May Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage

It was one of those cool days in May that you didn’t mind a hot meal. I bought the corned beef back around St Paddy’s Day (about the only time you can buy it here). It keeps in its package for months (it’s that 41% sodium per serving), or you can freeze it. Rinsing the corned beef before you put it in, and not putting in the packaged juice, helps cut the salt down a bit. But it’s not something you want to eat every week.
I had some fancy,  fingerling type potatoes, and they tasted like butter without even adding any. Of course, the horseradish adds a nice bit to both the meat and the potatoes. 11 hours seems like forever, but it works well if you are gone to work all day — or if you are running errands all day on a Saturday. Cooks itself.

Mom also suggested cooking the cabbage with a little of the juice in the microwave — not so salty that way. She doesn’t use the seasoning packet — can’t say it added much either way.

Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage
Recipe By     :About.com
Serving Size  : 8     Preparation Time :0:20
Categories    : Crockpot                        Meats

Amount  Measure       Ingredient — Preparation Method
——–  ————  ——————————–
6              whole  carrots — cut into chunks
4              whole  potatoes — or more small ones
2               lb.  corned beef brisket — with seasoning packet
12            ounces  beer
2              Tbsp.  yellow mustard
1               cup  water
8             wedges  cabbage

In 4-6 quart crockpot, combine carrots and potatoes. Rinse corned beef under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in crockpot and sprinkle with contents of seasoning mix. Spread mustard on brisket and pour beer over brisket. Add water. Cover crockpot and cook on low setting for 10-12 hours.

Remove corned beef from crockpot and cover with foil, then put into 200 degrees F oven to keep warm. Add cabbage wedges to vegetables and liquid in crockpot. Cover crockpot and cook on high for additional 30-40 minutes or until cabbage is crisp tender.

To serve, cut corned beef across grain into thin slices. Remove vegetables from slow cooker with slotted spoon and serve with corned beef. Serve cooking juices over the food, if desired. Offer additional mustard and horseradish on the side.

If you have a newer, hotter cooking crockpot you might want to check it after 8 or 9 hours. Although, with this much liquid, there shouldn’t be much problem with anything burning.

Adopted from: Source:
http://busycooks.about.com/od/beefroastrecipes/r/cpcornedbeef.htm

Crunchy, Like Carrots

Quinn popcorn
Popcorn: crunchy, just like carrots.

The microwave popcorn from my local organic store was just too intriguing — probably more expensive than movie popcorn, but I had to try it.

From my local Yes! Market: Quinn Popcorn. I tried parmesan & rosemary. ‘Microwave Popcorn reinvented.”  White popcorn. No preservatives.

It’s a kit: you add the oil and the seasonings at the end. At 7% sodium per serving, still a bit salty. But tasty and quick. About 2.5 minutes in my microwave. Fun to try.

I’ve done the brown bag version, but this bag was superior:

The bags isn’t coated like the big guys — it’s some type of waxed / parchment paper. ‘Well, it is special paper that is pressed to make it grease proof.”

Obscenely expensive: 3 bags (5 servings total) for $5.00. And they had to go all the way to Peru and Spain for dried rosemary?

3 grams of fiber. 180 calories per serving.

I met Buzz Aldrin

Angela got us into the National Press Club event where Buzz Aldrin was talking about his new book.  Angela purchased a book for me, and I had him sign it.  I thrust my hand out to him, and we shook hands.
I shook hands with the second person to walk on the moon!

buzz

Cheese from Calvert Woodley Wines & Spirits

 

CW Cheese in Springfield

 

Cheese from Calvert Woodley Wines & Spirits

We visit Calvert Woodley Wines & Spirits often: it’s within walking distance, and the cheesemongers let you try it all. The prices are good, too,  with great La Cheeserie specials, every Wednesday – Saturday. (They are closed on Sundays.) See the 140 cheeses listed.

The cheesemonger has even suggested the best cheese to take when I travel to Springfield, IL and Burlington, NC (you don’t want anything too stinky on the train or plane).

It’s rare to see local cheeses there, and you are more likely to get them at Cowgirl Creamery or Whole Foods.

Cheese from old receipts:
Fromager D’Affinois France; Saint Nectaire, France; Parrano, Holland; Tomme Des Pyrenees, France; Belletoile 70% Brie, France; petite Basque Cheese, France; Maytag blue cheese, USA; Caprini Robiola 2 Latti, Italy (cow and sheep milk).

Cheeses from our Past

Just another cheese plate

Cheeses from our Past

When we first started the cheese blog, we were detailed and whether we liked them or not. And now that we have tried so many, we are always trying to remember if we tried them or not.

Here’s are a few from a tasting years ago — I think Melissa and I went to at Whole Foods, Clarendon — free and utterly delicious:

Firefly Farms MD: Merrygoat Round & Buche Noir – goat so Wendell wouldn’t be a big fun, but recommended for people who are new to goat in the SlashFood blog.

Cherry Glenn MD: Monacasy Ash — Goat. Fun ash line through the center.

Old Chatham Sheepherding Co., NY: Nancy’s Camembert — black sheep cheese — because the kind of sheep make a difference. I like there slogan: “Fresh from a ewe near you.”

Meadow Creek Dairy, VA: Grayson — “Reminiscent of the Italian Taleggio”

Norwegian Cheese Package We Won

image

Thanks to W’s brother who gets the Culture Cheese magazine subscription for him each year.

I’ve been entering for at least 3 years, so it was quite exciting to get the whole package.

It was Norwegian cheese, from Jarlsburg USA,  with accessories. We like the traditional Jarlsberg, a cow cheese we have had often, and we got about a pound of it.  It also included Snofrisk and Ski Queen Gjetost (yaytoast — has a flavor similar to tangy fudge — this blog, Cheesemonger’s Wife, describes it well). Both were goat cheeses. We got to enjoy it with some homemade, pickled veggies that we got from family at Christmas. The mustard was similar to a spicy, German mustard, and we haven’t opened the pricey, strawberry preserves yet.

And now the slate board  ($40) means we have one for the city (another family gift) and one for the country. The little cheese cooler will be handy, and the cute, little cheese knife that works quite well. The whole package was probably worth $150 or so.

Now we  you can win the next giveaway for the fall Culture magazine package.
• Yanni Grilling Cheese (plain and jalapeño-flavored)
• Hand- Braided String Cheese (plain, marinated, and smoked)
• Labne Kefir Cheese
• Basket Feta (green olive and sun-dried tomato–flavored)
• Plus, an insulated cooler, cheese knife and blade cutter, to-go coffee cup, spatula, and measuring cup.

This total package has a value of $120. Enter your name below for our November 30, 2012 drawing. No purchase necessary, you must be a US resident to enter.