Perhaps all the green beer you enjoy on St. Patrick's Day will leave you feeling, well, a little green around the gills. The Japanese swear eating a pomegranate will cure a hangover, but tackling that ridiculous fruit with those slippery little kernels is challenging under the best of circumstances.

I guess you could try the old Tahoe cure of a jump in a cold lake or jail cell, but I really can't help you make that decision. What I can help you with is figuring out what to do with all that leftover corned beef and cabbage. Not a pretty sight even with a clear head, and certainly not like leftover Thanksgiving fare you can just re-heat and voila! Thanksgiving Dinner revisited! No, that congealed corned beef and cabbage you're looking at (nice) is really at its prime the first time around.

Let's start with the classic Rueben sandwich, which is corned beef, Swiss cheese, sour kraut and Russian dressing on rye bread. That's it. The key is to keep it simple and pure, no add-ons.

Besides the sandwich clutter, the other Rueben faux pas many people make is buying the wrong type of bread. It has to be rye — the real deal. The first ingredient on the label should be rye flour followed in there somewhere by caraway seeds. When you get fancy and pricey and start with a marbled rye, you are often doomed to an inferior Rueben that tastes like it is on a sour dough. No good.

Thirdly, your sauerkraut should be just that — your basic, out-of-a-jar-or-can sauerkraut. Nothing purple or sweet. Rueben sandwiches are easy to prepare using your microwave, no grilling required. Just lightly toast the bread and spread both sides with Russian dressing (recipe follows, or purchase a prepared one from Wishbone).

Then place about three tablespoons of sauerkraut and a couple slices of thick corned beef on a plate and microwave for 45 seconds to one minute, until hot. Place two Swiss cheese slices onto this mixture and return to microwave for about 20 seconds, until cheese is melted. Assemble sandwich and enjoy.

Russian Dressing

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbls. chili sauce

2 Tbls. chopped chives

2 tsps. red pepper flakes

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Now the smartest thing you can do with leftover corned beef besides the obvious lunches, is yourself a break for a couple days and re-serve it on the weekend for breakfast. Your family won't know what hit them. It is so good they will think you have done something wrong and will run to check on the family dog to make sure she is OK.

Corned Beef (and Cabbage) Hash and Eggs

Pre-heat oven to 375 °F

Ingredients:

1⁄4 cup butter

11⁄2 cups leftover cooked cabbage leaves, sliced*

2 cups tender, leftover cooked potatoes, diced*

11⁄2 cups diced onions

2 cups cooked corned beef, chopped

2 tbl tomatoes puree

1 small tomato, chopped

1 small clove of garlic, minced

1⁄4 cup red wine

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat large skillet and sauté onions in half of butter until transparent. Add cabbage, potatoes and corned beef. Mix thoroughly over low heat seasoning with salt and pepper to taste then remove from burner. In separate pan sauté garlic and tomatoes in butter until blended and add tomato puree and wine. Add this to corned beef mixture. Stir and smash. Don't be afraid to really mix it up. It is called “hash” for a reason. Pack into standard loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F.

To serve, invert onto platter and top with poached or fried eggs, lined-up down the center, or with eggs prepared however you like them, on the side.

* If you do not have leftover cooked cabbage then shred about 3 cups of raw cabbage and boil in 12 cups of water with a pinch of salt for 12 minutes, or until tender. Cook raw, halved potatoes (three large) in same manner until tender. Cool and dice.