crazy weekend part 1

during the course of this past weekend, i think i fed over 30 people in my little apartment. i wasn't really thinking about it until i was in the thick of it all. hopefully i don't burn myself out!


this year i was visited by a little leprechaun! i was so excited to find my apartment decorated in green and glitter, with confetti and chocolate gold coins everywhere!


he even hung his hat over my stove/oven in the hopes that i would be baking in honor of him! if he only knew what was going to be happening...



the day started off in a sleepy manner, having only gotten an hour or two of sleep (but it was a fun night). after cleaning the house again (since my roommate doesn't know how to apparently), doing dishes and laundry, i got the ingredients out and ready to go!


yes, those are 3 corned beef briskets, a 5lb bag of red potatoes, a huge bag of carrots, and a head of cabbage. i was full of anticipation, knowing what was going to be coming in...4 hours!!


i spent a lot of time cutting everything up to make sure they fit into the pots (i was naively hoping it would all fit in one large pot...it didn't...i used 2 large ones and my largest saucepan).


i boiled one of the briskets...filling the pot with water and adding the spice packet, i let it boil over medium heat for about 90 minutes, adding 1/3 of the veggies about 2/3 of the way through. one of my new friends is on the gluten-free diet and i didn't know if she could eat the glaze i was putting on the other briskets!


the rest of the veggies went into another large pot to boil with about a cup of butter (don't worry, it's mainly for flavoring). i actually took some of the water from the pot with the brisket in it and put it in the veggies, helping blend the flavors. i would highly recommend it.


the other 2 bad boys got thrown into the oven. yes, that is a 10" x 14" dish. that's a lot of meat. woof. i put a special glaze on top of the meat which is absolutely delish! i take a handful of brown sugar, the spice packet, and some dijon honey mustard, and just pour it on top. so good!!


such a proud moment carving the briskets! my apartment had been smelling good since 3:00 that afternoon...and i think i'm carving at about 6:30.


our yummy spread: 3 briskets, 3 loaves of soda bread (thanks kasia!!), green jell-o (thanks natalie!!), and tons and tons of veggies!!


i love steph and bri!! we were so excited to wear the funky little headbands with the clovers on them. i think i had about 12-15 people over at one point...including the 2nd counselor in the stake presidency and my bishop. apparently i'm a pretty awesome hostess!

so with all that food, guess how much i had leftover for sandwiches and lunches...? NONE!! i had to make another brisket the next day so i could have some lunch! haha. i love st patty's day!!


boiled brisket:
*put in a pot of water, fully submerged
*add spice packet
*boil for about 90 minutes, adding carrots, cabbage, and potatoes at about the 60-70 minute mark

baked brisket:
*put about 1" water in the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish
*put brisket(s) in dish, fatty side up
*mix about 1 cup brown sugar, spice packet, and 1/2 cup dijon honey mustard together until a glue-like consistency
*put the glaze all over the top of the fatty part
*bake uncovered for about 2.5 hours at 350*

A Sunday Feast!!

when i came back home from my trip to california for new year's, i brought back a frozen chicken from my mom. i was excited to have it in my freezer, but had absolutely no idea how to cook it. so what did i do? i called mom. she gave me some basic directions and i improvised a little bit. i have to admit, the part i was dreading the most was pulling out the gizzards. so gross. i can cut open a cadaver, dissect a cat for school, and watch movies like "sweeney todd." let's just say that i was grateful for long-handled spoons...because i was seriously dry heaving while i was rinsing out the cavity and looking for pinfeathers!

the prep for the bird...post cleaning...with all the trimmings ready to go!!

the bird!! i was so happy how this turned out!!

such a proud moment..."carving" the bird. i'm thinking i might need to watch a 'how to' video on youtube to figure out the correct way to carve...

i also made honey roasted potatoes. again, super stoked at how amazing these turned out, and so excited to have leftovers!!

what can i say? it was a sunday feast!! i had 3 of my 'best good friends' over, stephanie, kasia, and rachael. we had the bird, potatoes, gravy, rolls, green beans, and carrotts. yum!! after, we watched "puss in boots." such a good night!!

baked chicken

ingredients:

*chicken (duh)

*butter

*diced onion

*herbs to taste (i used rosemary and thyme)

*1 lemon

*salt and pepper

directions:

*clean out bird cavity and pull out any remaining feathers (worst part)

*put a ton of butter under skin, in cavity, and all over bird

*put diced onion, herbs, and half of the lemon in the cavity, folding opening over so it's "closed"

*squeeze the other half of the lemon over the skin

*put a little water or chicken broth in the bottom of the roasting pan

*bake 90 minutes at 375*

honey roasted potatoes

ingredients:
*about 1lb red potatoes, quartered twice until about bite-sized

*1/2 cup diced onion

*1/4 cup honey

*1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

*1/2 cup melted butter

*rosemary

*9x13 or 9x11 baking dish

directions:

*melt butter

*cut up potatoes

*mix melted butter with honey, salt, pepper, dry mustard, and rosemary in a large bowl

*add potatoes and make sure they're evenly coated

*spread out on greased baking dish

*sprinkle onions all over potatoes

*bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 375*, stirring once about halfway through

Corn on the Cob...Mexican Style

mmm...my mouth is watering just thinking about this. so the origin of this one is kinda fun and out of the ordinary. i was visiting my friend and cousin in rexburg, idaho, and we decided to go to the farmer's market in town. there was a booth selling corn on the cob and it was sooo delish. i watched them "make" it and decided it was easy enough for me to do.

one of the things i love to do during the summer (and even when it is snowing!) is have a bbq. i felt my apartment wasn't complete until i purchased one. i had a rather large group of friends over for burgers and i tested out the corn. during the summer, i can get a dozen ears for a few bucks from the bed of a farmer's truck. life is good during the summer. i can get almost any produce out of the back of a truck in downtown :). the corn was a hit and is now a staple at my bbq gatherings.

ingredients:
*corn on the cob (preferably white)

*mayo

*parmesan cheese

*pico (cayenne pepper or tony's cajun seasoning)

*a grill

*paint brush (optional)

directions:

*shuck the corn husks, but leave 1 thin layer still on

*soak the ears in water (to prevent the husks from burning)

*grill corn until fully cooked

*shuck the rest of the husks and silk (i usually run them under warm water to get the most silk off)

*cover in mayo using hands or a brush

*sprinkle a layer of parmesan cheese all over

*sprinkle pico to taste

**make sure to have a ton of napkins or paper towels ready on stand-by**

a new adventure...

at the beginning of every year, i try to sit down and write out some resolutions. i usually have a few standards that are very common: no soda, attend the temple more often, write in my journal...the usual. so far, i've been pretty good about a few of them. it's march, and i haven't touched soda since new year's eve.

one of my goals this year was to cook more: it's healthier, saves me money, and prepares me a little more for the future. my goal was to try at least one new recipe a month. i thought about writing a blog to chronical my adventures. now, these recipes aren't anything spectacular; they're just new to me and skills that i feel i need to have. i'll include the recipe itself and the venue in which i cooked it in. i've also discovered "rancho market." what? how am i just now discovering this? i don't know, but i'm glad i did!

feel free to comment and give me ideas/recipes to try. i want to slowly build up my library of recipes and fill my kitchen with the essential tools needed in a modern kitchen. please note that i don't like mushrooms, olives, or nuts!