An Irish & Irish-Like Feast

When St. Patrick's Day rolls around, I do try my best to serve up something that is authentic to Irish cuisine...or at least Irish-like.

I'm not sure why Americans cannot seem to grasp that corned beef is NOT Irish, but it has to stop!

I have had people shocked that I don't like corned beef. They figure if you have Irish decent within you, then you should enjoy some corned beef. Sorry folks...that stuff makes me gag. But I can enjoy some serious potatoes!

However, when St. Paddy's Day rolled around, I have been searching for a recipe to fix that everyone will actually enjoy. Much of the meat eaten in Ireland is generally pork or lamb. I haven't found a lot of lamb around here, and we have a non-pork eater. So I had to revert to beef. Not corned beef, but a good brisket. I know beef is more rare, but I found this Irish-pub style orange beef recipe that I was hoping would go over. (recipe HERE)

You know what? We only had 2 slices of beef left...so the dog got to enjoy some St. Paddy's Day fare, too! I think I want to add a bottle of Irish ale to the liquid in the cooking process, next time, for an added layer of Irish flavor.

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I also made some colcannon for the first time! And I did mostly use this recipe, HERE, that I found. But I did change up a couple of things, so here's what I did with the colcannon:

IRISH COLCANNON

Ingredients:

3 lb Yukon or buttery potatoes (I found golden butter potatoes)
1/2 C cabbage slaw mix (mine included green cabbage, red cabbage & carrot)
1/4 C kale leaves, chopped or torn into pieces (I've also used turnip greens)
2 T dried chives
1 stick butter
1/4 C buttermilk
sea salt
white pepper


Directions:

~ Rinse & lightly scrub potatoes

~ Cut each potato into 6-8 cubed pieces - I left the skins on for texture & as a time-saver ( like the more rustic feel & look, anyway)

~ Place the pieces into a large pot, cover with water

~ Bring the water to a boil & then turn down to simmer until potatoes are tender

~ When potatoes are tender, drain the water & transfer potatoes to sprayed lazy cooker insert

~ Add the other ingredients to the potatoes in the lazy cooker, close the lid & set on high for about 2-4 hours

~ After 2-4 hours of cooking, lightly smash & stir the potato mixture until blended, but still chunky

~ Serve


I want to tell you that this has a taste like a loaded baked potato. Just add some bacon bits & cheese...and BOOM! Loaded smashed potatoes! These were a total hit! I was SO happy with how it turned out.

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I also offered up some slaw. I have tried to modify a tried & true sweet slaw recipe...but it never turned out quite right.

Since we were having some family over to enjoy the meal, I decided to have 2 slaws on hand. We found a great KFC copycat recipe on Pinterest (recipe HERE), and I have since handed it over to my daughter to make. She does a GREAT job with it!

But I know there's a mustard-dill slaw that is very Irish. So I found a very workable slaw recipe (HERE) to make a non-sweet slaw. And I did make my own modifications, plus I didn't need as much as the recipe called for.

Sweet KFC copycat slaw, above; mustard-dill-vinegar slaw, below

MUSTARD DILL VINEGAR SLAW

Ingredients:

1 bag cabbage slaw mix
1/8 C minced onion
2 T garlic powder
3/4 C Miracle Whip with olive oil
1/4 C French's honey dijon mustard
1/4 C distilled white vinegar
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
3 T white wine vinegar
3 T buttermilk
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1/8 t celery seed
2 T dried dill weed


Directions:

~ In a large bowl (preferably with a tight lid), place all ingredients except the slaw mix, stir well

~ Add in the slaw mix to the bowl

~ If you have a lid for the bowl, close the lid & shake it up very well
~ If you do not have a lid for your bowl, mix with a large spoon very well & then cover with foil or plastic wrap

~ place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving...but is better if done a day before

~ Serve


I placed my slaw in a great pottery dish that I used for my Irish Bread & Butter Pudding (recipe HERE). It was actually very good! If you do not like a sweet slaw...try this one!! It has pretty good bite to it, too!

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I was truly disappointed that I did not have time to make traditional Irish soda bread. Something had to be cut when I tried to make some oatmeal cookies. Something went horribly wrong with the cookie recipe, apparently, and they melted all over the inside of the oven. I had to stop baking operations to cool & clean the oven, so it cut into times to get food done. I was bummed!

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Irish Cream Apple Cake & Erin's Lush Pie

However, I had to make dessert! So I did my Irish-inspired apple cake (recipe HERE) & the glaze (recipe HERE) to go with it. But I, also, wanted to make my mom's tried & true St. Patrick's Day dessert go-to. I've seen it listed places as Pistachio Pudding Dessert (or something along those lines), but I grew up with it being called Erin's Lush. However...I had no time to bake the crust. So...I cheated it a bit & made it into a pie!

Slice of Irish Cream Apple Cake & a slice of Erin's Lush Pie

ERIN'S LUSH PIE

Ingredients:

1 large pre-made graham cracker crust
2 small packages pistachio pudding mix
2 C Irish Cream Creamer
1 8 oz cream cheese brick, softened
1 8 oz tub whipped topping, divided
1 C powdered sugar
2 T crushed pistachio nuts, divided
1 T almonds sliced


Directions:

~ In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar & 1 C of the whipped topping together

~ along the bottom of the graham cracker crust, sprinkle about 1/2 of the crushed pistachio nuts

~ Carefully spread about 1/2 - 3/4 of the cream cheese mixture, evenly, on the bottom of the crust (if some of the nuts get mixed with the cream cheese mixture, it is fine)

~ In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk both pistachio pudding mixes & the Irish cream creamer well, for about 2 minutes

~ Carefully add the pudding mixture on top of the cream cheese layer in the graham crust

~ Add what is left of the whipped topping with what is left of the unused cream cheese mixture & blend together

~ Carefully spread the whipped topping mixture on top of the pudding layer in the pie crust

~ Take the almond slices & what is left of the crushed pistachio nuts & evenly sprinkle on top of the whipped topping layer

~ Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow to fully set

~ Serve


This pie is so decadent & fantastic! I did use pistachio nuts because of the pudding & they are green in color. I also used almond slices because they are my favorite. You can also use pecans &/or walnuts, instead.

This was SO good! And so easy!

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Some of the 21 & over aged kids did enjoy some Irish Ale from Boulevard, too.

I hope this has inspired your future Irish meals. Open your minds a bit & know you don't have to eat green potatoes with corned beef & cabbage to be considered an Irish meal.

I have a few other things that are Irish or Irish-inspired, HERE, also.

ENJOY!

Pantry Who Hash - Lazy Cooker

Almost a year ago, I did Roast Beast Who Hash (recipe HERE) for Dr. Seuss' birthday. I made it after realizing no one else had a recipe for an actual Seuss-based hash! So, I had to come up with something!

As it turned out, my family actually kind of liked it! SCORE!

And then I was so excited when my hubby wanted me to make a version of it for Halloween! So...after some thought & and his considerations, I made a couple of slight changes to make it Beastly Boo Hash (recipe HERE).

I don't make it too often, but it was really awesome when my kids were so pretty OK when I needed a lazy cooker meal for a busy Sunday & I decided to pull out the Who Hash. YEA!

But I thought I'd bring it down a bit. I was out of cider (*ugh*) & needed to save some money, plus I figured I needed to try to pull more of what was in the pantry than going out to get specific things...

So...here's what I did (and my line of thinking):

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PANTRY WHO HASH - LAZY COOKER

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef, brown & mostly drained
1/4 C minced onion OR 1 small onion, diced
1 lb potatoes, quartered (including a small sweet potato in about 1 inch pieces)
4 C bell pepper (any or mixed color), diced OR frozen bell peppers
1/2 C water
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
1 envelope apple cider mix
1 T liquid smoke (optional)
3 T worchestershire sauce
2 beef bouillon cubes
approx. 1/2 bag of frozen hash browns


Directions:

Brown meat in a skillet, add the onions (I used dried minced onions), drain & allow to set. I didn't rinse mine to keep in more flavor, but you may rinse it to keep it on the healthier side, if desired.

Spray the inside of the lazy cooker insert.

Add the meat & the veggies (I used fresh bell pepper, but usually have frozen pepper strips on hand).

Pour the water over the meat & veggies.

Empty the onion soup mix, ranch dressing mix & cider mix envelopes to the lazy cooker.

Add in the liquid smoke (if using) & the worchestershire sauce.

Place the bouillon cubes in with the other ingredients.

Give a good stir, then close the lid & allow to simmer on low for 6-8 hours.

An hour before serving, add in the hash browns, stir & allow to cook on low for another hour.

Serve.

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If you use mostly frozen & dried ingredients, there is very little work involved! Just browning up the meat & cutting up potatoes would be the closest grunt work for the meal.

You can fry up an egg to place on top, if you'd like...or just get ready to serve it with your favorite bread.

And, just another way to change up your Dr. Seuss celebration or your Halloween meal...plus makes it even easier!

You're welcome.

ENJOY!

Beastly Boo Hash - Lazy Cooker

Halloween.

It's my favorite holiday! Hands down!

I love pretty much everything about Halloween. (read about it HERE...and read this one so that more of this post makes sense)

And, since I love to celebrate pretty much everything (find out why HERE), I really wanted to try to find a fitting dinner for Halloween for the family. But I wanted something not too weird, but still holiday appropriate.

As I was meal planning for the week, while prepping for a trip to the grocery store, I just needed one more meal. That one perfect Halloween meal. Because of timing & schedules, I figured something in the lazy cooker would work out best. So I had thought about recreating my Roast Beast Who Hash (recipe HERE), but was iffy on it. So I was discussing with my hubby what that Halloween dinner...

...and then I was shocked about what he said!

I'm obviously rubbing off on him when he read my mind, but twisted it:
He said, "What if we have your Who Hash, but call it Boo Hash (or something like it) with a couple small changes somehow?"

*GASP* I was so proud of him in that moment!
But he had a stipulation that it couldn't change too much...cuz he really likes the Who Hash!

So I got thinking. And here's what I came up with for a Halloween tweak to Who Hash:

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BEASTLY BOO HASH - Lazy Cooker

Ingredients:

2 lb stew meat, browned & mostly drained
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 envelope ranch seasoning mix
1 lb (apprx) purple potatoes, diced or quartered, and even a small sweet potato cut to 1 inch pieces
1/2 C cider or apple juice (I used cider)
1 beef bouillon cube
3 T worchestershire sauce
6-8 oz frozen hash browns


Directions:

Coat the lazy cooker insert with cooking spray

Brown the stew meat slightly, drain mostly, and place meat into the lazy cooker

Add the diced peppers, onion & potatoes on top of the meat

Sprinkle the contents of the onion soup mix & ranch seasoning envelopes over the veggies

Pour cider & worchestershire into the lazy cooker, then add the bouillon cube

Stir it all up, cover & cook on low for 6-8 hours...do NOT open the lid until the next step

About 1 hour before serving, add the hash browns, stir, cover the lazy cooker again, set the lazy cooker to high & allow to cook thru

When all cooked thru, stir thoroughly & serve

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OK, I could not get a whole pound of purple potatoes. I was very disappointed. So I had to settle getting a couple of 1 & a half pound bags of Klondike Mix potatoes & pulled out the purple ones. I probably ended up with about 2/3 of a pound. But I was determined to get those purple potatoes in there!! And next time, I want to add in the sweet potato pieces. (first wash & scrub them - I'd still leave the skin on, but you can remove the skin before cutting up)

Side Note:
I put the rest of the potato varieties to the side so I could boil them, mash them & color them green to make Monster Mash Potatoes!
('Monster Mash Potato', by the way, was the original title for the Bobby "Boris" Pickett hit, 'Monster Mash', based on the popular 1960's dance of the time, the Mashed Potato. A little Halloween trivia for you. You are welcome.)
 I left the skins in so there would be "eyes" for the monster mash. But I would suggest mashing purple potatoes & have incredible looking, naturally colored, Monster Mash Potatoes! However, I used my Smashed [Leftover] Potatoes (recipe HERE) to make the Monster Mashed Potatoes, and just adding a few drops of green food coloring.

The Boo Hash turned out to be delicious, perfect for autumn, and bears amazing Halloween colors! Serve it up with a dark bread or roll (like pumpernickel, rye, or a sweet multigrain - we used the dark & sweet multigrain rolls). It's a hearty, warm, and filling meal before trick-or-treaters start showing up...or before you head out with your own kiddos.

You can even cook this thru the night to have for a great breakfast to start the day! You can even take it to work with you for that special food day at the office.

Have a wonderful & safe Halloween, everyone! And be sure to treat yourself to a great meal before the evening festivities start!

Happy Halloween, folks!

ENJOY!

Lazy Lou Lasagna

Lately, I've been trying to find super easy & super fast dishes. But the cheater kind of dishes...you know: any dish that looks like you spent all day, but it really didn't take any time &/or very little effort. In a total "homefaker" sort of way.

My family enjoys pasta night. One of the few dinners that EVERYONE actually enjoys.
In the last few months, we've picked up also serving a St. Louis delicacy: toasted ravioli.

Now we have had toasted ravioli before, but the 3 years we lived in StL, we learned how passionate the city & surrounding areas are about things like gooey butter cake & toasted ravioli.

Most of us enjoy the toasted ravioli. And we get a 4-cheese kind. Usually, we don't have any left over.

Well, in the midst of looking for "easy recipes", I came across a fake-out lasagna recipe. (recipe HERE) However, as a family who has to do what we can, purchasing & using a lot of organic just didn't work for us. And...I didn't want to fix up the ravioli, either. I needed something even easier...

So, after I studied the above recipe, I decided to pair down what could be done to achieve something close to the same thing. And I knew that the toasted ravioli went over pretty well...so...

Well...I cheated in a lot of ways!

But, here's what I did:

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LAZY LOU LASAGNA

Ingredients:

~ 1 lb. ground beef
~ 1/8 C minced onion
~ 48 oz (or 2 24 oz) jar(s) red sauce (I used 2 jars Prego)
~ 40 oz (2 20 oz. boxes) toasted ravioli
~ 1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
~ 1 C shredded Italian-blend cheese
~ 1/4 C grated parmesan cheese, divided


Directions:

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. brown the meat & add the minced onion during browning; drain & rinse

3. while beef is browning, warm the red sauce on lo

4. once meat is rinsed, add to the red sauce, stir & simmer

5. spray a 9x13" dish or pan with cooking spray

6. spread a thin layer of the meat sauce covering the bottom of the dish/pan

7. place a single layer of the toasted ravioli, side-by-side, on top of the sauce layer

9. add a thin layer of both, mozzarella & Italian-blend cheeses, on top of the ravioli

10. Repeat steps 6-9 until you reach the top of the baking dish/pan (mine had 3 layers)

11. Add one more layer of sauce on top

12. sprinkle with half of the grated parmesan cheese

13. cover the dish with foil (use either non-stick or spray the foil with cooking spray)

14. place in the oven for about 45 minutes

15. remove the foil & place back in the oven for another 15 minutes (I placed on broil for about 5 minutes, but wished I'd done the extra 15...but we were in a hurry)

16. pull out the lasagna, sprinkle with the rest of the parmesan cheese & allow to rest for about 5-10 minutes

17. Serve it up

Yield: 6-8 servings

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Take note that this dish is HEAVY! It's probably not good for you, either. But it turned out pretty darn good! And for my kiddos, who hate to try new things & have been dreading this dish, they actually were OK with this one! As a matter of fact, my youngest gave it a 7.8 out of 10! That's a big deal, yo.

My hubby was OK with it, too. He thought maybe the non-toasted version of ravioli might be better, but it was worth the try!

I was bracing myself for it being a "You'll eat it & you'll like it!" kind of meal. But I didn't have to force anyone! Just coaxing them to try it first was the only big step my kids needed!

Plus, my StL friends might find this one interesting with a take on toasted ravioli! And I cannot believe how easy it really was!

Hope you like it, too!

Also, for a vegetarian version, you can leave out the meat, just use the cheese ravioli, and make sure to use a heavy-on-veggie sauce (like one with mushrooms).

ENJOY!

Ground Beef Stroganoff

One of our favorite Hamburger Helper meals is the Beef Stroganoff. But as I began to try my hand at more cooking, while building our pantry, I had some egg noodles to use...so I thought I'd try my hand making my own.

I looked around, like on Pinterest, and began to figure out how I wanted to go about making this.

Now then, I usually use canned cream of mushroom soup (which I do include in the ingredients), but when I made it this time...I apparently already used them, or they disappeared. I'd already began making the meal, so I had to improvise a backup plan quick! So I faked a cream soup gravy for this time around. I have given the ingredients & directions to it, too.

Oh...I took pics along the way, too. So here is what I did:

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Ground Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 can cream of mushroom soup (or make *cream soup gravy)

½ C minced onion

2 T parsley

1 T paprika

½ C sour cream

4 C egg noodles

¼ C parmesan

¼ C milk

4 T butter

* Improvised Cream Soup Gravy

½-¾ C beef or chicken broth

½ C heavy whipping cream

½ C flour

4 T butter

1 T garlic powder

¼ t ground black pepper

pinch nutmeg

Directions:

Brown ground beef in a large skillet with the minced onion

Once browned thru, drain the meat & rinse

Place back into the skillet, set heat to Lo






~~ If making cream soup gravy, do so while browning the meat ~~

* melt butter in saucepan

* add in the flour to make rue

* add in broth & cream

* whisk until blended & bring to boil

* turn down burner temp, add in garlic, pepper & nutmeg

(I also added in the parsley & paprika here)

*stir often

Add milk, can soup (or cream soup gravy), sour cream, parmesan, paprika & parsley (if not added to cream soup gravy) to the skillet; stir & allow to simmer









In a large pot, make egg noodles to package directions; drain

When drained, melt the butter throughout the noodles

Combine noodles & meat mixture

Serve

Yield: 4

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So, my hubby liked the improvised sauce. The kiddos weren't as impressed...but they complain about anything they aren't used to. But my hubby is a big critic on about everything...so him liking this improvisation means it's a go again in the future!

Also, I double the recipe since we have a larger-than-4 family. (Not the cream soup gravy - I had to make it in a hurry based on the amount I was already making. If you want a portion that serves 4, cut the amounts in half)

We served it up with some Italian loaf bread. So good!

Let me know which way you went with it & what you thought!

ENJOY!

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Update:

OK...so this recipe has been my most pinned from this blog on Pinterest! So glad you all have enjoyed it!! Thank you SO much! And I've noticed it's because of my improvised cream gravy instead of canned mushroom soup. So glad this has worked out!

Well, I made it again with some changes that is just as tasty & even better for you!

I substituted in whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour, I dissolved a beef bouillon cube in water instead of chicken broth/stock, I used white pepper instead of black pepper, plain non-fat Greek yogurt for sour cream, then I added in a little bit of kale, rinsed & torn into tiny pieces when I added it to the cream gravy to wilt a bit. I was asked what the green stuff was...I told them it was really big parsley that is supposed to be in there. (Shhhh....don't tell them my secret!)

Oh...and it was still SO good!! Hope you enjoy this kick up in health benefits, too!!