Michele's Hearth and Home: St. Patrick and Spring Cleaning

We have had such lovely weather that I have begun my Spring Cleaning. You know that little urge that nudges at you when the sun starts to shine- and then you can see the streaky and dirty exterior of the windows? That desire to open all the windows to air out the winter stuffiness in the house- and then you can see all the dust that has accumulated on the screens? The feeling that it's time to break out the short sleeve shirts- and you look at all the projects piling up in the closets? Yes, it means it's time to do a deep clean and get ready for the flash of Spring we have in the Klamath Basin!
It was also St. Patrick's weekend (His feast day is March 17th) and Kevin was gone all day Saturday. He volunteered to cook for the biggest annual fundraiser for the Knights of Columbus- the Corned Beef Dinner and Irish Music Sing-Along. So, I had the house to myself-well, with the dogs and chickens- and I dug in and started cleaning.
I was excited to use some new cleaning products that I bought through a company called Norwex. The company is all about healthier cleaning without the use of harsh chemicals. The primary ingredient used to clean is...water!
Anyhow, I was able to get all of the exterior windows on the back of the house squeaky clean and streak free! I think I'll wait to start the dusting of the Knick Knacks until next weekend. I have started a garage sale pile, though. One step at a time :)
In the meantime, I started our corned beef for Sunday Dinner.

Kevin bought a beautiful brisket at Diamond S Meats. I know I've written about this great meat market before- they cut all their own grass fed beef and they use their own corning mix to make 'corned' beef.
I rinsed the beef and added it to a baking dish. I added some allspice, peppercorns, 4 bay leaves, 1 sliced onion on the top and bottom and an entire head of garlic. I added 16 ounces of Crystal Springs IPA beer, which is what we currently have on tap in the kegerator, and 3 cups of water. I also added a splash of Tuallamore Dew Irish Whiskey and covered it tightly with foil. I baked it for 4 hours at 325. I was perfectly tender!
On Sunday, I topped it with a glaze of 3 tablespoons of "Buzz" Hawai'ian 'Winter Mauka Blend' honey and 3 tablespoons of Monastery Mustard . I finished by broiling it. Yum, yum, yum! We also had of course, potatoes and cabbage. I fry the cabbage in a little oil and hot pepper flakes and add a splash of vinegar just before serving.