Kiss me blarney stone!

I have been lax about posting lately because my camera seems to be in a funk! One day it decided to start producing pictures that look like this:


I think this was a picture (supposed to be a picture) of my back deck covered with snow. I have tried everything I can think of, short of taking the entire thing apart, to no avail. At this point is probably cheaper/easier to buy a new one (with better features) than to have it fixed. The sad, but true reality of the consumer world we live in. Oh well....

I have been cooking quite a bit over the past few weeks, well a lot compared to the past few months -- but was "blogging paralyzed" without my camera! No more I say. So, I might not be able to pose slightly out-of-focus-taken-in-bad-kitchen-lighting of my gastronomical creations, but I can post my recipes and reviews.

This weekend we have been invited to a St. Patty's Day party, and I have decided to bring my favorite Chocolate Guinness Cake (follow the link for the recipe and a picture), and "Irish Casserole" (uninspired recipe title not mine!). Both are vegetarian and of course, yummy!

I am hoping the cake turns out okay. I was on the phone with my sister when I started the recipe and misread 1 cup of Guinness as 1 Guinness, so in went an 11.6 oz bottle, not an 8 oz. cup! I couldn't figure out why it was so liquid-y, and didn't realize my mistake until after it was in the oven! Whoops!

Here is the recipe for "Irish Casserole." This is my first time making it, and since it is in the queue for the oven, I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds delicious! My changes to the recipe are in (parentheses).

Irish Casserole (posted on the Cooking Light bulletin board)

1 med. head of green cabbage, thinly sliced
3 baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (I used 2 red)
3 cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (I used 1 green)
1 onion, finely chopped
Butter (I used a combo of olive oil and some butter)
Salt and pepper (I used freshly ground pepper and a roasted garlic/salt blend)
1 cup heavy cream (I used half-n-half)
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs (I will use panko when I get to this step)
1/2 cup finely grated Swiss Cheese (grating it myself)

Arrange 1/3 of cabbage, apples and potatoes and onions in layers in large ovenproof casserole.
Dot heavily with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (I used a mix of olive oil and just a few thin slabs of butter)
Repeat two more layers. (My third layer was a bit thin since I was up to the top of the pan)

Pour in heavy cream.

Cover casserole and bake at 350 for 45 min. or until just tender. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and cheese and return to oven uncovered until top browned with nice crust.