St. Paddy's day Leprechaun Feast and the day after...

For St. Patrick's day I made Kirk a holiday themed meal Why not? Isn't it true that newly weds are really good at being cutesy? Here's my cutesy dinner that actually wasn't very cutesy at all (kinda gross looking/tasting)...I think I'll stop using that word now.

We had corned beef and cabbage which pretty much tasted exactly what I thought corned beef would taste like. The name says it all. Green mashed potatoes. Irish soda bread and a fake brewski.
Kid Friendly Beer (HA! Should kids be eating this? (I guess it's along the same lines as fake cigarettes?) Make one box of lemon jello and pour it into beer mugs, steins, a pitcher, whatever your heart desires. Let the jello set. Top with CoolWhip to give a frothy appearance. Enjoy! So easy and I thought it was cute for a couple that doesn't drink alcohol but apparently wants to give the appearance we do.


Next day:





Corned Beef Hash

Ok, I know this is probably the worst thing I've ever eaten in terms of calories and fat. However, this was DELICIOUS. My first time making/eating corned beef hash was truly delightful. We used our leftovers and made this fantastic recipe for dinner the next night. I got this from America's Test Kitchen but modified it. I used about half of the potatoes and corned beef, only 2 eggs, no salt, half and half rather than heavy cream and WAY more Tabasco sauce because it took a lot without getting too spicy.

:Ingredients:

2 lb. Potatoes
2 Bay leaves
4oz. Bacon (about 4 slices) chopped fine
1 Onion, chopped
1 lb. Corned beef
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. minced thyme
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. Tabasco Sauce
6 Large eggs
Pepper
Salt

:Directions:

1. Bring potatoes, salt bayleaves and 6 cups of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 4 minutes. Drain.

2. Cook the bacon in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until the fat is partially rendered, 4 minutes. Add onion and cook until edges are brown. Add corned beef, garlic and thyme. Stir potatoes and lightly press mixture into the pan. Add cream and tabasco sauce. Cook 4 minutes undistirbed. Invert the hash with a spatula one portion at a time and repack it into the pan. Repeat this process every few minutes until hash is partly crisp and potatoes are thouroughly cooked.

3. Make 6 2 inch indentions in the hash and crack an egg into each indention. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to meduim low, cover the pan and cook until the eggs are set. Cut hash into 6 wegdes around the eggs and serve.


Seriously, corned beef hash is delicious. Who knew? Well, Kirk did and he couldn't get enough of it! He loved it. I have to mention this little story:

When Kirk and I were picking out my wedding ring, we went to a diamond importer. The guy fell in love with my hands. He kept holding them and looking at them and telling me I had "perfect hands" and that I could be a hand model if only they were a little bit bigger. I felt like George Costanza. Still he loved them, I mean LOVED them people! He made it really awkward for me because he just couldn't get over my hands . Anyway, Kirk thought it was funny and told me that the guy was a creep with a hand fetish and said, "I'm surprised he didn't ask you to put your hands in a plate of corned beef hash!" I never even knew what corned beef hash was until a couple weeks ago and now that I do I find it more disturbing that Kirk said that.