Simple Girl

If you are one of my kids, you've come to expect a green lunch on St. Patrick's Day!  My youngest tends to remind me a few days in advance. "Do we get a green lunch again this year?" My oldest, a super-cool 17-year old, grabs the inevitable bag and shoves it in his backpack. Despite his apparent ambivalence, I bet that when he's a dad, his kids will get a green lunch, too! #StillFunny, #ILoveMyJob! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I only cook Corned Beef once a year, but every time I do, I'm reminded of how really quite delicious it is! Truth be told, I love everything about the traditional St. Patrick's Day meal - the roasted carrots, the braised cabbage, the tender and flavorful corned beef - it is truly comfort on a plate. This year's corned beef turned out especially flavorful when it was slathered with grainy mustard, encased in brown sugar and braised in apple juice.  These three simple ingredients turned out to be quite transformative and may be the only way I'll cook corned beef in the years to come! Apple and Mustard Braised Corned Beef INGREDIENTS: 2-3 pound corned beef brisket 1/4 cup grainy mustard 1/2 cup brown sugar 12 ounces apple juice DIRECTIONS: Place the beef brisket, fat side up, in a Dutch Oven.  Slather the top side with the mustard.  Pack the brown sugar on the top of the mustard, covering the entire brisket.  Slowly pour the apple juice int