How To: Corned Beef

Ingredients:

10 cups water
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dry mustard
3 tablespoons pickling spices
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 fresh beef brisket, 7 to 9 pounds

Preparation:

Combine water, salt, sugar, mustard, spices, and 3 cloves minced garlic in an 8-quart nonreactive stock pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. When liquids have cooled, trim the corned beef of excess fat and put into the liquid. You may need to transfer the liquids and corned beef to a larger container or bowl. If necessary, add more cold water to cover the beef. Cover the pan and refrigerate for 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator. Take out once a day to stir lightly, and turn the beef as needed.

On the 6th or 7th day, remove the beef from the brine and rinse well with cold water. Place in a large (8-quart or larger) pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil; skim off any scum which develops on the surface. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.

Pumpkin Spice Cookie

They are like sugar cookies, made with brown sugar and pumpkin pie spices.

Pumpkin Spice Cookie
3 C. all-purpose four
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. butter softened
1/2 C. firm packed brown sugar
1/2 C. granulated sugar
2 eggs
1.5 tsp. vanilla extract
chocolate or white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375*F. In a medium bowl, combine four, spice, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla; beat in flour mixture.
2. Drop 1 Tbs. sized drops of dough on silpat. Dip a glass in sugar and smash out cookies into 3 " rounds.
3. Bake until crisp but not browned, 8-10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
4. Drizzle with melted chocolate chips if desired.

Sugar Cookies

Vanilla Frosting
2 C. powdered sugar
2 tsp. butter, melted
2 TBS milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. pure almond extract

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Color with food coloring if desired.

*If you frost the cookies while they are hot the frosting will lay down and become smooth and shiny. You must place sprinkles immediately or the frosting skin will not allow them to stick.
If you frost the cookies after they have cooled you have better frosting control but can not ever stack your cookies without getting frosting everywhere.

Thumbprint Cookie

Peanut butter cookies with Hershey Kiss in the center. These were made with mini kisses. Final cost 3 cookies for $1.

Thumbprint Cookie
3/4 C. creamy peanut butter
1/2 C. Crisco shortening
1.25 C. firm packed light brown sugar
2 Tbs milk
1 Tbs vanilla
1 egg
1.75 C. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 bag kisses for topping cookies

1. Heat oven to 375*F. Line counter tops with tinfoil for cooling cookies.
2. Combine all ingredients until well blended.
3. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto un-greased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly in a crisscross patter with tines of fork for standard pb cookies, or with bottom of a glass for thumb print cookies.
4. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown. Immediately place kisses on top of cookies if making thumb prints. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheets, and then transfer them to foil to cool completely.

Yield close to 30 cookies.