TasteFood: An untraditional soda bread for St. Patrick’s Day

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

Irish soda bread is a quick bread, which means it doesn’t require any yeast or kneading to rise. Instead, it relies on baking soda and buttermilk, which interact for leavening. When the ingredients are combined, the leavening process starts immediately, so the dough should be mixed quickly — hence the moniker “quick bread.” It shouldn’t be overworked, or the bread will be tough.Given its attribution, it seems that an Irish soda bread would be a fitting recipe to post for St. Patrick’s Day. However, upon some research, it appears that what we know as Irish soda bread in the U.S. is not authentically Irish. In Ireland, soda bread is a term for any bread leavened with baking soda (there, it’s called bread soda). The method originated in the 19th century, when baking soda was introduced and before ovens were widely used. At the time, soda breads could be cooked in lidded cast iron pots over a fire.Soda breads were and are efficient and simple fo...

Putting the kibosh on a counter-surfing dog’s food theft

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

DEAR JOAN: My daughter has an 8-month-old malamute who counter surfs and gets on the dining room table.She tries to keep the counters clean, but the dog catches every mistake. Do you have any suggestions?— Julie Hartley, Burlington, IowaDEAR JULIE: For opportunistic and ever optimistic dogs, the surf is always up, but there are ways to put a stop to Moondoggie’s cruising. And yes, I just made a reference to “Gidget,” which likely went over the heads of anyone born in this century.Dogs can be highly motivated by rewards. Consider in the case of your daughter’s dog, the first time the dog sniffed around on the counter or got up on the table, he or she was rewarded with a delicious treat. Even if the pup only found food once, that’s enough motivation to keep trying.The easiest solution, in theory, is to keep the dog out of the kitchen and dining room, especially when food is being prepared or served. Your daughter can try crating the dog or installing a baby gate to block access....

Lauren Boebert announces she’ll be a grandmother at 36

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., has announced that she will be a grandmother next month, at age 36, when her 17-year-old son’s girlfriend gives birth.Boebert revealed this family news at a women’s breakfast during the Conservative Political Action Conference last week in Maryland, where she received a “mothers of influence” award.During her acceptance speech, she said: “I’m going to tell you all for the first time in a public setting that, not only am I a mother of four boys, but, come April, I will be a gigi to a brand new grandson.”She said her son had pointed out that teenage parenthood ran in the family: Boebert made her own mother a grandmother at 36.“He is very excited to be a father,” the congresswoman said. “My mom was 18 when she had me, which inspired me to be a mother when I was 18 years old.”At the women’s breakfast, she praised the values of “rural conservative communities” where teen pregnancy rates tend to be higher, she said, “because we value t...

This Bay Area city launched its own ride share app — with 4 new Teslas

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

PALO ALTO — No need to call Uber or Lyft next time you want to take a weekday trip to Stanford Shopping Center, California Avenue restaurants or anywhere else in Palo Alto — the city now has a fleet of Teslas waiting to swoop in at a moment’s notice. Yes, Teslas.Palo Alto Link is this tech city’s foray into the ride-share space, seeking to disrupt titans that have struggled in recent years to keep a base of happy riders and drivers, and offering anyone a brand new Tesla — or, if a minivan is needed, a Toyota Sienna — to pick up and drop off anywhere in the city, whether it’s the hospital, a trip to the mall, a jaunt in the park or for the simple curiosity of riding in a Tesla.The ride-share app is easy to use, works much like Uber or Lyft and is the city’s answer to residents’ clamor for the return of a popular shuttle service that was shut down at the height of the pandemic in 2020. Rides are free until April 7, but fares won’t break the ba...

March Madness top teams bring talent and, for some, baggage

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

Kansas and Alabama are no strangers to playing for national championships.For the Jayhawks, another high-expectations trip to March Madness is a rite of spring. For the Crimson Tide, well, this path to glory travels through some unfamiliar ground — the basketball court.Alabama rolls in as the top overall seed in an NCAA Tournament that feels both familiar and foreign this season. Yes, there are plenty of heartwarming stories and unbelievable upsets to come when the action begins Tuesday with the first of four play-in games. But this was also a season clouded with police blotters at Alabama and Texas, injuries at Houston and UCLA, some unsightly losses at Kansas, and enough twists and turns at the top of the field to make this as unpredictable a bracket as ever. “I’m not sure we would’ve predicted this,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said of the top seeding that belongs to the Crimson Tide for the first time.Alabama’s ability to set aside distractions — namely, the inevit...

Crowd at U.S.-Mexico border stopped by barricades at bridge

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A large number of migrants in Mexico who were “posing a potential threat to make a mass entry” into the United States were prevented from cross a bridge leading to El Paso, Texas, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said. Physical barriers were put up to restrict entry at the Paso Del Norte International Bridge on Sunday afternoon, spokesperson Roger Maier said in a statement. Barricades also were used for a short time Sunday afternoon at an El Paso crossing at the Bridge of Americas and at one in Stanton, Maier said. Traffic was reopened and flowing in both directions as of Sunday evening, he said. Maier said the Office of Field Operations Special Response Team and U.S. Border Patrol agents assisted Customs officers. It wasn’t immediately known what caused the attempted mass crossing. A message seeking comment was left with the mayor’s office in El Paso. Source

Netanyahu allies in Israel plow ahead on legal overhaul

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political allies pressed ahead Monday with their plan to overhaul the judiciary, advancing a bill that would protect the long-serving leader from calls that he be removed from office over his corruption charges.The steps were the latest in a series of legislation seen by critics as concentrating power in the ruling coalition’s hands. The government has pledged to plow ahead with the legal changes despite widespread opposition. Since taking office in December, Netanyahu and his far-right coalition have advanced a raft of legislation seeking to overhaul the country’s judicial system and further entrench the power of the executive. These have prompted widespread protests by a large section of Israeli society, with demonstrations drawing tens of thousands of people taking place weekly for the past two months. Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and religious coalition allies say the judicial overhaul aims to r...

UN seeks extension of key Ukraine-Russia wartime grain deal

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Senior U.N. officials hosted Russian envoys in Geneva on Monday in a bid to extend an export agreement amid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and prevent a potential new spike in world food prices.Despite being at war, Ukraine and Russia struck a deal last July that allows Ukraine — one of the world’s key breadbaskets — to ship grain from its Black Sea ports and permits Russia to export food and fertilizers.The 120-day agreement, which helped take some of the sting out of rising global food prices, was renewed last November. That extension expires on Saturday.Moscow has been frustrated that a parallel deal to allow exports of Russian ammonia, which is used across the globe for fertilizer, hasn’t taken effect.As part of the arrangement, Moscow wants Russian ammonia to be fed through a pipeline across Ukraine to reach Black Sea ports for possible export. Russian officials also say banking restrictions and high insurance costs have hurt their hopes of exporting fer...

South Korea sets record with 22-2 rout of China at WBC

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Kunwoo Park and Ha-Seong Kim hit grand slams in consecutive innings, and South Korea set a World Baseball Classic scoring record with a 22-2 rout over China on Monday night in a game between already eliminated teams.South Korea broke the runs record that had stood since Japan beat China 18-2 in the first round of the initial WBC in 2006.In the earlier Group B game, Australia defeated the Czech Republic 6-3 and reached a quarterfinal against Cuba on Wednesday. Japan plays Italy the following day in the second quarterfinal.South Korea (2-2) finished third in Group B and failed to advance past the first round for the third straight WBC. The South Koreans finished third in the initial tournament in 2006 and were runner-up in 2009.China (0-4) has never advanced past the first round. The last-place finish in the group means it will have to go through qualifying to reach the 2026 tournament.The South Koreans took a 4-2 lead with a two-run second, then broke open the game with ...