On How to Bring St. Patrick's Day to School

With its oftentimes dismal weather, the month of March doesn't seem to offer too many reasons to celebrate. Perhaps this is why St. Patrick's Day has become so popular. Of course, for many college students (and plenty of grown adults) the holiday is primarily celebrated by consuming large amounts of alcoholic beverages, another tradition that is not nearly as often celebrated by college students is the traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage that has become characteristic of the holiday. As March 17th falls on a Tuesday this year, and (save for students celebrating their spring break at home,) most students will be at school, and won't have their mother or father to prepare the boiled dinner for them. But fear not, because in ten easy steps, you too can enjoy the tasty March meal in your own apartment or dorm room, without infringing on your busy schedule.


Before you start, be sure that you have all the necessary ingredients. In order to make this dinner, you will need: a packaged corned beef brisket with peppercorns, and as much cabbage, parsnips, carrots, and potatoes as you would like.




Step 1: Cut the brisket package open, and put it into a large pot. Be sure to squeeze the bag to get all the remaining juice into the pot. (Note DON'T wash the corned beef before putting it into the pot, this will remove some of the juices).




Step 2: Cut open the included packet of peppercorns, and sprinkle them evenly over the corned beef in the pot.






Step 3: Completely cover the corned beef with cold water, this will create a layer of foam on top of the brisket.






Step 4: Remove all of the foam from the top of the pot by using a skimmer or strainer.







Step 5: Put stove on high heat.







Step 6: Cover the pot, and bring it to a boil.







Step 7: Turn the stove off high heat, and put it on medium heat to simmer for about 3 1/2 hours.







Step 8: Every half hour the brisket is simmering, make sure to turn it over using a large fork.





Step 9: After the brisket boils for 3 1/2 hours, add the vegetables, continue to simmer corned beef with vegetables for an additional 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.





Step 10: Remove ingredients from pot, and serve with rye bread and butter.





This will probably leave you with plenty of leftovers, and rather than just re-heating your St. Patrick's Day feast, here is a tasty recipe that has been a favorite in my family for years, especially after the holiday. http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,168,132189-251196,00.html