Repost - Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage for Irish Month!

Yes, it's March. Just in time for St. Paddy's Day, we're doing a Crock-Pot full of Corn Beef and Cabbage in all its Irish Goodness. I thought it was a good day to repost this. Enjoy!

Corned Beef And Cabbage
1 to 1 1/2 lb corned beef roast
8 small white potatoes quartered (or 2-3 large russet cut into squares)
4-5 carrots cut into one-inch pieces
1 onion quartered
2 Cloves garlic chopped cored and then cut into 8ths.
4 cups water (substitute one cup for Jameson, optional)
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste.

Spray pot with cooking spray. Place corn beef roast into the pot and add 1

cup of whiskey (or water). Add Potatoes around the edge, then cover the roast with the carrots and onions. Add salt, pepper, and sugar and cook on high for 4 hours. Add cabbage over the top and cook additional 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high.

Serve with Soda bread and a Jameson and Ginger with a lime cocktail.

Enjoy!

Breakfast casserole

This is perfect for having people over for brunch, add some mimosas and you're set to relax. 

Breakfast Casserole

2 12 oz. bags Shredded Hash browns

1/2                 Onion chopped

2                    Sweet peppers chopped 

1 lb.               Ground sausage (hot) browned

12-16 LG.        Eggs

1/2 cup          Heavy cream

1 12 oz.          Shredded Cheese

1 cube            Real butter sliced

Salt & Pepper to taste**

Spray a 9 x12 inch pan then slice the butter and sprinkle over the bottom. Lay the hash browns on the bottom. Mix the onions and peppers into the potatoes. Salt and pepper. Sprinkle the browned sausage over the potatoes. Sprinkle half the bag of cheese. Cover and put in the fridge. 

Whip the eggs along with the cream until thoroughly mixed. Salt and pepper to taste. cover and put in the fridge. 

In the morning heat oven to 350 degrees. Put the potato mixture in the preheated oven. bake for 20 minutes. Remove and pour eggs over the top equally. Bake for 15 minutes and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and bake for 10 more minutes. 

** For spicier add one chopped jalapeno to potatoes with the onions and sweet peppers. In the eggs sprinkle dried chili. 

January Soup

January Soup - serves about 8 

Perfect for left over ham!

Boil the ham off the bone. Save half of the broth. Cut the ham up and set aside. 

1 can        Northern white beans

2 cups      Chicken broth (approx. the same as 

                 the left over broth)

1               Sweet potato or Yam peeled and 

                 diced

2 Sm         Red potatoes peeled and diced

2               Jalapeno's sliced (optional)

1               Zucchini diced

7-8           Green beans, ends pinched off and cut into quarters

1/2            White onion diced

4 cloves    Garlic sliced and cut in half

3 - 4          Carrots peeled and cut in chunks. 

1/2 Cup     Frozen peas

Salt, pepper, turmeric to taste, then approx. 1 tbsp. oregano and basil.

All the vegetables are options, use what you like. Add everything to the pot except beans and peas. Bring to boil and then turn down to simmer for 3 hours. Then add peas and beans and simmer another hour or until everything is tender. Quantities may be adjusted to the amount of ham you have to boil. This recipe is a nice easy one for winter and there are usually a lot of left overs. 

Homemade cranberry sauce

 Homemade Cranberry Sauce

1 12 oz.     Cranberries frozen or fresh

1 cup        White wine

1/2 cup      Sugar

1 tbsp.         Lemon juice

This is the simplest recipe ever. And it's delicious.  You can substitute orange juice for the wine, but I've never made it that way, I'm sure it's good. Bring the wine to a boil and stir in sugar and lemon juice. When it's dissolved add the cranberries.  Bring to a boil and turn to medium low. Then cook for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally
. Keep lid on while it cools, it will thicken. Add more or less sugar to taste. 

Chicken and potatoes skillet and salad

 I am ready for the heat to go away, gut this summer salad to go with our skillet dinner was refreshing in the heat. 

Chicken and Potatoes for Two

2 thin sliced chicken breasts

1/2            Onion cut into large pieces

1 sm. bag  Teeny Tiny potatoes

1 tbsp.      Garlic Oil

1               Fire roasted Pepper cut into pieces

2               Thick pepper bacon sliced into pieces

4               White mushrooms sliced

1 tsp         Oregano

1 tsp         Basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown chicken in skillet. Place in a warming dish or in the oven on the lowest temperature. Add the vegetables to the skillet place lid on and cook for about 10 minutes on medium. Stir occasionally. Add the chicken breasts on top and cover for another 10 minutes. Cook longer if needed. 

**Oregano and Basil can be substituted with Italian seasoning.

Salad (easy)

2            Cucumbers peeled and diced.

1            Tomato diced

1/4 cup  Purple onion diced

2 tbsp.    Italian Dressing or Balsamic vinegar 

Salt and Pepper to taste

Stir together thoroughly. 

Sweet and Spicy Squash Soup

 It's that time of year. Yummy creamy soups for fall. 

Sweet and Spicy Squash Soup approx. 6 - 8 servings

2                Baked Butternut squash

2                Baked Kobocha squash

1                Jalapeno diced 

2 clove      Garlic diced

1/4             Onion diced

1 or 2         Pair peeled and cut up

1 or 2         Plums peeled and cut up

3 cups        Chicken broth 

1 1/2 cups Half & Half

1 tsp          Black Pepper

1 tsp          Cumin

1 tsp          Cinnamon

1 tsp          Oregano

1 tsp          Salt

1 tbsp.       Olive Oil

Slice the squash in half and clean out the seeds. Put them flesh side up and brush with a little oil and then salt and pepper. Bake on 400 degrees for about an hour. I bake mine the night before. Scoop out all of the flesh put in the bowl cover and cool over night. The skin of the squash is very thin, you may need to hand peal a bit off. 

In a big pot put the olive oil in and heat. Add the minced pepper, onion, and garlic and sauté until tender. Add the fruit cook until tender. Mash together. Stir the squash in. As it warms alternate half and half with the broth until used. Depending how big the squash are. you may need to use more liquid. 

Mash until it is as smooth as you can get it. Simmer for 10 minutes stirring frequently. Then use a cup or measuring cup to put in the blender to puree. Then simmer another 10 to 20 minutes. Serve with rolls or breadsticks. 

Southwestern Turkey & Pasta Skillet

 I'm playing with my skillet a lot lately. And this one turned out far better than I thought it would. It's for two (though we did have about 1/2 serving left over)

Southwestern Turkey & Pasta Skillet for two 

1/2 lb         Ground Turkey

1/2             Jalapeno chopped

2 cloves     Garlic chopped

1                 Tomato (or two) chopped

1/2 can      Black beans drained

1/2 can      Corn drained

1/4 cup      Onion chopped

4 ounces    Dry Fusilli Pasta (cooked per directions)

1/4 tsp.      Cayenne pepper (optional)

1/2 tsp       Chili powder

Italian seasoning, Salt, Pepper to taste.

Spray the skillet with non-stick spray. Have burner on medium heat. Add in the jalapeno, garlic, and onion cook until tender. Crumble in the ground turkey and cook until starting to brown. Add in the rest of the ingredients, with the exception of the pasta. 

While turkey mixture is cooking, in a separate pan prepare pasta per the instructions. Cook until el dente (almost done) add to the skillet. Turn to low and simmer until the pasta is fully cooked. 

Serve with rolls or a salad. White or sparkling wine pairs well.