There is nothing better on a cold winter’s night than an old-fashioned, home-cooked meal. This delicious Corned Beef recipe is the ideal meal, served with a creamy white sauce and steamed vegetables, that will have the family asking for more. Leftover corned beef is also great on sandwiches, served with mustard pickles or cut into strips for salads.

What is Corned Beef?

Corned Beef or silverside is brine-cured beef. The usual cut of beef used for corned beef is the silverside and corned beef is often referred to as corned silverside in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland for this reason. In America and Canada, eating Corned Beef is associated with St Patrick’s Day.

Cooking Corned Beef in a Slow Cooker

Recipe (serves 6)

        1.5kg piece of silverside

        water

        6 pepper corns

        1/2 cup of white vinegar

        2 tbls brown sugar

        1 clove of crushed garlic

        1 tbls mixed herbs

        1 onion, cut into wedges

Place silverside into slow cooker and pour in water until it just covers the cut. Add pepper corns, vinegar, brown sugar, crushed garlic, mixed herbs and onion wedges. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Slice and serve with creamy white sauce, potato bake and steamed vegetables.

Corned Beef (Silverside) with White Sauce

Recipe

        4 tbls butter or margarine

        4 tbls plain (all purpose) flour

        2 cups milk

Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add the plain flour and mix well away from heat. Return to the stove and cook mixture for 1 minute. Pour a little milk into the mix and stir continuously over heat until it begins to thicken. Add the rest of the milk gradually, stirring until the sauce is thick and hot. Pour over corned beef or serve in a gravy boat.

Side Servings for Corned Beef

Steamed vegetables served with corned beef, adds the perfect touch to this home-cooked meal. Steamed baby carrots, broccoli and beans are ideal.

Other sides to be served with corned beef may include:

        roast potatoes

        steamed pumpkin

        cauliflower au gratin

        steamed cauliflower

        baby peas

Potato Bake

        4 medium potatoes, sliced

        1 pkt of Maggi Creamy Cheese and Garlic Potato Bake

        2 tbls milk

        300ml thickened cream

        1/2-1 cup of grated cheese

Preheat oven to 200 degrees (Celcius). Empty Potato Bake sachet into a medium sized bowl. Add milk and mix well, combining the mixture. Add thickened cream and again mix well. Lay sliced potato into the bottom of a casserole or oven-proof dish. Move mixture over potato and place on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake uncovered for around 40-45 minutes. Remove dish from oven and sprinkle with grated cheese. Return to the oven and bake for a further 15 minutes or until cheese has melted and potato is cooked.

Enjoy this corned beef meal at family gatherings or dinner parties. For a great family dish, with all the trimmings, pop a piece of silverside into the slow cooker and return home to a delicious, home-cooked meal.

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Today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, so I decided to share my favorite recipe for baking them! There are millions of recipes out there, all with slight variations, however, this one always consistently comes out delicious and it’s easy to make.

I discovered this recipe a few years ago after trying out a lot of combinations and having quite a few fails- like the time I accidentally used corn starch instead of flour! Whoops! Since then I’ve tweaked it a little based on how many I want to bake and what types of flavors I want to add, like mint or cbd. Today I’ll be giving you my basic recipe and you can modify it how you see fit!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts (Optional. If omitting, add 1 to 2 Tbsp. of all-purpose flour.) I usually omit nuts, though sometimes I use almonds.

In addition to the ingredients above, you’ll also need a cookie sheet (I use 3), a mixing bowl, measuring cups, measuring spoons & cups, a mixing spoon, and a spatula. I also use a cooling rack.

Steps

1. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl until creamy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts/additional flour. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
5. Chill the dough 10-15 minutes while oven preheats to 375° F.
   • The longer you chill the dough, the more the flavors will develop and the chewier your cookies will be!
6. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.
   • Tip: the best way to make soft chocolate chip cookies is to slightly under-bake the cookies. In order to slightly under-bake the cookies, the edges should look set (but not brown). The center of the cookies should look soft and even a little puffy still. This trick will help to keep your cookies nice and soft.
   • You can bake 10 minutes for a softer cookie or up to 14 minutes for a crispier cookie.
7. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely
8. Enjoy!

Keeping Your Cookies Soft

We don’t often have a lot of extra cookies lying around, but when we make the full recipe we definitely have an excess amount. Here are a few tips for keeping your cookies fresh, especially handy for those of us who like to prep cookies for giving away during the holiday season!

• Be sure to seal your cookie container well, whether you’re storing them in the freezer, refrigerator or a zip-top bag. You want your cookies to be in an airtight container for maximum freshness.
• If you are storing your cookies at room temperature or in the refrigerator, add a small piece of bread to the container with the cookies. This will help to keep the cookies soft.
• My favorite way to keep homemade cookies fresh is to freeze them. Freeze your extra cookies as soon as they cool completely after baking. I know many people freeze extra raw balls of cookie dough before baking so that they can have fresh baked cookies whenever they want. If this is the method you love, then go for it. For me, it’s too much effort to preheat the oven and wait whenever I want a cookie. I bake all of my cookies at once and then freeze the extras right after they are cool. Then I can just defrost (on the counter for a few minutes) and enjoy!

I hope you love these cookies as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below if you try it!

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This last weekend, we loaned out our basement & backyard to some very dear friends for a surprise Harry Potter themed 40th birthday.

When our friend asked about using our house to surprise her partner, I said, of course, as long as we keep it safe. After all, one of the reasons we moved into this house was it’s potential for entertaining.

Ground Rules

Given that we are in the middle of a pandemic, one of the things I was adamant about was safety. We quickly established that the party would be primarily outdoors, where everyone could easily social distance and that we were capping the # of guests at 15- which included the 7 of us.

Guests were instructed to enter the party via our back gate, grab a Harry Potter themed mask & personal hand sanitizer. Given that the majority of the guests were in the healthcare profession, this wasn’t an issue.

Guests were encouraged to stay outdoors, however we did set up food and drinks inside. When they came inside, masks were required & they were only allowed in the room with food & the downstairs bathroom. Upstairs was completely off limits-my children were going to spend the majority of the party up there and I wanted them kept as distant as possible from the crowd.

Ground rules for any party are important, but especially mid-pandemic. If your guests can’t respect them, then you shouldn’t be inviting them.

The Details

We had some really cute themed items for this party. In addition to the themed sanitizer & masks mentioned above, we also had HP glasses for guests to wear. We hung “flying keys” from the ceiling, and kept to the main colors from the 4 Hogwarts Houses. We also decorated the tables with cute confetti and mini cauldrons. I purchased some refillable spray bottles from Amazon, we placed “Flesh Eating Slug Repellent” labels on them and filled them with bug spray to minimize bug issues.

We had sorting house cupcakes & a super neat themed cake that when sliced into, it’s layers were all the Harry Potter colors.

One thing we did, that I wouldn’t necessarily recommend for your party, was the alcohol mini filled piñata. Though none of the mini bottles broke, I was terrified of it happening the entire time! ?? It was kind of fun though!

Golden Snitch Chocolates

One of the simple, yet fun things we made were Ferrero Rocher Golden Snitches. You’ll need these Printable Snitch Wings, scissors, glue, & obviously some Ferrero Rochers.

Steps:

• After prepping your needed materials, one by one, take a Ferrero Rocher and remove the small sticker on the top. Don’t throw it out, you’ll need it again.
• Place a set of wings on top of the Ferrero Rocher and use the small sticker to stick it in place. If it’s lost its stickiness, use a small bit of glue to hold it in place.
• Make as many Ferrero Rocher golden snitches as you need and display them on a serving platter amongst the rest of your Harry Potter party food and decorations!

Simple, right? They looked super cute all over the table, and as an added bonus, they were delicious.

Patronus Punch

I made a delicious Harry Potter themed punch for the party called Patronus Punch. It’s super simple, looked super cool, and reminded me of drinking a mojito.

Purchase:

• 2 liter of sprite
• 1 can frozen limeade
• 1 liter of tonic water
• Fresh mint
• 2 cups vodka
• Black light/glow sticks/submersible lights
• Dry ice

Tips:

• Dry ice makes this drink even more magical, but the proper precautions must be used!
• Use a glass bowl- the dry ice will crack plastic.
• Only add dry ice if you’re prepared to keep an eye on it. The last thing you want is someone getting a severe burn from not knowing how to properly interact with/swallowing dry ice.
• Add as much or as little mint as you prefer.
• You can substitute white rum for vodka to mix things up.
• It also tastes yummy without the booze if you’re needing a non-alcoholic option.

Overall, the party was amazing. We had a few minor hiccups, but when booze is involved, when are there not hiccups? ?

Just remember, with Covid running rampant through the US, if you can’t offer proper saftey protocols, just wait and have the party once things cool down. In the long run, missing parties for one year isn’t the end of the world.

If you enjoyed this blog, leave a comment below!

The post Throwing The Ultimate Harry Potter Party Post-Covid appeared first on Not So SuperMom VS Society.

Strawberry Season

• Easy & Quick Prep
• Simple
• Delicious Results

Ingredients & Instructions

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons water
• sparkling sugar (optional)
• 1 pint strawberries, washed/hulled, and sliced into 3-4 slices each
• 1/4 cup strawberry jam
• 3/4 cup white sugar, divided
• 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 4 ounces whipped cream (fresh whipped cream or cool whip)
• ice cream for garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. On a parchment lined baking sheet, roll out the puff pastry dough to a large rectangle.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the water.
4. Use a knife to score a border 3/4 of an inch inside from the edge of the puff pastry. Use a fork to pierce the inside of the tart several times.
5. Brush the pastry with the egg wash along the border. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar if desired.
6. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked. Set aside to cool.
7. While the puff pastry is cooking, prepare the topping. In a large bowl, stir together the whipped cream, 1/2 cup white sugar, and mascarpone cheese.
8. In a separate bowl, mix together the strawberry slices, 1/4 cup white sugar, and strawberry jam.
9. Once puff pastry is cool, top with the cream and then the strawberries. Keep refrigerated until ready to slice and serve.
10. Top with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

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Easter is just around the corner, so this week I’m focusing on fun Easter activities. Today I’ll be focusing on edible peep playdough and slime.

The best thing about this activity, is that it covers all the bases: it’s fun, educational, delicious, easy to make, and pretty to look at!

Ingredients & Instructions

Instructions:

1. Place peeps into microwave safe bowl and cook for 30-45 seconds.
2. Remove from microwave and add canola oil and 3/4 cups of corn starch.
3. Stir until the melted marshmallows can be handled. It’s important to stir until the corn starch is completely mixed in.
4. Next, dust hands with corn starch and knead until it’s not sticky and easily pliable.
5. Get creative. Use cookie cutters to make shapes. Challenge your child to make cool structures, letters, or shapes.

Pro-Tips:

• Almost any oil will work. My two favorites for making this dough are crisco or coconut. Coconut tastes and smells better (in my opinion), but for those who don’t like coconut, crisco makes a great scent free alternative.
• You can also substitute powdered sugar for cornstarch or make one batch with each and have your children compare/contrast.
• If you’re child is more interested in making slime, decrease the corn starch. Around 3 tablespoons should give you a great consistency, however, I reccomend measuring out 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Make sure each tablespoon is thoroughly mixed in before adding the next.
• If it’s too sticky, add more cornstarch/powered sugar. If it’s too stiff add more oil.
• Only store this in a baggie or air tight bowl for around 3 days.
• Use fresh peeps. Stale peeps don’t provide the same consistency.

Science & Sensory Benefits

Research shows that sensory play builds nerve connections in the brain’s pathways, which lead to the child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks. Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, and social interaction.

Playing with playdough in particular helps little hands improve their fine motor skills, helping improve things like writing. It’s also an amazing tactile experience and gives kids a way to feel unique textures.

The STEAM benefits of this activity are also super awesome:

• Science: How does heating the Peeps change their properties?
  • Peeps are marshmallows, and marshmallows are made of tiny air bubbles surrounded by gelatin and sugar syrup (sugar). When the peeps are microwaved, the water molecules in that syrup begin to vibrate and heat up. This process creates steam, and it fills all of the air pockets in the peeps. As the air pockets fill up the peeps expand!
• Technology: What tools do you use to change Peeps into play dough?
• Engineering: What recipe is required to transform Peeps into play dough?
• Art: Which colors are the peeps? What colors can you make mixing them? What shapes can you make?
• Math: How much corn starch is needed to turn Peeps into playdough? How long do the marshmallows have to be heated? What happens if you cook them too long or too little?

Did you try this activity? Let us know your thoughts below!

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A few years ago, my best friend Ellie jokingly told me I needed to eat her balls. I thought she was just being a bit silly and offhandedly making a dirty joke. Instead, it turned out she had a dirty little secret- she had a recipe for the most delicious, melt in your mouth, and heavenly date balls.

After a bit of cajoling, she gave me her recipe for this amazing treat. The great thing about this recipe, is that you can add your own little twists to it (ie coconut flakes), and it still tastes great.

These date balls also have the added benefit of giving you a boost energy. Dates are high in natural simple sugars and carbohydrates, which are converted into glucose for the cells to use as energy. They also have a low glycemic index, meaning that our bodies will digest them slowly, providing energy throughout the day.

Ingredients:

• about 10 oz of dates, chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup nuts of choice (pecans, almonds, walnuts. Ellie prefers walnuts, I’m an almond fan though.)
• 1 cup rice krispies

Optional:

• 1 cup powdered sugar or coconut flakes for rolling the balls in
• Coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Melt butter and sugar together on medium heat until sugar is completely melted into the butter. The second the sugar dissolves, remove from heat.
2. Stir in chopped dates. Continue stirring for several minutes until dates have become a nice gooey delicious mass.
3. Quickly stir in the chopped nuts and then the rice krispies.
4. Roll into wee balls and roll in confectioners sugar.
   • ***BALLS ARE VERY HOT! Use coconut oil or butter on your hands to help minimize ouchies***
5. Devour.

Tips:

• I prefer using fresh dates, though any will do.
• I recommend using a food processor on the dates. They are super sticky and take forever to chop by hand
• Hide your balls from small children & partners. Trust me you won’t want to share!

Now to the rest of the recipes to complete your holiday baking list!

Check out these delicious recipes by some of my favorite mommy blogger friends:

Yummy sugar cookies, because it wouldn’t be holiday baking without them.

Chocolate peppermint cookies, these have two of the classic Christmas flavors.

Snickerdoodle Cookies , these are my husband’s favorites and you will love them!

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Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colors, there are only so many flavors – it’s how you combine them that sets you apart.

Wolfgang Puck

Ultimate Taco Soup

I think it’s safe to say my Ultimate Taco Soup is one of the best recipes for taco soup I’ve made. It’s an easily modified recipe that everyone will love, picky eaters included! There’s really no way to go wrong with this recipe. This recipe has hints of chilli with added upgrades like avocado, corn, tortilla chips as well as the extra flavor of cilantro and cheese. Yum! If you’re not a fan of spicy soup, or if you’re making soup for the kids, you I leave the chilli out. Or, if you’re a chilli lover, (like my husband), you could even add 2 to 4 chilli peppers- depending on how spicy you would like the soup to be.

Everyone has their own variation of the Ultimate Taco Soup, some people prefer for the soup to be thick like gravy, while others prefer watery and thin. My preference is a thicker, but not very dry, chicken or beef tortilla soup that is broth-based with many vegetables and toppings.

My Ultimate Taco Soup is perfectly spiced, chunky and easy to make. The broth has a deep rich essence that comes from the sautéed garlic, onions and cilantro- which release their flavor before the spices and broth are added. 

The tortilla chips, cheese and avocado that are added as toppings make the soup base thicken- giving it that luxurious and comforting feel. Yummmm…

You are definitely going to love this Ultimate Taco Soup recipe!

Ingredients 

For the soup : 

• 8 plum tomatoes, if you don’t have plum tomatoes or want to save time, use canned tomatoes (I like to use the diced tomatoes with added garlic or bell peppers)
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4 cups chicken stock or beef stock if you’re using ground beef
• 1 onion, diced 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or 2 tablespoons of garlic powder
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 dried ancho chili pepper, optional 
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin, ground
• Salt and black pepper, ground
• 3 ears of fresh corn or 1 8-ounce package frozen corn (optional)
• 1 15-ounce can peeled tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce black beans can or pinto bean can
• 1 15-ounce red kidney bean can (optional)
• 3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded chicken or 1lb of ground beef 

For the soup toppings : 

• 2-3 avocados, freshly sliced
• Tortilla chips 
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• Sour cream, optional
• 2 limes, optional
• 2 plum tomatoes, optional 

Instructions

Firstly, you would need to begin by roasting the tomatoes. You need to slice the tomatoes in half and add them to a pizza pan or baking sheet, they should be arranged with the skin side facing upward. Before adding the tomatoes to the pizza pan or baking sheet, spread around one tablespoon of olive oil, once you’ve added the tomatoes, drizzle them with another tablespoon of olive oil. I also like to lightly sprinkle them with garlic powder. You should then let the tomatoes roast until they begin to brown slightly and their skins wrinkle- for about 25 to 30 minutes. The oven should be preheated to 350F.

Using two tablespoons of oil, cook your chicken thoroughly or brown your ground beef. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. When the chicken is done, cut it into small bite size pieces and set it to the side.

Now, in a large stock pot, heat the remaining two tablespoons of  olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, 1/4 cup cilantro, garlic and onions. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the cumin and chilli powder, allowing it to cook for a minute. Begin to stir in the chicken/beef stock and the chilli (if you have chosen to use chilli) and bring to a medium-high heat to boil. You can then cover the pot and decrease the heat, leaving the pot to simmer for 15 minutes. Once done simmering, take out the chilli- remove the stem and cut to remove the seeds, but keep the seeds if you would like the soup spicier. 

In a bowl, combine the canned tomatoes, softened chili and roasted tomatoes, and use a food processor to puree the mixture for about a minute. Add the pureed mixture to the soup and leave the pot to simmer for about an hour. Now, add in the cooked chicken/beef as well as salt and pepper to taste. Finally, add the corn & beans and let the soup simmer for 5 minutes.

To garnish- ladle into bowls and add 3 or 4 slices of avocado, tortilla chips, cilantro (if there’s a cilantro hater, leave this fresh cilantro out), diced tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons of cheese that’s shredded. 

To keep the avocados from browning, squeeze a quarter of a lime over them. You can add the lime quarters on the side to add fresh brightness to the soup, or you can squeeze them yourself prior to serving. I personally love the extra zing.

Finish the soup off with a spoonful of sour cream (not necessary, but it tastes so good!). All that’s left to do now is to serve the soup and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the Ultimate Taco Soup be frozen?

Yes it can, however, before heating be sure to thaw the soup at room temperature to avoid the vegetables turning mushy.

Can I leave the cheese out?

The broth won’t be as rich and thick, but yes, you can. You would just end up having a leaner and lighter soup.

Is there a way to make the Ultimate Taco Soup Low-Carb?

Yes, you just leave out the tortilla chips or substitute it with something else crunchy.

Can I leave the cilantro out?

Yes and no, as with any ingredient, it can be left out- but, it won’t taste the same as it would with the ingredient being included in the recipe. From personal experience, serving the Ultimate Taco Soup to cilantro haters, they enjoyed it. The illusive “soapy” taste gets removed during the process of cooking the soup. If you have cilantro haters in the house, just leave out the fresh cilantro at the end.

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