.   Add the sauce, parsley, mustard, and seasoning.   Mix well. Cook for 3-4 more minutes.   Remove from the heat.   Stir in 1/2 cup cheese.   Pour into a greased baking dish.   Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, then with the bread crumbs.   Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

A dash of salt and a pinch of pepper may qualify for some people as seasoning, but around our house we use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning for just the right flavor in many of our dishes.  Most any "real" Cajun seasoning mixes will supply the same pizazz to your meals.

 

 Bananas Tchoupitoulas  
The Tchoupitoulas Plantation was a landmark for many years along the west bank of the Mississippi River.  Initially a family residence, for a while a bordello, and finally a restaurant. Eating dinner in Madam's room among the paintings of her girls was always an interesting experience.  The restaurant has been closed for years now, but they published their trademark dessert recipe.

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 qt water
• 4 oz butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 oranges
• 2 cups run
• 1 1/2 cups cornstarch
• 1/2 cup natural honey
• 4 bananas

Mix sugar, water, butter, vanilla, and oranges (cut in half).   Bring the mixture to a boil.   Add the cornstarch, rum, and honey.   Return mixture to heat until throughly warmed.   Remove orange halves.   For each serving, use one banana cut into quarters.   Pour the warm mixture over bananas and serve.
 
It is not as flamboyant as a flaming Bananas Foster, but then it is a simple matter of taste vs. spectacle.