Yes, she is...

 

Happy Wednesday!

Ryan's Colcannon

I think I have mentioned in the past that David's stepdad is allergic to many things such as apples, potatoes, tomatoes and chocolate, just to name a few.  Because of his allergies and because he loves to cook and loves good food, he has had to be very creative in the kitchen. The family has definitely reaped the benefits of his creativity. 

Colcannon is one of the recipes that he has successfully adapted.   He shared that this recipe is sort of a combination between colcannon which is Irish or rumbledethumps which is Scottish and clapshot which is also known as "neeps and tatties".  Whatever.... It's delicious!

When I decided to make this recipe to serve alongside the Guinness Pie, I adapted it even further to use what I had available.   That is the beauty of this recipe.  It can definitely be adapted and changed up to suit your tastes and what you have onhand.  This time, I didn't have turnips so I used potatoes and parsnips instead.  I boiled the veggies with garlic cloves, and, also, seasoned the mixture with onion powder and garlic powder to further enhance the flavor.  It was delicious.

So without further adieu, I give you...
 

Ryan's Colcannon

Adapted from Epiphany's Cookbook

1 lb. carrots
1/2 lb. yellow turnip, diced (I used potatoes and parsnips.)
2 cups shredded cooked cabbage or chopped cooked kale
2 Tbsp. choppes chives or scallions(optional...I completely forgot them.)
2 to 4 oz. butter
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional...I used Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheese)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch nutmet (optional....I used it.)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil or steam the carrots and the turnip until done.  Drain well and turn into a large bowl .  Add the butter, 2 Tbsp. cheese (if you are using), salt, pepper and nutmeg and mash well.  Fold in the chopped cabbage or cooked kale, chives or scallions and mix well.   Turn the mixture into a baking dish and top with the remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes.


Thanks so much for stopping by...

Just in time for St. Paddy's Day...

Just in time for St. Paddy's Day, I am sharing a recipe from our family cookbook.  I've seen stew recipes being shared like crazy in recent days and lots of them contain Guinness.  I have yet to see one exactly like this one though.

This recipe is courtesy of David's stepdad. It's always a treat to be invited over to their house for dinner. The food and the company are always amazing. This was the first time that we attempted to make this at home.  It definitely will not be the last.

Guinness Pie

Adapted from our family cookbook

Serves 6

4 Tbsp. butter (I used olive oil)

2 large red onions (I used sweet yellow onions)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

10 mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bellas)

3 lb. stew meat, cut into bite sized pieces

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp. flour

1 sprig Rosemary

2 bottles Guinness (I used Guinness Draught)

8 oz. Cheddar Cheese, grated

1 pie crust

1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place 2 Tbsp. butter or oil in a Dutch oven and cook onions and garlic until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the remainder of the butter or oil, carrots, celery and mushrooms.  Cook until the moisture released by the mushrooms has evaporated, about 15 minutes.

Season the meat with salt and pepper.  Add the flour, rosemary and meat to the pot and cook on high heat for 5 minutes.  Add enough Guinness to cover the meat.  Cook in the oven, covered, for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.  Stir occasionally.  Remove from oven.  If broth is thin, reduce it over medium heat.  Season to taste and fold in half of the cheddar.  Pour the stew into a baking dish or pie plate.  Place the pie crust over the stew. Slash the center and brush with an egg wash.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.  Bake until crust is puffy and golden.

Today marks the end of my vacation and it's back to work in the morning.   I did not accomplish everything that I wanted to during my time off; but, I have to say that this was one of the best vacations that I've ever had.    I had hoped to blog a lot during my time off and take some photos and neither of those things happened.    That's okay though.   I'm rested and relaxed and ready to begin again. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you have a wonderful week.

Asian Short Rib Wonton Tacos

I read a lot of recipes.  Cookbooks, blogs, magazines....you name it.  Recipes draw my attention.  I'm always on the lookout for something yummy and interesting to make.  It has always been this way for me.  Since I discovered the world of blogging, that has only increased.  I have a huge list of things that I want to try.  

Beef Short Ribs have been on the list for awhile.   When I ran into a deal on them locally,  I had originally thought that I would slow cook them with fresh herbs and red wine.  On the day that I planned to make them, I just wasn't feeling that at all.   I had been thinking about Asian food since Carol shared her Korean Steak Tacos here. 

I, also, remembered that Jenn at Jenn's Food Journey had shared an Asian inspired recipe here using short ribs so that would be perfect.   Why not combine the two, right?  

So I began by mixing together:

2 tsp. kosher salt
3 tsp. ground white pepper
1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
3/8 tsp. garlic powder
3/8 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. onion powder
6 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 Tbsp. Sriracha

I rubbed this mixture on 2 lbs. of trimmed beef short ribs, coating them completely, and stuck them in the fridge to get happy overnight.   The next morning, I placed the ribs in the bottom of my crockpot.   I took 1/2 cup pineapple juice and mixed it with 1/2 cup Sake.  I poured this over the top of the ribs and set the timer for 8 hours.  My poor family had to smell this cooking all day while I was at work.  When I got home, it smelled amazing in here.

I was unable to find my favorite broccoli slaw at any of the local markets so I settled for a package of ready made coleslaw.  Mixed up with some Newman's Own Lite Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing and some chopped cilantro, it was the perfect accompaniment for the spicy beef. 

David and Connor couldn't wait for dinner so they had their tacos wrapped in corn tortillas.  That seemed a little plain to me.  I had been thinking all day about those amazing Wonton Tacos from Applebees.   They are positively addictive little treats, in my opinion, and  I thought I could recreate something along those lines with the beef that was cooking away at home.  I just so happened to have some wonton skins left over from my Inside Out Pork Dumplings so it was the perfect time to give that a try!  

I sprayed the wonton skins lightly with canola oil, draped them over the side of a baking dish to form a taco shell and baked them until they were crispy.  It only took a few minutes for that to happen.  

a little shredded beef.....

a little cabbage slaw with dressing....

a little cilantro on top....

a squeeze of fresh lime....

Yum!

The wonton shells were definitely not as good as they would have been if I had fried them.  They were pretty good though and it made for a nice dinner treat.   I took leftovers of the meat and the slaw to work the next day all wrapped up in a Weight Watchers Tortilla and I have to say that was even more tasty than the tacos.

Thanks Jenn and Carol and Applebees for the inspiration!  We will be having these again, I'm sure.  As cute as they were, I just don't think I will be bothering with the wonton taco shells next time.