Peggy's Roasted Corned Beef Brisket

My family has always eaten corned beef on St. Patrick's Day.  My mother, who is 100% Irish, celebrates St. Patrick's Day with gusto!  What I love about the Irish is their love of laughter, AND their  ability to enjoy the experience of hanging out.  (It is an art!).  

 

In honor of my Mom, I worked on this recipe for Corned Beef.  This recipe is baked and as a result, is quite moist and flavorful.   Enjoy and may your St. Patrick's Day be blessed with laughter.

 

 

 

Corned Beef Brisket

By Peggy Fonke

 

Rinse corned beef

Line roasting pan with heavy duty foil

Place brisket in lined pan fat side up

Top with ½ to ¾ cup brown sugar

Add ½ cup BBQ sauce

Seal tightly

Bake 1 hour per pound.  Ideally,   bake at 400 degrees for the first 45 minutes, then turn the oven down to 250 for the remainder of the time.  (You can also bake 1 hour per pound at 300 degrees if that is more convenient.  I think baking on a lower temperature helps the meat stay moist) 

Once baked, remove from oven and let stand for an hour so meat is able to be handled. 

Drain.  Trim fat and return to the pan

Sprinkle handful of brown sugar and drizzle with BBQ sauce.

Return to oven uncovered for 20 minutes or until meat is glazed.

 

Trim and slice thin against the grain

The meat will be fork tender! 

Serve with roasted potatoes and roasted cabbage

This is a picture of my mother and me!  Happy St. Pat's Day!

 

 

Homemade (Bailey's) Irish Creme

This recipe was given to me by a co-worker years ago and has been a Fonke Classic ever since.  It is a rich and creamy version of Bailey's Irish Crème.  It goes down smoothly, but beware, for it can sneak up on you.

I have often given this as gifts to our neighbors at Christmas or make for special occasions. And now the torch is passing to my children who have begun making it for their friends!   I might just whip up a batch for Valentine's Day tonight!   Enjoy! 

Thanks Debbie Blue for sharing this with me long long ago!

Bailey’s Irish Crème

By Debbie Blue

 

4 eggs

1 can sweetened condensed milk (like Eagle Brand)

1 cup whiskey

2 tsp instant coffee

1 cup half n half (or I used 2% milk for a light version)

2 TBL chocolate syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

 

Dissolve coffee in whiskey before adding to remaining ingredients. In a blender, blend all ingredients together.  Will keep in refrigerator for about a month. 

On e batch makes enough for 3 pint-sized mason jars.

 

Luscious Lemon Poppyseed Bread

When my son was just in grade school he came home from spending the night at a friend

s house with this recipe in hand.  He had asked the host mom to write it down for me.  He said, this was so good, you gotta make it for me!  The next Christmas, I made some loaves for some neighbors.  It has become the neighbor gift of choice at Christmas time.

The secret is the lemon glaze that is drizzled on after the bread is baked.  Oh my!  Thanks Mary Pat Glauber for this family treasure!

 

 

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

By Mary Pat Glauber

Dry Ingredients

3 cups flour

 

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 ½  tsp salt

1 ½  tsp baking powder

Wet Ingredients

3 eggs

 1 ½ cup milk

1 1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ tsp almond extract

1 ½ tsp butter flavoring/extract

1 ½ Tbl poppy seeds

Glaze

¼ cup lemon juice

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

½ tsp butter flavoring

1 ½ cup powdered sugar

Mix dry ingredients in mixing bowl and set aside.

With electric mixer, mix wet ingredients in large bowl. 

Add dry ingredients and mix until blended.

Pour into greased and flowered loaf pans (2 – 9”x5”x3” or 3 - 8”x5”x3”)

Bake for 50-60 minutes. Check frequently toward end of cooking time.

While bread is baking, prepare glaze by whisking all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Once done, let bread cool in pan for only 5 minutes.  Pop bread out of pan onto foil. 

While bread is still warm, pour prepared glaze over bread and seal with foil immediately.

Makes 2 large or 3 medium sized loaves

 

 

Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken

This is one of my favorite recipes that uses fresh lemons. I first had this when we were celebrating my son's high school graduation. We took the family to Brio for lunch.  My daughter ordered Lemon Herb Chicken.  I was expecting her to be served a chicken breast with some sides.  But instead they brought out a whole roasted chicken with a huge knife stuck in the breast as if it were meant for a Viking!  We all laughed at the huge portion, but she did manage to put a good dent in it.  It was delicious!  The secret is to rub some spices under the skin and put a lemon in the cavity of the chicken.  The lemon flavor is not at all over-powering and keeps the chicken very  moist.  And as a bonus, the gravy made from these drippings is killer! 

Be sure to save the left overs for pot pie!

Lemon/Herb Roasted Chicken

By Peggy Fonke – Inspired by Brio

Admittedly, not the best picture!

 

 

  

1 whole chicken – cleaned, and cavity emptied

¼ - ½ cup olive oil

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp sage

salt and pepper

2 TBL sugar

1 lemon quartered

 

In a small bowl, combine olive oil and spices.

In a roasting pan, place raw chicken, breast side up.

In cavity, insert lemon quarters

Brush chicken inside and out with olive oil and spices, including underneath the skin (at the top of the breast, gently separate the skin from the breast, brush oil mixture as far down as you can. )

 

Place chicken, uncovered in a preheated 400 oven for 30 minutes or until skin starts to brown.

Cover and turn oven down to 300 , bake an additional 45-60 minutes  or until meat thermometer reaches  165-170. Or juices run clear.  Remove from pan and immediately wrap in foil .  Let sit for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make gravy out of drippings.

 

Gravy

1-2 TBL flour

½ cup  hot water
1 TBL chicken soup base (I like LB Jamison)

1-2 TBL sugar

 

Use drippings for base.  Be sure to include the drippings created as the chicken rests in foil. 

Remove any excess skin or fat from stock.

In a sauce pan, bring stock to a boil

Meanwhile, blend 1-2 TBL flour, with ½ cup of hot water.   Stir mixture until there are no lumps

Gradually whisk in flour mixture to stock, stirring constantly until desired thickness is achieved. 

Season to taste using salt, pepper, and sugar .

Pair with sides that can wear this gravy proudly!  Potatoes and carrots are my favorite choices.


This is a picture of us at our son's graduation the day we discovered this yummy dish. 

 

Lemon Tree Update

My lemon tree, which sprouted buds back in May is about ready to give birth.  My first lemon of the season is ripe and ready to be picked. 

Because I pruned this year, the tree will only give six lemons, so I will need to use them wisely.  My first lemon will go to a Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken.  Stay tuned!

Sweet and Sassy Deviled Eggs

This recipe has put Deviled Eggs back on the map for me.  Several years ago I was passing by the Chef's booth at our local Schnuck's store.  The recipes they demo are always easy and quick to prepare. This day they were serving these Deviled Eggs.  Oh my, they were amazing!  They are made with Red Devil Sweet Red Pepper Sauce which adds a bit of sweetness and a little spiciness without being over powering. 

They were an instant hit with my crowd and have become a traditional dish served at bridal and baby shower luncheons.  Give them a try!

How hard can boiling eggs be?  Well here are a few tips for successful egg prep.  1.  Use eggs that have been in your refrigerator for at least a week.  They will peel easier.  2.  When cooking eggs, place eggs in water.  Bring to a boil then turn off heat and leave covered on stove top for 20 minutes.  Then drain and rinse in cold water.  This method keeps the yokes yellow and prevents the dark ring that sometimes appears on a hard boiled egg.  3.  peel your eggs once they come to room temperature before you refrigerate them.  They will peel easier. 

okay, now you know my secrets! 

Sweet and Sassy Deviled Eggs

By Schnucks Cooks

 

6 eggs

3 oz cream cheese – softened

¼ cup Sun Zen Sweet Red Pepper Sauce

2 tsp dijon mustard

¼ tsp salt

chives

 

Place eggs in a sauce pan and cover with water . Bring to a full boil.  Cover. Immediately remove from heat and  let stand for 15-20 minutes. 

Drain and rinse in cool water. To cool.

Peel eggs.  Slice in half, long ways.

Remove yoke and place in mixing bowl.

To yokes, add cream cheese, pepper sauce, mustard and salt.

Mix thoroughly with a fork or electric mixer until very smooth.

Fill egg whites and top with chives.

 

Cover and refrigerate until  it’s time to serve.

Gilligan's Island Fried Rice

In memory of the beloved "Professor" aka Russell Johnson, who passed away yesterday, I thought I would publish this little gem!  Without you I would never have known how to deactivate my radioactive vegetables!  RIP!

A few years ago, I was invited to a friend's birthday party.  It was a  Gilligan's Island theme party in honor of my friend Mary, who loved the TV show, Gilligan's Island, and is a reputed GI trivia expert. We were challenged to bring Polynesian-themed food to the party.  This recipe caught my eye in an internet search.  It was a huge hit with the ladies and many went back for seconds. 

I have waited to publish this recipe until I have established credibility with you all.  This is because the secret ingredient is Spam.  Now you don't have to use Spam or any other meat for that matter, however, the recipe tastes significantly better with Spam.  Trust me and try it - It's a winner.
 

 

Gilligan’s Island Fried Rice

Inspired by All Recipes.com

 

 

11/2 cups Jasmine rice

3 cups water

2 TBL Canola Oil

12 ounces of ham or spam – julienne cut (skinny strips)

½ cup of some other goodie you might have in the fridge–       shrimp,  peas, mushrooms, or pork sausage

2 eggs

1 cup shredded carrots

1 can water chestnuts - chopped

1/2 cup chopped macadamian nuts

 

3 TBL canola oil

1 8-oz can of pineapple tidbits – drained but save the juice

3 chopped green onions or fresh chives

Sauce

3 TBL Mirin (chinese sweet wine found in ethnic aisle)

3 TBL soy sauce

3 TBL pineapple juice

 

Prepare rice by bringing water to a boil.

Add rice, cover and cook until rice is tender and  liquid is absorbed – appx 10 minutes

Set aside and cool completely

Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat oil

Add  meat and stir until slightly brown (5 minutes).  Set side

Pour eggs in skillet and stir fry until set – set aside

stir fry carrots until tender.  Add water chestnuts and/or nuts and stir fry for 1 minute. Set aside

Add remaining oil to skillet

Toss cooled rice in hot oil until blended  and heated through (5 minutes or so)

Add back meat and eggs,   and other goodies .  toss until blended  (5 minutes or so)

Add green onions – toss 1 minute

Add pineapple tidbits

Add sauce and toss until well blended

Serve immediately

If making ahead of time, save half of the sauce to pour over just after reheating. And just before serving.