Trying to get the monsters, The Boy and The Pudge, to choose or agree on anything, well , I might as well talk to the wall. In fact I often do. So, when I asked them about this challenge, I received a luke warm yes and no ideas. So I made the decisions (as I often do) for them. I decided to go with an Irish theme. Corned Beef and Cabbage with Irish Potato Candy for dessert. Then, the schedule changed at the last minute. The Boy is taking an SAT prep course and the school decided to have a sample test Saturday morning. So the Corned Beef and Cabbage part fell on me because it's a slow cooker recipe and I wanted it for a 6:00PM dinner. So I took care of it.
Here are some shots of the Corned Beef and Cabbage prep.
I had my vintage 1990 Rival Crock Pot so full that this was the only way I could seal it.
And while prepping the vegetables I did a job on my hand with a chef's knife.
And here's the finished dish. Pretty basic meat and potatoes. The monsters and The Boy's buddy, Sargent Cookie (long story) woofed down the better part of a 3 1/2 lb brisket. They ate the potatoes and carrots but didn't like the cabbage, as I expected.
Next was the kid's portion of the program. Because Sargent Cookie came over, I didn't see The Boy until dinner. So it was just me and the Pudge. This was pretty easy but a little messy. And no, that's not Freddy Krugger but it is one of The Pudge's favorite shirts.
We chilled the mix for about 30 minutes because it was too mushy to shape into balls. That did the trick.
As you might expect, these were coconutty-sickenly-sweet. The kids loved them, so I rate the dish a success but the kid participation a partial FAIL. The Pudge did say he liked doing it and was pretty diligent in rolling all of the balls (I actually formed the balls and he rolled and shaped them in the cinnamon. Happy DSS and St. Patty's Day to all.
9 comments:
I wish I could have taken pictures of all this, the potato candy especially. Never made it before but you know the folks at the office are always game for whatever I bring in. Why wouldn't they wolf down Corned Beef and Cabbage? I love that dish and your solution to overpacking the Crockpot.
Buzz, I have no Workman's Comp at the Kitchen so careful with those knives.
All that work, and gone in a flash, no? Love your solution for sealing the bulging crockpot :) I'm suddenly craving corned beef - WITH cabbage.
Happy DSS!
Eggy
I believe wrestling monkeys would be easier than wrangling "the yout" to do something on a Saturday morning, so good job!
Those coconut BOMBS look really, really, really good. My blood sugar went up just looking at the photos.
I crashed last night and didn't get a chance to come over. Sorry. :)
I love corned beef and cabbage! I got some funky cabbage in the garden and this is exactly what I'm gonna do with it.
Hope your hand is better today.
Happy day after DSS!
Shamu
I'm the world's worst photographer. I do what I can during the chaos that is my cooking. A guy I work with briught me in the densest head of cabbage I've ever seen and that's what really inpired the menu. My kids just don't like cabbage although Sunday I made an apple cole slaw with the remainder of the cabbage and they ate that because it was sweet. Mu knife skills are lacking too and the hand is sort of healed now.
IE
The iron was like the 5th thing I tried. I had a pot of water balanced on top but then thought better of that. I like corned beef and cabbage every now and then but can see why kids don't.
Boxer
You know, they always ask me about the challenges especially when they see me doing something new, so I thought they would be really stoked for this challenge. Cooking is no substitute for Xbox. The Irish potatoes really tasted good after a night in the fridge.
Dani
This is apretty basic recipe that I used and it came out a little bland even though there were bay leaves and the spice packet that came with the beef in there. I really don't know what I would do differently to enhance the flavor. Maybe an extra bay leaf and some garlic.
Good afternoon Buzz Kill,
It looks tasty to me. Corned beef and cabbage is one of my favorites.
YUMMO! Looks excelente to me, Buzz, one of my fave dishes yet I never make it! Re: dessert, I could feel my teeth rotting looking at those coconut balls! haha! I bet they didn't last long. I find with my niece and nephew they just like the results of my baking rather than the process. Kids these days!
PS: Left comments on your pepperoni throwdown post too. Nice to "see" you again!
Never heard of "Irish Potato Candy". Does it have potato in it? Would they have been good if the yute didn't make them too sweet?
The CB&C looked great!
Karl
Glad I was able to get your Irish freak on.
Diva
I only make it around St. Pattys, otherwise it's completely out of my mind (like me). There are actually some Irish potatoes left in the fridge which is surprising being the boys eat everything like locusts.
Troll
Irish potatoes are basically cream cheese, coconut and a ton of confectioner's sugar with a cinnamon coating. No potatoes but they kind of look like potatoes if you make them right. This is a kid's candy that I wouldn't recommmend for adults who don't want to become diabetic.
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