Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This St. Patrick's Day I decided to host a few friends and take on some pretty awesome culinary adventures. Here's how it all turned out...

Mission one: Irish Carbomb Cupcakes (because I saw another blogger do this, I feel the need to say that I have nothing to do with the name of the drink these tasty little treats are named after). I made these for the first time with a friend last year and they are absolutely INCREDIBLE. Georgetown Cupcake has nothing on these babies. Made with Guinness baked into the chocolate cake, filled with a Jameson chocolate ganache, and topped with a Bailey's butter cream frosting, these cupcakes are probably the best ones I've ever made (and eaten). I once again got to enjoy baking them with a friend/roommate (because we all know baking with friends is the most fun anyone could have) and they once again turned out perfectly. Feast your eyes on the deliciousness:

 (Maybe next time I should take some more artsy close-ups. Oh well...)

If you'd like the full recipe just let me know (or you can be really fancy and check out my Pinterest. Self-marketing, woo!). Everything's from scratch so it's a bit of work, but SO WORTH IT. 

After the cupcakes were done I may or may not have sat in the middle of the kitchen floor, completely wiped. Fighting off the last bits of a cold + not enough sleep + likely dehydration and low blood sugar = cooking exhaustion. But I was not to be defeated! There was more to be done. 

After some lunch, a shower break, and some Gatorade, it was time for......

Mission two: Corned beef and cabbage. I'd never actually made this traditional dish before, but it was about time I gave it a shot. I had to make a double batch, so I ended up doing one with a point cut brisket and the other with a flat cut brisket. You can make the meal with either, but I had heard so many different opinions on which was better that I just decided to try both. I figured the whole meal would go one of two ways. It would either

1. Go above and beyond in scrumptious deliciousness 

OR

2. Turn out to be a Bridget Jones-style disaster and somehow turn blue. 

Luckily, it turned out to be the former. It even got rave reviews from all my guests. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by just how delectable it turned out. The flat cut was awesome, but I think general consensus was that the cheaper point cut was even better (more fat = more flavor). I also took some advice from one of my friends and flipped each brisket part of the way through cooking for better flavor, and I'm guessing that made a big difference in the positive results. I didn't get a picture of the point cut, but here's a sample of the tasty flat cut: 

(Yes I promise there was cabbage as well, it was just in a different dish)

Take all that combined with a few drinks, Boondock Saints, and most importantly some great friends, and you've got a really great St. Patrick's Day :)