Colcannon {Potatoes, Cabbage, & Onions}

I ended up finding this recipe the day before St. Patrick's on the Sister's Cafe blog, and decided to give it a try. It was a hit! Creamy potatoes, sweet caramelized onions and cabbage, and lots of butter make this a winner. Try it!

Colcannon
6 large potatoes, peeled (I used red and didn't peel them)
4-6 Tb half-and-half (I used milk)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 onions, finely chopped
6 Tb butter, divided (I used 8 tb.)
1/2 of a small head of cabbage, sliced thinly (I used a whole one, but it was tiny)

1. Chop potatoes and place in pot. Fill with enough water to cover and boil for 20 minutes, or until soft. While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tb butter in large saucepan. Add minced onion and stir to coat with butter. Add cabbage over onions. Cover saucepan and cook over med-low to medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until cabbage is soft.

2. Drain potatoes and add half-and-half (or milk) and salt (I added an extra 2 tb. butter to the potatoes). Mash with electric mixer. Stir together onion and cabbage mixture with mashed potatoes. Spoon into an oven safe dish and place under broiler until top is browned. Traditionally colcannon is served with a deep well in the center filled with melted butter... so place 2 more Tb of butter on top before broiling and let it melt into colcannon.

Corned Beef, Cabbage & New Potatoes

Want to celebrate St. Patrick's Day right? Make this meal for dinner on March 17th. It is really easy, delicious, and festive. Every time I make it, I wonder why I only make it for St. Patrick's Day- we like it that much! This is a picture of our meal from a few years ago (since I haven't made it this year, yet!). Here's a shopping list, if you want it:

• 1 corned beef brisket
• 1 head green cabbage
• New potatoes/ baby red potatoes
• Butter
• Dill (I use dry dill weed), salt & pepper

I serve it with milk (dyed green w/ food coloring- I know, gross, but my kids love it!). Here are the recipes:
Corned Beef BrisketPlace corned beef brisket in crock-pot. Sprinkle on spices in included spice packet. Pour in a few cups water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Slice and serve. Yep, that's it- did you really need a recipe for that? Now, on to the cabbage and potatoes:
Steamed Cabbage
Wash head of cabbage. Cut into 4-6 wedges (4 if you have a small head of cabbage, 6 if it is large) and cut out the core. Place wedges in a large saucepan with a few inches of water. Cover, bring to a boil, and steam for about 15 minutes, or until cabbage is crisp-tender. Drain water out and toss with a few tablespoons of butter and some salt to taste.
Dilled New PotatoesCut potatoes in half (if they are baby reds) or fourths (if larger reds). Place in pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain water out and toss with a few tablespoons butter, a sprinkle of dill, and some salt and pepper to taste (sorry, I never measure).
I am going to serve my own version of Winger's Asphalt Pie for dessert, I'll post the recipe below and add a picture after I make it. Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Menu Plan Monday: Week 4

Monday: Creamy Tomatillo Enchiladas and corn
Tuesday: Sausage and mushroom calzones with marinara sauce
Wednesday: Happy St. Patrick's Day! Corned beef, cabbage, and new potatoes
Thursday: Salmon cakes, sweet potatoes, and Lion House rolls
Friday: Green Chili Chicken Pizza and Divine Breadsticks
Saturday: Chicken Divan and rice
Sunday: Fresh rolls with meat and cheese, fruit, and olives

Better-for-you Buttermilk Pancakes

Mmm, we love pancakes! We have a Saturday morning tradition of having a hot, cooked breakfast- it's the only day of the week we have time, with school & work on weekdays and church early on Sundays. Pancakes are one of our faves (Dustin started us out on panny-cakes), and we have experimented a lot with recipes. My favorite is actually a Buttermilk Pancake recipe from Lexy's Better Homes Junior Cookbook, but we make it healthier (and more filling) by using a combo of oat and whole-wheat flours in place of white flour. They are light, fluffy, and delicious! I will post the original recipe below, but if you have a big family like us you may want to double it (I always do and usually only have about 2-3 pancakes left over, if any!). Oh, and I never have buttermilk, so I make my own- 1 cup milk + 1 Tb lemon juice or vinegar, just let it sit a few minutes.

Better-for-you Buttermilk Pancakes serves 3-4

1 c. whole-grain flour (I use 1/2 oat, 1/2 whole-wheat)

1 tb. sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk (or 1 c. milk + 1 tb. lemon juice)

2 tb. canola oil

Heat non-stick skillet or electric griddle on medium heat (350 degrees). Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. Make a well in the center. Pour in egg, buttermilk and oil. Whisk wet ingredients and then mix them into dry ones until well combined. At this point I often add any extra ingredients (see ideas below). DO NOT grease the skillet or griddle (as long as it's non-stick)- this eliminates that weird batch of first pancakes (took us a while to figure that one out!). When skillet is hot, pour about 1/4 c. batter on for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top and edges appear slightly dry, turn and cook until golden brown. Serve with maple or fruit syrup, fresh fruit, whipped cream, or whatever your heart desires (click here for a yummy homemade maple syrup recipe)!

* I often jazz the batter up with one of the following: 1 mashed banana, 1 c. frozen blueberries, or 1 diced apple + 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Dustin put some cocoa powder in once, and it wasn't my fave, but whatever floats your boat! If you really want chocolate I'd probably recommend shaved chocolate rather than cocoa powder.

Strawberry Shortcake

Fluffy Chiffon Cake + Real Whipped Cream + Fresh Strawberries=

Strawberry Shortcake (YUM!)

1 layer chiffon cake (recipe makes two, freeze the other for another time)

1 lb. fresh strawberries

sugar

1 cup whipping cream

Slice strawberries and sprinkle with sugar (how much depends on how sweet your strawberries are). Store in fridge while you bake the cake (recipe below). Using an electric mixer, whip the cream, adding about 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. After cake has cooled, cut the cake into 8 wedges. Top with berries, any extra juice, and whipped cream. Enjoy!

Chiffon Cake (slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

2 cups sifted flour

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cold water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 large egg yolks at room temperature

8 large egg whites at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Make cake layers: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Have two 9-inch round cake pans ready, bottom lined with wax or parchment paper that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray, but otherwise ungreased.
2. Sift the flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder and salt together twice into a large bowl.
3. In another bowl, beat the yolks, water, oil, zest and vanilla on high speed until smooth. Stir into the flour mixture until smooth. In another large bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks are formed. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and beat on high speed until the peaks are stiff but not dry.
4. Use a rubber spatula to fold one-quarter of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remaining whites. Do so gently, only until the egg whites are no longer visible. Overdoing it will deflate the egg whites, and yield a denser, shorter cake.
5. Scrape the batter into the two prepared pans and spread evenly. Bake them until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean about 30 minutes.

6. Let cakes cool on a cooling rack for at least an hour. When completely cool, run a knife around the sides to release, then flip out onto a plate (or your hand, if you’re daring) and then another plate.

Divine Breadsticks

This is another great recipe from Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe. These were fairly quick and really tasty! We had them with soup, and I froze half to have with pizza later in the week.

Divine Breadsticks

*Makes about 20-25 breadsticks, depending on how thick or thin you cut them

1 ½ cups warm water

1 tablespoon instant yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

3 ½ cups flour (I used half white, half white whole-wheat)

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, melted (for the baking sheet)

Mix all ingredients (except melted butter) in a large bowl or electric mixer and knead for three minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread melted butter onto an 11X17-inch baking sheet. Roll out the breadstick dough into a rectangle about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick and cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Twist slightly if desired and place about 1/2-inch apart on the baking sheet (I turned each breadstick over so both sides had butter on them). Sprinkle with garlic salt, herbs of choice (I used basil) and parmesan cheese. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown.

Menu Plan Monday: Week 3

Here is the menu for this week:

Monday: Spicy Zucchini Soup and Divine Breadsticks
Tuesday: Enrichment Night- Daddy makes dinner (likely eggs & toast)
Wednesday: Spicy-Honey Chicken Salad and Lion House Rolls
Thursday: Fettucine Alfredo with Garlic Shrimp, and asparagus
Friday: Roast Beef & Swiss Melts, fruit salad, and pickles
Saturday: Pizza Night (Pepperoni & sausage pizza and breadsticks)
Sunday: Sticky Coconut Chicken, coconut rice, and sauteed sugar-snap peas