Easter 2016

We had a sliced Carando spiral sliced ham cooked according package direction. It was wrapped in foil and cooked, flat side down at 275º for an hour and a half, according size.  Glaze was heated in microwave for 40 seconds, poured over the top and let set for 15 to 20 minutes.

Sweet potatoes, cooked, put in an 8X8 dish and covered with heated mixture of 3 Tbsp. butter, 2 Tbs. brown sugar, 1/4 C. maple syrup, 2 Tbsp. flaked coconut and topped with 1/3 C. pecans and baked at 350º for 5 -7 minutes, until browned a little.

We had green beans and scalloped potatoes from a box made according to package directions.

I also planned to serve asparagus but they didn't cook enough in time to serve. I had them in the steamer but they didn't get hot for some reason.

Holiday Lettuce Salad  Serves: 4-6 servings

• ½ cup slivered almonds

• ¼ cup sugar, divided

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• ½ teaspoon salt

• A pinch of black pepper

• ½ cup canola oil

• 1 bag of lettuce

• 1 small granny smith apple, peeled and cut into matchsticks

• 1 11-ounce can of mandarin oranges, drained

• ½ cup dried cranberries

• 3 green onions, sliced (white and light green ends)

1 Combine almonds with 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a saute pan. Cook, stirring, until the sugar melts and almonds are light brown. Cool on wax paper.

2 In a small liquid measuring cup, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with the vinegar, salt and pepper. Drizzle in the oil while whisking continuously. Set aside.

3 In a large salad bowl, combine the lettuce, apples, oranges, cranberries and green onions. Toss with dressing before serving.

Ruben sandwich: Leftovers are the best thing about a corned beef dinner.

Ruben sandwich the way I make it:  Since I couldn't find any Russian dressing, I mixed Catalina and thousand island dressing together for the bread spread.  The inside was spread, gruyere, kraut that has been squeezed dry, corned beef, and more dressing.  The outside of the dark rye bread was buttered and grilled with a weight on top until crispy, turned and grilled then served with pickle, potato salad and mixed munchies.

Homemade corned beef, soda bread, whiskey butter and cabbage with baslamic reduction.

While I have made corned beef in less time than the two weeks I used here, sometimes it is a weak corned beef or a nice flavored brisket with a corned beef flavored marinade.

CORNED BEEF

FOR THE BRINE

2 quarts water

1 cup coarse salt (Canning and Pickling or Kosher)

1 tablespoon Tenderquick

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon mustard seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

1 cinnamon stick, crushed

4 dried bay leaves, crushed

8 whole cloves

1. Make the brine: Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salts, sugar, and spices; remove from heat, and stir until salts and sugar dissolve. Let cool.

2. Make the corned beef: Place brisket in a nonreactive container just large enough to hold it. Pour cooled brine over meat. Place 2 small plates on top to keep meat submerged; cover, and refrigerate for 2 weeks.

Cooking Corned Beef 

Serves 6-8

3 1/2 lb  or so Corned Beef Brisket from above

1/2 to 1 bottle beer

Water to cover, approx 2 cups

10 black peppercorns

1 whole allspice

1 bay leaves

12 sprigs fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

2 whole leeks, green trimmed to fit pot, slice white part to clean

1 medium onion, peeled, quartered

The day before cooking, drain off brine and replace with clean water in order to take out some of the saltiness.

Just before cooking, cover brisket with water, bring to a simmer, pour out water and replace with fresh water, add the seasonings for cooking corned beef and

Simmer brisket about 3 hours

After 2/12 hours add rutabagas

after 3 hours add

Cabbage 

7 or 8 whole carrots, cleaned

1 large rutabaga, trimmed and quartered

Simmer/ steam 1/2 additional hour

simmer

1 C. Balsamic vinegar 

2 Tablespoons sugar 

until reduced by half 

trim leafy outer leaves and cut in 8 wedges. Attach tooth picks to help hold them together..  Lighty oil skillet and brown cabbage then add the top of the brisket liquid to steam with the other vegetables about 20 minutes   Remove with spatula to serving platter, remove toothpicks, Sprinkle with salt and vinegar reduction.

1 cup Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Sugar (optional)

Irish Whiskey Butter

This is pretty much perfect with Irish whiskey soda bread. And Irish whiskey.

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 9 tbsp butter, softened

• 3 tbsp whiskey

1. Heat the whiskey and sugar in a pan until hot then stir in the butter until melted and fully combined. Allow to cool.

Crash Hot Potatoes

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 6

Ingredients

12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

 Kosher Salt To Taste

 Black Pepper To Taste

 Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Irish Soda Bread                            Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 cup dried currants

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home, All Rights Reserved

Note. In the past, cooking this bread for the time allotted has always resulted in it being undercooked in the middle.  This time I used a temperature probe and it took around 20 minutes longer but it was overcooked on the surface. Next time i will cook it with a temp. probe but cover it with foil after 45 minutes.

Meatloaf, roast potatoes, gravy and green beans

Oops. I ate half the meal before I remembered to take a picture.  I tried a new recipe. It's one that I tried to stay close to the other recipe but used pork and seasonings instead of bratwurst. I combined three recipes to make this. 

Meat Loaf

Makes: 8 servings    Prep: 20 mins    Bake: 1 hr 10 mins 350°F     Stand: 10 mins

Ingredients

2 eggs, beaten

2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs or 2 cups soft bread crumbs

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons snipped fresh parslay

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried leaf sage, basil, or oregano, crushed

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1  pounds lean ground beef, 

       1/2 lb. pork

       1/4 tsp nutmeg

       1/8 tsp lemon zest

topping

1/4cup ketchup

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

do a bacon weave over the top of the meatloaf

Directions

In a medium bowl combine eggs and milk; stir in bread crumbs, onion, parsley, salt, sage, and pepper. Add ground meat; mix lightly. Lightly pat mixture into an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until internal temperature registers 160 degrees F. Spoon off fat. In a bowl combine ketchup, sugar, and mustard; spread over meat. Bake for 10 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into eight slices.

Makes 8 servings

Brisket in the smoker

Cassie told me about Bichelmeyer meat market and the Mexican food they sell next door. It is highly rated by The Best of Kansas City site.  People rave about their tacos pastor, carne asada and carnitas.  On Wednesday, I went there and got a brisket so I could start brining most of the flat for corned beef to use for dinner later this month.  

Today I smoked the point and the rest of the flat. It took 8 hours and could have gone a few hours longer but it still turned out moist and tender.

Brisket notes, Sat. Mar. 2016

Wed. got brisket at Bichelmeyer Meats 7th & Cheyenne.  Cut most of flat off and brined for corned beef on Thur.

Sat. 

7am took point with remaining flat out of fridge and seasoned

8:30 started chunk wood and oak log

9:00 put on meat and boiling water in water pan.

9 to 1 maintained heat at between 290 to 315 in front and 240

260 in back.

1:30

Meat temp. 156 front, 165 back.  Wrapped in HD foil

2:30

Meat @ 165 in front

Smoker 275 front & 245 in back

5:30
Smoker @ 265 in back and 315 in front

Brisket @ 180º taken off smoker, let rest, sliced and served.

Steak on the grill, salad, baked potato and hominy.

Hominy was cooked with onion, bacon and green pepper along with salt and pepper.