St. Patrick's Day with Colcannon

So we have been totally slacking on putting up blogs, I'm sorry. Life happens, and by the time I remember I have taken pictures for the blog it's about 2 weeks after the fact. So yeah, that's what happens.

So let's start with St. Patrick's Day. Can't say Mike and I are the typical, go out and drink green beers type. We aren't ones to party on a regular basis, you can usually find us on a weekend watching a movie all cozied up on the couch rather than out at a bar. And of course St. Patrick's day is not something to be out in necessarily, depends on where you are I suppose. Though people watching is hilarious. I think that is one of our favorite things to do. Going to Walmart alone is a trip and a half for that. But holidays where people promote drinking - you're bound to find something hilarious on the streets.

a little potato love

So typical cuisine for March 17th is corned beef and cabbage. Well Mike and I did an adaptation of that, we did pork instead, a tenderloin. Then did colcannon for the potatoes and cabbage. I think this is one of my new favorite ways to eat potatoes. Bacon, potatoes, and cabbage. It's your starch and veggie all in one.

Colcannon is quite simple really. Bacon, cooked down (they say about 3 slices - I would say use 6, but that's me and I love bacon. We used bacon bits - the real kind by Oscar Mayer, then 1/2 a head of cabbage chopped up and cooked down in just a little water in the microwave (on stove top if you prefer). Then you make mashed potatoes. Potatoes, milk, and butter. Mix everything together once done and then taste and salt and pepper as needed.

I of course love making mashed potatoes from scratch let alone from red potatoes (one of my absolute favorites). So see, colcannon is not hard to make. Just cook everything and mix together. Much like you would with corn and potatoes and gravy.

For the pork, we rubbed it in some garlic sea salt and pepper. Mmm, trust me that Hyvee Garlic Sea Salt is sooooo yummy! Who said store brands suck?

Look at that fabulousness! It was delicious for sure. Of course 9 times out of 10 anything we make is pretty good. We cooked this baby at 350 degrees for about an hour I believe. Pork has to be at 160 degrees Fahrenheit for doneness. Pork is allowed to be a very very light pink inside though - unlike chicken or poultry.

 So this was our dinner, was quite tasty. Pork was cooked just right and the colcannon I think was Mike's favorite piece. I still think it could have used more bacon. But everything could use more bacon.

Now go out and cook! (with more bacon!)

Grillin' Time

Tonight we grilled out. Despite the weather having difficulty making up its mind to rain or not.

It held off enough that we could definitely grill out.

The menu tonight was:
--jalapeño and pepper jack burgers
--grilled onion rings
--grilled peach quarters
--German potato salad
--fresh fruit salad.

Big menu, yes. Delicious, yes.

This morning we headed out to find the fruit we wanted to use. We went to the local Italian market and got pineapple, kiwi, cantaloupe, and strawberries. We then ran around town trying to find onion which, for whatever reason, was impossible to find loose yellow onion. So back to the market we went after purchasing the bacon, vinegar and beef.

Mike of course did most of the vegetable and fruit chopping, he has a new knife now that is specifically for vegetable chopping. He started to get the hang of it. Still a bit unsure of the new knife as it is a different style than a chefs knife.

While he prepared the fruit salad I began preparations on the potato salad, which I have no recipe for. It's just something you watch generations of family members make and you just know by look and taste. A little of this, a pinch of that, a squirt of this.

Basic recipe is:
5 lbs potatoes (mom uses russet, we used red)
1 small bottle cider vinegar
3/4 pkg bacon, diced
1 onion diced
Spicy brown mustard
Garlic powder
Cornstarch or flour for thickening

Boil and peel potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces.

Fresh boiled and cut up potatoes, red potatoes. Easiest to peel after boiling. Skin peels right off with your hand.

Cook bacon and onion down until bacon is slightly crisp and onions translucent. Then add a nice squirt of spicy brown mustard, dash of garlic powder and then add a healthy portion of cider vinegar. After that, mix in watered down flour or cornstarch to mixture until thickened slightly.

Vinegar/Bacon/Onion sauce

Slice up boiled and peeled potatoes into bite sized pieces. Pour vinegar mix on top. Put in oven at 300 degrees for up to 40 min and then serve.

German Potato Salad fresh from the oven

The burgers were pepper jack cheese, shredded up, dice jalapeño and then an egg for binding purposes as well as worstershire (sp?) sauce and basic seasoning.

Action shot, Mike's favorite

Grilled peaches had a dash of sea salt and the grilled onions were seasoned with Tony Chachere's creole seasoning and a squirt of olive oil.

Grilled peaches, white peaches, surrounding the grilled deliciousness of onion

All in all it was a great dinner. As usual. Had a minor injury prepping the peaches. The pit was not cooperating and so in my desperate attempt to quarter this peach I had the misfortune of the knife slipping and cutting my finger. (picture included. There is blood)

Injured finger, right ring finger

everything is better with a band-aid

So despite the injury and stubborn peach we had a successful dinner with juicy and flavorful burgers, hot potato salad and delicious fruit.

Yummy!!

Now we are both stuffed to the brim and going to digest while watching a movie.

Final Product, fruit salad included here, on top of the peaches. YUMM!!