Corned Beef and Cabbage; Shortbread

This is a must-have in our family for St. Patrick's Day. We love it so much that my husband keeps asking why we don't have it other days too. I just always forget! Anyway, this meal is so yummy and satisfying and the best part is you throw it in the crockpot in the morning and dinner is waiting for you later. I love the crockpot. I need to remind myself to use it even more. There are a lot of yummy things that can be cooked in it and it takes a lot of stress out of getting dinner on the table. Anyone that has experienced the daily evening "cry session" with an infant will relate to how hard it can be to cook at that time. This way I can cook in the morning while the little one is happy playing or napping and not worry about it later.



I great tip I picked up in researching recipes this year. Don't throw the cabbage in with everything else. The texture gets all mushy. What I did was save some of the cooking liquid from the crockpot to cook the cabbage in right before dinner. Serve it all up with a little mustard or some horseradish sour cream.

Recipe (Dinner for 4, plus leftovers for sandwiches AND corned beef hash)

4lb corned beef brisket, with seasonings
1 lb carrots, cut in to large pieces
1 1/2 lb fingerling potatoes (I got a little bag from SuperTarget that had red, purple ang gold)
1 leek, sliced (See here for prepping instructions)
1/2 head Savoy cabbage, cut into wedges

In slow cooker, place corned beef with the included pickling spices on top. Layer in the carrots, potatoes, and leek. Add water to cover the meat by an inch. Cook, with lid on, 8 hours. When done, place meat and veggies on platter and reserve cooking liquid. Place a couple cups of cooking liquid in a microwave-safe dish with cabbage. Cook on high for about 7-8 minutes. Serve and enjoy!




Shortbread

After dinner our family was craving something sweet. Since dinner was so easy I didn't mind baking up a little something, but I did not have much in the house. No brown sugar or chocolate chips... Found a recipe in the Gourmet Cookbook for shortbread. I had some pecans that I new would be really yummy on top. So my 22-month old daughter and I whipped up a batch and in less than an hour we were enjoying our tea and shortbread before bedtime. It was a good day! (I think next time I'll try the chocolate shortbread. Yum!)

Recipe (8 slices)

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1/8 t salt
1 c flour
1/2 c nuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. With a fork, blend together butter, sugar, vanilla, ans salt. Blend in flour until soft dough forms. Scrape out dough onto an ungreased baking sheet and, with floured fingers, form into a 9x4 rectangle. Prick dough with a fork. Sprinkle nuts on top and press in lightly with your fingertips. Bake about 15 minutes, until edges are golden. Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes and then slice into 8 pieces. Remove from baking sheet and cool. (Sorry there's no picture - we just gobbled it up too fast!)