March 2019 – dear party diary

Being married to someone with red hair (who thinks he’s Irish) lends itself to some type of St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Once while Jon was on a guy’s golfing trip in Ireland, a girl in a pub told him he was “the Brad Pitt of Ireland” (must be the brown eyes)—frequently he is not afraid to remind people of that comment.

Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities, truth ain’t.
Mark Twain (Pudd’head Wilson character)

As I have said before, Jon is a very colorful character as you can see in his St. Patrick’s Day green pants, and he is not afraid to wear pink either! You got to love that!

In fact, for a while there, after dinner (at every restaurant) Jon would ask if the bartender knew how to make an Irish Coffee. It was a test to see if they knew what they were doing. So I took a picture with him holding up each one—and I have a lot of pictures. It’s been a running joke and form of entertainment our entire marriage. It doesn’t take much to entertain the Registers.

I grew up eating corned beef. My mom would boil a brisket in her “flame colored” Le Creuset Dutch oven in the spices that came in the package. We would eat it warm for dinner the first night. The next day she would slice it paper thin (you could read the newspaper through it) and she would make me a sandwich for my lunch box. It was one of my favorite lunches. (I promise to teach you the wax paper sandwich fold later.)

If you missed the Unfancy Party opportunity last fall, this is your chance to host a very economical and easy dinner party. Delegate the dessert and beer and you’ll be getting out for under fifty bucks for a party of eight.

Somewhat Traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage

Serves 8

1 (3- to 4-pound) corned beef brisket with seasoning packet

1 (11.2-ounce) dark beer, such as Guinness

10 small red potatoes

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 head cabbage, cut into 2-inch wedges

5 to 6 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces, or baby carrots

1 tablespoon honey

Place brisket in a large Dutch oven; add seasoning packet, beer, and water to cover brisket. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour per pound.

During the last hour of the brisket cooking, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut potatoes in half, and toss in a bowl with parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, brown cabbage wedges in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss carrots with olive oil and honey. Place all vegetables on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender.

I prefer to roast my vegetables on parchment-lined baking sheets, as mentioned above, but feel free to throw all the vegetables in the pot with the brisket the last hour if you want to simplify clean-up.

Slice brisket against the grain on a platter, and serve with vegetables and Horseradish-Mustard Sauce.

Learn from Leslie: Before slicing, I broil the brisket for a minute or two on a baking sheet to make a golden brown crust-like topping.

Serve family style for a relaxing evening and less clean-up.

You probably already have these four ingredients to make the Horseradish-Mustard Sauce in your refrigerator now. See the recipe below.

Horseradish-Mustard Sauce: In a small bowl, combine ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons raw horseradish (prepared may be substituted), and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Stir to combine, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead.

This traditional sandwich is nothing but several slices of freshly cooked corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut toasted on rye bread. Serve with Russian Dressing. (Note: Jon drained the sauerkraut on a paper towel before assembling the sandwich. This is not his first rodeo.)

Russian Dressing

(1000 Island dressing on steroids!)

Makes 1 ¼ cups

1 tablespoon finely chopped onion

1 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup ketchup

4 teaspoons horseradish, or more to taste

1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon paprika

Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. This can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Serve with Reuben Roll-ups and Homemade Reuben sandwiches, or on a simple salad.

A few drops of green food coloring added to a cold beer sets the St. Patty’s Day mood.

Reuben Roll-ups

Makes 4 rolls, 8 bites

4 cabbage leaves

¼ cup chopped corned beef

¼ cup sauerkraut, drained

¼ cup Swiss cheese, grated

¼ cup finely chopped carrots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil cabbage leaves in water in a Dutch oven until wilted and pliable, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

Place corned beef and next 3 ingredients in the first third of the leaf. Fold in sides, and roll until the end. Place seam side down on a baking sheet. (Some rolls may require a toothpick.) Repeat with remaining leaves.

Bake for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove any toothpicks. Cut each roll in half, and serve immediately with Russian Dressing.

Learn from Leslie: Don’t worry if the leaves tear a little bit when removing them from the head of the cabbage. They will seal while cooking.

Enjoy the flavors of a Reuben without any bread!

My Party Favor

A collection of ANYTHING is impressive. Although I don’t get to go on the boys golf trips, I still have something to show for it. Jon and many friends think of me as they leave a pro shop. And these unique ball markers won’t weigh down your suitcase!