Corned beef and cabbage with potatoes
AKA "Boiled Dinner"

Cooking time 3 - 3.5 hours, plan accordingly!

1 corned beef brisket, 3.5 - 4 lbs.
spice packet (contained with beef, or use 2 tsp. peppercorns and 2 bay leaves)
8-10 gold potatoes
1 large onion
1 head of cabbage
1 12-oz bottle of dark beer (Guinness, 1554, or similar)
1 large bunch of fresh parsley
1 stick of butter
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

In a large dutch oven or stock pot, place the beef brisket fat-side down. Add spice packet (if no packet is contained with the brisket, use 2 tsp peppercorns and 2 bay leaves). Pour in bottle of beer, then add water to generously cover the brisket. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cover.

Simmer brisket for two hours. Stir occasionally to turn beef for even cooking.

Meanwhile, wash and quarter potatoes, place in a large bowl and cover in cold water. Set aside. Remove outer leaves of cabbage head and quarter, retaining the stem/core to hold the leaves together. Set aside. Peel onion and cut into eighths. Set aside. Chop parsley leaves (not stems). Set aside.

After the brisket has simmered for two hours, add potatoes and enough water to cover. Return to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

At this point, add cabbage and onions. Add water to cover if necessary, return to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook 20 minutes.

Ensure potatoes and cabbage are tender - if not, add cooking time in five minute increments. Remove brisket and cut in slices against the grain. Remove cabbage and place in a covered dish to keep warm - dot with butter if desired. Place potatoes in a large bowl, add parsley, butter, and garlic, and toss to combine and melt the butter.

Serve corned beef with spicy mustard. Leftovers make great corned beef hash for breakfast the next morning!

Labels: recipe

Posted by Laura at 7:22 PM | Permalink | Comments

Bleu Cheese Spread

8 oz. cream cheese, room temp
6 oz. bleu cheese
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. grated onion
1-2 tbsp. mayonnaise (to taste)

Mix all ingredients together, adding the mayo 1/2 tbsp at a time until mixture is creamy. Serve over crackers or use to stuff celery stalks.

_{This stuff was a fixture during holidays at Grandma's. I will be the only person in my household who will eat it, and I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER.}

Labels: recipe

Posted by Laura at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments

I am, on occasion, dumb.

I've been sitting here for a few minutes, contemplating my excessively wired condition. I feel almost buzzed, except that I haven't indulged today at all. In alcohol, that is.

I had a cup of coffee this morning, and two diet pills. A cup of Irish Breakfast tea mid-morning. A Coke with lunch, and two more diet pills. And another cup of Irish Breakfast tea beside me right now.

Hello, caffeine buzz.

My friend Jen is a very very good friend. Her Christmas gifts to me included a clock to replace the one that was stolen from my desk at work, and a Chuckles, the Former Congressman 2008 Calendar (Dooce fans unite!). She also made an itty bitty pet photo album of my Flickr photos, on Snapfish. I heart Jen.

The clock has a temperature gauge. When I got to my desk this morning, it was reading 66.6 degrees. An ominous temperature. Right now it's 72.6 in my cubicle. And barely fifty degrees outside. Sweater weather has graduated to coat weather. Hallelujah.

I handed out packets of fudge to my co-workers yesterday. It has been proclaimed by many to be the richest, creamiest, sweetest, fudgiest fudge they have every had. Go forth and make some.

Lilly still hasn't sent me updated photos of Robert, Devlin and Roman. It looks like I shall have to drive over to Texas myself and beat her about the head and shoulders. Lilly, if you're reading this, consider yourself warned.

I have to make six tins of cookies to hand out as gifts next week. I want to have a variety of types; does anyone have any favorite Christmas cookie recipes that they'd like to share? I'm already making Magic Cookie Bars, Walnut Chews, Vanilla Rum Balls, Hershey's Kiss Cookies, and Chocolate Coconut Snowballs.

Hmm. On second thought, maybe I have enough variety. OH! I know. I'll make a batch of chocolate chip cookies... and I just hunted around on my website because I could SWEAR that I posted this recipe before, but I can't find it. Calvin, who is excessively picky about his cookies, raved over these (recipe courtesy of RecipeZaar):

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

36 cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1 (4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Combine flour and baking soda.
In a large bowl beat brown sugar, sugar, butter, shortening, pudding mix, vanilla, and almond extract.
Mix until well blended.
Add eggs and mix well.
Beat in the flour mixture.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded teaspoonful and bake 10-12 minutes.

Do not overcook! The cookies will still be soft when you remove them from the baking sheet, transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. There are limitless possibilities with this recipe - use chocolate pudding and caramel chips (our favorite), coconut pudding and white chocolate chips, or vanilla pudding with peanut butter chips. I also used a full cup of butter instead of 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening, and it turned out just fine.

Labels: journal, recipe

Posted by Laura at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments

I took these recipes from "Baking Illustrated", rather than going with my usual recipes. Cook's Illustrated gets all scientific and technical with their recipes, which is the origin of some of the rather odd instructions below.

Pumpkin Pie

1 9" pie dough
2 cups plain canned pumpkin puree
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
4 large eggs

TO PREPARE THE PIE SHELL: Transfer rolled dough to a 9-inch pie plate, easing dough into pan corners by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand and gently pressing into the pan bottom with the other. Trim and flute the dough edges. REFRIGERATE the dough-lined pie plate for 40 minutes then FREEZE for 20 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 375 degrees. Remove the pie pan from the freezer. Press a doubled 12-inch piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil into the inside of the pie tin, fold the edges over to protect the fluted edge. Distribute two cups of ceramic or metal pie weights (I use pennies) over the foil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove foil and weights and continue baking for another 5-6 minutes, or until crust is lightly golden.

TO PREPARE THE FILLING:

1. Process pumpkin puree, brown sugar, spices, and salt in a food processor (or use hand mixer) for 1 minute, until combined. Transfer the pumpkin mixture to a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring it to a sputtering simmer over medium-high heat. Cook the pumpkin, stirring constantly, until thick and shiny, about 5 minutes.

2. As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, adjust oven rack to the lowest position and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Whisk heavy cream and milk into the pumpkin and bring to a bare simmer. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl until combined, then mix in the pumpkin mixture in batches.

3. Immediately pour warm filling into hot pie shell (ladle any excess filling into the pie after it has baked for five minutes - by this time the filling will have settled). Bake pie until filling is puffed, dry-looking, and slightly cracked around the edges. The center will wiggle like gelatin when the pie is gently shaken. About 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least an hour.


Apple Pie

2 9" pie doughs
2 tbsp flour
3 lg Granny Smith apples
4 lg McIntosh apples
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon zest
3/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tbsp
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg white, beaten lightly

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on it and heat oven to 500 degrees. Transfer one rolled dough to a 9-inch pie plate, easing dough into pan corners by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand and gently pressing into the pan bottom with the other.

2. Peel, quarter, core, and slice apples into 1/4 inch slices. Toss with lemon juice and zest. In a medium bowl, mix 3/4 cup sugar, flour, spices, and salt. Toss dry ingredients with apples. Turn fruit mixture and juices into pie shell and mound slightly in the center.

3. Fit the second piece of rolled dough over the filling. Trim, seal, and flute the edges. Cut 4 slits in the dough top. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with remaining tbsp of sugar.

4. Place the pie on the baking sheet in the oven and reduce the temperature to 425 degrees. Bake until top is golden, about 25 minutes. Rotate the pie front to back and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Continue baking for 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 4 hours.


So I met with general success with the apple pie, and not-so-good success with the pumpkin. You will see, even though I did the weights thing, that the crust still shrank. Feh, I'm sure it'll still taste good.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!

Labels: recipe

Posted by Laura at 2:50 PM | Permalink | Comments

World War II Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

The name is derived from the time that eggs, butter and shortening were rationed. Hence the innovation of the mayo. This is from the "America's Best Lost Recipes" cookbook.

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup water

Frosting:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup confectioners' sugar

1. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch square baking pan. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda in medium bowl.

2. Stir the mayonnaise, granulated sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the water and stir until combined. Whisk in the flour mixture until incorporated. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely in the pan, at least 45 minutes.

3. FOR THE FROSTING: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the brown sugar and bring to a boil. Boil until the mixture begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Then, off the heat, carefully stir in the milk. Return to a boil, then remove from the heat to cool until just warm, about 30 minutes. Stir in the confectioners' sugar and spread the icing evenly over the cake. The cake can be stored at room temperature for up to three days.

Here's the finished product, I ended up having to bake it about 43 minutes before the center was set:

Labels: recipe

Posted by Laura at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments

I'm having to re-write this entry because I accidentally hit the "back" button on my browser and STOOPID BLOGGER didn't save a draft. Dammit.

Anyway. Tonight is happy hour at Kona Grill with some work cronies. Tomorrow is Grown Up Responsibility Day with the cleaning and the yardwork. Tonight is the Suns Game (though basketball takes a back seat to football until February), tomorrow is the ASU vs. Oregon game, and Sunday is the Patriots vs. Colts game.

I love this time of year. I just wish that it felt more like fall. It's supposed to be in the mid- to high-80's all weekend and all next week. Which is nothing to grouse about, I'm sure, especially with the protests I can hear coming from my loyal readers of chillier climes. Still, my KINGDOM for just ONE day of sweater-weather.

The cooking extravaganza continues. Last night I made a Tamale Pie that was really good, except that it was so spicy that even I, the girl who eats nacho-sliced jalapenos by the handful, was reaching for the water. It falls under the category of "make again", though next time I'll cut back on the chipolte peppers and the adobo sauce.

Chipolte Tamale Pie
(modified from the recipe from RecipeZaar)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 chipotle chiles (found in the Mexican food area of the grocery store), chopped, *plus*
1 teaspoon adobo sauce, from canned chipotle in adobo
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 (8 1/2 ounce) package cornbread mix (such as Jiffy)
1 egg
1/3 cup milk

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Spray an 8-inch baking or casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, green peppers, and garlic and cook until transparent and softened.
- Add the ground beef and cook until it no longer pink and is cooked through. Drain off any excess fat and sprinkle the meat mixture with the cumin.
- Add the beans, tomatoes, chiles and adobo sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until heated through and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Remove pan from the heat and stir in the cheese and cilantro.
- Spread the beef mixture in the prepared baking dish, pressing down on it with the back of a spoon or spatula to make an even, compact layer.
- Combine the cornbread mix with milk and egg (note: this will NOT be according to package directions) and spread the cornbread batter over the beef mixture.
- Bake until the cornbread is golden-brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the tamale pie stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

I have the week of Thanksgiving off (two work-provided days, three vacation days) and plan to alternate between cooking a new dessert recipe and a new dinner recipe each day. I shall surely post the results herein. To aid me in this endeavor, I have recently purchased several new cookbooks, namely Cover and Bake, America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, Baking Illustrated, and America's Best Lost Recipes.

Calvin's family (the only family we have here in AZ) hasn't mentioned what the Grand Turkey Day Plans are, but rest assured I'll be conducting my usual Gastronomical Culinary Extravaganza at home.

I've used the word "extravaganza" twice (now three times). That's a good entry, right there.

Aaaand then after Thanksgiving I'm going on a full-out Cooking Strike until it's time to "Kill the Wobsters!" (think Elmer Fudd ala "What's Opera, Doc?") at Christmas. An Animal Planet tradition since 1998!

Labels: food, home, journal, recipe

Posted by Laura at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments

Today I discovered that it takes fifty-three minutes and forty-three seconds on the elliptical machine at an average heart rate of 155 beats per minute to burn five hundred calories.

The final television lineup looks like this: Sunday - Californication. Monday - usually occupied watching DVR'd shows. Tuesday - How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Bones, Reaper (the jury is still out on Journeyman). Wednesday - Private Practice, Pushing Daisies. Thursday - Grey's Anatomy, CSI (the jury is still out on Big Shots). Friday - the jury is still out on Moonlight. When they start up again I will still watch Battlestar Galactica and Medium. And I'm probably forgetting about seven different shows.

Officially given up on: Heroes (it's not holding my interest this season, which sucks considering how much I loved it last season), Criminal Minds (no Mandy, no us), Dirty Sexy Money, Bionic Woman.

Several recipes have been added to the "Make Again" repertoire of my ever-picky family. All come courtesy of RecipeZaar.

Chicago Italian Beef (Crock Pot)

5 lbs rump roast (do not substitute for a different type roast)
2 cans (~28-30 oz) beef broth
1 package good seasons italian seasoning
1/2 - 1 jar sliced pepperoncini peppers (depending on level of spiciness desired)
1/2 - 1 jar giardiniera (a jarred pepper/veggie medley found in the pickle section of the grocery store)
3-5 sweet green peppers
1 loaf long thin French bread

- Cook first 5 ingredients in a Crockpot on LOW for 18 hours.
- Turn over at the 6th and 12th hour interval.
- At the 17th hour cut sweet green peppers into 1/8 ths lengthwise and cook in water on low heat until soft.
- Cut bread into 6 inch lengths and slice on the side lengthwise.
- Pull roast apart with a fork, and using tongs, pile bread with meat and juice. (Do not let juice drain before putting on bread. The juice is half the taste of the sandwich.)
- Lay strips of green pepper on top of the meat. Salt to taste.
- May be frozen when cooked.

For us, we skipped the green peppers, added sliced provolone to the sandwich and I added jarred roasted red peppers for myself. Very messy and good!

Creeping Crust Cobbler

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fruit (canned, fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup white sugar (if using canned fruit, this can be omitted, since the fruit will be sweet enough on it's own)

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- While oven starts to preheat, place butter (or margarine) in an 8"x8" pan, and place in oven to melt butter.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, 3/4 cup sugar and milk. Mix well to combine.
- Remove pan from oven and pour batter mixture on top of melted butter - **DO NOT MIX TOGETHER!**
- In a small saucepan, heat fruit and 1/2 cup sugar until warmed and a syrup forms of the sugar, and gently spoon fruit mixture over batter.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

This seemed to be a hit with Calvin, who is very particular about his cobblers. We used two cups of frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries) and served with vanilla ice cream.

Jambalaya (Crock Pot)

12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups green peppers, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14 ounce) can whole tomatoes
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 can (15 oz) beef broth
1 tablespoon parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lb shelled raw shrimp
3 cups cooked rice

- Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces.
- Put all ingredients (EXCEPT shrimp and rice) in crockpot.
- Cover; cook on low for 8 hours.
- Add shrimp the last 20 minutes of cooking.
- Stir in rice before serving.

I used two cans of chicken breast as we didn't have any packaged chicken, and it turned out really well. I stirred a tablespoon of sour cream into my serving.

Cheese Enchilada Chowder (Crock Pot)

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (10 ounce) package frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers (red, yellow, or green)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, and finely chopped
1 (19 ounce) can green enchilada sauce
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
guacamole
tortilla chips

- Add the black beans, tomatoes, frozen corn, onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper to a 4 quart slow-cooker; stir to combine.
- In a mixing bowl, add the enchilada sauce and cream soup; whisk together.
- Gradually whisk in the milk until mixture is smooth.
- Pour over vegetables in slow-cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW heat for 6-8 hours.
- Add cheese and stir until melted.
- Ladle hot soup into individual serving bowls and top with sour cream, guacamole and broken tortilla chips if desired.

I added a can of chunked chicken breast to the pot to give it some meat. I also added a small handful of jarred jalapeno slices (nacho style), and probably more cheese than the recipe called for. Calvin added a couple of spoonfuls of refried beans to his serving. We omitted the guacamole completely as it is EVIL.

Labels: food, Op:Goddess, recipe, TV

Posted by Laura at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments

Hi gang. The holidays are coming (and the British, too!), have you heard? Fifty-six days until Thanksgiving, eighty-nine days until Christmas. The cooler weather (hah, and today it's 96 here in the A to tha Zona) always inspires me to cook more. I have a bunch of tried and true recipes that I consistently cycle through, and a bunch more in my Grandmother's recipe book that I have yet to try out. But I always like to ask readers to share with me. So if you have any favorite recipes that you'd like to share, e-mail them to me. Thanks!

Labels: misc, recipe

Posted by Laura at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments

Bag O' Veggies

Now this is weird. Blogger isn't letting me enter test into the title field of the post template this morning. How strange.

I picked up the first batch of veggies from the agricultural co-op this morning.



What we have here is spaghetti squash (which I've never had and I'm making for lunch), "specialty" squash (no clue), "specialty" cucumber (that "specialty" label worries me), cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, basil, garlic, leeks, and carrots.

I'm using a recipe I got off of RecipeZaar for the spaghetti squash:

Properly Prepared Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash
1 head garlic
salt
pepper
olive oil
vegetable oil
vegetables or meat or cheese

- Preheat oven to 350-375.
- Halve raw spaghetti squash with a sturdy sharp knife, scoop out, and discard the squash poop with a spoon. (Editor's note: "Squash poop"! BWAA!)
- Place halves onto an oven safe cooking dish face up.
- Clean head of garlic and thinly slice garlic, (the larger pieces of garlic brown nicely, and offer a wonderful layer of complexity to the dish).
- Spread garlic into the bowl like shape of the squash, salt and pepper vigorously, drizzle with a 50/50 mixture of olive oil, and vegetable oil (get the oil everywhere inside the squash).
- Place onto the upper middle rack of the oven for about 30-40 minutes. (You will know it is ready when the squash separates with little resistance from the skin).
- Remove from oven, and place in coldest location possible for at least 20 minutes, before separating from skin.
- Use a fork to scoop and separate squash strands, add any other ingredients you like at this point. Parmesan, Romano, or Pecorino, Feta, are all excellent additions to this dish, as well as, meat, sausage, veggies, olives, the list is endless.
- WARNING **** If you use a loose tomato based sauce DO NOT add it immediately to the squash; this makes the squash runny, mushy, and unpalatable. Instead garnish the dish with a little bit of sauce atop the squash, and then offer more sauce on the side, in a separate dish.

Also included with the bag 'o veggies was a recipe for a veggie casserole that I will probably try sometime this week (credit to the co-op for this recipe):

Tomato, Leek & Potato Bake

1 1/2 lbs potatoes
2 leeks, sliced
3 tomatoes, sliced
3 fresh rosemary sprigs, crushed
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 1/4 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease a five cup shallow ovenproof dish.
- Scrub and thinly slice the potatoes, layer them with leeks and tomatoes in the dish, scattering some rosemary between the layers and ending with a layer of potatoes.
- Add the garlic to the stock, stir in the salt if needed and pepper to taste, then pour over the veggies.
- Brush the top layer of potatoes in olive oil.
- Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours until the potatoes are tender and topping is golden and slightly crisp.

Labels: food, recipe

Posted by Laura at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments