st. patrick's day recipe 3 of 3: guinness cooked corned beef

this corned beef recipe i had cooked once before and really liked. i'm not into the boiling of corned beef, or the cooking of massive amounts of cabbage, but beer and sugar really speak to me. i used the Guinness Corned Beef recipe from allrecipes.com, adapted for the slow cooker. 

ingredients list:

- 2 & 1/2 lbs corned beef brisket

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 1 & 1/2 cans Guinness or bottle of Irish stout beer

to make: pour beer into the pot of a slow cooker. rub the beef with brown sugar, add the beef (and any extra sugar) to the slow cooker, and cook on low for 4-6 hours. flip periodically to make sure the top of the meat doesn't dry out.

***

love this. some of the folks that reviewed it said it came out fall-apart tender - that is not the case here (and i find it hard to believe it could get that way with this type of meat), but the flavor is still very good. it's just a little tougher than a lot of slow cooked meats. definitely my go-to corned beef recipe, i don't feel the need to snag another. rating... 6******.

st. patrick's day recipe 2 of 3: colcannon

so... next up for st. paddy's. i didn't want to do straight out cabbage with the corned beef, but the colcannon sounded like a great happy-middle between cabbage and a yummy side (it has bacon... so yep there ya go). i used another allrecipes.com recipe for this one, Diane's Colcannon. 

ingredients list:
- 1 & 1/4 lbs potatoes, cubed
- 4 slices bacon
- 1/4 small head cabbage, chopped
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 1/4 cup milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp butter


to make: place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. bring to a boil, and cook for about 20 minutes, until tender when poked with a fork.


while potatoes are cooking, place bacon in a large skillet, and cook over medium-high heat until even brown. remove bacon, crumble, and set aside. saute the cabbage & onion in the skillet in the bacon drippings, until cabbage & onion are soft and start to turn golden. 


drain the cooked potatoes, mash with milk, the butter, and season with salt and pepper. fold in the bacon, cabbage, and onions and serve.
***
i wasn't sure if i would like these or not because of the "chunky" potato texture, but if i thought of it as a side and not "mashed potatoes", they were actually really good. the cabbage kind of made it like a egg roll flavor, mixed with a random potato bacon onion party (egg rolls are really my only experience with cabbage). would def make again, but next time i want to try adding a bit of cider vinegar when the onion and cabbage saute... a little bit of german potato salad vinegary twang would work nicely with it. 6******.

st. patrick's day recipe 1 of 3: soda bread

st. paddy's day menu was cooked a week late this year since i haven't been home long enough to cook since the real date. besides cooking corned beef once i've never really cooked any traditional irish food, so this was all a first whirl. it was pretty yammmmmy even still. the first recipe was Amazingly Easy Irish Soda Bread from allrecipes.com, scaled in half since there were just 2 of us eating and tweaked slightly (the original recipe is 20 servings).

ingredients list:

- 4 cups flour

- 2 tbsp white sugar

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/4 cup butter, softened

- 1/2 cup buttermilk

- 1 egg

- 1 tbsp butter, melted

- 2 tbsp buttermilk

to make: preheat oven to 375 degrees. lightly grease a large baking sheet and set aside. 

in a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 cup butter. stir in the 1/2 cup of buttermilk and egg. turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly, then form dough into a flattened ball and place on prepared baking sheet. 

in a small bowl, combine melted butter with 2 tbsp buttermilk, and brush loaf with this mixture. cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf, then bake in the oven between 30 and 45 minutes, brushing with the mixture periodically. bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

***

i liked this. i never really ate soda bread (because of the raisins... blech) so don't have anything to compare it to, but it was still good all on its own. tastes great warm with a little bit of butter. hmmmm... 6******?

recipe: lemon blueberritini

this weekend was quite lovely and springy out, so i seemed due time to bust out some lemons and make some lemonade. when i made lemonade, my sole intention was mixing it with various vodka-based cocktails, so i pre-prepped a bit by making some blueberry vodka to mix in. i have quite and arsenal of flavored vodkas i've purchased, but for some reason it never struck me before that i could make my own fruit-infused vodka (thank you foodgawker.com: drinks for that inspiration).

1) to make blueberry soaked vodka: add 1/4 cup or so of blueberries into the bottom of a martini shaker or small glass jar. fill jar with vodka, then stab blueberries with a fork until they are all punctured. refridgerate for 2-3 days.


2) to make lemonade: my go-to recipe is Best Lemonade Ever from allrecipes.com - the recipe makes a full jug (about 20 serving). you will need:
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar

- 8 cups water

- 1 1/2 cups lemon juice (fresh squeezed = about 6-7 large lemons)

in a small saucepan, conbine sugar and 1 cup water. bring to a boil and stir to disolve sugar. allow to cool slightly, then combine w/ lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water.

3) to make lemon blueberritini: combine 3 parts lemonade with 1 part blueberry soaked vodka. drop in a few of the muddled blueberries for kicks.

***

day 1 these were good (the vodka had sat for 24 hours only). day 3, they were awesome after the blueberry vodka fully developed. loving this, and it was a perfect compliment to Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes tonight. 7*******.

recipe: lemon poppy seed pancakes

these were on my must-make list for a while. i had a bunch of lemon zest leftover from making lemonade this weekend (spring dranks time), so it seems like a perfect opp to make them for a lil breakfast for dinner action. the recipe is from allrecipes.com, Sunday Morning Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes. 

ingredients list: 
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp & 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp lemon extract
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 5 drops of lemon food coloring
- cooking spray

to make: stir milk, vinegar, and lemon juice together in a small bowl, and let stand 10 minutes so it curdles. after the 10 minutes, whisk in the egg, butter, vanilla extract, lemon extract, & food coloring.

in a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds, and lemon zest until well combined. pour milk mixture into flour mixture and whisk until fully combined.

heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. pour roughly 1/4 of batter per pancake and cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes. flip and cook on the other side, about 2 minutes.
***
verdict = yummy. it's so nice out right now and these just made me want to have a nice lady brunch with the girls... nice fresh lemon and a teeny bit of popppy zing. we added blueberries to the last round of cakes and i like that even more - blueberries or even strawberries cooked into these bad boys is the way to go. i had this with a lemon blueberritini and it was divine. 7*******.  

recipe: chicken marsala

tonight's din din - a yummy but a quicky using what we had on hand.

ingredients list: 
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1 egg
***
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 chicken thighs (pounded chicken breasts would also work)

- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup marsala wine

to make:
mix flour, salt, black & white pepper, onion powder & garlic powder in shallow bowl. beat egg in a separate shallow bowl. dip each piece of chicken in the egg, then dip in the flour mixture to coat. reserve flour. heat olive oil & butter in skillet over medium high heat. after it gets hot, add chicken & sautee 5-6 minutes per side until chicken is fully cooked through and is a nice golden brown. remove chicken to a warm plate. lower heat to med-low, and add mushrooms and onion to skillet, sauteeing until onions are soft and golden. add minced garlic for the last minute of cooking. mix a bit of the leftover flour into the marsala wine and pour mixture into skillet. return chicken to skillet, & simmer for 10 minutes until sauce is nice & thick.

serve with rice or over pasta (i used angel hair for tonight).
***
solid 7er *******. simple, yum!

recipe: peanut butter puddles

i say this about a lot of recipes, but i do love these cookies. they fulfill all of my fav criteria: 1) easy; 2) cute; & 3) delicious. perfect for bringing to a party or a cookie exchange mmm. these were taken from Peanut Butter Cup Cookies from allrecipes.com.

ingredients list:

- 1 & 3/4 cups flour

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 cup butter, softened

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 1/2 cup peanut butter

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1 egg, beaten

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 tbsp milk

- 40 miniature Reeses peanut butter cups, unwrapped

to make: preheat oven to 375 degrees. sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. cream together the butter, granulated & brown sugar, and peanut butter until smooth. beat in the egg, vanilla, and milk. little by little add in the flour mixture, until completely combined. shape into 40 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan (the balls should be about 1 & 1/4 inch big).

bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. remove from oven and immediately press a peanut butter cup into each ball (do it slowly or the edges of the cookie will crack). the top of the PB cup will melt after it sits in the cookie for about a minute - this is the time to add sprinkles. 

cool then carefully remove from pan. 

***

solid easy, delish recipe. 9*********. 

recipe: oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies

i think i first saw these on seriouseats.com - they are so ridiculous and so delicious. i keep wanting to try a combo other than oreo/choc chip, but honestly all the delicious options are way too overwhelming. i used the Nestle chocolate chip cookie recipe as the base for these, verbatim (my go-to trusty recipe).

ingredients list: 
- 2 & 1/4 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 6 oz chocolate chips
- 1/2 package Oreos


to make: preheat oven to 375. combine four, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until creamy. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. little by little stir in flour mixture, then add the chocolate chips. 

roll dough into 1-inch balls. take 2 balls, place an Oreo in between them, and shape the dough around the Oreo until it's completely covered. repeat with remaining dough, and place prepared dough onto parchment - lined cookie sheet, leaving a least 2 inches in between each cookie. this should make about 12 (very large) cookies. 


bake for 9 to 11 minutes until golden brown on edges, then cool on wire racks. 
***
um... these are as good as homemade chocolate chip cookies, but with Oreos inside. no brainer. my only complaint is that they are hard to make "pretty"... it's hard not to use too much dough on each cookie, and they can come out looking like giant flying saucers. best if served warm. 9*********.

recipe: guinness stout cupcakes

was making chocolate cupcakes for a b-day party on st. paddy's day. only seemed right that they were injected with a lil bit of booze. i snagged this Irish Car Bomb cupcake recipe from Red Shallot Kitchen.

ingredients list: 
- 1 cup Guinness beer
- 1 cup butter
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup sour cream


to make: preheat oven to 350 degrees. line 24 cupcake tins with liners (or 60 or so mini cupcake liners). bring 1 cup of Guinness and 1 cup butter to simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. set aside to cool.


whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl and blend. using a mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in a large bowl. add Guinness butter mixture to the egg mixture and beat until just combined. add flour mixture little by little and stir until completely combined. pour into cupcake liners, filling 3/4 of the way full.

bake about 15-17 minutes if doing full sized cupcakes, or about 11 minutes to mini cupcakes, until a toothpick comes out clean. cool on a wire rack.


i iced most cupcakes with a vanilla icing, then when i ran out used chocolate ganache on the rest. the Bailey's frosting on the site sounded great, but i didn't test it out this time. 
***
these cake out OK... they were not very sweet, but had a good flavor overall. i think next time i would add some chocolate chips so they have a little more chocolatey-ness to em. 5*****.

recipe: trail mix

i've made this recipe for parties a few times now, and it's essentially like crack. so yummy, so addictive (when you make it you know how unhealthy it is so it makes it a -little- easier not to eat so much of it). the recipe was adapted from the Sweet Party Mix recipe from allrecipes.com.

ingredients list:

- 4 oz of crispy corn and rice cereal (Crispix)

- 4 oz of cheerios cereal

- 6 oz of small pretzels

- 8 oz peanuts

- 3/4 cup butter

- 3/4 cup dark corn syrup

- 1 & 1/2 cups brown sugar

- 1 (12.6 oz) package peanut M&Ms

to make: lightly grease a large roasting pan. preheat oven to 250 degrees. 

in a large bowl, mix cereals, pretzels, and peanuts. in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and mix with dark corn syrup and brown sugar. pour the mixture over the cereal/pretzel/peanut mixture, and stir and shake until everything is coated. pour the coated mixture into the prepared roasting pan. cook for 1 hour in the preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes (note: do not forget this stirring step!). when it has finished cooking, stir in the peanut M&Ms.

cool on wax paper, and store in air tight container or zip locks.

***

rating on this one is a 9*********. it's a solid recipe (that can be modified a lot based on what cereal/nuts, etc you have on hand), it's delish, and easy as hell. love it.

recipe: pot sticker stir fry

tonight's (very quick!) dinner, inspired by the frozen pot stickers in the freezer. i'm sure homemade pot stickers would be lovely in it, but that doesn't work with with a 15-minute prep time.

ingredients list (for 2):

- 10 frozen pot stickers

- 1/3 box Thai rice noodles

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 2/3 cup water

- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced

- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced

- 1/2 onion, diced

- 1/4 cup carrots, thinly diced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 tsp red chili paste
- 1/4 cup lo-so soy sauce
- 1/4 cup hoisen sauce
- 1/4 cup green onion, diced
- toasted sesame seeds
- fresh cracked black pepper

*Edit 9/4/14: This stir fry recipe has come a staple in our house, in rotation about once a week (sometimes with pot stickers, other time just with meat - chicken, shrimp, leftover pork roast - anything goes). I've been adding in about 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder, and a few tbsp of teriyaki sauce into the sauce mixture - the extra sweetness/seasoning makes it ~just~ right.

to make: stir together red chili paste, soy sauce, and hoisen sauce in a small bowl.

bring a large pot of water to a boil. once boiling, remove from heat, add rice noodles, and let sit for 8 minutes until rice noodles are soft.

while rice noodles are cooking, add 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 2/3 cup water to a boil in a large wok/skillet over medium-high heat. add pot stickers, cover, and cook until water has evaporated and pot stickers start to turn golden brown. add red pepper, green pepper, onion, and carrots, and saute until vegetables are soft and start to turn golden. add garlic, ginger, and a touch of black pepper and cook for one minute. add sauce to the wok, and allow to cook for 1 minute. stir in noodles, and serve with green onion and sesame seeds for garnish.
***
for such a fast recipe, this was super-yum. it tasted like something you could legit order in an asian restaurant. next time i will probably add a little sweet (a little sugar into the sauce mix), but even without it was great. 7.5******~.

recipe: sugar cookies

had to go to a lil tot's birthday, so i needed a kiddie-friendly desert. i really enjoy a good sugar cookie, but it's not a cookie that i gorge myself on. since i'm re-trying to eat better, it seemed selfishly like a perfect dessert. haven't make sugar cookies in forever and honestly forgot what my go-to recipe(s) were for it, so i snagged one off allrecipes.com - appropriately named Sugar Cookies.

ingredients list:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 & 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- sprinkles, food coloring, or whatever you will be 'decoring with

to make: in a medium mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening, and sugar. add egg and vanilla, and mix until combined. combine flour, baking powder & baking soda, and gradually add to the creamed mixture.

mother of god i love sprinkles

either: 1) shape into 1-inch balls and roll into sugar or sprinkles, then place on prepared baking sheet, and flatten with a glass; or 2) divide dough in half, and add food coloring to one half. roll out into two long rectangles, then stack one sheet of dough onto the other. carefully roll into a long tube, then add sprinkes to the outside of the 'tube' (to do this put dough on waxed paper, pour on sprinkles, then keep rolling the dough around until covered). refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing and placing on the prepared baking sheet; OR 3) cookie cutter it!

bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
***
rating: yummy! this is a solid sugar cookie recipe... nice & crispy and just sugary enough. 7.5*******~.

national cheese doodle day

... is march 5! i found myself at the bottom of a bag of traditional Bachman Jacks cheese curls (it has been forever since i've had them - i've been over crunchy Cheeto'ed of late). like any major holiday i over ate and feel absolutely sick to my stomach now, but my god it was worth it. happy cheesy :o)

recipe: penne with vodka sauce

i LOVE penne vodka. oddly enough, even though it's super-easy i rarely make it. i made this last night along with my lil italian feast... i used the Penne with Spicy Vodka Tomato Sauce recipe from allrecipes.com, eliminating the sausage from the original recipe since i was making chicken with it. 

ingredients list:
- 1 lb uncooked penne pasta
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (note: this will be *spicy* penne. if you want traditional vodka sauce, i'd cut it at least in half)
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vodka
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

to make: bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, and add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes until done, then drain and set aside.

while pasta is cooking, in a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. add onion and cook until edges start to turn golden, adding garlic and red pepper for the last minute of cooking. add tomatoes and salt, and bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. add vodka and cream, and bring to a boil. reduce heat to low, simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add pasta and fresh parsley. toss and serve.
***
this was a great recipe, but although it said it was a 'spicy' vodka sauce, i didn't think it would be with a 1/2 tsp red pepper. well it was - i think because the pepper sautees for a minute all of the heat comes out. though i was craving traditional vodka sauce, it was still yum and this easily adjusted to taste for next time. this would be fantastic with a bit of panchetta added to the mix... so easy, so yum. i'd pop it a 7.5*******~.

recipe: stuffed roasted red pepper chicken

this was one of the first recipes i ever made, back in the hayday of our old apartment. it's super easy, but looks very cute when done. i don't think i've made it in over a year (or two?) so yesterday seemed like time to give it another run when i was feeling like making an italian din din. it's the Stuffed Chicken Valentino recipe from allrecipes.com, and looking back i think i made it verbatim from the original.

ingredients list:
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 3/4 tsp dried italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1 (6 oz) jar roast red peppers, drained
- 1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
- 4-6 tbsp mozzerella cheese, shredded
- salt & fresh pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil

to make: preheat oven to 350 degrees. slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise, leaving the halves attached on one side (open and laid flat, the chicken should now resemble a butterfly. i always have a horrible time slicing this and am lucky when it doesn't look like a butterfly with holes in it :-/ ) place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap, and pound flat.

combine parm cheese with italian seasoning and chives, and sprinkle over chicken breasts. at one end of each breast, place 3 strips of roasted pepper. top with 1-1.5 tbsp shredded cheese. roll each breast up, starting on the side with the peppers & cheese. insert a toothpick in each roll to prevent unrolling. place in prepared baking dish. season with salt & pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.

bake for 20 minutes, then set oven to broil and continue cooking for an additional 5 - 10 minutes. allow to sit a few minutes before serving.
***
this one is always yum. i use a little less italian seasoning than the recipe calls for since it's such a strong flavor, but i think even if that was switched out for garlic & onion powder and some paprika concoction that would be yum. rating 6.5******~ (it's delish, but not the MOST flavorful recipe ever. just a solid old go-to).

recipe: bruschetta

this is my fav bruschetta recipe - Double Tomato Bruschetta from allrecipes.com (tweaked slightly). the bread is just toasted (and soft) enough, and the balsamic / cheese / tomato / basil ratio is just right. the best part of it is that this doesn't have any giant hunks of ingredient on it that peel off all awkwardly when you try to eat it. i've had a lot of bruschetta that does that and it's just GD awkward, then it's all falling over your face.

ingredients list:
- 6 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, diced
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 french baguette
- 2 cups shredded mozz cheese

to make: in large bowl, combine all ingredients EXCEPT the baguette and mozz cheese. allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes; meanwhile, preheat oven to broiler setting.

cut baguette into 3/4 inch slices. arrange slices in single layer on baking sheet, then broil for 2 minutes, until slightly brown. add tomato mixture on top of each baguette slice, then top with mozz cheese. broil for 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
***
this is fav... always at least an 8 ********. 

Dunkin Donuts Angus Steak & Egg Sandwich

d&d breakfast sandwiches used to be a fav in my house... when you had a long night and were hung over, there was nothing more perfect than a delicious d&d breakfast sandwich to nurse you back to health. somewhere down the line, however, the bagels changed, the bagel -toasting- changed, the egg changed, and the sandwiches 100% lost all of their flavor and luster. a few months back i tried a sausage, egg & cheese and remember looking at my sandwich (which LOOKED tasty) and just yelling at it - i could not fathom how this delightful looking treat had NO flavor at all. i couldn't taste it! it was like eating fake display food - cardboard bagel, bland sausage, plastic cheese & sponge egg.


note: it comes on an onion bagel, but i'm partial
to the sesame since the sesame texture / flavor
compensates for the cardboardy bagel.

the commercials for the Angus Steak & Egg Sandwich are compelling... half of me yearned for the past, of a tasty d&d breakfast savior. so... tuesday morning after a long drive from albany to CT, i caved and hit up the d&d drive thru (with LESS than zero expectations). surprisingly, the steak actually has flavor. it might be a fake smoke seasoning, but there is something in it that was pretty tasty. the egg and cheese still got nothing, but it's at least a step in the right direction. don't open up the sandwich, because the appearance of the steak is just wrong... i have no idea what kind of meat concoction this is, but it is certainly not a verifiable steak. i think it has man-made striation?

striation meet sponge

the sandwich is worth having just once to satisfy curiosity (or if you are not within range of a deli to get a real breakfast sandwich). i would recommend ordering it WITHOUT the egg because the egg is SO tasteless and spongey it's flat out frightening - no doubt not worth ANY of the calories in it, nevermind the chemicals it is composed of (i would be shocked if that egg is anything over 5% natural egg). cheers. 3 ***.