Corned Beef & Cabbage - Joanne's Savory Summary

I have to admit I am not a big meat and potatoes kind of girl.  Instead, I would totally opt for a giant plate a pasta anyday if I didn't feel like a bloated load afterwards.  Luckily, there is a great alternative to spaghetti with almost no carbs...but more on that tomorrow.  It will either blow your mind or convince you that I've lost mine. 

So given my initial dislike for this meat heavy dish, I had low expectations for it meeting my personal satisfaction.  But first things first...how did I secure the elusive corned beef?  Jen had given me visions of throngs of freckled Irishmen and women fighting over the last piece of corned beef.  She even sent me a  reminder text... 'Did you get your corned beef yet?!'.  Turns out, in the less St. Patty's Day crazed state of Pennsylvania, we had plenty to go around.

In an effort to get a little bit more health conscious, David and I decided to start shopping at Whole Foods.  Despite the common misnomer of 'Whole Paycheck', I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't much more than our usual Wegman's food bill, only now our entire cart was filled with organic, minimally processed food.  Whole Foods even had a display specifically set up for St. Patrick's Day where I grabbed one of the many remaining packages of corned beef.  Gray or red?  I had no idea.  But after cooking it, I am settling on gray.  Or an overcooked red?  I also unnecessarily picked up peppercorns not reading the clear as day label letting me know my corned beef was pre-spiced and ready to go.  

I decided to get started early on Sunday since we had little else to do besides have a House of Cards marathon (phenomenal show).  David said the house smelled just like his Oma's house which after a little more digging I was assured was a good thing.  I added the onions, carrots and the cabbage within the last hour.  I also boiled some potatoes.  After they were sufficiently soft, I dressed them up with a good amount of butter, dill weed and parsley.  

The corned beef was moist and spicy and, unbeknownst to me, David loves cabbage!  While this wasn't my favorite meal, I will commit to making it annually for this holiday.  

Happy Cooking!
Joanne