Eat Breakfast Like A King!

It's been forever and a day since I last updated this little blog o' mine. I could come up with infinity plus one excuses, not to mention enjoying exercising the godlike claim of being able to add finite quantities to the infinite, as to why this is so. The reality is that real life has impeded my efforts. My current IT contract is coming to an end so I've been doing things like job hunting, figuring out new certifications to go for, and working lots of hours. In the kitchen I've also done quite a bit, including making my first multi-tiered cake, making pasta sauce, and baking lace cookies, all of which I've never done before and have chronicled for your amusement. As well, Joanna and I have both obtained a trove of recipes from our respective paternal grandmothers, may they rest in peace, and have been concocting the idea of making a blog of cooking through family recipes while compiling family cookbooks. This blog will likely wait until after we are married but it's something to look forward to from me, the King of Procrastination.

But first, let's talk about corned beef, one of the many reasons I wish I was Irish. When I think of all the ways to cook meat, boiling is typically not at the top of the list. In fact, just about the only time I'd think to boil meat would be if you asked me "Mark, how can I ruin a perfectly good piece of meat?" However, corned beef defies all my logic in being the best thing to ever come from a meeting of brisket and boiling water. It's incredibly simple to make. Fill a pot with water. Put in corned beef brisket, spices (I use the spice packet that comes with it plus mustard powder, fresh parsley, and fresh thyme), potatoes, and cabbage. Boil for hours until done.

Once you have this versatile piece of meat, enjoy it with every meal. Have a plate of corned beef and cabbage for dinner (don't forget an accompanying Smithwick's), have a corned beef sandwich for lunch, and for breakfast....drum roll please...have HASH!

I don't care who you are, you can do this:

Take those potatoes from boiling with the corned beef and cut em up:














Chop up some onion to go with them because everyone loves onion and it makes your breath smell so appealing:















Start the onions sauteeing on a really hot griddle first then throw in the potatoes too:















Having given the potatoes and onion a head start, toss on the corned beef:
















Mix it all together until it is heated through and the potatoes are a little crispy:















Then consume it with a couple of eggs (I like over easy but cook them how you like, this is America) and an English muffin.















Finally, join me in the realization that God must be Irish.

Slainte!