The Great Peeps Debate

This little box of Peeps has been sitting on my kitchen table & open since March 18th so they can dry out & become good & chewy!!!  To me, that's the only way to eat these...they MUST be dried out.  And they must be the little yellow chickies of my youth...and only at Easter, please!  None of the pumpkin shapes or even black cat ones...those just aren't Peeps in my book.

Everywhere I've worked, the dried out vs. fresh Peeps debate comes up...well, ok...I always raise it.  And people do fall into one category or the other.  So how do YOU like your Peeps?  Dried out & chewy or fresh & mushy?  Inquiring minds want to know.

BTW...these will be good & chewy just in time for Easter!!! 

Corned Beef for St. Patrick's Day

OK...I know it's been almost a year since I started this blog...but I figured this is as good a time as any to get it going for real.  We'll see how it goes.  The problem is, I forget to take pics of the stuff I make, but last night I did the traditional corned beef & cabbage with red potatoes, onions & carrots & it was yummy.  Here's the platter before we dug in:

There were lots more potatoes & carrots in the pot as well as more cabbage, but at least I took a picture this time!

We get our corned beef from a local butcher shop, Thayer's...their quality is excellent on everything they offer...and it's mostly local.  Most of their meats are from Ohio farmers & I like that.  They've been in the same location for over 40 years.  Their chicken is from an Ohio Amish farm & is THE best chicken ever.  They make their own sausages, too...there's very little fat in any of them. Very nice people working there make the entire shopping experience a good one.  Be sure to go to their website & click on the products link so you can see the meat counter...a throwback to the 50s or 60s!

The corned beef they sell at Thayer's is from a place in Detroit, MI...which isn't far away from Parma, OH.  The corned beef is from Grobbel's & is the best tasting corned beef we've ever made at home.  We like the flat cut...it's less fatty.  I also braise the corned beef in about 4 cans of cheap light beer...low & slow for 4-5 hours before adding the potatoes & carrots.  The cabbage goes in last & only for a bit.  Phil's cabbage goes in first, as he likes it cooked through.  Mine goes in for maybe a minute or so as I like it almost raw.  The beer really helps tenderize the meat...I do a 6 pack pork roast, too...I'll do that one of these days & take some pics so I can share them.

We have enough beef, potatoes & carrots leftover that we'll enjoy a brunch of corned beef hash over the weekend.  YUM!  I hope you had a yummy St. Patrick's Day dinner, too. 

Feel free to comment with any tips you have for any of the posts as I go along here.  And be sure to visit my art blog, Kitten Creates.