Corned Beef and Cabbage

It was my first St. Patrick's Day not living near my parents. We have a tradition that every year, whether mom cooks it or we go out and find it somewhere, we must eat corned beef and cabbage on St. Patty's Day. Being that I lived in a town where there aren't many food options, I knew I needed to cook it. Surprise, surprise when I asked Patrick if he liked the dish, "Ew, no, I hate that stuff." So, what do I always do when I know that I want a specific meal and he says he doesn't like it? Cook it anyway... But with a twist. Instead of cooking the cabbage the entire time with the corned beef, I only let it cook in the Crock Pot for an hour. I then took it out about a half hour before dinner, and sauteed it with onions and a good amount of butter. As in the mindset of Paula Deen, butter makes everything taste good. After everything was finished cooking, I watched as Patrick took his first bite. Watched him take another and then realized that he hadn't spit it out. When asking if he liked it, "Yeah, it is really really good. This is the first time I've ever had it." Wait, what? Did he not tell me that he didn't like it beforehand? "Oh, yeah, I just say I didn't like it because of the way the cabbage smelled." Ahh, and there goes all the mystery of what else he "doesn't like."

Corned beef (with seasoning packet), apple juice, water, carrots, onions, small potatoes, bay leaves, cabbage and BUTTER are all the ingredients you will need. Add everything but the carrots and half of an onion. Let cook on low for 8 hours. 7 hours in, add large chunks of cabbage to the Crock Pot.

Chop the last of the onion. Take out the cabbage after an hour (and let your corned beef warm). Try to let the cabbage drain as much as possible then cut it into smaller slices. Add the butter, chopped onion, and cabbage and saute them. Add the sauteed cabbage to your corned beef dish and enjoy!

Recipe

Ingredients

1 corned beef brisket (4 lb) with seasoning packet

4 large carrots

10 small potatoes (preferably baby red)

2 onions (1 1/2 wedged and 1/2 chopped)

1 medium head of cabbage chopped into wedges with core removed

2 bay leaves

1/2 stick of butter

2 cups of apple juice

1 cup of water

Salt

Directions

1. Add everything but cabbage, butter, and the 1/2 chopped onion. Cook on low for 7 hours.
2. Add cabbage after the 7 hours and continue to let cook for another hour. 
3. Take out the cabbage and let the rest warm. 
4. Drain cabbage and slice. Saute with the onion and butter. Add salt to taste.
5. Serve the sauteed cabbage with the corned beef and veggies.

Crock Pot Ham

Ingredients
1 bone-in ham (6-8 lbs)
2 cups of brown sugar


Directions

1. Spread 1.5 cups of the brown sugar at the bottom of the Crock Pot.
2. Place the ham in flat side down and use the last of the brown sugar to spread over the ham. 
3. Cook on low for 8 hours (Try to check on the ham every hour or so to distribute some of the juices to the top of the ham).

***I've also added sliced pineapples to the top of the ham while cooking to give the ham a sweeter flavor. Look at my previous recipes for the directions.