Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

With St. Patrick's Day around the corner a nice plate of Corned Beef and Cabbage is in order.  I believe this is one of my favorites for St Patrick's Day.  The flavor of the beefy goodness permeates the carrots, potatoes, onions (not called for in the recipe, I just added a few boiling onions), and the cabbage.  Delicious. I have made Corned Beef and Cabbage before in a slow cooker but it wasn't as good as this recipe.  The secret I found out was how the ingredients were layered in the slow cooker.  Believe me it does make a difference.  The meat is centered on the  bottom surrounded by the potatoes and carrots and onions.  The cabbage goes on top.

A delicious meal to celebrate St Patrick's Day.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef And Cabbage
From Cook's Country Magazine

Ingredients:
1 (3 1/2-4 pound) corned beef brisket roast, about 2 inches thick, rinsed, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch
1 tablespoon pickling spice
1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, unpeeled
1 pound carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
1 small head green cabbage (1 1/4 pounds)
6 cups water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Directions:
1. Set beef in slow cooker and sprinkle with pickling spice.  Tuck potatoes and carrots between beef and sides of slow cooker.  Cut cabbage into six 2-inch wedges through core, leaving core intact so wedges stay together while cooking.   Arrange cabbage on top of beef.  Add water.  Cover and cook until beef is tender, 6 to 7 hours on high or 8 to 9 hours on low.
2. Turn off slow cooker.  Gently push cabbage aside, remove beef from slow cooker, and transfer to carving board.  Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes.  Cover slow cooker to keep vegetables warm while beef rests.
3. Slice beef thin against grain; transfer to serving platter.  Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to platter with beef.  Dot vegetables with butter.  Serve.

Serves 6 to 8

Quick Southern Style Baked Beans

Baked Beans are one of my favorite sides.  I love them with grilled burgers, brisket, chicken, barbecue - just to name a few.  They make the meal in my view.  I love this recipe for Baked Beans. They are so easy to make and I have never tasted such delicious Baked beans.
Start with cooking some bacon and then remove and drain on paper towels.  Cook some diced onions and green peppers (I used a red pepper) in the bacon drippings.  Add some Pork and Beans, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and some mustard.  Stir and bring to a simmer.  Add the bacon strips and bake for about 2 hours.

Best Baked Beans ever.



Quick Southern-Style Baked Beans
recipe by Pam Anderson From The Pioneer Woman

Serves up to 18

8 slices bacon, halved

1 medium onion, cut into small dice

1/2 medium green pepper, cut into small dice

3 large cans (28 ounces each) pork and beans

3/4 cup barbecue sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup distilled or cider vinegar

2 teaspoons dry mustard or 2 tablespoons Dijon


Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Fry bacon in large, deep sauté pan skillet until bacon has partially cooked and released about 1/4 cup drippings. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Add onions and peppers to drippings in pan and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans and remaining ingredients bring to a simmer. (If skillet is not large enough, add beans and heat to a simmer then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients). Pour flavored beans into a greased 13-by 9-inch (or similar size) ovenproof pan. Top with bacon, then bake until beans are bubbly and sauce is the consistency of pancake syrup, about 2 hours. Let stand to thicken slightly and serve.

Taco Soup

I  am a soup fan.  In the winter months, nothing warms you up and is as satisfying as a nice warm bowl of soup.   Soup is also a very versatile - add a little of this and some of that and you have yourself a nice meal.

Taco Soup is a hearty soup with a warming southwestern flavor.  Take some ground beef and brown it.  To the browned meat, I added Taco seasoning and mixed until the meat was evenly covered.  I then added some crushed tomatoes, green chile, beef broth, pinto beans, white hominy, frozen corn, salt and pepper.  I simmered the soup for about 30 minutes and then served.  I served the soup with some sour cream, shredded Mexican Cheese, and some tortilla chips.   Simple and Delicious.

Taco Soup


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef
1 (1-ounce) package taco seasoning
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chile
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15.5-ounce) can white hominy, drained
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn
3 cups beef broth
Salt and pepper
Garnishes:
Sour Cream
Shredded Mexican Cheese
Crushed Tortilla Chips

Directions:
1. In a Dutch Oven heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat.  Add the ground beef and break into small pieces.  Cook until no longer pink.
2. Sprinkle the Taco Seasoning over the meat and mix until the meat is evenly coated.  Add the remaining ingredients (except for Garnishes) and stir.
3. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat, taste and season with salt and pepper.
4. Serve with garnishes.

Serves 6

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

I was glancing through my issue of Cook's Country magazine and I ran across a delicious recipe for Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry.  We have had beef already this week so I decided to substitute chicken for the beef.  The recipe turned out great.  I made a delicious tasting stir fry that was just-as-good or better than I have had a local restaurants .



Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
From Cook's Country Magazine adapted very slightly by From My Southwest Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 scallions, white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves,minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound broccoli florets, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Directions:
1. Whisk 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, water and baking soda together in a medium bowl.  Add chicken, stir to coat, and let sit at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.
2. Combine scallion whites, 2 tablespoons oil, garlic, and ginger in second bowl.  Whisk broth, soy sauce, sugar, reminding 3 tablespoons oyster sauce, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch together in third bowl.
3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoonful  oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking.  Add chicken to skillet.   Stir and continue to cook until chicken is no longer pink.
4. Stir in scallion mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Whisk broth mixture to recombine.  Add broth mixture and broccoli to skillet, cover, and cook until broccoli is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes, shaking skillet occasionally to redistribute contents.  Off heat, stir in scallion greens.  Serve.

Serves 4

Buttery Lemon Parsley Noodles

Need a great side dish that is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious?  Try making some Buttery Lemon Parsley Noodles some night.  I made this recipe last night and it was a hit.    Instead of using Pasta, I used Extra Wide Egg Noodles.  They worked perfectly.
These  noodles have a nice light flavor with a hint of butter.  Tasty and delicious.  


Buttery Lemon Parsley Noodles
The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
1 pound Pasta (fettuccine, Linguine, Angel Hair)
4 Tablespoons Butter
1/4 cup Finely Minced Parsley
1 whole Lemon
 Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation

Cook the noodles according to package instructions. (If using angel hair, stop just short of the al dente stage.) Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Throw in the cooked pasta and cook it around in the butter for a couple of minutes so that a few of the noodles get a little bit of a pan fried texture to them, whatever that means.

Zest the lemon. Squeeze in the juice, then add the zest of half the lemon.


Add salt and pepper to taste, then toss around and serve. Yum!

Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake

The other day was one of those days where  I was running short of tim . I looked at the clock and shortly it  was going to be time for dinner.  What to cook for dinner that is quick, easy, and does not require a  run to the store.   I remember seeing a recipe for a pasta bake on Simply Recipes website.  I pulled it up on my computer and it was perfect for tonights dinner.  The one substitution I made was Pancetta for the ham.  I substituted 8-ounces of Pancetta for the 10-ounces of ham.

This pasta bake was rich and creamy and was delicious.  I like using mozzarella cheese.  It  makes  a rich and creamy cheese sauce.    Everyone enjoyed this for dinner and asked me to make it again.  A big plus for a new recipe.

Ham and Cheese Pasta Bake
Simply Recipes


INGREDIENTS
12 ounces fusilli pasta
Salt for pasta water
4 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced,
4 Tbsp flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper (more to taste)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or a mix of dried oregano, thyme, and basil)
3/4 teaspoons salt (more to taste)
3 ounces (about 1 cup, packed) shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces (about 1 cup, packed) shredded Mozzarella cheese
10 ounces diced ham (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh green onion greens or chives

METHOD
1 Make pasta: Put a big pot of salted water onto boil on high heat for the pasta (4 quarts, 2 Tbsp salt). While the pasta water is heating, prep the other ingredients.
Once the water has reached a rolling boil, add the pasta and stir so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Let the water return to a rolling boil and cook, uncovered, for 9 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is “al dente”, cooked through but still slightly firm to the bite.
2 Make roux: Melt the butter in a large (3 to 4 quart), thick-bottomed pot on medium heat. Add the minced garlic. Let the garlic sizzle for a few seconds. Add the flour and whisk so that any lumps are dissolved. Let the roux (flour and butter) bubble and cook for a minute or two.
3 Make the sauce: Slowly add the milk and cream, a quarter cup at a time, whisking until incorporated after each addition. Increase the heat to medium high. Add ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper. (You may want to increase these later to taste.) Add ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
Add half of the shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, whisking until melted and incorporated into the sauce.
Add 3/4 teaspoon of salt (again, you may want to increase this to taste).
Stir in 1 cup of water (can use pasta cooking water if you want).
4 Preheat oven to 400°F.
5 Combine pasta with sauce, ham, parsley, onion greens: Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the sauce. Add the ham. Add the chopped parsley and onion greens or chives. Gently stir to combine. Taste, and add more nutmeg, salt, pepper, or Italian seasoning to taste.
6 Bake: Transfer the pasta mixture to an oven-proof casserole dish (if you are using a Dutch oven to make the sauce, there is no need to transfer to another dish). Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese. Bake in the oven at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned on top.

Serves 4-6

Foil-Roasted Potatoes

Potatoes are a wonderful side dish for practically any meal.  They go great with meat, poultry, and fish.  Out of habit  and family favorites I usually make mashed or baked potatoes.  I took a step on the adventurous side and made some roasted potatoes for dinner.  The family was glad I did.   These potatoes are delicious.  Creamy with a mild herb flavor.

The only change I made to the recipe was using Baby Creamers Potatoes.  I used those potatoes mainly because I had them on hand.

Foil-Roasted Potatoes
From Cook's Country Magazine December/January 2018 Issue

Ingredients:
2 pounds small red potatoes, unpeeled, halved
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin

Method:
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss potatoes, rosemary, salt, thyme, and pepper in large bowl until potatoes are well coated.
2. Line baking sheet with 16 by 12-inch sheet of aluminum foil.  Spread potatoes mixture evenly over foil, leaving 1 1/2-inch border.  Flip potatoes cut sides down.  Scatter butter and garlic over potatoes.  Place second 16 by 12-inch sheet of foil over potatoes.  Beginning at 1 corner, fold foil inward in 1/2-inch increments 2 to 3 times to seal edge.  Continue folding around perimeter of foil to create sealed packet.
3. Transfer sheet to oven and bake until potatoes are tender, about 40 minutes.  Let potatoes cool for 5 minutes.  Using tongs, tear away top sheet of foil, being careful of escaping steam.  Serve.

Serves 6