Chocolate Pound Cake

Chocolate Pound Cake - made November 11, 2019 from Chef in Training

I didn't make the glaze for this as I was sending it in a care package for a deployed military service member and I didn't know how well the glaze would hold up since I didn't know if it was going to a cold climate or a warm one. Plus, depending on the final destination, it can take up to 2 weeks for a package to arrive and I didn't want the moistness of the glaze to get moldy. I don't have a food sealer (yet) so I played it safe by keeping this unglazed.

This was a great chocolate pound cake. It had a good, slightly dense texture so it would travel well and the flavor was great: not too chocolaty, not too sweet.

If I make it again for myself, I'd try it with the glaze but even "plain", this is a pretty good cake. I made the taste test as an individual cupcake-sized cake but for shipping, I made the rest of the batter into loaf cakes. They ship better and the larger size keeps it moist. Smaller sizes will dry out more easily.

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
5 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Chocolate Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup evaporated milk

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar and vanilla for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
3. In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder. Add alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture, beating until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Pour into 3 greased and flour loaf pans, 8" x 4" x 2.5".
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean.
6. Frosting: Combine powdered sugar and cocoa in medium mixing bowl. Add butter and milk; mix well. Spread over pound cakes.

Bakery Style Double Chocolate Cookies

Bakery Style Double Chocolate Cookies - made dough November 8, 2019 from The Food Charlatan

I made these cookies to use up some plain chocolate candy bars I had left after Halloween. They substituted nicely for chocolate chips and were a good way to use up leftover chocolate. At least it kept them from being eaten by me, myself and I.

I also used these cookies to put in a 2nd and 3rd care package I sent to deployed soldiers as part of the Angel Baker team from Soldiers Angels. Normally these wouldn't be good in a care package since they're soft and therefore fragile but I took care to wrap 2 cookies back to back in plastic wrap, put in ziploc bags and lodged them firmly in the mailing box, well cushioned. Hopefully they'll arrive intact and relatively still moist and fudgy.

These baked with a slightly crisp outer shell once they'd cooled completely and the inside was moist, fudgy and chewy. Good chocolate flavor as I used both Valrhona bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder. I'll keep saying it over and over - the quality of your finished baked goods are entirely dependent on the quality of your ingredients. Use the best you can afford; it'll be worth it at the end.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour, spooned and leveled
1 cup cocoa powder, spooned and leveled, sifted if lumpy
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add both sugars and beat 1 more minute, scraping bottom and sides of the bowl.
2. Add cooled, melted bittersweet chocolate and beat until incorporated. 
3. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until combined.
4. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add to mixing bowl and mix until just incorporated. Do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips. Cover bowl and chill dough for 30 minutes or until dough is cool enough to form into dough balls.
5. Portion into golf-ball-size dough balls, cover and chill or freeze for several hours or overnight.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Evenly space dough balls on prepared sheet. Bake 10-11 minutes; do not overbake. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Korean Fried Chicken

Korean Fried Chicken - made November 7, 2019, modified from Nicky's Kitchen Sanctuary

When I lived in the Bay Area, I loved going to Bon Chon Chicken for their KFC (Korean Fried Chicken). There was something about the light crispy coating on the outside and the soy-garlic flavor that was addicting.

There's no Bon Chon in Reno but I decided to take my own stab at Korean Fried Chicken. Granted, this is nothing like Bon Chon but actual "real" Korean Fried Chicken with gochujang sauce which is a spicy chili paste. I know, me, spicy? Not normally. But I really wanted to try making KFC so what the heck. YOLO. Of course, finding Gochujang in Reno turned out to be both easy and difficult. Difficult because I thought I'd try the Asian grocery store first. But for the life of me, I couldn't find it there. It's almost inconceivable to me that they wouldn't carry it but seriously, I couldn't find it anywhere. Ironically, I ended up finding gochujang in the Asian aisle at Smiths grocery store. Go figure.

I really liked how this recipe turned out. Yes, it was a little spicy but not overly so. But what made this the best chicken recipe I've made was the light crispy coating on the chicken. I don't make deep fried food that often because I would eat it - hello, deep fried goodness - plus it's messy AF. But the coating on this was amazing and worth every calorie. It isn't greasy and heavy; it's light and crispy.

The sauce was pretty good too. I skipped garnishing with the red pepper flakes as it was spicy enough for me. I'd make this again in a heartbeat.

Chicken and marinade
4 chicken breasts, sliced into long, thick strips
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Crispy Coating
1 1/2 cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
at least 4 cups vegetable oi for deep frying

Sauce
2 tablespoons guchujang paste (I could only find sauce)
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
The tops of 3 green onions, sliced into thin strips
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Place the chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Mix together, cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to a low heat to keep cooked chicken warm. Heat a large pan of vegetable oil or preheat a deep fryer until hot.
3. Mix together the crispy coating ingredients in a small bowl. Remove chicken from refrigerator. Lift a piece from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the crispy coating mixture, covering fully. Place on a tray and repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
4. Once oil is hot enough, fry chicken in a single layer until golden brown on both sides. Place on a tray in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest of the chicken.
5. Make the sauce: in a saucepan, mix together the gochujang, honey, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vegetable oil and sesame oil. Bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
6. Pour over the crispy chicken and toss together. Top with green onions, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes as desired.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

Lemon Sugar Cookies - made dough November 8, 2019 from Dorie's Cookies by Dorie Greenspan

This is a really good lemon sugar cookie recipe: not too sweet but not too tart and it's nicely chewy, not cakey. Plus it's easy to mix together. It does spread a little so you might want to mound up the dough balls and bake from frozen dough like I normally do.

This is the kind of cookie I like to include in a sampler or variety pack when I bake my gifts. It's less fancy and more plain looking than its decorative counterparts but, if taste matters to you, this is a nice palate pleaser that can hold its own with the fancy.

2 3/4 cups (374 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
sugar for dredging

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda and baking powder together.
3. Put the granulated sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using your fingertips, mash and run the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Using the paddle attachment, add the butter and salt to the bowl and beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes.
4. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla and lemon juice.
5. Add half of the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until almost incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the remaining dry ingredients. Beat on low speed until combined and dough comes away from sides of bowl.
6. Pour some granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out level portions of the dough and form into a ball. Roll in sugar to coat completely. Space evenly on prepared baking sheets.
7. Bake the cookies 8 to 14 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until they're barely golden around the edges. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

Udon Noodle Soup

Chicken Udon Noodle Soup - made November 6, 2019, modified from Dishes Delish

I love udon noodles. They're thick and chewy and don't get mushy when cooked properly. And because they're so thick, they're hard to overcook.

Now that I'm cooking more, it occurred to me that I could make my own udon noodle soup. So I did.

However, this turned out to be a classic example that shows I'll never be a real "cook". Yes, I can follow savory recipes as well as dessert ones and I can put together reasonably simple recipes that turn out pretty well. But you know what marks a real cook? They taste as they go. Me, not so much. I'm a baker by nature and to me, that means following a recipe. I rarely taste batter or cookie dough. I wait until the final product comes out of the oven and judge accordingly.

That taste-buds-off process doesn't work as well when it comes to cooking since cooking is more about tasting and adjusting seasonings, depending on the flavor you're trying to achieve. I learned that lesson when I took my first few sips of this broth. The first sip seemed pretty tasty. The second sip was a bit salty. By the third sip, I was regretting not tasting it earlier so I could've cut back on the salty flavorings.

At least it was salty to my palate. Fortunately, with soup, the easy fix is to add more water which is what I did. So this turned out after all.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
4 cups chicken broth
18 ounces udon noodles
2 eggs

1. Fill small saucepan with enough water to cover 2 eggs. Add eggs and bring just to a boil. Turn off heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Peel.
2. Bring water in a large pot to a boil. Add noodles and bring to another boil. Cook for 10 minutes. Drain noodles and set aside.
3. Heat Dutch oven on medium heat. When hot, add oil. When oil is hot, add onion and saute until soft. Add garlic and ginger and saute until garlic is browned, 1 minute.
4. Add broth, soy sauce, vinegar and fish sauce; bring to a simmer.
5. Add noodles to serving bowl. Ladle soup over noodles and cut an egg in half to place in soup. Serve hot.

Crispy Orange Beef

Crispy Orange Beef - made November 4, 2019 from Simply Gourmet

Back to the savory side: another simple, tasty dinner recipe that takes minutes to put together with a little planning ahead.

I learned a tip from multiple other recipes that recommended slicing the beef when it was still partially frozen. Not so frozen that it's too hard to cut but not so defrosted that it's completely thawed and more difficult to cut cleanly.

When it's partially frozen, you can cut pretty thin slices which makes quick frying them a faster process. I don't like beef rare but I don't mind a bit of pink. When the slices are thin, by the time I put a single layer of the pieces in the frying pan, it's time to turn them over then time to take them off the heat right after I turn the last piece over. As much as I like frying things (too messy), this is a good compromise to being able to minimize frying time. Plus the beef remains tender.

I don't know that this was particularly crispy but that could be because I didn't fry them for very long as I didn't want to overcook the beef. But the orange flavor was good.

2 pounds sirloin steak, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup arrowroot or cornstarch
1 cup oil, for frying

Sauce
2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup of orange rind, sliced very thin (I grated the rind for the zest instead)
1/4 cup green onion, for garnish

1. Combine beef pieces and soy sauce; toss together. Add cornstarch and coat each piece.
2. Using a wire rack set inside a baking sheet, spread out the meat pieces in a single layer. Freeze for 45 minutes to dry the meat out; this helps make it crispy when fried.
3. 10 minutes before the 45 minutes are up, add oil to a large cast iron pan or dutch oven. Bring oil to 375 degrees F.
4. Line a shallow bowl with paper towels and start frying the meat. Fry until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes. Drain pieces in bowl lined with paper towels. Remove oil.
5. Prepare sauce: combine sauce ingredients in frying pan (oil removed); whisk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add beef pieces and stir to coat each piece with sauce.
6. Serve with rice and garnish with green onion.

Sweet Potato Honey Cornbread

Sweet Potato Honey Cornbread - made November 18, 2019 from Black Girls Who Brunch

I don't normally like cornbread, to be honest. Too gritty and oftentimes too dry, even if it isn't overbaked. Or it's too heavy. I can eat it if it's warm and loaded with butter but otherwise, I generally pass on it.

This recipe caught my eye because it was a sweet potato cornbread and since I'd bought a bag of sweet potatoes from Costco for the Sweet Potato Cake, yup, you guessed it, I had to use up the rest of the sweet potatoes before they sprouted and jumped off my kitchen counter.

I wanted to try this recipe because the pictures from Black Girls Who Brunch looked really good. I can oftentimes tell how a recipe will turn out based on the pictures. This one looked dense and moist, good qualities in a cornbread, I say.

This turned out amazingly delicious. Yes, I ate it warm with a sliver (okay, a little thicker than a sliver but it wasn't a full-on slab) of butter melting over it. It was probably the best cornbread I've ever eaten. But do you want to know the ironic part? I think I forgot to add the milk and it still turned out moist and delicious. I don't see how it could've been better but I will probably have to make it again, correctly this time. This is a perfect accompaniment to a Thanksgiving feast so I'm posting it ahead of all the other posts I need to put up so you, too, can enjoy an amazing cornbread.

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/3 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Or leave a 9-inch cast iron skillet unlined and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add sweet potato to blend. Add eggs, butter and honey; beat to combine. Add milk and beat until combined.
4. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 33-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Baking Meetup #3: Thanksgiving Desserts

Thanksgiving Desserts: baking meetup on November 10, 2019

Here are the recipes for the desserts everyone brought to our third baking meetup last weekend. This month's theme was Thanksgiving desserts so hopefully this can give you some ideas of what to make for your own Thanksgiving table.

Everything was delicious and I'm really impressed with the bakers in the group. Unfortunately, it turns out even *I* cannot eat 8 desserts in one go. I did my best with (small) servings of 5 of the desserts but had to take the last 3 home "to go" so I could eat them later when I wasn't stuffed so full of sugar.

Amish Peanut Butter Pie - Dawn (waiting on recipe - will update when I receive it)

Cream Cheese Pie - Vikki

Cream Cheese Pie
Crust
1/2 box graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, room temperature, cut into chunks
1/2 cup granulated sugar (or to taste)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream Cheese Filling
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
lemon juice or lemon peel, optional, for flavoring

Sour Cream Topping
1 cup sour cream
3 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Press into a lightly buttered 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Let cool for about 15 minutes.
2. While crust is cooling, make the filling by combining the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla; mix on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs and mix until just incorporated.
3. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake until set, 25 to 30 minutes (center will still jiggle slightly). Cool 5 minutes before topping. Leave oven on.
4. Combine the sour cream, granulated sugar and vanilla in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Spread onto the pie and bake 10 more minutes.

Pecan Pie - Mike

Vodka Pie Crust (Vodka evaporates out) 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon table salt 2 tablespoons sugar 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (sliced small) ½ cup chilled solid vegetable shortening ¼ cup vodka, cold ¼ cup cold water Mix the dry. Add butter and shortening(spoonful at a time) until it looks like cottage cheese. Add the wet. (vodka and water) Mix and divide in two balls. Refrigerate for an hour or more. Pecan Pie 1 (9 inch) pie shell 3/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup light corn syrup 3 eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 pinch salt 1 cup chopped pecans  

Mix all ingredients and pour into pie shell. Bake 350 for 60 to 70 min.

Pumpkin Cheesecake - Bonnie (and son)

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Crust
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter

Filling
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1.2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Crust: In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
3. Filling: Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.
4. Pour onto crust. Spread evenly and place in oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake - Mary

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 can (425 grams) pumpkin puree
1 cup (198 grams) vegetable oil
1 cup (60 grams) bran cereal
2 cups (241 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (397 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 cup (113 grams) chopped walnuts
2 2/3 cups (454 grams) chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10" tube or Bundt pan (as you can see, Mary used small, fall-shaped mini cake pans).
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy.
3. Stir in pumpkin, vegetable oil and bran cereal; combine well.
4. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices.
5. Add to wet ingredients and mix gently, until just combined.
6. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 70 minutes (less time if you're using smaller pans) or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven and cool the cake in pan for 10 minutes then remove from pan and cool completely on a rack before slicing.
10. Store, loosely covered, at room temperature for 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Bacardi Rum Cake

 Bacardi Rum Cake
1 cup walnuts, very finely chopped
1 package yellow cake mix (15.25 ounces)
1 package Jello vanilla flavor instant pudding & pie filing (3.4 ounces)
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Bacardi rum, gold, 80 proof

1. Spray 10" bundt pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle with flour and pour off excess. Sprinkle walnuts evenly in bottom of pan and up the sides.
2. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil & rum in a large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 60 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan for 8-10 minutes.Prick bottom of cake with a cake tester. Pull from sides and pour 1/2 the glaze from a spoon into sides and pricked areas. Then turn over and transfer to a cake plate. Prick top of cake and glaze with the other half of the glaze. When cool, sprinkle top and sides with powdered sugar.

Glaze for Bacardi Rum Cake
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup Bacardi rum, gold, 80 proof

1. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add sugar and water, then bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in rum and bring just to a boil. While warm, spoon glaze over cake as directed.

Sweet Potato Cake

Recipe for Sweet Potato Cake is here, For the Bundt cake, I only made a half recipe and made up my own glaze of powdered sugar, whole milk and vanilla extract.

Unfortunately not pictured (I thought I had taken pics of it but after the evening was over, it turns out I hadn't :( ), Brittany had brought a beautiful pumpkin roll. Here's the recipe, sorry there aren't pictures!

Libby's Pumpkin Roll
Cake
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Filling
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar, optional

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.
3. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with the narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
4. Filling: Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.