Irish Stew

Okay, I'm not Irish (as far as I know there's not a drop of Irish blood in me, could be wrong), and I've never been to Ireland, but there's something about St. Patrick's Day that I just love. I think it's the color green, my favorite. Maybe it's that I have an excuse to drink beer (some of which is green!). Oh, and don't think I've forgetten about the FOOD! These may not be the reasons this holiday began, but they are damn good enough for me to want to celebrate it.

I wanted to make a traditional Irish dinner in honor of the holiday, what better place to look for a recipe than Donal Skehan's blog? He is Irish, afterall! This recipe is traditional, with the exception that it uses beef instead of lamb. It's an amazing one pot stew that comes together pretty quick. It has a wonderful taste, and just the right amount of chunky veggies. Served with some Irish Soda Bread, this is the perfect St. Patty's Day dinner. :)

Shortcut Slow Cooker Chili

My pregnant sister was dying for some chili, so I invited her and our younger sister over for dinner. That meant 2 extra mouths to feed (3 if you count preggers) than what I'm used to. So, I wanted a recipe that would be really, really easy and very fast to whip up. Enter this chili.

I thought this chili turned out amazing, it had so many great flavors. It came out thick, with just the right amount of juices. The recipe itself is not too spicy, so I added some extra chili powder to give it a little more kick.

We enjoyed it with Sweet Honey Cornbread. Alexis and I ate it by taking a spoon of cornbread and scooping up the chili on top of it. Very yummy! I also like to eat mine topped with crushed saltine crackers. And, of course, it's good with shredded cheddar.

The best thing about this recipe is how quick and easy it is. You pretty much just throw everything into the slow cooker and forget about it. Nothing is better than coming home from a long day to the wonderful smell of chili ready to be eaten. :)

Incredible Salisbury Steak

Oh. My. God. I don't know what to say about this recipe other than I'm absolutely in LOVE with it! The 15th was the Man's birthday, and I wanted to make him happy and treat him to a really good dinner. Well, I definitely succeeded! This is the tastiest dish I've had in a loooong time. It was so tender, and so full of flavor... I'm drooling now thinking about it! When I first saw this recipe I knew I wanted to try it just for the Man. See, he loves something called greasy bread, it's buttered bread soaked in meat drippings. Sounds kinda weird, but it is oh-so-good. Well, this salisbury steak is prepared and served on top of toasted cheese bread and drenched with gravy. I saw it as a delicious new take on an old favorite of the Man's. And he sure did love it! We each had one serving and devoured a second one. It didn't take long to decide that this is a recipe that is sure to stay in our family for years to come! :)