Sarchix Finds

Last week I posted my “secret” recipe for corned beef.  It was the way I had been making corned beef for years and was so easy to do, but it does tie up the oven for hours.

This year, I had to make my corned beef in the crock pot because I had to work and didn’t want the oven on when I wasn’t home.  I had never made it in the crock pot before so this was an adventure for me.  I’ve been using the crock pot a lot more recently and am starting to discover what can be done with it.  I love my 7 quart crock pot (that I got a REAL good deal on).  It’s huge, with a glass lid.  It doesn’t have the digital programmable timer but it does the job.

You can tell that my crock pot is getting some real use. I didn’t realize it was that dirty until I looked at the picture.

So, back to the corned beef. The ingredients are the same… brown sugar, corned beef (trimmed of extra fat) and one can of Guinness.

Just like in the over version, put down a nice amount of brown sugar in the bottom of the crock pot. Place the corned beef on top and then put some more brown sugar on top. Next, gently pour about 2/3rds of the Guinness over the sugar. This has to be done by eye and not a measured amount. You want the sugar to be wet but you should still see some of the granules. There should be about 3-4 gulps of Guinness left.

Place the lid on the crock pot and set on low for 6-8 hours.

This is what you should come home to. The smell will be amazing too!

Let rest on a large plate for a few minutes. This is the hardest part of the entire recipe.

While you wait for the corned beef to set, pour yourself one of the left over cans of Guinness. Yum.

Look how tender it is. I barely needed a knife to cut it. I could have done it all by my hands but I doubt it would make it to dinner due to tasting and “quality control”.

Now, that I have documented both ways to create my amazing corned beef, all my friends can now refer back to either this entry or the one before when they want to make it.

I’d love to hear how it goes with anyone who tries either version so feel free to post a comment on your successes!

St Patrick’s Day is quickly approaching and my friends are all asking (pestering) me for this recipe.  I found it online years ago when I was looking for something besides boiled corned before our St Patrick’s Day party.  That year, I did both the traditional boiled corned beef  and this “Guinness” corned beef.  Guess what was left over by then end of the party?

So, as promised, the infamous Corned Beef that everyone keeps asking for but can’t remember from year to year.

Here are the players:  Heavy Duty Foil, Brown Sugar, Guinness, and Corned Beef brisket… my preference.

I prefer the brisket cut over the round cut  It’s flatter and seems to cook more evenly. There also seems to be less fat to be removed as well.

The corned beef brisket… all 2.6 lbs of it.  Go ahead and toss that packet of seasoning, you won’t be needing it.

Here’s the underside.

Trim off all that fat.  You won’t need that either.

All better.  The dogs haven’t loved me more then when I’m cooking.

On a baking sheet with sides (notice the well used jelly roll pan I’m using) either make a foil bag or use a pre-made foil bag.  If you are making the foil bag, fold the sides over several times and make sure it is as sealed as possible.  This will keep the steam in and the liquid from spilling out and caramelizing on the pan.

Add a good amount of brown sugar to the bottom of the bag.  I don’t know how much, but it should be more than enough to set the meat on and probably more than really needed but trust me, its worth it.

Place the corned beef on top of the sugar.

Cover the meat in more brown sugar.

Open the Guinness and pour about 2/3rds of it.  Make sure it doesn’t spill out of the bag.

Seal it up and pop it in the oven.

Notice the digital thermometer sticking out of the bag.  I carefully inserted the thermometer into the thickest part of the beef through the foil but don’t stick it in too far so that it punctures the foil under.   Again, too much mess to clean up.

Bake at 325-350 for 2 to 3 hours or until you can’t stand the yummy smells coming from the kitchen.  And now the REALLY hard part.

Pull it from the oven without spilling the scalding hot beer/sugar mixture and then let it set on the counter (or stove) for at least 10 min to let the meat set.

The big reveal!

Carefully remove the meat from the bag and set it on some kind of cutting board because the troops will be circling by this point.  Cut mostly with the grain and serve either hot or cold.  Its really good as a sandwich if there are any leftovers left.

That’s is really it to my “secret” corned beef recipe.  Forget the cabbage, unless you like the slaw, and enjoy your St Paddy’s day.

Thursday I’ will be documenting doing the same thing in the crock pot and I would LOVE to hear how you guys did if you attempted either “my” recipe or the crock pot version.

Happy St Paddy’s Day !!!!

With that said, how about some hot chocolate, on a steek?

When I saw this project for hot chocolate on a stick, this above video was all I could think of.

Ok, so now onto this great project.  Over at Giver’s Log, AmberLee has published a lovely (and simple) project of making hot chocolate, just add hot milk and voila!  Hot Chocolate!

Wouldn’t this make a great teacher’s or Hostess Gift?  (If it ever makes it out of the house that is.)

Go check this chocolate-y goodness over at Giver’s Log and enjoy!

Giver’s Log – Hot Chocolate on a Stick

I love mulled wine.  What can I say, the combination of red wine and spices just get to me.  I love it especially this time of the year to warm me up.  Honestly, I’d rather have it on a cold day over hot chocolate and that’s saying a lot.

I found this over at Martha Stewart (yes, bow down to Martha and her amazing-ness) and just had to share.  The best thing is, you don’t have to use wine for this.  Apple cider also works if you are looking for those looking for something for the kids or just choose to not have an alcoholic drink.  With the end of apple season, I would recommend getting to your local farmers market before they close (if they haven’t already) and get some.  Grocery store cider is okay but there is something about the romance of buying it from someone who may (or may not) have helped in the production of the cider.  Think global, act local.

Back to the sachets.  These are easy to make and if you can find a great tin or box to package it in, it would make a lovely gift for anyone.  I’m thinking this might be a winner for my daughter’s 5th grade teacher (who is a man with 4 boys) and if I can find it in late December, a bottle of cider.

Martha Stewart – Mulling Sachets

I have been trying to think of something my youngest (age 4) can do for his class in pre-school for Valentine’s Day.  When I saw this over at Chica and Jo (an amazing crafting site) I knew I had found it. They include both the recipe and the template for the bag!

Jo posts her take on V-day Kettel corn for the kiddies and it really seems simple.  It took a bit to track down  a place that sells a “wirlly pop” in the area since I really don’t want to have to wait for delivery (Target sells it online only) but alas, I did have to resort to mail order.  I can still remember the days of my parents making popcorn in my Mom’s old stainless steel pot and then the air popper.  The idea of going back to the stove top to make popcorn is refreshing and brings me back to childhood while taking the Microwave out of the equasion.  At least its better than movie theater popcorn, right?

Chica and Jo – Valentine Popcorn Treat

I’m sure that everyone has seen the home made coffee cozies all over the place.  I’ve seen them knitted, sewn and crocheted.  Felt, cloth, quilted, wool.  They are everywhere!  Having your own coffee (or tea or coco – don’t want to discriminate) cozy is a great thing because it does keep the waste down but still protects your fingers.  Its a hard habit to break but it really is worth it.

I have my own issues with the commercialization of the holidays but, I really do feel if you craft it, there is more thought and meaning to the gift or the personal accessory.  So it’s okay in my book.

Lavender and Limes has a great little tutorial to make your own coffee cozy that is super easy to make.  She adds a few hand sews a few hearts on it and voila, and seasonal cozy.  Can you see where I’m going with this?  Shamrocks at St Patrick’s Day, eggs and bunnies (ooh, peeps) for Easter, flags for Memorial Day and the 4th of July, Flip Flops for summer… I could keep going on with these.

Lavender and Limes – Coffee Cozy

Holiday Gift giving can be a challenge especially for the big dilemma of what to get the teachers.  For the most part, it hasn’t been too difficult for me because most of my children’s teachers have been women.  This year, my daughter has a guy teacher (who is awesome) so I find it difficult to find something for him without it being too frilly or girly.  And I can’t repeat anything since my older son has already had him too.

I love this idea of repurposing soda bottles and their holder into a cute gift.  This would work for either male or female teachers, it just depends on the paper and ribbon used.  I found this at Nap Time Journal and it really seems easy to complete.

She uses cream soda bottles since they are clear and you can see the goodies inside them and it is very important to clean the bottles very well.  Nap Time Journal also reuses the bottle caps to cap it.  I may not do that because 1) I always mangle the bottle caps when I open them and 2) I happen to have a bottle capper just “lying around” and hundreds of unused bottle caps.

Such a fun idea!

Nap Time Journal - Soda Bottle Treats

Reusable shopping bags are all the rage.  I try my best to use them as much as possible.  I carry one in my purse and really do use it.  The ones from the grocery store are wonderful but there is not too much style in them.

Lion Brand Yarns has a few patterns (both knit and crochet) to make bags that can be used shopping but look a lot nicer than the boring black ones I got at Wegmans.  A knitted bag would be wonderful to carry around the local farmer’s market or just walking down the street while doing some local shopping.  I really like this one – their Green Living Tote.  I probably won’t get the recycled cotton yarn that they suggest but will use something out of my stash.  I’m thinking either a cotton blend I have or an acrylic so its easily washed.  This is not something you would want to use wool, unless it’s superwash wool.

The best thing is, this pattern is FREE!  All you have to do is register at Lion Brand’s site and you have access to this pattern and hundreds more.

Lion Brand Yarn – Green Living Tote

I don’t know what it is but I have a thing for decorated eggs.  I’m not talking about the super fancy ones,  but the hand crafted ones, like my Great Aunt Anna used to make.  My daughter is a bit of a magpie and loves all things shiny.  When I found these two sets of instructions for eggs and I couldn’t resist.

Kristen over at DomesticFluff.com has a nifty way to decorate eggs with polka dots and glitter.

The best thing is, she has come up with a more kid-safe/less sparkly method of doing this too!  I don’t know about you, but I would rather not have glitter in my egg salad.  I’ll keep the secret on how she does this but it is brilliant!

Now, if you are looking for the ultimate “bling” for your eggs, Lumpy Page Designs, has topped the charts.  I’ll just post the pic and let you read how she did this.  Granted , the egg is blown so this is NOT a project for a hard boiled egg.

How fabulous would that look as a centerpiece?  And the hardest part of the whole thing is probably waiting for it to dry!

Hoppy Easter Everyone!

Domestic Fluff – Sparkly Dot Eggs

Lupmp Page Designs – Glitter Eggs

With Easter right around the corner and now that the birthdays are over (for now), I thought it would be good to post a quick and easy crafts for Easter.    I found two great ones over at Can’t Stop Making Things.

First one up is “Bunny Tails“  My kiddies love marshmallows and this is a cute one.  If you are having many little folk over for Easter, this would be a cute one to put at their place settings.  Chances are they will not last though the meal but its still very cute.  Even the kids can help make these up.

Now, the next one is also cute and easy for the kiddies to also help make up.  Re-labeling a box of tick tac’s as Easter Egg Seeds would be great if there are some older kiddies attending or for the kids to make for the adults.  This would even make a cute little teacher’s gift.  If you felt really crafty and had some of those food safe markers, you could even decorate them a bit to make them a bit more colorful or mix in some other flavors.

Hope you have fun with these two Easter crafts!

Can’t Stop Making Things – Bunny Tails and Easter Egg Seeds