Corned Beef Hash

So I realize that I have been posting a lot of sweet things lately, and not so many savory dishes. Well here's a savory one for you. Corned Beef Hash.
   This is something that I have always loved. I like it pretty much any way I can have it (even from a can shhhh). But homemade and mostly from scratch is the only way that the hubby will have it, so this is how I make it for him.  It's incredibly easy and completely satisfying. Most people have it as a breakfast dish, but I like it for dinner. :)
   When the corned beef briskets go on sale around St. Patrick's Day I always stock up the freezer, so I make corned beef hash all year long.
   The first thing to do it cook the corned beef brisket. I prefer to do this in the crock-pot. Just dump the meat and spices (that come with it) in the slow cooker, set it on low and let it go all day (or night if you want it for breakfast).

The next step is to tackle the other main ingredient in the hash: the potatoes.
I like the ratio of meat to potatoes to be about 50/50, but if you like more or less potatoes be my guest.my potatoes to be diced very small. (1/4 to 1/2 inch sized cubes).
This is how I go about dicing my potatoes.

Put the raw (cleaned and dried) potato on the cutting board.

Slice the potato into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices.

Hold the slices together as you cut in slices 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick in the opposite direction. This will give you "matchsticks."

Then the "matchsticks" get cut down again in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices to make little cubes.

Like this:  :)  Aren't they cute?  No, they aren't all exact, but close enough.

I put some oil and butter into a large skillet over medium high heat and add the potato dices.

Then I start on the onion. I only need 1/2 a medium onion. Any kind will do - whatever you have on hand.

Dice up the onion unto small dices, similar in size to the potatoes.

Add them to the potatoes, along with some salt and pepper. DON"T stir it up, Just let it sit, and let the potatoes form a nice crunchy brown exterior.

While the onions and potatoes cook, it's time to turn your attention to the corned beef.  This is mine that I cooked overnight and then decided to serve for dinner instead of breakfast, so it was parked in the fridge for a while. This is actually a good thing, because it is MUCH easier to dice up when it's cold! (Definitely something to keep in mind!) I just pulled off some of the fat on the outside, after it was cooked. That's why it looks a little mangy. ;)

Check on the potatoes. They should be golden brown and delicious on the bottom by now. Like this. Give them a flip (try and get the brown on top and the white on the bottom, but don't go crazy over it. Just stir it up and do your best.) Now let the potatoes and onions continue to cook over medium to medium high heat until the potatoes are cooked through and browned on the second side.

Back to the corned beef. It tends to fall apart a little when it warms up, so I cut the beef into bigger chunks than the potatoes and onions. I would say that a good 1 inch dice is perfect.

When are the potatoes are fork tender . . . like this . . .

It's time to add a heaping Tbsp of dry parsley. (I suppose you could use some fresh, but I always have dry on hand and I haven't been able to grow the fresh stuff successfully yet.) Just rub it between your hands to wake up the flavor.

This is it after it has been pulverized by me hands.

Add in the corned beef chunks,

and stir it all together.

I crank the heat to high (to crisp up the edges of the meat a little) and cook for a just a couple minutes. When it's all heated through, it's ready to serve!

I suppose you could serve it plain. But doesn't it look just a little sad and lonely?

In my opinion it needs a fried egg to make it complete. (This is the hubby's plate and he prefers his eggs cook over hard. A crime, I know, but that's the way he likes it.) The hash also would be a little under-dressed without a few splashes of hot sauce.

This is the only brand I eat on my hash. (It's also amazing on Chicken Fried Steak, but "That's another show" - to quote Alton Brown.) If you've never tried it, you really should. It will change you life . . . or at least your hash. :)

 

Here's the recipe:

Corned Beef Hash

2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp butter (plus more if needed)
about 3 medium to large potatoes cleaned, and diced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes
1 (2 - 3 lb) corned beef brisket, cooked, cooled, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch cubes  
1/2 medium to large onion, diced
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
1 heaping Tbsp of dry parsley
fried eggs (optional)
hot sauce (optional)

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the diced potatoes, onions, salt and pepper. Do not stir! Let it sit until the potatoes are browned on the bottom. When they are brown, stir and cook over medium to medium high heat until the potatoes are fork tender and browned on all sides (or most sides). Add the parsley and the cubed corned beef. Cook over high heat (adding more oil or butter if the potatoes are sticking) until the meat is heated through and slightly crisp on the edges. Serve immediately with a fried egg and hot sauce on top.

Nutella Pumpkin Swirl Bread

 

This is my husband's new favorite holiday bread. I've made it at least three times already (there's a loaf in the oven as we speak) and he raves about it to everyone. It makes me feel good when I can make people (especially my family) happy through food. :)
   This is a spin on a recipe that I found on Six Sisters Stuff. 
I think it turned out pretty well and I hope you try it and love it too!

You'll need 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree. I just got out two of my 1 cup bags from the freezer. (I did these back when I had pumpkin coming out of my ears. I made Pumpkin Butter, Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Easy Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, and Pumkin Cake With a Chocolate Ganache.  I still had over 30 cups of pumpkin left over, so I portioned them out into 1 cup measurements and froze them for later use.)

The pumpkin puree gets put into a medium to large mixing bowl.

Sugar,

salt, (excuse the blinding flashback off my palm)

 and cinnamon are added as well. (You could use pumpkin pie spice here, if you wanted it to taste more "pimpkin-y" but I wanted the Nutella to be the star.)

Along with some softened butter (mine got a little too soft in the microwave, but it doesn't matter),

baking soda,

and vanilla.

That all gets whisked together with two eggs,

some flour,

and milk.  (To tell you the truth; the order in which you mix the ingredients together doesn't matter too much. Just make sure that everything gets mixed well, and don't over mix it.)

When everything is combined it looks like this:

One cup of the batter gets put into a separate bowl, along with a heaping 3/4 cup of Nutella. (I've done a full cup here with no negative results.)

Stir everything together. It won't look like they are going to get a long very well, but just keep mixing and they will.

Start with the plain pumpkin batter, and put just enough in the greased loaf pan to evenly coat the bottom.

Then scoop in some of the Nutella mixture.

Spread that out evenly,

and keep repeating the steps until all of both batters are used.  Pumpkin . . . spread . . .

Nutella . . . spread . . .

When you have reached then end of your batters, you don't need to worry about spreading out the top of the loaf. (It actually looks and tastes better if you don't. The Nutella part gets nice and crunchy in the oven while the pumpkin part stays mostly soft.)  Using a butter knife, swirl the batters together.

Any pattern you like will do. I usually just take the knife up and down from one end of the loaf to the other.

It bakes @ 350F for  about 55 minutes. (The original recipe says to cook it for about 45 minutes, because they like it underdone and gooey. I prefer my bread more on the done side, so I cook it for 55-60 minutes until it no longer jiggles.) The Nutella parts will always be a little gooier and softer than the pumpkin parts.

Let it cool completely before cutting. Isn't it pretty?

I made the bread the night before and then we ate it for breakfast. (Hence the drastic lighting change.)

See how the Nutella swirls are still soft and a little wet looking?

My favorite part is the crunchy Nutella swirls on top. The contrast between that and the soft interior of the bread is just heavenly.

This one is definitely a keeper!

Here's the recipe:
adapted from Six Sisters Stuff

Nutella Pumpkin Swirl Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice if so desired)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 heaping cup Nutella
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and butter until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the pumpkin, milk and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Add cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and flour. Mix until flour is incorporated (don’t over mix).
Spoon 1 cup of the batter into a sperate bowl and add the Nutella. (If your Nutella is hard from being cold, you might want to warm up the Nutella by itself first, in the microwave, for about 10-15 seconds.) Stir until well blended. Spoon Nutella batter alternately with plain banana bread batter into the prepared pan. Swirl batters together with a butter knife.
Bake 55 to 60 minutes. (The more undercooked it is, to gooier it will be.) Cool completely before serving.
 

Pumpkin Cake with a Chocolate Ganache

I'll start off this post by apologizing for not having step by step pictures for this one. This was a last minute cake that I whipped up before a dinner with the missionaries. It was heavenly, and devoured almost immediately (hence there only being half of a cake to photograph).
   This recipe is for Carla Hall's Pumpkin Chocolate Cake. I was inspired when I watched her make it on The Chew, and the other hosts raved about it and said it was their favorite thing that she's ever made. I just had to try it out for myself.
   It's a pumpkin cake, with a pumpkin marscapone "moose" and and chocolate ganache with crumbled ginger cookies on top. Delicious!  I stayed true to the recipe, except I reduced the amount of sugar in both the filling and the cake (the recipe shown reflects my changes). The cake does have a few steps, but none of them are difficult. It's actually really easy to put together.
   We all loved it so much that I'm debating making it again for an upcoming Christmas Party. Try it out and let me know what you think!

We ate it so fast, the chocolate didn't even have time to set up. It dripped down the half eaten cake. Mmmm. Excuse me while I wipe my drool.

It's still such a pretty cake - even half eaten. ;)

Here's the recipe:

Carla Hall's Pumpkin Chocolate Cake (with reduced sugar)

*Start straining the pumpkin puree for the filling before you do anything else!

• For the Pumpkin Cake:
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 2 9 inch round cake pans. Combine sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir the dry into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in the pumpkin puree.
Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Rotate pans half way through cooking. When a toothpick comes out clean, the cakes are done. Let cool for 5 minutes and then turn cakes out onto cooling racks.

• For the Mascarpone Filling:
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
• 2 cups mascarpone
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (*strained of excess liquid)
• 1 3/4 teaspoons salt

 Beat the mascarpone and the pumpkin puree until blended, and then add the pumpkin spice, salt and powdered sugar. Mix at a high speed until blended, about 1 minute. Once it's fully combined add the vanilla and beat for another 30 seconds.

 Once the cakes have cooled completely, cut through each cake horizontally with a serrated knife (there will now be four round of cake to work with). Spread the filling evenly between the layers (3).

• For the Dark Chocolate Ganache:
• 3 tablespoons corn syrup
• 6 ounces heavy cream
• 12 ounces dark chocolate (chopped into small bits) *I used chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ginger snaps (crushed for garnish) 

 Make the ganache in a small saucepan. Combine the corn syrup and heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Add the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract.
 Pour over the cake. Garnish with crushed ginger snaps.