Corned Beef and Grilled Cheese

Wow, yesterday I had a huge, beautiful plate of corned beef and today I am left with enough for a sandwich. Did we really gobble up all the beef? I guess we did. No matter, next time we'll make more. Tonight we have a grilled cheese corned beef sandwich to make.

Cooking Light (in their March issue) had an article on one of their ultimate grilled cheese sandwiches and I decided to take a tip from them to create tonight's dinner on the stovetop. I loved two things I read about their recipe- the cheese was creamy and lower fat than we regularly use and the amount of oil (not butter) that the sammie was fried in was a lot less calories. Well, the first statement is true- the cheese mixture is without a doubt creamy, flavorful and simply delish. The 1/2 tsp of olive oil for both sides of the sandwich just didn't seem to cut it, so I improvised and had to add a tad, just a tad of butter. Let's remember, grilled anything is never going to be figure friendly, so bring on the butter- not a whole lot, but let's at least be able to brown up the bread and taste something good and give this new grilled cheese and corned beef a try. I have to say, with my little changes, I loved it.

Grilled Cheese and Corned Beef Sandwiches
Inspired by Cooking Light
Revised by me

2 slices fresh rye bread
Leftover corned beef sliced thin
1 T softened goat cheese (Cooking Light used cream cheese)
1 tsp Dijon mustard (my addition)
1 tsp mayo (I used the light)
1/2 cup or a little more shredded light cheddar cheese
butter and 1/2 tsp canola oil for frying

In small bowl combine your mustard and goat cheese.

Mix it up and add the mayo and shredded cheddar. I tasted this and decided it didn't need any salt or pepper, but if you're a pepper person, add a few grinds, you'll be happy I'm sure.

 Take out two slices of rye bread and slather one side with the cheese mixture.

Now add your sliced cornbeef.



 

Well I was almost ready to close this little darling up when I realized I had a bit more cheese left, so what's a gal to do? Slather the remaining cheese on the other piece of bread I guess. Seemed like a plan.

 

 

Top that sammie with the other slice of cheesy bread and heat your skillet/pan to medium/medium low. Add in your 1/2 tsp of oil, but make sure to add alittle butter to your pan or you won't be happy. Saute a few minutes on side one. Flip and repeat. See what a beautiful litte grilled cheese sandwich you just made!

 

 

And think of the possibilities you could add to the cheese mixture instead of the mustard, A few that come to mind are horseradish, sriracha or pico de gallo. I do think any grilled cheese is worth an experiment or two, just don't forget to add a little butter. I'm so glad  did!



O'Dalton's Holiday Cooking

I love a nice holiday meal. It doesn't matter if I celebrate the holiday per se, I just like to enjoy the foods that others eat to commemorate their special gatherings. I got this holiday/food sharing bug from my mom Elaine. She cooked a roast for Christmas, Lamb for Easter and of course we ordered take-in for Chinese New Year. And there was no one Irish in our family, but I could always come home to a corned beef and cabbage dinner for St Patty's day. In honor of my mom's festive spirit, I made corned beef with all the fixin' today and Fran (my gardener friend) and I will indulge tomorrow. It's very simple to put together and surprisingly budget friendly.

Linda O'Dalton's New England Boiled Dinner
Inspired by Elaine Dalton with a little help from Fannie Farmer

3 pounds flat cut corned beef brisket
3 onions peeled and quartered
3 Russet potatoes halved
6-7 carrots cleaned and halved
1 medium head green cabbage quartered and cored
2 dried bay leaves

Remove your brisket from the package and cut off some of the excess fat that you'll find on one side.

I did the best I could. Maybe you'll do better than me, but it seems that the small amount of fat I removed did the trick. There was very little scum in the pot when I started cooking. In large pot place your brisket and cover with at least a few extra inches of cold water. Bring water to a boil and lower heat to a gentle simmer. In the first 10 minutes of cooking, you will notice that some impurities release themselves from the meat and you need to skim them off (that's the scum I was just referring to). I used a slotted spoon. Now add 2 dried bay leaves, cover pot and lower heat a bit more so that your meat is just barely simmering. Set your timer for 1-1/2 hours and prep your vegetables. I keep my peeled carrots and potatoes in cold water. The onions I just let sit out. The cabbage I get to at the last minute.

After an hour and a half, add your onions. In my version, the onions are more for flavor and not really served as a vegetable. Cook an addtional 1/2 hour and add your potatoes. After 15 minutes of the potatoes cooking, add your carrots and cook 30 minutes more. By now your kitchen is smelling heavenly. We're almost there. Remove your brisket, potatoes and carrots and set aside.

 

 

To your pot of flavored broth, add the quartered cabbage and cook about 10-15 minutes. Remove and get ready to plate this O'happy meal. The cabbage is cooked to perfection, the meat has settled a bit and you're ready to do some surgery.

Slice your brisket against the grain. It's the only way to serve this piece of meat. It makes it very presentable and easy to eat. See that little stash of end pieces in the upper left corner of the picture? That's what I like to nibble on while I'm cutting the meat. It's Oh so yummy, so remember to treat yourself.

Transfer sliced meat and veggies to a large platter and serve with horseradish sour cream sauce. It's a great compliment to both veg and meat.

I have a raisin beer bread in the oven now and if it's a winner, I'll post the recipe tomorrow.