Irish Beef Stew

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/irish_beef_stew/

This isn't the easy, comfort food beef stew I grew up loving, but this one is so rich & beefy (& boozy), it's worth the extra time & effort

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 1/4 pounds well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups beef stock (I've used water & the jarred Better than Bouillon & it came out well)
• I cup of Guinness beer
• 1 cup of fine red wine (or for those of us with less discerning tastes, 3 buck Chuck is fine)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
• 1 cup sliced brown mushrooms
• Salt and Pepper

METHOD

1 Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Lightly salt the beef pieces. Working in batches if necessary, add the beef (do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam and not brown) and cook, without stirring, until nicely browned on one side, then use tongs to turn the pieces over. Continue to cook in this manner until all sides are browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and sauté 5 minutes. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2 While the meat and stock is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Brown the mushrooms & remove from pan. Add potatoes, onion carrots, and salt & pepper to taste. Sauté vegetables until softened, about 20 minutes. Add a little stew stock to pot to deglaze the stuck, brown bits on the bottom. Set aside until the beef stew in step one has simmered for one hour.

3 Add vegetables & mushrooms to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. If stew becomes too thick, use a little water or stock to thin as needed. Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat as needed. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.)

Great with crusty bread for dipping

Serves 4 to 6.

Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=581690

Yield

8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces beef, about 1 1/2 cups cabbage, and about 1 1/3 cups potatoes)

Ingredients

• 1 (4-pound) cured corned beef brisket, trimmed
• 12 cups water
• 2 cans Guinness beer
  
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pickling spice
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 1 (2 1/2-pound) head green cabbage, cored and cut into 1-inch strips
• 4 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 (5-ounce) jar prepared horseradish, drained and squeezed dry
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Preparation

Place brisket in a large stockpot; add water and next 5 ingredients (water through garlic). Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 hours. Remove brisket from pot.

Place brisket on the rack of a broiler pan or roasting pan coated with cooking spray; place rack in pan. Strain cooking liquid through a colander into 2 large bowls; *reserve solids and liquid separately. Return liquid to pot. Add caraway seeds, potatoes, and cabbage; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Drain, *reserving liquid and solids separately. Place cabbage on platter to serve. Place potatoes in bowl. Stir in parsley, butter, rind, juice, and pepper; toss to coat.

Preheat broiler.

Combine breadcrumbs and horseradish. Spread mustard over one side of brisket. Press breadcrumb mixture onto mustard. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve brisket with cabbage and potatoes.

*Use reserved carrots, onions, & broth to make REALLY good Borscht or bean soup.*

Frozen Grasshopper Pie

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/chocolate-mint-grasshopper-pie-109578.aspx

1-1/2 cups cold milk
1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Pistachio Flavor Instant Pudding

2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided

6 DOUBLE STUF OREO Cool Mint Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, chopped

1 OREO Pie Crust (6 oz.)

1 square BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

POUR milk and mint extract into large bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in 1-1/2 cups of the whipped topping and the chopped cookies. Spoon into crust. Spread with remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping.

MELT chocolate as directed on package; drizzle over pie.

REFRIGERATE 2 hours or freeze until firm. If frozen, remove pie from freezer about 10 min. before serving; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly. Store leftovers in refrigerator or freezer.

Reuben Hash

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/st-patricks-day-reuben-hash/

• 1 pound baby white potatoes such as Yukon gold, quartered
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus additional for the toast
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 pound corned beef left over from dinner or thinly sliced from the deli counter, cut or torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pack (about a pound) sauerkraut, drained, rinsed and squeezed dry
• 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard (eyeball it)
• 1 cup Guinness beer (eyeball it)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups (an 8- to 10-ounce block) grated Swiss cheese
• 4 eggs
• 4 slices rye bread, toasted and buttered

4 Servings

Preparation

Place the potatoes into a large pot and fill it with cold water. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a bubble. Turn the heat down to medium to cook the potatoes until tender but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and place them back into the pot they were cooked in to dry out for a few minutes.

Place a large, cast iron pan over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the potatoes to the pan and cook them until they start to get golden brown, 4-5 minutes.

Add the corned beef and chopped onion into the pan along with the chopped onion. Cook until the onions are tender, another 3-4 minutes. Stir in the sauerkraut, mustard and Guinness into the pan and cook to heat through, about 2 minutes. Season everything with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over everything and cover the pan with aluminum foil to melt.

While the cheese is melting, place a medium skillet over medium heat with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Cook the eggs however you or your guests like them (I love mine fried!). When the eggs are finished, remove the foil from the pan and dish the eggs over the pan. Cut the buttered toasts in half and line them up around the pan and let everyone have at it!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

72 cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 tsp mint extract
• green food coloring
  
• 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

  DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.