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!

Summer Dublin Coddle

Since my family is trying to eat better & cleaner, there have been some switch up in dishes & recipes. Even though we haven't given up EVERYTHING...we have been working hard to work in some better-for-you stuffs &/or changing up some of the ingredients we use.

With that said, I still had some overstock of mixed greens (find out my leafy greens mix HERE), so I was trying to figure out what to use. After doing the cleaner eating research, I knew it was pretty good to get some turkey in the mix. And since I had some cabbage & kale to use, I decided revisit my Dublin Coddle (recipe HERE)! However, it's pretty heavy & perfect for fall & winter eating. With my previous recipe, there were some things missing that could help lighten it up! Well...I changed that a bit.

Here's what I did:

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SUMMER DUBLIN CODDLE

Ingredients:

~ 1 pkg. turkey Lit'l Smokies
~ 1/4 C turkey bacon bits
~ 1 lb. baby potatoes, quartered
~ 1 small onion, sliced
~ 6 C brewed green tea
~ 2 chicken bouillon cubes
~ 1/8 C chopped parsley
~ 2 medium carrots, sliced
~ 2 red cabbage leaves, torn or chopped
~ 3 green cabbage leaves, torn or chopped
~ 2 curly kale stems (just use the leaves), torn or chopped & massaged in lemon juice & sea salt
~ 2 T marjoram
~ 2 T dried (crushed) rosemary
~ 2 T dried thyme
~ 2 T minced garlic
~ salt & black pepper to taste

Directions:

* Place all prepared ingredients into a large pot on medium-hi heat

* Bring coddle to a boil, then slightly lower burner temp (medium-lo), stir occasionally

* Allow to boil for about 15-30 minutes until potatoes & carrots are tender, stirring occasionally

* Turn burner down to lo to allow to simmer & until the cabbage leaves are tender & kale is slightly wilted

* Serve

Yield: about 4 servings

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When I made this, I could only get a hold of ruby potatoes. I really like a mixture of colors, but it was still really pretty! Imagine if I'd thrown in some Yukon &/or purple potatoes!

Also, if you have other root veggies to throw in, do it! If you have some parsnips or turnips to throw in, cut 'em up & do it. The more, the merrier! And, if you use turnips, throw in the turnip greens, too! Some mustard greens work in this coddle, also.

It's lighter, it's pretty, and it lends to that cleaner eating. My hubby liked it, too!  I'm thinking this one needs to be done again! And it's a lighter version, perfect for Spring or Summer dishes!

Short on time that day? Throw it all in the lazy cooker & let it cook on low for about 6-8 hours.
TA-DA!

ENJOY!

Stuff in a Pot Soup

As I write this, it's spring, but chilly. It feels like a late November day rather than a fresh spring one! It's really a perfect day to pull out sweaters, boots, blankets, make hot chocolate (much like the Spicy Mexi-Cocoa version, right HERE), brew up some hot tea or keep the coffee going all day. Yeah...one of those kinds of days.

It's also a great day for soup! But since I wasn't prepared to make a soup any time soon, I had to make do.

My hubby & I go to the store on Fridays, and I am actually writing this on a Thursday. We don't have much laying around. And we don't have much for lunching, either. But I found enough leftover things around to throw a bunch of stuff in a pot to make a soup.

Here's what I did:

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STUFF IN A POT SOUP

Ingredients:

*About Anything Goes*

plenty of liquids: broth, stock, water & bouillon cubes; juice/tea 
vegetables: fresh, frozen, canned
protein: beans, meat pieces, mushrooms
starch: potatoes, rice, pasta
herbs & spices

In My Pot:

1 box vegetable broth
1 bag mixed veggies - frozen
1 can chick peas, drained & rinsed
leftover ham cubes
2 handfuls bacon bits
2 C hot brewed black tea
2 C hot brewed green tea
1/2 bag frozen hash browns
sea salt
ground black pepper
parsley
sage
rosemary
thyme
chives
minced onion
dill
marjoram
all spice

Directions:

Place liquid(s) of choice in a large pot, bring to a boil

Lower heat to mid-hi and add everything else, bring back to boil

Stir & let simmer for about 30 minutes

Ladle into a bowl, and garnish, if desired.
Balsamic vinegar, nuts, seeds, shredded cheese - it's even better when presentation is pretty...even if by yourself.

* I used toasted sesame seeds in the 1st bowl & parmesan "shaky cheese" for the 2nd

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Remember: my soup is gonna look different than yours! Mine won't even be the same next time around.

I literally used whatever I had here. 

Cans of veggies you were gonna use but didn't? 

Throw it in! 

Got too many cans or bags of veggies & don't know what to do with the overstock? 

Throw it in! 

Frozen veggies in the freezer that you forgot about? 

Throw it in! 

Leftover turkey, meatballs, pulled pork from a night or 2 ago & want to use it? 

Throw it in! 

Have spinach or kale that you need to use up? 

Throw it in! 

Got some seasonings that you got for a recipe & finding a reason to use it? 

Throw it in!

Just a little bit of apple juice or cider left & not enough for a full glass or cup?

Throw it in!

Potatoes still sitting there & don't know what else to do with them?

Cut 'em up & throw 'em in!

Seriously. A perfect soup to use up what you have, make a hearty meal, and still warm & comforting. Plus...you already have everything...so it's easy on the budget, too!

Throw it in!

So...what is your Stuff in a Pot Soup made from?

ENJOY!

Ham & Mixed Beans - Lazy Cooker

I'm almost embarrassed to say that I had never had ham & beans until one of our groups at church invited us to one of their annual Christmas dinner events. So, the hubby & I decided we would go & mingle with the group while enjoying these ham & beans with cornbread we'd heard so much about.

Now then, hubby has apparently been a fan of ham & beans. He especially loves the cornbread! But this might mean I would have to figure out how to fix this meal. Amm-i-rite? And I had gotten some dry beans (15 bean mix) and wasn't sure what to do with them, but then we had some leftover ham...so...time to make some ham & beans!

After looking thru and researching a LOT of ham & bean recipes, this is what I came up with:

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HAM & BEANS

Lazy Cooker

Ingredients:

1 lb bag (mixed) beans
1-3 cans white beans (i.e. Navy, Northern, Canelli, etc.) rinsed & drained
8 C (apprx.) chunked/cubed ham
¼ C minced onion
1 T garlic powder
½ T onion powder
½ C brown sugar
1 T honey
2 bay leaves
(kosher/sea/table) salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1 t lemon juice
¼ C celery, chopped
¼ C carrot, chopped or shredded
1 t chili powder (more if you want more kick)
42 oz. chicken broth + additional water (if needed)
1 T apple cider (optional)
1 t allspice
1 T cinnamon

Directions:

* Place dried beans in a large pot or bowl & soak beans for at least 8 hours (i.e. overnight) or longer in about 2 qts. water  

* When good & soaked, drain the beans & rinse them. 

* Spray the inside of your lazy cooker with vegetable cooking spray. 

* Place the soaked & rinsed beans into the lazy cooker

* Cover with chicken broth & enough water to about an inch over the beans

* Cube the ham (I used leftover ham) to 1” squared or smaller and add to the lazy cooker

* Add the lemon juice, cider (optional), honey, veggies, spices, brown sugar, salt & pepper (not the bay leaves) to the lazy cooker & stir

* Add the bay leaves into the lazy cooker

* Cover & set the lazy cooker to high for 4-5 hours

* After the 4-5 hours, add the rinsed, canned white beans, stir, then set low for another 4 hours

* Remove bay leaves & stir

~ Serve with cornbread.

~~ Yield: Approximately 12

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* NOTE: I really love the appley zing of the cider. If I don't have any around, I will add an envelope of apple cider mix. That's how I roll.

My kids really won't eat beans...and we have that darn non-pork-eating kid! So it's mostly my hubby & I that eat it...but so worth it!! And my hubby LOVES it! So do I!

Oh...I just make a cornbread from a mix...and my hubby still loves it, too! The kids will eat the cornbread with some honey butter.

No matter...it is awesome smelling & perfect comfort food for a cold night! Or anytime for that matter. Plus? It's pretty!! I love the color & variety in the beans. YUM!

ENJOY!

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P.S. ~ For a New Year's version, add a can of black eyed peas, rinsed & drained, plus a 16 oz bag of cole slaw mix or a head of chopped cabbage. Add these in with the white beans. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Roast Beast Who Hash - Lazy Cooker

Earlier this month was Dr. Seuss' birthday! And since I love celebrating things, I wanted to find food & activities super fitting to perfectly celebrate!

Especially that dinner thing! I couldn't find any specific Who Hash recipes...but there were some trying to pass off spoonable cornbread or another beef hash recipe...but it just wasn't cutting it! So...I had to do what I've been scaring myself with lately: creating a recipe.

That's right! I decided to make a Grinch-based dinner. Since it is difficult for us to do ham much anymore (my daughter won't eat pork due to pig trauma from a science teacher...grrrrrr), Green Eggs & Ham was not really an option this year. So I created Roast Beast Who Hash!

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Roast Beast Who Hash (lazy cooker)

2 lb (apprx) beef rump roast

4 C diced bell pepper – variety (fresh or frozen)

½ C diced yellow/sweet onion (or a variety), diced

1 envelope onion soup mix

1 envelope ranch seasoning mix

1 lb (apprx) quartered or diced potatoes (I used baby potatoes in red, gold & purple; you can add a small sweet potato cut into 1 inch pieces, too)

3 T Worchestershire sauce

¼ C water, stock/broth, or cider

6-8 oz frozen shredded hash browns (about ½ bag)

Coat lazy cooker insert with cooking spray. Brown beef slightly & place into the lazy cooker.

Add the peppers, onion & quartered/diced potatoes onto the beef.

Sprinkle in contents of the onion soup mix & ranch seasoning envelopes.

Pour in liquid of choice plus the worchestershire.

Cover with the lid, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

1 hour before serving, add in the frozen hashbrowns.

Stir & make sure beef is piecey or in chunks. Serve.

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Hubby really liked it!!! The kids are always as hard sell on something new, but may do it again anyway. Because I love my lazy cooker, and I love color...and totally Dr. Seuss.

And to keep it even Seussier, I added a fried green egg on top! If you do the dish...you can just add a regular fried egg. It was a delicious addition!

Roast Beast Who Hash with Fried Green Egg 

Now I have an idea for Dr. Seuss' birthday celebration next year for food. But I thought about it way too late this year! I brought it up to the family, and the kids seem delighted to try it, and hubby seems entertained by the thought. I will share it when we give it a test run. So watch for that one in the future...

ENJOY!