Erin Go Bragh, and soda bread too! (B)

I am very excited about St. Paddy's Day being right around the corner! I am even more excited for Parade Day though. It is just such a good time. We are planning to have a little get together at our house after the parade. It will be replete with all of the Irish fixings- corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and two kinds of soda bread. There will be other things too, like chicken nuggets (for the kiddos), cookies, salads- you know, party food. We will also have pre-parade brunch with my favorite muffins and personalized eggs. I am planning a fun craft for the kiddies too. I seriously can't wait!

Anyway, you may have noticed that I said we have two kinds of soda bread at our St. Paddy's feast. Every year I bake a traditional soda bread, using the same recipe my Grandma made, chock full of raisins and caraway seeds. But- do you know who's not a fan of caraway seeds? Kids. Kids do not care for them at all, in my experience. A lot of them aren't all that keen on raisins either. Do you know what kids (and grown ups, AKA me) do like? Chocolate chips. That's right. Along with my traditional, I make a chocolate chip soda bread! It's been an amazing hit with all ages. I tend to go with a slice from each loaf and so does my Dad!

The food is probably the most important part of the day... I mean, corned beef is SO freaking delicious, but you hardly ever get it outside of St. Pat's. I love making corned beef in the big pot and watching it soak up the beer, but you have to keep in mind- it's Parade Day! I don't want to miss the big show because I'm stuck home chained to the stove. Yet, good corned beef takes time. Last year I handled this by scouring Pinterest for a slow cooker recipe that would meet my admittedly high expectations. I was leery, I won't deny it, but let me tell you- it was perfect! I received a ton of compliments too. Here it is:

Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage 

• 10 baby red potatoes, quartered 
• 1 onion, peeled and cut in pieces 
• 4 cups water
• 4lbs corned beef, with spice packet 
• 6 ounces of beer 
• 1/2 head of cabbage, coarsely chopped 

Place onions and potatoes in the crock pot and cover with the water. 

Add the brisket and then pour the beer and spices over top.

Cook on high for 8 hours.

1 hour before serving stir in chopped cabbage and re-cover. 

Last year I had to do the cabbage on the stovetop. As I mentioned, we like to have company post-parade and one brisket was NOT going to be enough corned beef! So I had to cram two into the slow cooker and there was just no room to stir in cabbage. I am getting so hungry thinking about this! Spicy mustard and fresh rye from the local bakery are all I need to be complete at this point... I hope everyone's St. Paddy's is just as wonderful. Share your traditions in the comments! I am always looking for fun new ways to celebrate. 
 

Slainte is Gaelic for "cheers!"