Corned Beef with Potatoes, Cabbage and Carrots

1 pinch salt
2 bay leaves
5 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 onion, peeled and left whole
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
4 1/2 pounds corned beef brisket
6-8 small new or golden potatoes, quartered
1 small head cabbage, cored and cut into wedges

In a crock pot, place the beef brisket, peppercorns, garlic powder, onion, bay leaves and salt. Fill pot with water to cover everything plus one inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Skim off any residue that floats to the top. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 hours, until meat can be pulled apart with a fork.

Once the meat is done, add the cabbage, potatoes and carrots, pressing them down into the liquid. Cook for an additional 45mins or until the potatoes are tender. Skim off any oil that comes to the surface. Stir in the butter and parsley. Turn off the crock pot.

Remove meat from the pot and place onto a serving dish and let rest for 15 minutes. Also remove vegetables to a bowl and keep warm. Slice meat on the diagonal against the grain. Serve meat on a platter and spoon juices over meat and vegetables.

Golden Potato Soup

Ingredients:
3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 cup water
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup chopped ham

Directions:
In a large stock pot add potatoes, celery, onion, chicken bouillon, water and parsley flakes. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until vegetables become tender.

In a separate bowl mix flour and milk. Once it is well blended, add to soup mixture and cook until soup becomes thick.

Stir in cheese, cooked ham or hamburger and simmer until cheese is melted.

I found this awesome recipe @ AllRecipes.com!

Beef and Irish Stout Stew w/ Sourdough bread

Ingredients:
2 pounds lean beef stew meat
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed
2 cups chopped carrot2 large onions, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish
1 1/2 cups Irish stout beer (e.g., Guinness)Directions:

Toss the beef cubes with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Dredge the beef in this to coat. Heat the remaining oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and brown on all sides. Add the onions, and garlic. Stir the tomato paste into a small amount of water to dilute; pour into the pan and stir to blend. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.Pour 1/2 cup of the beer into the pan, and as it begins to boil, scrape any bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. This adds a lot of flavor to the broth. Pour in the rest of the beer, and add the carrots and thyme. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Cauldron O' Beef!I found this awesome recipe @ AllRecipes.com!

Homemade Potato Soup

Ingredients:
Milk
Butter
1 can of corn
Green onions
Salt and pepper to taste
3-4 cups of Chicken broth
5 medium to large potatoes

Directions:
Cut the potatoes into small cubes and boil them until almost done. Remove and run under cold water to help stop the cooking process. Then saute the green onion and corn in the butter. Add corn and green onions to the potatoes. Then add 3-4 cups of chicken broth and fill the rest of the way up with milk.

AND my mom wants you all to know she peels her potatoes! I on the other hand am lazy! lol

**Side note my mom does not add chicken broth she just fills the pan up with milk to cover the potatoes etc.**

Coca-Cola "Happiness Machine"

I saw this video on one of my favorite websites Our Mom Spot and it is awesome! :)

Ruby Tuesday

"You are invited to participate in Ruby Tuesday!

What are the rules?

On Tuesdays you can post any photo you like (it must be one of your own) that contains the color RED. Your photo can contain lots of RED or a little RED. When you've posted to your blog, come back here and add your link to Mr. Linky and leave a comment."

Jeremy and I went to see The Book of Eli this past week and saw these three cuties on the way in to buy some popcorn. The Book of Eli was awesome, we both really enjoyed it. I have yet to take the kids to see the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie, but I am sure it is cute and obnoxious like the rest of them. lol Please visit Mary @ Work of the Poet for more Ruby Tuesday participants!

PhotoHunt: Spotted

Pretty "spotted" horse @ a friends house in Manor. (click the pictures to enlarge)

For more photos and this week's PhotoHunt check out: tnchick.com

Cat VS Bear

Possessed cat

Friday Fill-Ins

Hi all, another week is almost over and it is time for yet another weekly installment of Friday Fill-Ins! Janet asks the questions and my answers are underlined.

1. Wouldn't it be easy if we all had our own "easy button"!

2. Finished it better than ever!

3. I love the taste of Bagels!

4. I need some serious organization to happen in the living room.

5. The first thing we're going to do is mix the flour with sugar and then..

6. Our bathroom faucet goes drip, drip, drip; cause the kids can't seem to turn it off!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to cuddling my kiddos on the couch after work, tomorrow my plans include working...... and Sunday, I want to make it through yet another LONG BORING Sunday at work.

For more Friday Fill-Ins participants click here!