St. Patty's Day Ice Cream Drink

I LOVE Ice Cream. LOVE it. I can't even keep it in the house because I will eat it. Every second. Of every day. It's that bad. So I had to have a purpose to bring ice cream into the house, and it was this lovely concoction that I dreamt up the other day - of course, involving Baileys for St. Patty's day.

Ice cream. Baileys. Heath toffee bits. Homemade vanilla whipped topping. What's that? Oh, you want the recipe so you can go make one right NOW?? I'm sorry. Let me just spend some more precious time telling you how great these are [to taunt you a little]. In fact, great isn't quite the right word. Out of this world awesome is more like it. I could have eaten the whole blender full of this stuff. But I have a roommate and he seems to like ice cream, too. Into two glasses it went, as I silently wept a tear, and slurped to my heart's content.



You need one of these. Badly.

And Happy St. Pat's Day!



Baileys Ice Cream Drink with Homemade Vanilla Whip
Recipe by A Toast to Taste
Photos by A Toast to Taste

For the Whipped Topping
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

For the Drink
1 cup ice
4 large scoops vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup Baileys
1/3 cup Heath toffee bits

Pour whipping cream, sugar and vanilla in mixing bowl. Beat at medium high speed for 4-5 minutes or until it forms stiff peaks. Set aside.

To a blender add ice, ice cream, Baileys, and Heath. Blend on the Smoothie setting (or high) for 1-2 minutes, until all is well incorporated. Pour into serving glasses and top with whipped topping and additional Heath bits.

Enjoy!

Corned Beef & Cabbage

A cabbage heart - from me to you this St. Patty's Day! I have to admit, I'm not much of a St. Patrick's Day girl. It's just another day for me usually. But, this year I thought I would try my hand at making the traditional Corned Beef & Cabbage meal.



I think I've probably eaten corned beef twice in my entire life, and one of those times was in Dublin. When in Rome.... Needless to say, I really didn't know what I was doing here. But I did some research on recipes and came up with my own combination - and it involves beer, lots of beer. This beef turned out so tender and juicy. I also made a couple sauces to go with it - a creamy horseradish sauce and a grainy mustard sauce. Both were excellent. Heck, this meal may make me slap on a green shirt and start talking in Gaelic! Really.



The beef is cooked in 3 bottles of Guinness beer, mixed with a little water. I added some organic carrots and potatoes half way through the cooking process along with the cabbage. And what does that get you? A one pot meal fit for an Irish Lad!

This does take some time - so make sure you've got a good 4 hours on your hands before you do it.

Erin go Bragh!

Corned Beef and Cabbage
Recipe by A Toast to Taste
Photos by A Toast to Taste

Ingredients Needed:

2 3lb corned beef briskets, flat cut, and the spice packets that come with them
1.5-2 cups brown sugar
3 11.2oz bottles Guinness beer
3-4 sprigs thyme
1 head cabbage
2 cups baby carrots
3 cups potatoes, cubed

Place corned beef briskets and contents of the spice packets into large stock pot and cover them in brown sugar. Pour 2 bottles of beer over beef. You want the meat completely covered in liquid so add water as needed. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. Trim outer leaves of cabbage and cut into quarters. Add to pot along with carrots and potatoes. Pour in remaining bottle of beer and add about 1-2 cups water to make sure all is covered. Simmer for an additional 2 hours.

Remove the corned beef from the pot and transfer to a cutting board. Remove any fat, and cut into slices against the grain. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. Transfer beef and vegetables to a serving platter and serve with sauces. Enjoy!