Happy St Patty’s Day

My family loves to celebrate anything! This year we celebrated St Patrick’s Day on Saturday night so we could have the yummy hash on Sunday morning! Matthew and Claire added e green mugs and we all got decorative socks to wear. My Saturday was spent out of  the house at our gallery so I decided to try the convenience of the crockpot this year. It worked out great, I tossed the meat in at 8 am and by dinner it was perfect.
I learned a long time ago from our Irish housekeeper ( that’s what we called the cleaning lady way back when) to add a pinch of baking soda to the cabbage boiling water to prevent the smell and add tenderness, works every time.
About two hours before dinner I added the carrots and potatoes to the crockpot with the meat.
Then about 1/2 hour before dinner I took a few large ladlefulls of the broth from the crockpot and added it to a pot on the stove with water and cooked my cabbage.
Let the corned beef rest covered out of the cooking liquid for 20 minutes and then dinner was served.

Crock Pot Corned Beef

If you tie the pickling spice in a cheesecloth bundle your guests won’t have to pick out peppercorns and crushed bay leaves!

5 lb brined and washed brisket
One yellow onion quartered
1 Bay leaf
2 tbs bacon grease (if you have it)
Water
3 tbs pickling spice wrapped in cheesecloth x 2

1 lb carrots, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
3 red potatoes, skin on cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 small heads Irish cabbage, quartered
Pinch baking soda

Add onion and bay leaf to pot. Add beef, fat side up. Fill almost all the way to the top with cool water.
Cook on low covered for 8 hours. After 8 hours or so add one bundle of spices, carrots and potatoes.
1/2 hr before dinner remove about 2 cups of cooking water and add to a pot with a pinch of baking soda. Add water half way up pot, bring to a boil and add second spice bundle and cabbage. Cook covered on medium until cabbage is tender but not limp. Remove the beef from the crockpot, cover with foil and rest 15-20 min.
Drain all veggies, slice meat and serve.

Breakfast

Sunday morning I made green waffles and corned beef hash with poached eggs!

Husband wore a silly tie to breakfast (he never wears a tie)  and Kidlet wore a funny headband with Irish top hats. I unfortunately got so involved in making breakfast that I got pinched for not wearing green!

 

St. Patty’s Day – Lucky Breakfast!

The corned beef is in, and the dog is dressed! We always try to make holidays fun but today I was under-prepared! We made it happen though, I did manage to grab a corned beef and some cabbage at the store late last night.

The leprechaun trap was robbed during the night!!! Claire was thrilled and disappointed, that little rapscallion ran off with the Hershey’s Kiss, some chocolate gelt, a golden Spanish coin, some car wash tokens, and quarter.

I knew Matthew had some special gifts for Claire today. I keep telling him St. Paddy’s day is NOT A GIFT GIVING HOLIDAY but he don’t listen and I really wouldn’t want it another way. Daddy always comes through, today with a Sixpence from England for Claire to end a week of foreign money acquisition. He has given her old money all week, it started with ancient Roman coins and ended with a Sixpence. There were shamrock covered pencils, clover necklaces and a very cool Clover Hot Wheel car.

My job was to make breakfast today and like I said I was un prepared but I did have fixings for pancakes!

What else is the perfect breakfast on St’ Paddy’s day besides beer (which my daughter will not be having) but clover shaped pancakes? You can adapt this recipe for any holiday but today it is all about the green.

Green Clover Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• green food coloring.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth. Add a few drops of green food coloring. (if you don’t have green use yellow with a tiny tiny drop of blue)
2. Pour the batter into a bottle with a spout such as a ketchup bottle or a squeeze bottle for sauces. Something with a small hole that you can squeeze.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.
4. Squeeze 3 to 4 connected dots the size of quarters or a little larger, add a stem to look like a clover.
5. cook through, serve with butter and syrup.