Irish Feast

WHAT??? How is it possible that I havent updated this blog in over a month!!!!

I am so sorry. I did cook. I made a lot of meals that I hadnt made in awhile and blogged about already. As well as making some things that quite frankly werent that great so they werent worth my time. But I have a list of 6 new recipes from last month and a whole stack of new ones for spring. I am working on making better food choices for my family and dropping some weight wouldnt be the worst thing ever with summer right around the corner. So I will stop the chit chat and get started.

It seems kind of silly to go back to St. Patty's day now but while you read this blog to get recipe Ideas I use it as my recipe book and since I like this recipe a lot I need to keep it here so I dont lose it.......the stack of recipes pile up so badly they do get tossed out eventually.

This is this meals second appearance on our St. Patty's table and I think it will be an annual feast for my non-Irish family.

Beef Brisket Sandwiches

from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Magazine March 2009

• 3 1/2 pounds beef brisket

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 (12-ounce) bottles extra stout beer, Guinness®

• 1 (14-ounce) can beef broth

• 1 (1-ounce) package onion soup mix

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 1 (9.25-ounce) package dinner rolls, Rainbo®

• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard

• 1 (8-ounce) package provolone cheese slices, cut into quarters, Sargento®

Sprinkle the brisket evenly with salt and pepper.

In a large electric slow cooker, combine brisket, beer, broth, onion soup mix, Worcestershire, and garlic. Cook on High for 6 hours, or until brisket is fork-tender. Remove brisket from sauce, and shred with two forks.

Separate rolls by twos to make 12 sandwiches. Cut rolls in half horizontally, and spread about 1/2 teaspoon mustard on the bottoms of rolls. Top each with shredded brisket and 2 quarters of cheese.

Preheat oven to broil. Place prepared sandwich bottoms and tops on baking sheets. Broil, 5 inches from heat, for 5 minutes, or until cheese melts and tops of rolls are brown. Cover with roll tops. Serve hot.

• Yields: About 12 small sandwiches

Irish Potato Soup

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 cups chopped onion

• 1 cup chopped celery

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 31/2 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and chopped

• 8 cups chicken broth

• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, Sargento®

• 1 cup chopped green onion

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• Garnish: shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced green onion

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic; cook for 4 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. Add potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soup is thick and only small chunks of potato remain. Add cheese, green onion, salt, and pepper, stirring until cheese is melted. Garnish with cheese and green onion, if desired.

• Yields: About 8 cups

Verdict: I really like this meal. The taste of the meat is very tender and its so good with the mustard and the cheese. I am not a typical corn beef and cabbage lover so this is a really nice alternative to the typical classic. I finally found slider sized rolls which will now be appearing a lot on this blog. They are Martin's whole wheat and they are quite fabulous. Who doesnt love a mini-anything?

The soup is funny. Its very healthy in some respects because it has no cream or milk. Its very simple and easy to make. Yes, you can add a ton of cheese to it, but what I did have to add was a lot of salt. For some reason it didnt have much taste. I dont remember that being the case when I made it last time. I made this soup since it was on the same page in the magazine but it wasnt my absolute favorite potato soup.....but my favorite has some cream so maybe it shouldnt be featured too often in the rotation.