Corned Beef and Cabbage

I was craving a good Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Patrick's Day this year, and finally got around to making it this week.  My mom used to make it every year for this holiday and it was always a special treat.  I love the combination of the salty, tender meat with the soft leafy cabbage.  I added small red potatoes and carrots too for more flavor and nutrition.

 

Recipe
2 1/2 - 3 lb package of corned beef with seasoning packet and juices
about 2 lbs small red potatoes, washed, skin on
1 bay leaf
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
dash pepper
about 4 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1" pieces
1 small green cabbage, I used savoy - the crinkly kind, cut into 6 wedges
Instructions
Place corned beef all the package juices and seasoning packet into large pot/dutch oven.  Add water, just enough to cover the meat.  Add onion, bay leaf and pepper
Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cover, simmer for 2 1/2 hours.  Than add carrots and potatoes, bring to boiling again, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Then add cabbage wedges and cover and cook an additional 15-20 minutes until all vegetables are tender.  Discard bay leaf.  Transfer meat and vegetables to a serving platter and spoon over the cooking liquid as desired. 

Adding the veggies to the pot

Enjoy!

Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake with Irish Cream Glaze

Wow the stout in this recipe brings about a really deep rich chocolate flavor and the Irish cream in the glaze gives it a kick and more sweetness.  The flavors are pretty bold in this cake.  You can do a plain vanilla glaze or buttercream if you want it more mellow.
This recipe makes enough for a medium bundt cake pan, double it for a full bundt :)
Cake
1/2 cup Guinness extra stout
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup sour cream
Glaze
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/8 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
Grated bittersweet chocolate for sprinkling
*for chocolate glaze see below
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray a medium size bundt pan with baking spray.  Put stout and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth, then let cool. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt over a medium bowl, mix in the sugar.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment  mix together the eggs and sour cream just until combined.  Then add the stout mixture and mix until combined.  Add the flour mixture and beat a few seconds on low speed.  Scrape bowl with spatula.  Then beat again for a few more seconds until completely combined and smooth.  Pour batter into pan.  Bake cake for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Let cool, then invert cake to remove from pan.  Let cool completely.  For glaze -  slowly add the Bailey's to the confectioner's sugar in a medium bowl and mix with a fork or whisk until you get a glazing consistency, add a drop or 2 of milk if too stiff.  Drizzle glaze over cake and let set.  Garnishment suggestions:  add Bailey's to your favorite buttercream recipe in place of milk and garnish the cake with rosettes; sprinkle with grated/shaved bittersweet chocolate; decorate with green/shamrock sprinkles or decorations.  *Alternatively you can glaze with chocolate glaze: 1/2 cup heavy cream, 4oz semisweet chocolate chips.  Bring cream to simmer in a saucepan, remove from heat, add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.  Let cool for 5 minutes before drizzling over the cake.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, Sept 2002

Pretty awesome ingredients :)