aye done it

the corned beef was delicious. i love the idea that i can put meat, water, beer and brine into a slow cooker and leave it for 5 hours (maybe a smidge too long) to cook itself.

i made a corned beef hash with the meat, which means we had red peppers, onions, and garlic to round out the food groups. i was supposed to include potatoes (hello, irish!) but forgot in the excitement. we still have another pound of cooked corned beef left, so there will be lunch leftovers to enjoy.

we shared a 22oz bottle of Guinness with our corned beef, with mashed rutabagas and green beans on the side. it was a pretty good way to celebrate st. patrick's day for someone who's never been into green beer.

then, yesterday morning, i made the potatoes along with scrambled eggs as we watched our college basketball team lose to duke. they could have played much better, but didn't. oh well, most teams i like seem to choke when it comes to the big games. i'm pretty proud of gwu for getting this far.

first pre-food post ever

i'm in the process of making corned beef for corned beef hash. i wanted to skip the cabbage because i don't have real irish cabbage. and it's no good to me without that veiny bland green/brown stuff.

i'm not vell-versed in stewing, roasting, slow-cooking or anything like that. I work largely with skillets, then sauce pans, and baking sheets. i don't feel comfortable in this world of wet meat.

we'll see what becomes of my first attempt at honoring st; patty's day with something other than green beer (or fish and chips, yum!).

and hell, if it doesn't work out, i'm always in the mood for fish n' chips.

oscars + grilled cheese = award-winning fun!

ben and i hosted a small oscar get together for his band mates & their sweeties last weekend. this was no glamorous affair with diamonds and gowns. no. instead, we went for an interactive "grill your own cheese sandwich" party. it was quite easy and successful (nobody burned the house down). if you want to go all out, get the book "Great Grilled Cheese" by Laura Werlin and i'm sure she has plenty of great ideas. i opted to visit the Greatest Grilled Cheese contest website to get some free ideas. here's what i put out for the sandwich makers:
- white bread & wheat bread
- white american cheese (orange is worthless, take it from a philly girl)
- swiss cheese
- goat cheese
- tomatoes
- red onions
- chopped bacon
- roasted garlic
- apricot preserves (that's for the goat cheese, great with fig too)
- salad
- and what's a grilled cheese party without tomato soup (canned for authenticity)

and in homage to the northwest:
- shredded sharp cheddar
- pears
-hazelnut meal from Freddie Guys Filberts

no one went for the goat cheese with apricot preserves. but that means i have plenty for leftovers. yum! the best part about this event was that i prepared everything ahead of time, didn't worry about being stuck in the kitchen, and everyone can eat what they like. unles she is vegan (i would have had soy cheese, honest). also, we spent the night noshing on grilled cheese sandwiches and heckling the tv. it's like high school all over again without the social angst.