Corned Beef & Cabbage and Bread Pudding

This is our traditional St. Patrick's day fare, corned beef and cabbage.

It's beyond simple, just boil your corned beef, turn the heat down and simmer for 2 to three hours until it gets soft. Then add the vegetables--carrots, onions, potatoes & cabbage--and simmer until done about 15 more minutes.

That's it!

Serve it with a little bit of spicy mustard and you've got an 'Irish' meal!

We had it with some bread pudding.

Tear up a stale baguette, or tear up some stale bread, any kind.

Or you can use fresh bread.

King's Hawaiian Bread is good. It's sweet already.

I put some frozen fruit on the top.

A bag of frozen peaches and two cups of mixed berries.

Then, mix together 1/2 cup of chopped pecans, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1/2 stick of softened butter and put on top of the bread and fruit.

Blend together 6 eggs, 2 cups of milk, 1 1/2 cups sugar and 3 teaspoons vanilla extract and pour over the bread and fruit.

 Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until the custard is set.

Serve warm with ice cream.

Yum!

***

My sister-in-law is from Japan, I wrote about Reiko and her husband, Glen, who just celebrated his Kanreki, earlier this week.

She has a friend in Japan who is a graphic artist. Her name is Yuko Nakatani. Reiko wrote me this morning with her friend's efforts to raise money to help Japan.

Yuko has volunteered to draw a portrait for those that donate more than $25 to the Red Cross "Japan Earthquake & Pacific Tsunami" fund.

(Sorry, as of 3/19/2011, the project has ended. Ms. Nakatani reached her maximum workload already.)

Here is a sample of her work:

You can see more of here work here, just click on the links at 'Gallery' for a slideshow.

My sister-in-law blogs in Japanese (but today she wrote in English), her site is DotFamily:

"This is how it works.

1. Donate more than $25 to “Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami” in American Red Cross’s Donate Funds.

2. Scan the receipt or proof and send it along with your photo. (The photo can be somebody else or a pet you want her to draw a portrait of.)

Her Email Address: acid@avocadobanana.com

When you make donation to American Red Cross, you will receive the receipt via Email. You can forward it to her. If you do not let her know your name and address, print the receipt, cover the information you don’t want to show, scan and send it to her. The amount and tracking code must not be covered.

3. She will draw a portrait from the photo you sent, scan it, and send it via email.

You are donating directly to the Red Cross and Avocadobanana is not making a cent off of this. Many people are participating in her project, so it may take a while till you receive the portrait. Please be patient.

She will end this project when the total reaches to $2,500.

Please remember you are making a donation to help the earthquake victims, not getting a pretty portrait. So if the portrait you receive does not look like the photo, do not get mad. Your purpose has already accomplished."

I sent Yuko this picture of my dog, Dixie, for a portrait.

It's for a good cause.

No printable recipe for this one yet.