Even if I didn't have an Irish ancestor, I'd still make corned beef at least once a year. We like it so much. My great great grandfather was born in (now) Northern Ireland almost 200 years ago. He was married in Ohio and settled about 50 miles south of here in Kansas. He is buried at Trading Post and he may have never had corned beef or even heard of it but it is an American Irish tradition and we are glad it is. Someday I will get soda bread down right and I came closer this year that any but I still have a ways to go before I am totally happy with the outcome. I tried a recipe called Irish Apple Pie. I don't know if that is a real thing or not but I wanted to give it a try. If it is a real thing, it was a lot of work for someone who may not have had electric kitchen gadgets. I may have made meringue before but I don't remember when. It got a little brown on top. The first piece out of the pan is always the messy one. I made two sauces for the corned beef. One was a mustard and beer sauce and the other was sour cream and horseradish.
