Recipes

St. Patrick’s Day Cooking: Save a Pint for the Kitchen

(Family Features) St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are filled with dancing,
green decorations, and Irish food and beer. This year, try something new
and save a pint for the kitchen.

Traditional St. Paddy’s Day favorites, like Irish stout and corned beef
and cabbage, can be combined to make a delicious dish even better. Because
beer pairs so well with beef, it’s only natural to cook with beer.

“Beer adds great flavor to the corned beef brisket, and can be used in
other slow-cooked or braised dishes also,” says Dave Zino, executive chef
for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

Braising and stewing are excellent cooking methods when preparing beef
such as pot roast, brisket and beef for stew. Typically, you’ll want to
start by browning the meat in a bit of oil to caramelize and bring out
rich beef flavors. However, corned beef brisket does not require browning.

Braising is used with large cuts of beef that are cooked whole, like
corned beef brisket. When braising, the meat is simmered slowly in 1/2 to
2 cups of liquid such as beer or water to ensure moist and fork-tender
results, for about 3 to 3 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the roast.

Stewing works best with cubes of beef. When stewing, the cubed meat is
simmered for about 1 3/4 hours to 2 1/4 hours in enough liquid to cover
the meat and other ingredients such as vegetables, resulting in
fork-tender meat and a delicious broth.

Chef Dave also notes beer can serve as a substitute in many recipes. “Beer
can also be used in place of wine in recipes and is especially good in
beef stews and chilis,” he says.

For mealtime inspiration and more beef cooking techniques, flavor
pairings, storage guidelines and cooking tips, visit
BeefItsWhatsforDinner.com.

Corned Beef with Red Currant-Mustard Sauce

Total recipe time: 6 to 10 hours
Makes 6 to 8 servings
    1 boneless corned beef brisket with seasoning packet (2-1/2 to 3 pounds)
    3 ribs celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
    2 medium onions, cut into quarters
    2-1/2 cups water, divided
    1 bottle (12 ounces) beer
    1 pound green cabbage, cut into thin wedges
    1 pound red-skinned potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
    6 to 8 baby carrots, trimmed, or 4 medium carrots, cut crosswise into thirds
    2 tablespoons butter, melted
    Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Red Currant-Mustard Sauce
    1 jar (12 ounces) red currant jelly
    3 tablespoons country Dijon-style mustard
    1. Place celery and onions in 4-1/2- to 5-1/2-quart slow cooker; top with
corned beef brisket. Sprinkle contents of seasoning packet over brisket.
Add 2 cups water and one bottle of beer. Cover; cook on HIGH 6 to 7
hours, or on LOW 9 to 10 hours, or until brisket is fork-tender. (No
stirring is necessary during cooking.)
    2. Meanwhile, place cabbage, potatoes and carrots in 2-1/2-quart
microwave-safe dish; add remaining 1/2 cup water. Cover; microwave on
HIGH 15 to 18 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring or
rearranging once. Drain; remove and discard cores from cabbage wedges.
Add butter; season with salt and pepper, as desired. Toss to coat; keep
warm.
    3. Prepare Red Currant-Mustard Sauce. Place jelly in medium
microwave-safe bowl. Cover; microwave on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until
melted, stirring once. Whisk in mustard. Cover; microwave on HIGH 30
seconds. Stir; keep warm.
    4. Remove brisket and carve diagonally across the grain into thin slices.
Serve with vegetables and sauce. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
    Courtesy of The Beef Checkoff
     BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com

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Luck of the Irish -- Family Festivities for St. Patrick’s Day

(Family Features) This St. Patrick’s Day, entertain your little
leprechauns with delicious treats and fun activities that will lead them
to their pot of gold.

Every year in March, families celebrate the annual Irish tradition of St.
Patrick’s Day with a variety of celebrations. Whether it’s attending a
parade or preparing and enjoying an elaborate Irish meal, everyone has
their own favorite ways to celebrate the holiday. Set your own unique
traditions and rituals with some ideas below.
Pass Along the Luck

Have kids put together lucky treat bags to pass along to neighbors. These
treat bags could include cut-out, decorated and customized four-leaf
clovers, chocolate coins and other goodies. Then, on St. Patrick’s Day,
walk around as a family and surprise neighbors with these bags.
Treasure Hunt

Set up a treasure hunt for family and friends by placing chocolate gold
coins around the house. Give them a series of clues and riddles to help
them figure out where to look for the coins. Equip each “hunter” with
their own pot or basket for collecting the gold coins. At the end of the
hunt, reward them for their hard work with some festive brownies. These
delicious Chocolate Mint Brownies can be decorated with green gumdrops
formed into shamrocks or other holiday candies. Use a shamrock-shaped
cookie cutter to make these treats even more festive.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Start to Finish: 3 hours 25 minutes
Makes: 32 brownies
Brownie Base
    1 box Betty Crocker® Original Supreme brownie mix (with chocolate syrup
pouch)
    Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box
Filling
    3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
    1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
    1/4 cup whipping cream
    1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
    1/4 teaspoon mint extract
    4 drops green food color
Topping
    1/2 cup whipping cream
    1 bag (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
    1/2 cup butter (do not use margarine)
    1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease only bottom of 13 x 9-inch pan with
shortening or cooking spray. Make and bake brownie mix as directed on box
for 13 x 9-inch pan, using water, oil and eggs. Cool completely, about 1
hour.
    2. In large bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium
speed until smooth. Spread over cooled brownies. Refrigerate about 1 hour
or until set.
    3. Meanwhile, in 2-quart nonstick saucepan, heat topping ingredients over
medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Cool about
10 minutes or until lukewarm.
    4. Pour topping over filling; spread to cover. Refrigerate uncovered
about 2 hours or until set. Before cutting into bars, let stand 10
minutes at room temperature. For bars, cut into 8 rows by 4 rows. For
easier cutting, cut brownies with a wet knife. Store covered in
refrigerator.
    For more delicious baking ideas, visit www.BettyCrocker.com.
    Betty Crocker® is a registered trademark of General Mills.