Kiwano Melon

My kids are very adventurous when it comes to food, so we are lucky our local grocery carries an assortment of products. Today my youngest was interested in this fruit that was foreign to me so we picked it up and tried it. You cut it in half and scoop out the fruit. It has a very banana like flavor, and is a little sour. You can eat the seeds, but my kids like spitting out the seeds. Its fun to try something new. Enjoy!

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

St Patrick's day is one of my absolute favorite holidays,. I love the food the beer, and I look pretty good in green. I have been making this recipe for over 10 years, and its always a crowd favorite. Every year I ask myself why I don't cook this more often through out the year. One thing I do change up is the way I prepare my potatoes. Some years I cook them along with the other vegetables, but sometimes I roast them, and one year I made smashed potatoes. You have to make it your own. I promise a leprechaun will not come out of nowhere and scold you.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

The meat will shrink by about half, so don’t under buy your meat. I usually plan on 1 pound meat per person.

8 lbs. corned beef brisket (flat cut), with spices

4 celery stalks, cut into 4 pieces each

1 lb. baby carrots

1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges

4 to 5 lbs. baby red potatoes

2 cans Guinness stout

2 medium heads of cabbage, cut into 6 wedges each

Place celery, carrots and onion in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Rinse the corned beef under cold water and place on top of the vegetables along with the spice packet that came with the corned beef. Add the bottle of Guinness, and just enough water to cover the meat. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove the meat and vegetables to an oven safe platter, and cover. Place in a preheated oven on keep warm or 170° Increase heat on slow cooker to high, add cabbage wedges to broth and cook for 30 minutes.

Slice the corned beef across the grain, serve immediately with mustard horseradish sauce.

This dish can easily be made on the stovetop as well. Bring ingredients up to a boil, low heat and simmer for 3 to 4 hours. Remove beef and vegetable, add cabbage and cook for 20 minutes.

Mustard Horseradish Sauce

½ cup sour cream

½ cup horseradish

½ cup stone ground mustard

Mix all ingredients, and refrigerate for at least on hour before serving.

Enjoy Courtney Rathweg, The 30 Minute Mom 

Sorry for my absence

Its been a long several months. Its nice to see you all were still checking up on me. One thing I have learned in the last few months in CANCER SUCKS. I'm not going to go into to much detail, but too many close to me are dealing or have dealt with this terrible disease. This just leads me to better believe that you have live everyday like its your last. Eat right, get out and exercise, hug more,and laugh often. I will do my best to post recipes and cooking advice, or just babble on more often.

National pack your lunch day

Today is National pack your lunch day. I will be on Fox 45 Dayton and Living Dayton at noon to help you pack heathy and fun lunches and snacks for your whole family.

Fall cooking

Fall is officially here. Its 52 degrees where I am. I love this time a year mostly because Im a sucker for anything pumpkin, and candy corn of course. Around this time of year I like to add things like pumpkin, squash, and heardy beans to some of my favorite dishes to "fall them up" a bit. Enjoy!

Living Dayton

http://wdtn.com/2014/08/15/national-bratwurst-day/ Please check out my my debut on Living Dayton

Summer harvest

There is nothing like going out to your yard and bringing in yummy, fresh vegetables to enjoy right away. I took the fresh sage and flash fried it in coconut oil for 10 seconds.  I immediately dusted it with sea salt. I like to call it adult chips,  but the kids love it as well.