Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Brisket in the crock pot

It took me forever to dare to cook a brisket. They always looked so intimidating in the store. Sitting there almost screaming "It takes a man and a grill to conquer me!" But one day I just picked one up and figured it was big enough to cut into a few pieces and try it different ways and if I screwed it up there was always PB&J. That is, by the way, how I learn to cook most things I always have a back up just in case it is a disaster and it is usually PB&J! And on more than one occasion I have had to use my back up!
So this is the way that we like it best...

I start with a rub of brown sugar, granulated garlic, salt, pepper and New Mexican chili powder.(see note at bottom) I like there to be a little spicy/smoky/sweet note to mine. I think the brown sugar helps in the crock pot because you almost, kind of "carmelize" meat and that is near impossible with crock pot cooking unless you sear your mead before hand (which I do to just about any meat). But the brisket is so big that I would just rather not sear it first.
First things first if you are going to cook this in the crock pot you need to do it in two batches. It is too big to cook the whole thing at once.



Ok so now that you have done that you need to season it up...How much do I use???? A lot! This is a big ol' piece of meat and you need to really season it up. This is about 1/2 cup brown sugar and same with the chili powder ( if you are using regular chili powder I would suggest you only use a few tablespoons and maybe a little cumin)



And about 2 tablespoons of so of granulated garlic


Mix it up......

And rub that piece of meat like it is no body's business! You want to get that rub in all the little creases.Then just throw that bad boy in the crock pot and let it cook for the whole day on low. I have to apologize for no end result picture of this but my husband borrowed my camera this day I forgot I didn't have an end result until just now!


This freezes well too, I usually shred mine up add a little of the juice (who am I kidding, it is fat) and seal it in a freezer bag. The left over makes great sandwiches or Texas chili.

So lets say you want to have a BBQ and you want to impress everyone with your "skills"
throw this bad boy in the crock pot and let it cook, then before your guest come over (like 10 min before) throw it on a med hot grill and let it get that BBQ char we all love and no one ever has to know they just had the easiest BBQ you have ever made! The will see brisket and (unless you have left your dirty crock pot sitting out) they will think you got up early and slaved away all day so this ton of meat would be cooked to perfection just for them! Lovely!

***Note about New Mexico Chili Powder*** Being married an Albuquerque man, this is something I have used my entire adult life, it is a staple in New Mexico and we just love the flavor. While you can buy this in "hot" if you get the "mild" this is loaded with flavor but not heat. It IS NOT the same as your "chili powder" you find in your spice jar, trust me! I had a less that great relationship with my mother in law for a little while and refused to have her send me the good stuff so one day I thought chili powder is chili powder these New Mexicans and just full of themselves, so I bought a bottle and made "New Mexican Red" ( I will post on here one day) and it was so inedible it wasn't even funny, needless to say I made up with my mother in law and she supplies me with it regularly! The best way I can describe it is... if a recipe calls for a cup of green bell pepper you wouldn't substitute a cup of black pepper, it isn't the same thing and you would end up with a nasty end result. For those of you that don't have my kind of "connections" LOL here is a link where you can buy New Mexican Chili powder. . www.madeinnewmexico.com/hatchchilepowder.html



Monday, October 19, 2009

Step 3

I like to group mine into grocery store categories. Then I add up the duplicates and take anything I already have in the pantry off. I always stick my menu on the fridge this helps me remember what all I have the fixens for and I don't have to hear "what's for dinner?" they just check the fridge.


MEATS

Beef tips (2 meals)

Pork tenderloin

Chicken breast (2 meals)

Flank steak (for NM red)


PRODUCE

Potatoes

Onions 2 bags

Basil

Garlic 3 heads

Scallions

Parsley


DELI & DAIRY

½ lb prosciutto (parma)

½ lb provolone

Heavy cream

Eggs

Cheddar cheese


BREADS

Ciabatta

Corn tortillas


CANNED & DRY GOODS

A1

Rice

Teriyaki sauce

Angel hair

Soy sauce

Panko

Kidney beans (dry)


FROZEN

Frozen peas



Nice and painless!


Step 2

Copy and past the ingredient list from the database.

Chicken Enchiladas

**New Mexican red**

Chicken breast

Corn tortillas

Cheddar cheese

Onions

Flank steak (for NM red)

Beef stock (freezer)

Texas Chili

**red gravy, NM chili powder**

Kidney beans (dry)

Onion

Beef tips

Garlic Chicken and Pasta

**parm, white wine**

Chicken breast

2 heads garlic

Angel hair

Panko

Parsley

Chicken stock (from freezer)

Asian Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin

Garlic

Teriyaki sauce

Fried Rice

Rice

Eggs

Scallions

Soy sauce

Frozen peas

Tomato soup

**red gravy**

Heavy cream

Chicken stock (from freezer)

Basil

Prosciutto and Provolone Panini

½ lb prosciutto (parma)

½ lb provolone

Ciabatta

Steakhouse Stew

**red wine**

Beef tips

Potatoes

Onions

Garlic

A1

Beef stock (freezer)


The process

Here is what it looks like from menu to list... step 1... the menu...



Monday

Chicken enchilada, w/ pintos

Tuesday

Texas chili w/ crusty bread
(freeze leftover for Friday)

Wednesday

Garlic chicken and pasta

Thursday

Asian pork tenderloin, fried rice & roasted veg

Friday


Chili cheese baked potatoes

Saturday

Tomato soup w/ prosciutto & provolone panini

Sunday

Steak house stew (crock pot)

Menu Planning

WARNING: RANT AHEAD!

Do you know there are websites where you pay a monthly fee for someone else to give you a menu and list??? Years ago I joined one because I was lost in the sea of confusion every night when it came time for dinner I had gone to the store, bought what looked good and when it came time for dinner I was lost. Oh I had food in the pantry, fridge and freezer but nothing to make!! I had taco seasoning and shells but no lettuce, tomato ect... because when I reached for the pack of seasoning I told myself I would go back to the other end of the store to get these things but I had forgotten or we had used them the night before because the only thing I cold think to make was baked chicken and salad. So I signed up for one of these thinking it would solve all of the problems in my life! LOL I ended up with a weeks worth of recipes where half of the things my family didn't like and the ones that were a hit there was never enough made because I had followed the plan. I did get something out of it though, I walked away with the "you big sucker" feeling that made me start my recipe databases. In the coming weeks I will post a few others so you can see what works for me. It may not be exactly what will work for you, but any ideas you get from me come without the monthly fee! :o) And that has to be a good thing!

Since seeing the light, I have been a big fan of my own menu planning, being a one income family with some boys that eat us out of house and home this is a necessity for our budget. Going to the store without a list in hand can mean an extra 200 bucks a month on groceries. I don't know about your wallet but mine can't handle that kind of bump.

As the price of food keeps going up I have had to get a little more creative. I have started a database grouping the meals my family enjoys, the ingredient list and the approx cost and then dividing them into price categories. Depending on where you shop your cost may be greater or less than mine. I do not add things that I always have on hand so that I can just copy and paste when I go to make my shopping list for the week. I do add some things under the recipe name that I usually have on hand but I need to double check.

Another little saving tip... things that you use a lot, make a lot and freeze. In our house we use a lot of red gravy, red sauce, marinara sauce what ever you want to call it, So I make HUGE batches and divide it up and freeze it. Same with roasted garlic paste, chicken or beef stock. This saves me time and money. If I have the red gravy in my freezer I have made the whole batch, usually 10-12 meals worth of use for about 7 bucks (thanks to Sams). Now, if I don't have that pre made in the freezer, I have to spend anywhere from 2-5 dollars every time I need a pasta sauce, or a base for chili, pizza sauce ect... That little bit of time and money has saved me. And because I made it I know it is going to be what my family likes (no sugary sweet sauce in this house... eeeek lol).

So here is an example of what my food budget planning looks like. I like that I can copy and paste the ingredient side into another document print and I am off to the store without a lot of fuss and muss. It is amazing how easy things start to work when you find a system that works for you! Forgive any spelling errors I cut and copied this straight from my file and I don't spell check cause I know what I meant when I typed it out! Plus they always highlight any foreign/shortened words :o)


COWBOY DINNER

(CROCK POT BEEF TIPS, PINTOS AND ROASTED POTATOES)

($6-8)

Beef tips

1 onion

Dry beans

Beef stock (from freezer)

Onion

4 potatoes

RIGATONI W/RED GRAVY

**need parm on hand**

($8-10)

2 boxes rigatoni

Onion

Garlic

2 large cans tomato sauce (or from freezer)

Crusty loaf

PAELLA

**need saffron on hand**

($8-10) **2 meals**

Rice

Chicken thighs

Choizo

Frozen peas

Onion

Garlic

Green pepper

Chicken stock (from freezer)

FRIED RICE WITH CHICKEN THIGHS

($5-7) **meal plus left over**

Rice

Onion

3 eggs

Scallions

Frozen peas

Chicken thighs

MINESTRONE W/ PANINIS

($10-12) **lunch meat left over**

Penne

Cannellini beans (dry)

Carrots

Onions

Peppers

Chicken stock (from freezer)

Baguette

Ham

Provolone

CHILI

**Left over options** chili dogs, loaded baked potatoes, nachos.

($10-12) **2 meals**

Roast

Kidney beans (dry)

3 large cans tomato sauce

Onion

Crusty bread or crackers

BEEF VEGGIE STEW

**have red wine and french onion mix (homemade) on hand**

($10-12) **meal plus left over**

Roast

Frozen carrots, corn, green beans

Onion

Garlic

6 large potatoes

Beef stock from freezer

WHITE BEAN SOUP W/ CROSTINI

($6-8)

Cannellini beans (dry)

Beef stock (from freezer)

Frozen spinach (2)

Onion

Garlic

Baguette (2)

GARLIC CHICKEN AND PASTA

**parm on hand**

($8-10)

Fettuccine

Chicken thighs

Garlic (3 heads)

Chicken stock (from freezer)

Heavy cream

RED BEANS AND RICE

($6-8) **meal plus left over**

Kidney beans

Beef stock (from freezer)

Onions

Bratwurst

Rice

GREEN CHILI PORK CHIMICHONGAS

($12-15) *pork could be used for 2 meals*

Pork roast

2 cans green chilies

Tortillas

Cheese

Oil for frying

HOME MADE PIZZA

($10-12) ** left over flour/dough**

Flour

Yeast

Marinara (from freezer)

Salami

Spinach

Onion

Cheese




Sunday, October 11, 2009

Home made pizza!!

My family loves Pizza! But far too often I find myself buying fast food pizza or frozen pizza, for sake of convenience. But they are so full of grease and have so many calories and junk in them that you feel guilty eating more that one slice but one slice is never enough. Yes a salad on the side is nice... I don't know about your family, but with mine, the intentions are there but the salad is rarely made and never eaten on pizza night. This is one of my family's favorite meals and this pizza crust is so easy to make. It is a Wolfgang Puck recipe that I make in the food processor and it really couldn't be easier. So here is how I did it... the crust... oh wait first things first turn your oven on the lowest it will go for about 10 min then turn it off and leave the door opened just a little.. I will explain later, go on I will wait right here for you... ok now on to the dough

  • 1 package active dry or fresh yeast
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for brushing
When ever you are working with yeast you need to make sure it is alive otherwise you end up doing all the work to get a flat dough that cooks up like a brick. So, how do you see if it is alive you ask??? You need to "proof" it... in a bowl put the warm water, yeast, and honey let it set for a few minutes while you get everything else measured out (measure it out into the food processor bowl it is one less step later) after a few minutes the top will turn all foamy this means it's alive and you are good to go... once your yeast has proofed add this mixture to the food processor and pulse until it is combined then turn that sucker on and let it go until your dough turns into a ball. One that is done you will kneed it a few times and roll it around it in an well oiled large bowl (this will triple in size so please make sure your bowl is large otherwise you will have a mess) and cover it with a little plastic wrap and a towel on top of that. Now you are going to check and make sure your oven is not still hot you should be able to touch the racks and it be warm but not hot when your oven gets to that stage put your bowl in there and walk away. It will need to sit in there about 2 hours or so until it at least doubles in size you can see here how it has worked its way up to the plastic wrap
Then find your cutest sous chef to help you punch the dough down.


Roll it out on a floured surface sprinkle a little corn meal on the bottom of your pan (or pizza peel if you are cooking it on a stone)
Top as you like. Today we used a little fresh mozzarella and salami, once it came out we topped it with fresh basil.