Happy St. Patrick's Day Laurie!

The luck o' the Irish must be with you.  I am actually sharing my corned beef brisket recipe with you.  It's happening - and hopefully just in time to prepare for this Sunday!  You can bet this is what will be on the table at our house this weekend.  The amount the recipe below makes is a good amount if I were cooking just for the four of us.  It is enough for the day and allows for just the right amount of leftovers.  If I were having company, say you and your family, I would double it.  I serve this with mashed potatoes.  That sentence deserves a DUH but going to mention just in case.  And as for the pot of gold at the end of this recipe rainbow, I have also included my Irish Soda Bread recipe.  

Corned Beef Brisket

3 lb Corned Beef Brisket
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 medium head of cabbage (So if you double the recipe, I would not double the cabbage.  
1 cup real maple syrup           Unless you guys LOVE cabbage.  It's a lot of cabbage.  A lot.) 
1/2 cup mustard
1 tablespoon horseradish

Place meat in a large saucepan with onion, garlic and bay leaves.  Add water just to cover.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 1 hour.  Drain.  Cover with fresh water.  Cover and simmer for 3 hours.  

In a bowl, mix together syrup, mustard and horseradish.  Set aside until meat is done cookin.

Remove meat from pan, reserving liquid in pan.  Add cored and wedged cabbage to reserved liquid and cook until tender.

Place the meat in a shallow baking pan and pour about half the syrup/mustard mixture over the meat and pop in a 350 degree oven.  Be sure to constantly brush the meat with syrup mixture.  When the meat looks pretty and yummy and glazed properly with the mixture - it's done.  About 20 minutes.

Heat pan drippings and serve over meat.  Any remaining mixture we use over cabbage and potatoes.

Sláinte Yo! 

Irish Soda Bread

2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg (I used freshly grated)

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons shortening

2/3 cup raisins

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and sugar.  Using a pastry blender or fingertips, work the shortening into the flour until the consistency is the same as that of small peas.  Stir in the raisins and caraway seeds and mix to distribute them evenly.  Gradually stir in the buttermilk, 1/4 cup at a time, using only enough to bring the dough together.  Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes.  Shape the dough into a round loaf and place on a greased baking sheet.  Cut an "X" on the top of the loaf.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.  Cool on rack.  Serve with Irish Butter.  

Remember this St. Pat's Day?  :)

Grab Yo' Coffee Cup...Time to Bake a Cake in It!

I kinda knew you would love this recipe.  The first time I saw these gems being made by Michael Simon on the Cooking Channel, I thought, I bet Laurie would love this.  Then I thought, I bet I would love this.  So, I went into the kitchen and made some.  I happened to have all the ingredients on hand, as I imagine you do too, and it was super easy and fast - I mean you bake em up in the microwave!  They are ready to eat in mere minutes!  Instant chocolate-y, cake-y goodness gratification.  As usual, I was right...I loved them...so did Nate...and so did the kids.  I really couldn't wait to make these for you and so glad we were able to get together a couple weekends ago so I could!  As promised, here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

8 oz unsalted butter at room temperature, cubed
8 oz dark chocolate chopped
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
Ice Cream - Salted Caramel is the best with this and you know it
Maraschino Cherries

Directions:

Melt the butter and chocolate in a glass bowl over a double boiler.  In another bowl stir together flour, sugar, zest and salt.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Then whisk in melted chocolate.  Then divide yummy batter into coffee cups (I spray the cups with a little Pam first) - filling 1/2 to 2/3 of the way.  You want to leave room for ice cream!  These do rise quite a bit. Microwave 1-3 minutes.  You will have to test one to determine how long is needed.  It depends on your microwave.  It takes about 3 minutes in mine.  You want the edges to be baked through but the middle to have a lava-like consistency...well what I imagine lava to be like.  Top with ice cream and cherries immediately.  The batter can be made ahead of time and divided into cups.  Just pop them in the microwave when you and your guests are ready for dessert!     
Enjoy Yo!

(Stole this pic from the internet...didn't think to snap the pic!)

Ho Ho Queso!

Happy New Year!  I don't know about you, but I ate my way through November and December.  It really starts with Halloween for me...sneaking a tiny candy bar here and there...then it rolls into Thanksgiving, then Thanksgiving leftovers, then it's time to bake Christmas cookies...after Christmas cookies, comes Christmas food, and this is where my real problem becomes a problem.  I can walk on by cookies and sweets most times, but I cannot walk by cheese and more savory bites quite so happily.  This recipe I am about to share with you is not necessarily made with fancy cheese, as a matter of fact not one fancy cheese, but I have always had it around Christmas (my mom used to make it!) and every year I crave it.  I then eat more than my fair share....and probably more than every one else's fair share too.  Shameful.
I am pretty sure you have had this at one of our Christmas parties.  It's one of those crowd-pleasing-crock pot recipes.  And chances are, someone will say, "Oh, so and so makes one like this."  But they'll probably think to themselves this one is better.  :)

Ho Ho Queso (Yo)

Ingredients:
1 roll of Bob Evans Zesty Sausage
1 jar of good salsa (I use medium heat)
8 oz pepper jack cheese, grated
16 oz Mexican Velveeta (told ya - not fancy cheese!)
1 can cream of chicken soup (my mom used to use cream of mushroom - up to you)

Directions:
I like to get the crock pot out and get it turned on high.  Then I add the salsa and soup and stir together.  Then I start to brown and crumble the sausage.  Meanwhile, I grate the pepper jack cheese and cube (small cubes) the Velveeta.  Add the cheeses to the pot and stir together with warm salsa/soup.  After the sausage is cooked through and crumbled, I add it directly in the pot.  I let it sit for a few before stirring - this helps melt the cheese a little quicker.  Then stir it together and let it all melt together and get yummy.  When everything has melted down, turn the heat to low or off completely.

Serve with tortilla chips.
Enjoy yo!