I was looking for a fairly easy dessert item for easter and I thought right away of peanut butter cookies. We make them at Christmas and used sprinkles to spice them up, so I thought why not the same for Easter with the pastel colored M&M’s.
Ingredients for Peanut Butter M&M Easter Cookies
1 cup butter softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups all purpose flour
1 bag pastel colored M&M’s
Directions for Peanut Butter M&M easter Cookies
Preheat oven to 350°
In the bowl of the mixer cream the butters. Once creamed beat in the sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine completely, then add the dry ingredients. You should end with a stiff dough like for drop cookies.
Using a tablespoon or a # 60 scoop place batter onto a ungreased baking pan or one lined with a silpat. Press to flatten with the floured back of a fork in two steps to form a slight oval shaped cookie. Once flattened decorate by pushing the M&M’s into the cookie.
Bake for 12- 15 minutes and remove from oven allowing them to cool and firm up for a minute or two on the pan, before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.
The Official Taste Tester
M&M’s are not on a S.A.P.P’s diet but Dad does make a few “sans” the chocolate for me, and I do adore peanut butter in any form!
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Guinness Corned Beef or corned beef braised in Guinness Stout, is an alternative to boiled in water corned beef. It does add an extra layer of flavor and an extra layer of cost, but is probably worth it.
I’m not a big fan of St. Patrick’s Day, any holiday that is nothing but an excuse to over imbibe in my view is a waste of time, but once a year the food side of it does appeal to me.
If done in stages you will get a tasty meal with properly done vegetables. So take the time and use the extra pot to cook everything right.
Vegetables
In the more traditional recipe the vegetables are dumped into the same pot as the corned beef and over cooked, leaving you with very soft carrots, mushy potatoes and cabbage.
Using two pots or a slow cooker for the corned beef and a pot for the vegetables gives you more control over the doneness of each of the dishes.
Ingredients for Guinness Corned Beef
1 Corned Beef, patted dry
2 bottles Guinness Stout
3-4 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 medium onion peeled cut in half
6-8 garlic cloves peeled, left whole,but crushed slightly
1 spice packet or 1 Tbsp pickling spices
1 head white cabbage stem left on cut into quarters
4-6 carrots peeled halved and cut into 1″ pieces
red potatoes cut into quarters
Directions for Guinness Corned Beef
In a slow cooker pour the stout and the brown sugar. Whisk to dissolve the sugar. Place the medium onion and the garlic cloves into the pot. Place the corned beef in fat side up. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours until the beef is fork tender and has reached an internal temperature of at least 145º. If the beef is not completely covered turn about half way through the cooking process.
Once done remove from the pot and let it rest a few minutes. Slice thinly against the grain of the meat.
The Vegetables:
In a pot that will be large enough to accommodate all the vegetables, place the cabbage into the pot spoon in about a cup of the stout stock and cover with either beef stock or water. Bring up to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove from the stock when the cabbage begins to soften. Depending on how you like your cabbage it is either now done or you can continue to cook. Place the potatoes and carrots into the stock and if you are going to continue to cook the cabbage place it on top bring the stock up to a boil and cover and cook for 10 – 15 minutes until a knife pierces the vegetables easily. Remove the Cabbage cut the stems off and place into a serving bowl either whole or cut in half.
Strain the potatoes and carrots into a separate bowl and serve.
You can serve the corned beef with a little of the stock strained into a gravy boat, and with spicy mustard or horseradish sauce.
An additional option is to create a roux with 2 tbsp’s of butter and flour and slowly add some of the cooking liquid= about 1½ to 2 cups bring up to a boil and thicken and serve.
Here are a few items to help make this recipe: http://www.amazon.com/Creuset-Signature-Enameled-Cast-Iron-2-Quart/dp/B0076NOGPY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1458676121&sr=1-4&keywords=le+creuset&linkCode=ll1&tag=rantsravesa06-20&linkId=96159b59b64fd7761f90e41aca7656fa http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MSC-600-Central-6-Quart-Multi-Cooker/dp/B008YEXC22/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1458676190&sr=8-8&keywords=slow+cooker&linkCode=ll1&tag=rantsravesa06-20&linkId=e2b4bdba324179094260190d59f01959
The Official Taste Tester
Corned Beef brings out my Celtic solidarity for my slightly backward cousins the Setters and my noble Bro’s the wolf hounds, keep it coming and I’ll Arroo “Oh Danny Boy” all night.
6-8 garlic cloves peeled, left whole,but crushed slightly
1 spice packet or 1 Tbsp pickling spices
1 head white cabbage stem left on cut into quarters
4-6 carrots peeled halved and cut into 1" pieces
red potatoes cut into quarters
Instructions
In a slow cooker pour the stout and the brown sugar. Whisk to dissolve the sugar. Place the medium onion and the garlic cloves into the pot. Place the corned beef in fat side up. Cover and cook for 4-6 hours until the beef is fork tender and has reached an internal temperature of at least 145º. If the beef is not completely covered turn about half way through the cooking process.
Once done remove from the pot and let it rest a few minutes. Slice thinly against the grain of the meat.
The Vegetables:
In a pot that will be large enough to accomadate all the vegetables, place the cabbage into the pot spoon in about a cup of the stout stock and cover with either beef stock or water. Bring up to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove from the stock when the cabbage begins to soften. Depending on how you like your cabbage it is either now done or you can continue to cook. Place the potatoes and carrots into the stock and if you are going to continue to cooke the cabbage place it on top bring the stock up to aboil and cover and cook for 10- 15 minutes until a knife pierces the vegetables easily. Remove the Cabbage cut the stems off and place into a serving bowl either whole or cut in half.
Strain the potatoes and carrots into a separate bowl and serve.
You can serve the corned beef with a little of the stock strained into a gravy boat, and with spicy mustard or horseradish sauce.
An additional option is to create a roux with 2 tbsp's of butter and flour and slowly add some of the cooking liquid= about 1½ to 2 cups bring up to a boil and thicken and serve.
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Braised pork loin in red cabbage can be done real simply in a slow cooker ( http://www.rantsravesandrecipes.com/slow-cooked-pork-roast-with-red-cabbage/ ) This recipe is done in the oven with a few more steps and ingredients, that add not only eye appeal but more layers of flavor to the finished dish. That being said, it is a fairly simple dish to prepare.
You could, if you have the time, make your own red cabbage. We used to do this in N.C. , where we had chestnut trees in our back yard and competed with the squirrels for them. If you do, Julia Childs recipe is the best and with the chestnuts added can’t be beat. Perhaps next Christmas time when the chestnuts are available down here we’ll make a pot and get the recipe up on the blog.
Ingredients for Braised Pork Loin in Red Cabbage
½ Pork Loin about 3-4 #’s
2 16oz or larger jars of Red Cabbage
1 medium to large sweet onion sliced thinly
¼ cup good red wine
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs vegetable oil
½ brown or beef stock
2 Tbs butter & 2 Tbs flour (optional)
Directions for Braised Pork Loin in Red Cabbage
Preheat oven to 325º
In a non reactive pot bring the vegetable oil up to a medium heat. Lightly salt and pepper all sides of the pork loin, and once the oil is hot enough brown in the pot on all sides.
brown the loin in the pot on all sides
Once the loin is browned remove to a plate, add the wine and deglaze the pot. Now add the onions and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add the cabbage, bring up to a boil place the loin on top and cover and place in the oven, cooking for 2-3 hours until you reach an internal temperature of at least 150º. Rotate the loin about ½ way through the cooking process. Remove the cover for the last 15 minutes to brown the roast a little more.
Remove from pot and let stand covered in foil, for 5 minutes before slicing.
While the loin is resting , strain the red cabbage out of the pot add the beef stock and bring the remaining liquid up to a boil and reduce by ½. If it is still to watery add a little roux ( the extra butter & flour option) to thicken and serve sauce on side.
In a non reactive pot bring the vegetable oil up to a medium heat. Lightly salt and pepper all sides of the pork loin, and once the oil is hot enough brown in the pot on all sides.
Once the loin is browned remove to a plate, add the wine and deglaze the pot. Now add the onions and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add the cabbage, bring up to a boil place the loin on top and cover and place in the oven, cooking for 2-3 hours until you reach an internal temperature of at least 150º. Rotate the loin about ½ way through the cooking process. Remove the cover for the last 15 minutes to brown the roast a little more.
Remove from pot and let stand covered in foil, for 5 minutes before slicing.
While the loin is resting , strain the red cabbage out of the pot add the beef stock and bring the remaining liquid up to a boil and reduce by ½. If it is still to watery add a little roux ( the extra butter & flour option) to thicken and serve sauce on side.
If you enjoy our site and are thinking of purchasing anything from Amazon, please use the link to Amazon from our site. It doesn’t cost you anything and we profit from the ads and purchases .
Please help us keep our blog going by letting your friends know we’re here and by checking out the links on our front page.
