Kiss Me Im Irish

When I was a kid I had a shirt that said "Kiss me I'm Irish". I can remember being SO embarrassed to wear such a shirt, thinking everyone would go around kissing me all day! Could there be anything more embarrassing than that? Oy, kids!
Saint Patricks Day has always been one of my favorite "holidays". Yes, you guessed it, mostly for the food. Every year my brother and my father come over for a big corned beef and cabbage dinner. I know a lot of people don't like it, but it truly is one of our favorite meals.
This year is no different. I have three corned beefs sitting in my fridge waiting to be simmered for hours with its fine accompaniments, carrots, potatoes, onions, and of course cabbage. Yes, I said three. Everyone gets kinda cranky when there are no leftovers to take home.
This year I also decided to make my own Soda Bread. Seems whenever I pick up a loaf at my local grocery store it is more of a hard loaf of rock than a loaf of bread.
You can find the recipe here, it is from an old issue of Bon Appetit. The story that goes along with the recipe is also quite touching, so be sure to read it. The only thing I did different was I cut the sugar down from 1 cup to 1/2 a cup. Also, instead of using a skillet I baked mine in my 5 quart dutch oven, and it worked great. This recipe makes a beautiful loaf of tender and delicious Soda bread that any Irishmen (or woman) would be proud to serve on Saint Patricks Day.