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Quadruple Berry Muffins!

Posted on April 3, 2011 by amydeline

Have you seen my belly lately?? It’s seriously impressive. I suppose that is what happens when you’re a month away from expecting your third baby! A belly this big requires plenty of delicious treats. And these muffins totally fit the bill! These quadruple berry muffins are bursting with all of the sweet flavor and delicious nutrition you’d expect from fresh berries and yogurt.

Yes, you caught that right… QUADRUPLE Berry Muffins! We don’t mess around with plain old blueberry muffins ’round here. Our muffins are exploding with the flavor of four different berries. A sweet and buttery, cinnamon streusel topping adds the perfect finishing touch. It’s a fantastic way to start a beautifully sunny spring morning.

The recipe which follows is slightly tweaked from the one I actually baked. In my original recipe, I incorporated fresh strawberries into the batter, along with the blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. What I quickly discovered is that fresh strawberries get kind of wet and mushy when baked. In my book, that was a less than ideal texture. So, I traded in the fresh strawberries for some creamy strawberry-flavored yogurt. Now the only thing missing from these muffins is a bit of cranberry! Maybe next time we’ll go for quintuple berry muffins!!

Quadruple Berry Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup strawberry yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1/2 cup raspberries, coarse chopped
  • 1/2 cup blackberries, coarse chopped

For the Streusel

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin tins with liners. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, egg, yogurt and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir, just until combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the fresh berries. Fill each muffin liner with a generous 1/4 cup of the batter.

For the streusel, stir together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients. Stir until evenly moistened. Use your fingers to press the mixture together into large clumps. Break the large clumps into smaller crumbles over the muffin batter. Gently press the crumbles into the batter.

Bake for about 25 minutes.

Makes 12-15 Muffins

** Adapted from Alton Brown’s Blueberry Muffins

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Broiled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Posted on March 30, 2011 by amydeline
Broiled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

I’d like to begin this post with some interesting background on chimichurri sauce or perhaps some funny anecdote explaining the creation of this dish. I’d like to tell you about my love for skirt steak or how I adore the horseradish and cheddar I added to my smashed potatoes. I’d even like to explain how fast cooking at high heat produces the most tender, juicy steak. But, I can’t do any of that right now, since the only thing ringing through my head is…

Chim chiminey, Chim chiminey, Chim, chim cher-ee, A sweep is as lucky as lucky can be… Chim chiminey, Chim chiminey, Chim, chim cher-oo, Good luck will rub off when I shake hands with you. Or blow me a kiss and that’s lucky too…

So, I’m going to skip the background and the stories and get right to the recipes. Then, I’m going to close my computer, load Mary Poppins into the Blu-Ray player, and spend the rest of my day singing about chimneys and spoonfuls of sugar.

Today’s meal consists of a fast broiled skirt steak served over smashed red potatoes, loaded with cheddar and horseradish. Topping it off is a vibrant chimichurri sauce, oozing with the flavors of fresh parsley and garlic.

It’s a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious kind of meal!

Broiled Skirt Steak

Ingredients

  • 1 pound skirt steak (hanger steak would make a great substitute)
  • Salt and Pepper

Directions

Preheat broiler. Trim any excess fat from the exterior of the steak. Season with salt and pepper. Place the steak on a baking sheet. Cook several inches under the broiler for about 10-15 minutes, to your desired doneness. Allow the steak to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice diagonally against the grain.

Chimichurri Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, loosely packed
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1 small shallot, diced
  • 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more if desired
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more if desired

Directions

Combine parsley, garlic, shallot and white wine vinegar in a food processor, blender, or immersion blender, until well blended. Gradually drizzle in the olive oil until a sauce forms. Season with salt and crushed red pepper, as desired.

Cheddar and Horseradish Smashed Red Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds red potatoes, cut into large, even chunks
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup prepared horseradish
  • Salt and pepper

Directions

Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill with enough water until the potatoes are just covered. Bring to a boil, then cook for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Strain. Add the butter to the hot potatoes and smash to your desired consistency. Add the milk, cheese, and horseradish. Stir until combined. Add additional milk, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.

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Three Cheese Fondue

Posted on March 27, 2011 by amydeline

I am the oldest of four siblings, with two younger sisters and a younger brother. I am eternally thankful for my family and the bond I share with my siblings. I am also immensely thankful that although I currently live about six hours away from my hometown, I am only minutes away from my two sisters. The circumstances, which have led us all to live within 5 miles of each other, six hours from our hometown, couldn’t have been better planned if we’d tried.

Growing up, surrounded by a large, loving network of aunts, uncles, and innumerable cousins, my sisters and I always appreciated the value of those family bonds. We knew, without a doubt, that when the time came to begin families of our own, we wanted to be near each other; to be able to provide our own families with that same close, loving family we experienced in our youth. We are so fortunate that the twists and turns of our lives have led us to where we are today. Now we just need to figure out how to get our brother up here too!

I have so many wonderful memories of spending time with my sisters in our childhood; running around the yard, choreographing dances to our favorite Madonna or Traveling Wilburys albums, and riding bikes along the boardwalk near our home. Recently, I was also reminded of one of our favorite past times, which involved chasing our youngest sister around the yard on the pretext that she had a caterpillar in her hair or while yelling, “Your epidermis is showing!” Siblings can be ruthless.

During one year, when my parents must have learned that too much TV is detrimental to developing young minds and decided to limit our TV time to one hour a day, my sisters and I relied on each other to tag-team movies. I don’t think I ever got to see The Goonies from start to finish until I was an adult. That pirate ship makes a lot more sense now.

We’d spend winter days inside, trading Barbie clothes and working on our dance moves. And during warm summer days, we’d wander in the woods surrounding our home and indulge on 5-gallon tubs of ice cream…our secret snack in our private, wooded hiding place.

Now, in our adulthood, our activities are not that much different from our youth. We still play games in the yard, run together, and engage in the occasional spontaneous dance party. We still taunt each other and enjoy movies together. And we still indulge in delicious treats during sisters nights, which usually involve no more than relaxing in one of our homes, chatting and laughing over good food and beverages.

During our most recent sisters night, we enjoyed our conversation huddled around a warm pot of three cheese fondue. This super simple fondue combines three of my very favorite cheeses; gruyere, fontina, and brie. A bit of white wine and cornstarch help bind the melty mixture. A fondue pot is certainly useful for serving fondue, but if you can devise another way to keep the cheesy mixture warm, you can do without the special fondue pot. The key is the keep the mixture gently warmed to prevent the cheese from forming a gloppy mess! Then, simply dip and enjoy…preferably with a few close friends or family members by your side!

Three Cheese Fondue

Ingredients

  • 2 cups gruyere cheese, shredded
  • 1 1/2 cups fontina cheese, shredded
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup brie cheese
  • Assorted fresh fruits, dried fruits, vegetables, and bread

Directions

Toss the shredded gruyere and fontina with the cornstarch. Set aside. In a pan or stovetop-safe fondue pot, bring the white wine to a simmer. Turn down the heat to low and add the gruyere and fontina mixture. Stir until completely melted. Add the brie cheese and stir until melted. If necessary, transfer the mixture to your fondue pot. Keep warm over a lit tealight candle. Serve with an assortment of fruits, vegetables, and bread.

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Shrimp Scampi Flatbread Pizza

Posted on March 25, 2011 by amydeline

As predicted, every pizza joint in my area is suddenly a fish fry too! After Easter, the Friday fish fry specials will gradually fade away, but for anyone who abstains from meat on Fridays during this time of the year, your local pizza shop is probably your one-stop-shop for Friday takeout!

If you’re feeling like something other than pizza, fried haddock or frozen fish sticks, I’ve got a few ideas for you. For starters, I’ve got a new recipe for a shrimp scampi flatbread pizza. We’ll start with a basic shrimp scampi, which will drizzle over individual flatbread crusts, and bake with a bit of asiago and mozzarella cheese. Garlic-flavored naan (Indian flatbread) makes an especially tasty crust for this pizza. Many supermarkets now carry prepared naan, either fresh in the bread or international section or frozen. If you can’t get your hands on flatbread or naan, a thin prepared pizza crust would do the trick.

For the purpose of this pizza, small salad shrimp (the kind you can typically find cooked and frozen) work perfectly. If you’d like to use this scampi recipe for serving over rice or pasta, substitute the salad shrimp for larger, fresh shrimp and allow them to cook in the buttery garlic sauce.

Shrimp Scampi Flatbread Pizza

Ingredients

  • 4 flatbreads, Indian naan, or a thin-crust pizza shell
  • 6 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 shallot, finely diced
  • 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 cups cooked salad-sized shrimp, defrosted
  • Crushed red pepper
  • Salt
  • 2-3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup asiago cheese, shredded
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the garlic just begins to turn a golden brown. Lower the heat, if necessary, to prevent burning. Add the white wine and lemon juice. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and gently simmer until heated through. Season with crushed red pepper and salt, as desired. Stir in the fresh parsley. Allow the scampi mixture to cool slightly.

To assemble the pizzas, place the flatbreads or naan onto baking sheets. Sprinkle approximately 1/4 cup asiago cheese over each flatbread or naan. Spoon some of the shrimp mixture, with a small amount of the buttery sauce, over the cheese. To prevent your pizza from becoming soggy, do not use too much of the sauce. A light drizzle around the pizza will be perfect. Sprinkle about 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese over the top of each pizza. Bake for about 12 minutes.

Makes 4 Individual Flatbread Pizzas

Looking for a few other meat-free dinner options? Check out these previously posted Gourmand Mom recipes:

Codfish Cakes


Pan-Fried Tilapia with Grapefruit and Shaved Leeks


Broiled Salmon Bruschetta


Coconut Crusted Tilapia with Tropical Fruit Salsa


Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese in a Citrus-Honey Vinaigrette


Cinnamon Apple and Brie Quesadillas


Broiled Halibut with Olives, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Capers


Tropical Fish Tacos with Spicy Mango Salsa and Coconut Rice


Salmon Burgers with Horseradish Sauce


Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella


Chilled Avocado Soup and Crab Cakes with Chipotle Remoulade


Buttermilk Battered Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Chipotle Dipping Sauce


Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp


Shrimp and Asparagus in a Lemony Basic Alfredo Sauce


9 Comments

Posted in Burgers, Cheese, Dressings and Condiments, Food, Main Course, Recipes, Rice, Salads, Sandwiches, Seafood, Side Dishes, Vegetable and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Kielbasa and The Hecklers

Posted on March 24, 2011 by amydeline

Every year, on a Saturday near St. Patrick’s Day, a 15k run takes place in my hometown. The route of the race takes the runners up the road of my childhood home. For the past few years, my parents have been enjoying this annual spectacle seated on lawn chairs at the foot of my neighbor’s driveway, Bloody Marys in hand. As such, when this year’s big day arrived, my parents made their way over to the neighbors at the appropriate time, took up their annual seats, turned up the music, and awaited the sprinting masses.

This year, they waited for longer than usual for the first of the runners to pass. When, at last, the frontrunners arrived, they turned up the music, cheered and waved their Blood Marys in spirited support. A short time later, they repeated this routine as another pair of runners made their way up the steep, windy road. Moments after that, the third group of runners ran past; a man, two women, and two children. They were struggling their way up the challenging incline of my parents’ road. This was certainly not the type of group you’d expect to see leading the pack during a 15k race, gasping for breath, backs arched in weary fatigue. It was at this point that my parents began to suspect that something was amiss. But, as the group struggled to pass, my parents and their neighbors rose from their lawn chairs, turned up the music, and shouted cheers of encouragement, Bloody Marys raised in supportive salute. You can do it! Keep going! One of the women gave up her struggled run and switched to a walk as she passed.

I know from my running experiences that loud, peppy music and cheers of encouragement can be quite motivating during a race. I’m equally certain that the runners who passed my parents that morning would have been brightened up by their support…had it actually been the morning of the race. But, no…There was no race scheduled for that morning. The race would take place the following Saturday. My parents had not, in fact, spent their morning encouraging racers. They’d spent their morning drinking in their neighbor’s driveway and heckling innocent health-minded joggers.  My parents; the hecklers.  The following Saturday, on the actual morning of the race, they repeated their well-practiced routine.

This story is neither here nor there in regards to the following recipe. But I’ve been giggling for weeks over the thought of my well-intentioned parents harassing random joggers. This is what happens when all of the kids grow up and move out.

Today’s recipe is one-dish meal, which makes me think of camping, for some reason I can’t fully explain. Slices of kielbasa, potatoes, peppers, and onions are tossed in a bit of olive oil and roasted together in the oven; so simple that it’s more of a meal idea than an actual recipe. Enjoy this dish as a family-pleasing weeknight meal or make it for a crowd! It would even make a tasty snack to keep you well-nourished on those mornings where you find yourself heckling joggers from the comfort of your driveway. Serve with a spicy Bloody Mary.

Kielbasa with Roasted Potatoes, Peppers, and Onions

Ingredients

  • 1 Polish kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/4″ slices
  • 3 pounds baby red potatoes, cut into 1/4″ slices
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine kielbasa, potatoes, peppers, and onions on a baking sheet. Drizzle and toss with olive oil until evenly coated. Arrange the mixture in an even layer on the baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the peppers and onions are tender and the potatoes and kielbasa are golden brown. Occasionally turn the mixture with a spatula to promote even browning as it cooks. Season with additional salt and pepper, as desired.

Serve with a warm, crusty baguette.

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Cadbury Creme Crepes

Posted on March 22, 2011 by amydeline

Easter candy has taken over the store shelves and my brain. I find myself popping a near constant stream of jelly beans into my mouth, in between chomping on chocolate rabbit ears and peanut butter eggs. My Peeps chicks have been purchased and are currently sitting unwrapped in my pantry, as I await their perfectly stale state. Chocolate-covered marshmallow bunnies are dancing through my dreams.

In the midst of this Easter candy madness, my sister requested that I create a recipe for a Cadbury omelette…as in an omelette made using Cadbury Creme Eggs as a substitute for regular eggs. Eager to please my sister, I agreed to this wild request. I spent a few weeks tossing around this Cadbury omelette idea, contemplating whether I could somehow extract the gooey filling from the Cadbury eggs and whip it into a sort of custard which could be folded around the remaining bits of chocolate.

And then I had a better idea. Taking inspiration from the stuffed omelette idea, I decided to make rich chocolate crepes, filled with melty bits of Cadbury Creme Eggs, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and topped with a gooey Cadbury Egg. Yes, that should definitely fit the bill!

Crepes are surprisingly simple to make. You do not need a special “crepe pan” to make crepes. Any flat-bottomed, preferably non-stick, pan should do the job. The trick is to make sure the batter is appropriately loose enough to easily coat the bottom of the pan. Crepes cook quickly, so removing the pan from the heat while pouring the batter will ensure that you can swirl the batter to every edge before it cooks. A rubber spatula and your fingers make the best tools for flipping the crepe. A few seconds later, you’ll have a perfectly cooked crepe!

These sweet and chocolatey crepes are oozing with gooey Cadbury goodness. I can’t think of any better way to enjoy the Easter candy season!

Cadbury Creme Crepes

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • Cooking spray
  • 4 Cadbury Creme Eggs, chopped (plus extra halved eggs for garnish)
  • Powdered sugar, for garnish

Directions

Lightly beat the eggs with the salt, milk, and oil. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, and sugar. Combine the egg mixture with the dry ingredients, until well blended. Add additional milk, if necessary. The batter should move very easily, but not be overly liquidy. Spray a flat-bottomed, non-stick skillet with cooking spray, then heat the skillet over medium heat. Hold the pan off the heat and use a measuring cup to pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the pan. Quickly, turn the pan to spread the batter across the entire bottom. Place the pan over the heat and cook for less than a minute. Use the edge of a rubber spatula to loosen one of the edges. Then, use your fingers to carefully lift and flip the crepe. Cook for a few seconds more on the other side.

Scatter chopped pieces of Cadbury Creme Eggs onto a quarter of each hot crepe. Fold the crepe into quarters over the chocolate. Sprinkle the finished crepes with powdered sugar and garnish with half of a Cadbury Creme Egg.

Make 8 crepes (4 servings)


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Leg of Lamb with Mint-Walnut Pesto

Posted on March 21, 2011 by amydeline

As a child, my favorite brown-bag lunch for school was a peanut butter and green jelly sandwich. I’m not sure which I enjoyed more; the minty flavor of that green jelly or the reactions of my little friends over my bizarre PB&J sandwich. While they ate plain old grape or strawberry jelly, in boring shades of purple and red, I feasted on a shocking shade of gooey green. I especially loved it when the jelly soaked through the bread as it sat in my classroom cubby, waiting to be eaten. The green-soaked exterior made the sandwich all the more of a gruesome shock at the school lunch table.

We almost always had green mint jelly in our house when I was a child. It wasn’t the result of my strange love for green jelly sandwiches. The mint-flavored jelly was usually leftover from one of my dad’s favorite meals; lamb chops. Lamb and mint are a classic flavor combination. There’s something about the fresh taste of mint which pairs perfectly with the slightly gamey flavor of lamb. A match made in culinary heaven. Those green jelly sandwiches were merely my personal bonus!

Recently, I picked up a butterflied leg of lamb with the intent of grinding it for my recent In Like a Lamb Shepherd’s Pie. But, on the day I planned to make the pie, my grocery store happened to have ground lamb available. So, I decided to skip the hassle of grinding the meat myself and use the pre-ground meat for the shepherd’s pie. This left me with a perfectly delicious leg of lamb sitting in the freezer, waiting to be used.

I decided to stick with the classic mint and lamb combination, jazzed up in the form of a fresh mint and walnut pesto. The goat cheese in my fridge begged to join the mix, so I happily complied. This is one of those meals which sounds a lot fancier than it really is. It only takes a few basic ingredients and a few simple steps to make this impressive dinner. It would work well for entertaining guests or a nice dinner any night of the week!

Leg of Lamb with Mint-Walnut Pesto

Ingredients

  • 1 boneless leg of lamb, butterflied (approx. 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup olive oil (approximately)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To prepare the pesto, blend the mint, parsley, walnuts, and garlic together in a food processor. Gradually drizzle in the olive oil until it reaches your desired consistency. (A thick pesto works best for this recipe). Season with salt and pepper, as desired.

Trim the lamb of any exterior fat and pound the lamb to about  1/2″ thickness, using a meat mallet or heavy, flat-bottomed pan. Spread a generous amount of the pesto over the lamb. Sprinkle with the goat cheese crumbles. Roll the lamb and secure with butcher’s twine (or a skewer, if you’re all out of twine, like me). Coat the exterior of the lamb with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish and cook for about 35-45 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your lamb and actual oven temperature. An instant-read meat thermometer will give you the best indication of doneness. An internal temperature of about 155-160 degrees should result in a nice, pink medium done. *Adjust cooking time for larger roasts.

Allow the roast to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with any leftover pesto.

Serving tip: Serve with a side of roasted red potatoes. Simply halve or quarter baby red potatoes. Toss in olive oil, salt, pepper, and other seasonings, if desired. Garlic and rosemary work well. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 50 minutes  – 1 hour, occasionally flipping to promote even browning. *If you place the potatoes in the oven right before you begin preparing the pesto and the lamb, the lamb and potatoes will finish at about the same time!

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Split Pea Soup with Ham

Posted on March 16, 2011 by amydeline

Still looking for something festive to make for St. Patrick’s Day, but corned beef and cabbage isn’t your thing? How about some smooth, green pea soup, slow-cooked with smokey ham hocks, and served with homemade croutons? Might that be your thing?

Split Pea Soup with Ham

Ingredients

  • 4 cups dried split peas, rinsed and picked through
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
  • 10 cups chicken broth, water or vegetable broth
  • 2 smoked ham hocks
  • Salt and pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until they begin to get tender. Add the carrots. Cook for a couple more minutes. Add the peas, liquid, and ham hocks. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent the peas from sticking on the bottom. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 1/2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. The peas should almost completely break down as the soup simmers. Remove the ham hocks and set aside. Allow the soup to cool for a few minutes. Then, carefully use a blender, food processor, or immersion blender to puree the soup to your desired texture. If the soup is thicker than you prefer, add a bit more broth or water. If the soup is too thin, simmer uncovered to reduce the liquid. Season with a generous amount of salt (a few teaspoons should be about right) and pepper. Remove the skin, bone, and fat from the ham hocks. Pull apart or chop the meat and add it to the soup.

For the croutons: Cut French bread into chunks. (Slightly stale bread works best.) Toss in a bit of olive oil. Season as desired. Salt, pepper, and garlic powder work well. Bake in a 375 degrees oven for about 15 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. I prefer my croutons to be crispy on the outside and slightly tender in the center!

A couple other St. Patty’s Day dinner ideas:

Guinness-Braised Beef over Buttered Noodles

In Like a Lamb Shepherd’s Pie


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Boiled Irish Dinner and Irish Soda Bread

Posted on March 15, 2011 by amydeline

We’re just days away from St. Patrick’s Day now! Our green clothing has been starched and ironed and my iPod is loaded with my favorite bagpipe tunes. Ok… so, I admit there are no bagpipe tunes on my iPod and I’ve never actually starched a shirt. But, we are ready for our day o’ green! Everyone’s Irish on St. Patty’s Day, so polish your step-dancing shoes, tuck a shamrock behind your ear, and celebrate in Irish style!

When it comes to selecting an Irish meal for St. Patty’s Day, it doesn’t get any more traditional than a boiled corned beef and cabbage dinner. Corned beef seems to be one of those divisive meals. People tend to fall into one of two corned beef camps; the lovers and the haters. You can call me president of the club for corned beef lovers! I love it prepared as a classic corned beef and cabbage meal and I love every possible incarnation of corned beef leftovers that follows.

Over the years, I’ve prepared corned beef in a number of different ways. I’ve tried the slow-cooker method. I’ve baked it. I’ve braised it. I love it no matter how you prepare it, but in my stubborn Irish opinion, I firmly believe that boiled is best. On top of producing an incredibly tender brisket, the added bonus is that it couldn’t be any simpler to prepare. It’s a full meal, boiled in a pot.

Enjoy your boiled Irish dinner with a fresh slice of Irish soda bread and a tall glass of your favorite Irish libation. Have one for me while you’re at it!

Boiled Irish Dinner

Corned Beef with Cabbage, Potatoes, and Carrots

Ingredients

  • 1 Corned Beef Brisket
  • Carrots, peeled and chopped (or substitute baby carrots)
  • Red potatoes, chopped
  • 1 head of cabbage, cut into wedges

Directions

Place the corned beef brisket in a large pot. Sprinkle with the packet of seasoning included with the brisket. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the brisket. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3-4 hours, until fork tender. Add the cut potatoes and carrots to the pot during the last 20 minutes of cooking time and the cabbage during the last 15 minutes. Remove the corned beef from the water and cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting against the grain. Remove the cabbage, potatoes, and carrots to serve on the side.

Corned Beef Tip #1 – Remove excess exterior fat before slicing and serving for a more appetizing presentation.

Corned Beef Tip #2 – Your tender corned beef is likely to fall apart while you slice it. This works fine when served as a corned beef dinner, but if you’d prefer to thinly slice the brisket for sandwiches, allow the corned beef to cool in the refrigerator before slicing and reheating. Cooled corned beef slices easier than hot corned beef.

Irish soda bread makes the perfect accompaniment to a boiled Irish dinner. Soda bread is in the family of breads known as quick breads. It’s a no-yeast-required bread, which gets its rise from the reaction between baking soda and acidic buttermilk. It can be prepared with or without caraway seeds, raisins, or other dried fruits. My personal preference is seed-free, but loaded with raisins, served slightly warm with a generous smear of butter.

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

  • 4 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/2″ chunks
  • 1 cup raisins (optional)
  • 1 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter. Stir in the raisins. Stir in the buttermilk and egg until a sticky dough begins to form. Once the dough becomes too thick to stir, use your hands to knead the dough until well blended. If the dough is still too sticky to handle, add up to 1/4 cup additional flour. Form the dough into a round loaf and place on the prepared baking sheet. Use a knife to cut an ‘X’ in the top of the loaf. Bake for about an hour, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Serve warm or at room temperature with butter.

*Recipe adapted from a combination and modification of the Food Network Irish Soda Bread recipes found here and here.

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Posted in Baking, Beef, Breads, Food, Main Course, Potato, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetable and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Happy Pi Day!

Posted on March 14, 2011 by amydeline

Any fellow math geeks out there?

Happy Pi Day! That’s right…it’s March 14, a day to recognize that special number, 3.14! And what better way could there be to honor this significant number than with a nice slice of homemade pie??

So, pull out those circular pie pans, take your pick from one of the links below, and let’s celebrate Pi!

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Coconut Pie

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Pie

Chocolate Eggnog Pudding Pie

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Pie

Grasshopper Pie

Not only is today Pi Day; it’s also Kids Cook Monday! Now, my little guys are not quite ready to tackle the mathematical concepts of radius, pi, circumference, and area. But, we can take a few baby steps in that direction by identifying circles in the kitchen and doing a bit of hands on measuring with our circular pies.

Looking to get older kids involved in the kitchen? Take this opportunity for a bit of tasty math practice. Measure the diameter of those pies, determine the radius, and then put that pi to work while calculating the circumference and area of your pie! Then, as a reward for all of that challenging math work, treat yourselves to a well-deserved slice of pie!

Wishing you all a very tasty Pi Day!

P.S. The Gourmand Mom is now on Facebook! Check it out!

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Posted in Baking, Cooking with Kids, Desserts, Food, Recipes and tagged , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
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