Instant Pot Recipe: Corned Beef and Cabbage

 Happy St. Patrick's Day 2026!

Equipment:

6-qt Instant Pot "Duo"

Steamer pot

Steamer insert

Ladle

Knife for chopping vegetables

Ingredients:

Prepackaged corned beef brisket

5 lbs bag of carrots

5 lbs bag or red potatoes or your favorite variety

one head of green cabbage

Note:

Once upon a time, we used to use the crock pot overnight to get a tender brisket, but now This is *the only* way we make corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day... 

The corned beef comes out tender and you won't over cook the vegetables that accompany the dish.

We've tested this recipe using a variety of different brands and styles of brisket, and they come out great!

Instructions:

First, get yourself an Instant pot... at least the 6 quart Duo variety if you don't already own one. Or borrow your one from a friend.

The Instant Pot is where you will cook the corned beef only for two hours with three cups of water.

Once the two hour time is up, quick release the vent and then transfer the meat to a carving dish and slice into servicing size pieces.

The second part of this recipe is prepping and steaming the vegetables that go along with this dish.

Get out the largest soup pot that you own and place a steamer insert in the bottom. Add enough water to reach the bottom of the steam insert. We are going to call this the steamer pot.

*Prep the carrots cutting them into one inch pieces. Place the carrots in the bottom of the steamer pot so that there is about two layers of carrots. (We love carrots in our house and are always running out of them hence two layers of carrots.) 

*Prep the potatoes. This year, we are using red potatoes, but you can use your favorite variety for this dish. You can quarter the smaller ones, and for the bigger ones, you can cut them in thirds and then half the middle section. You are going to prep at least 6 potatoes and add them to the steamer pot. 

*The last layer of vegetable will be the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half through the core, then in quarters and then two halfs in quarters so you are left with 8 pieces of cabbage. Lay the cabbage on top of the potatoes in the steamer pot and check to make sure that the lid will sit on the pot because it will be full of these cut vegetables.

The steamer pot will need to be cooked on the stove top on medium heat for 30 minutes. So watch the timer on the instant pot and when it gets to 35, start the steamer pot full of vegetables.

To Serve: 

Add one or two slices of corned beef to the bowl, then add the steamed vegetables.

Using a ladle, add some broth from the cooked corned beef onto the vegetables in the bowl. 

Season to taste. We usually add butter on the potatoes with salt and pepper.

Easy Frozen Pumpkin Pie

I'm working again (yeah!) and they want to put together a cookbook to share because we are not all in one place working at the office, right? We are all over the country doing our jobs (unless you are in my department - Post Closing.)

So I was looking for my favorite recipe called Easy Frozen Pumpkin Pie in my cookbook blog, and I couldn't believe that it was not there! I briefly looked online at work and still could not find it. So now it's Saturday and I'm going to transpose the recipe I've been making for my family since I can't have a baked pumpkin pie unless it's dairy-free. And I'm not ready to tackle that conversion yet.

Eazy Frozen Pumpkin Pie

1 can (15 oz) of Libby's Pumpkin

2/3 cup light corn syrup (Note: If you want to use less corn syrup, you can use 1/3 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar and 1/3 cup light corn syrup.)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (Option: You can either omit the nuts all together or put them on top if you like.)

3 1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip

1 9-inch prepared graham cracker crust (Note: Don't throw away the clear plastic mold that tops the pie crust. Just peel off the paper label. Inverted, this will be used for the lid in the freezer.

Directions:

Combine pumpkin, spices, corn syrup, and nuts. Fold in Cool Whip and spoon into crust. Use the clear plastic pie mold upside down as the lid for your pie, crimping the foil edge to hold it in place. Freeze until firm, about 3-4 hours. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Sweet Potato Pie

• 2 cups peeled, cooked (boiled) sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup golden brown sugar
• 1/2 stick melted Nucoa, Best Life or other non-dairy butter substitute ( 4 tbsp)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 to 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup vanilla soy milk
• 9-inch unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
I prep this in a food processor, beating the eggs in a bowl with a fork before adding into the mixture. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust and then bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serves 8.

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Honey Cake

HONEY CAKE RECIPE 
by Kemp Minifie, Gourmet Live 

YEILD: Makes 1 (10-inch) Bundt cake 
ACTIVE TIME: 40 min 
TOTAL TIME: 4 hr 
With its velvety chocolate glaze and snowy flakes of sea salt, this dressed-up honey cake is perfect for Rosh Hashanah. It's equally ideal for any other occasion or celebration, whether it's a dinner party, an impromptu gathering of friends, or a school bake sale. It's that simple-and that good. Don't be surprised if people start pestering you for the recipe after their first bite. 

INGREDIENTS 
For cake: - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
- 2 teaspoons baking powder 
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
- 1/2 teaspoon salt 
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 
- 1/4 teaspoon ground clove 
- 3 large eggs 
- 1 cup sugar 
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil 
- 1 cup pure honey 
- 3/4 cup lukewarm coffee (brewed, or instant dissolved in water) 
- 1 1/2 teaspoons packed grated orange zest 

For chocolate glaze: 
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons well-stirred canned unsweetened coconut milk (not light) 
- 2 teaspoons light corn syrup 
- 4 ounces bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped 

For garnish: 
- Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon (optional) 

EQUIPMENT 
- a 10-inch Bundt pan; nonstick baking spray (shake well first; see Cooks' Notes); cake tester or wooden skewer for testing cake doneness 

PREPARATION 
For cake: - Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously spray pan, including center tube, with baking spray. 
- Whisk together flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. 
- Whisk eggs well in another large bowl and whisk in sugar, oil, honey, coffee, and zest until well combined. 
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the honey mixture, then stir with the whisk until the batter is smooth. 
- Pour batter into pan (it's liquid enough to level itself in the pan), and bake in oven until springy to the touch and a cake tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. 
- Let cake cool in the pan on a rack for 20 minutes. 
- Loosen cake from the pan with a thin rubber spatula, then invert cake onto the rack (see Cooks' Notes) and cool completely. 

For glaze: 
- Bring coconut milk and corn syrup to a simmer in a small heavy pan, stirring until combined. 
- Remove pan from heat and add chocolate. Let chocolate stand 1 minute, then stir until chocolate is melted and glaze is smooth. 
- Let glaze stand, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, but still pourable. 
- Transfer cake to a cake plate and slowly pour the chocolate glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. If desired, let the cake stand at room temperature until glaze is set. 
- Just before serving, sprinkle glaze lightly with flaky sea salt, if using. 

recipe tips: 
Find Your Honey 
"There's so much choice out there in terms of honey," says Minifie. She found several honey cake recipes calling for buckwheat honey, "which is dark, very strongly flavored, and not to everyone's taste." Minifie opted for a mild local option from the farmers' market but says it really is a matter of personal preference. Sample what's available and bake with a honey you really enjoy. 

Measure Wisely 
Minifie, who spent decades in the kitchens of Gourmet, says that the honey and the oil should be measured in a liquid measuring cup-the kind with a spout for pouring. Minifie recommends measuring the oil first, followed immediately by the honey. The residual oil helps the honey slide right out of the measuring cup; if there's anything left in the cup, use a rubber spatula to scoop it out. 

Bake Now, Enjoy Later 
"Honey cake," explains Minifie, "gets better and better as it sits." For Rosh Hashanah, or any special occasion, she advises baking one day in advance and storing the cake in a cake carrier at room temperature. The cake will be moist and full of flavor on feast day but leftovers will keep for several days after that. The glaze can also be made ahead and kept, in an airtight container, at room temperature. Use a spoon to test the consistency-you want the glaze to drip slowly down the cake. If necessary, warm the glaze in the microwave or on the stovetop until it liquefies just a bit, letting it cool and thicken slightly if necessary. Glaze the cake about an hour or two before serving; the chocolate will firm up but will still retain its lovely soft texture. 

cooks' notes: - Nonstick baking spray: Normally, I'm not inclined to use nonstick baking sprays, preferring to line the bottoms of greased cake pans with parchment paper, then greasing the paper and flouring the pans to ensure that the cake releases easily from the pans, but the design of a Bundt pan makes that method impossible. While developing this recipe, I had a disaster when the top half of one cake remained in the Bundt pan when I tried to turn the cake out (and I thought I had really played it safe by using a well-oiled nonstick pan, albeit an old one). On my next attempt, I turned to the nonstick baking spray, and since then, it has worked like a charm. - Measuring oil and honey: Both should be measured in a liquid measuring cup. The oil is listed first, because if you measure the honey in it afterward, without washing the cup, the honey will slide out easily, with barely any help needed from a rubber spatula. - Inverting the cake onto a rack: The best way to do this is to place a rack over the top of the pan, then, holding the rack and pan together, flip the cake pan and rack over so that the cake can slide safely out of the pan onto the rack.
- Chopping chocolate: The easiest way to chop chocolate is with a long serrated bread knife. Or you can break the chocolate into squares (if you are using a bar) and pulse it in a food processor. 

Originally from: http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/heavenly-honey-cake-recipe-tips-182500141.html

Corned Beef & Cabbage

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

For many years, I suffered eating the most tough pieces of corned beef imaginable, but no more. The cooking instructions on the package of corned beef brisket state 50 minutes per lbs, but that's a mere suggestion because of the little words right after that say "or until tender".

While buying my point cut of corned beef last night (plan for about 1 lb-1 1/2 of meat per person), I came across a man who was scrutinizing the packages of corned beef brisket he was about to purchase pretty carefully. And I said him, "It not like buying steak where you check for the amount of marbling. It really doesn't matter what they look like, you just have to cook the crap out of them." It's true because much of the fat melts away during the cooking process.

How to cook corned beef  & cabbage:

Take one crock pot and place your corned beef in it barely covering it with water. Add the seasoning packet and cover. Turn on low and cook for 9 hours.

An hour before you're ready to serve, cut your head of cabbage in half, then cut those halves into thirds. Use small whole red potatoes and carrots cleaned and chopped in chunks about an inch or two. If you don't have the small, medium will work just find chopped in half. A serving size (a hardy bowl size) is two medium potatoes or 4 small potatoes and three cut carrots per bowl.

In a separate pot, layer the vegetables in this order: carrots, potatoes, cabbage. Add enough water to cover just the potatoes (this way the cabbage will steam cook and not get too mushy before serving), adding about a teaspoon of salt, cover with a lid and cook these on the stove on medium high heat for an hour. Drain the pot of cooked vegetables. Merge the contents of the crock pot (brisket plus liquid) together with the boiled vegetables that you drained and there you have it. The best corned beef and cabbage you ever ate.

Plum Glaze

Zest of one orange
1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
1/4 cup chinese plum sauce
1/4 cup honey
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp orange marmelade
2 tbsp finely minced ginger
1 tbsp finely minced garlic

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer 10 minutes (do not boil). Serve as a sauce for turkey in the place of gravy.

Cranberry Relish

16 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tbsp orange zest

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and stir well. Cook over medium heat until the berries pop open, about 10 minutes. Skim the foam off the surface with a spoon and discard. Cool to room temperature.

Refrigerate covered. Make a day ahead of Thanksgiving to meld flavors. Good for up to 3 months.