Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef

Hey ya'll!  I have totally become a Texan...I cooked me my first brisket.  Yee haw!  And boy howdy, it was delicious.  This isn't traditional Texan BBQ.  Baby steps...baby steps.  This meal feeds a ton and it's delicious.  So make it ya'll!

Makes enough meat to stuff 30 tacos

4 chipotle peppers (from a can) plus all the adobo sauce it sits in (or just the sauce :))
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 red onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 head garlic, peeled and cloves smashed
5 dry bay leaves
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Juice of 4 limes
1/2 cup cider vinegar
5 to 7 pounds beef brisket
4 to 6 cups beef or chicken stock

Stir together chipotle peppers and sauce, cilantro, red onion, garlic, clove, salt, lime juice, and cider vinegar in the insert of a slow cooker (if you have a food processor, pulse till combined first before adding). Place the brisket on top of this mixture. (I like to cut my brisket in two pieces so it fits better in the slow cooker.) Add stock to cover the meat and place bay leaves on top. Use tongs to move the meat around gently to combine everything and put the lid on.

Cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Once finished, turn crock pot to WARM and let sit for 6 to 8 hours.
I like to make mine before bed and then let it sit on WARM overnight. This allows the meat to cook fully and then come to a point where it can be shredded easily and will essentially fall apart when pulled with a fork. If you don't have overnight to accomplish this, another hour of cooking on HIGH will get the job done. The meat will not be as tender, but will still be tasty.

Remove meat from slow cooker and place on rimmed baking sheet. Use two forks to pull the meat apart. Discard the fat, if desired. If you plan on frying it again before use, the small fat bits are extra tasty and should be kept! Place shredded beef in large bowl and ladle cooking liquid over the top a few scoops at a time. You want the meat to hold the liquid but not swim in it.

To keep it warm for guests you can return it to your slow cooker after you have removed the remaining liquid. That liquid is extra tasty and can be frozen into ice cube-sized portions to be used in other dishes later, if you so desire. Serve with fresh tortillas, onion, cilantro, and salsa.

Note: This recipe makes roughly 30 tacos, give or take. You can make two recipes back to back in your slow cooker for the initial 4 hour cooking time (or two slow cookers at the same time) and then add the meat to the same slow cooker to sit overnight since the meat will have reduced in size. This will allow 60 tacos of meat to be finished up at the same time.

honey sesame chicken

Here is another recipe from pinterest.  It's a easy week night meal that is kid friendly.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thighs would be fine too)
Salt and pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (could also use olive oil or canola oil)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional - doesn't really add heat, just adds more flavor)
4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tablespoons water
Sesame seeds

Directions:
Season both sides of chicken with lightly with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened. Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles.


*You can also sprinkle more red pepper flakes on top if you want more heat.

Chicken tomatillo soup

Things have gone CRAZY here! Between basketball, baseball, piano, activity days, scouts, school projects galore, callings and etc.  I am looking for good crockpot meals.  They save my life on a busy night.  Here is a good one I got from the loosli family blog. It's healthy, tasty and easy.  That's my kind meal.

4 frozen chicken breasts
1 16 oz jar of tomatillo salsa (green salsa)
2 cans great northern beans, drained but you don't have to wash it.
4 cups chicken broth
2 tsp. cumin
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of frozen corn defrosted (so it won't make the soup cold)

Combine chicken, salsa, chicken broth and spices in crockpot.  Cook on high for 5-6 hours.  Halfway through cooking add beans, this is so they don't fall apart.  When done cooking shred chicken and add corn.  We served it with sour cream and cheddar cheese.  Would also be good with pico de gallo and chips.

Apple sauce cookies with caramel frosting.

Yum!  From Chef-in training blog

 

Cookies

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups applesauce
• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cloves

Preheat oven to 375 F

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.

Cream sugar and shortening together.

Add eggs and applesauce and mix well.

Add in dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated.

Drop small spoonfuls of batter on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 F for 8-10 minutes.

While cookies are cooling, prepare frosting.

Frosting

• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, heavy cream and brown sugar.

Cook, stirring occasionally until mixture just begins to boil; remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool, then stir in the powdered sugar.

Spread frosting over cookies

Enjoy!

Mexican Chicken Lime soup

This recipe comes from Rachel Ray Magazine.  It's easy and good.  I'm putting it on here because sometimes on pinterest your pins don't work later. 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Juice of 2 limes
• Salt and pepper
• 1 hass avocado, thinly sliced lengthwise into 12 pieces
• Crushed tortilla chips

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, lower the heat to medium and cook until the onion begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Increase the heat to high, push the vegetables to the side of the pan, add the chicken and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chipotles and adobo sauce, then stir in the chicken broth. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming any foam. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice; season with salt and pepper.
2. Place 2 avocado slices in each of 6 soup bowls and pour in the soup. Top with the tortilla chips.

Roated Shrimp

So...nobody fall over and die or anthing. I am finally breaking my silence. I am posting a new recipe. This one I found on Pinterest. Have you started pinning? If not, don't. Very addictive. I haven't bought shrimp very often but this one has made me change my ways. It's very yummy and healthy! Yeah!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 lemon, zested then half cut into thin slices and other half into wedges
• 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves removed
• sea or kosher salt and fresh black pepper
• spaghetti/pasta, couscous or rice for serving
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound fresh shrimp, medium-sized, deveined with tails off
• 5 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In an 8x8 glass baking pan combine olive oil, lemon zest and thyme. Olive oil should liberally cover the bottom of the pan, if it doesn't drizzle in a little more. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes, checking every few minutes, if it looks like it is getting too brown remove and proceed to next step. Meanwhile cook pasta, drain and toss with a pat of butter or olive oil.
2. Remove pan from oven, add butter and move it around a little to melt, add shrimp, garlic and the thin sliced lemons (don't squeeze them), toss to coat with oil mixture. Bake for 8-10 more minutes or until shrimp turn pink and just start to curl, check often. Serve over pasta, couscous or rice tossed with additional extra-virgin olive oil and fresh-squeezed lemon with additional lemon wedges for serving.

I've never done the butter and it's worked great and I cook up 2 lbs for my family. 

Split Pea Soup with Barley and Ham

Okay okay, I know what you are thinking (Camille) ;) I was seriously skeptical about this recipe because I remember really not liking split pea soup. After reading all the the rave reviews (from Mels, slightly modified) I decided to give this recipe a try. It is seriously so good that I have made it at least three time since it's discovery, with plans to make it again this week. It's cheap, easy, and delicious.......my kids even love it. I tell them it's witch's brew (due to the color)

*Serves 4-6

1 cup dry split green peas
1/2 cup medium pearl barley (not quick-cooking barley)
2 cups chopped ham
3/4 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
5 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes (or 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
about 1 cup of milk
1/2 stick of butter

In a medium bowl or liquid measure, combine the water, bouillon cubes and spices and whisk to combine (it’s ok if the bouillon cubes don’t completely dissolve).

In a medium round slow cooker (about 4-quart), layer peas, barley, ham, carrots, onion and celery. Do not mix. Pour in the water/spices mixture and add the bay leaf to the slow cooker. Don’t stir! Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or on low eight hours, until the peas reach the desired creamy, soft texture. Remove the bay leaf, stir well, and add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Stir in butter and add milk until desired consistency (it will thicken significantly when it cools, the milk keeps it from being too thick). Serve immediately.

Skillet Summer Vegetable Lasagna

Also from Mels, very easy and a good use of those extra noodles in the lasagna pkg. I also made it with a half a box of bowties one night to make it look prettier and we loved that!

*Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drain tomatoes into a 2-cup liquid measure. Add water to tomato liquid to make 2 cups. Add tomato/water mixture and 1 teaspoon salt to skillet.

Scatter noodles into the skillet, layer tomatoes over the noodles and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring occasionally (so the noodles won’t stick!) for about 10 minutes.

Stir in zucchini and squash, cook, stirring now and then, until noodles and squash are tender, about 8 minutes. Add basil and half of the rictotta cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese to the noodles, stirring until the sauce is creamy. Dollop remaining ricotta cheese over the noodles, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

The Cornbread

Slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I've been looking for a good cornbread recipe for awhile now and have tried several that are just so-so, but when I found this one and tweeked it ever so slightly, I found my go to recipe! It really is just so good, and goes with any meal.....and is pretty quick too!

½ cup cornmeal
1 ½ cup flour
1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cup milk

Mix dry ingredients together, make a well in the middle and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center. Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny – don’t be alarmed!). Bake in an 8” square pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. This doubles perfectly for a 9X13-inch pan.

Sweet or Savory Corncakes

This is a recipe from Emily. Sorry I took so long getting it on here.

For a savory breakfast, top corncakes with sour cream and store bought salsa verde mixed with scallions, fresh cilantro, and lime juice. The recipe did not specify amounts on the toppings, so it is up to you how much cilantro, etc, to put in the salsa verde. For a sweet version you can spread it honeybutter, or honey and Greek yogurt, or just maple syrup.

1 can (14.75oz) creamed corn
1 cup yellow cornmeal (divided in half)
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lg egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar (optional)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Heat creamed corn in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 1/2 cup of cornmeal. Whisk in water, oil, egg. In a bowl mix the remaining 1/2 cup cornmeal with flour, salt, sugar (optional), and baking powder. Stir in wet ingredients into dry ingredients. The consistency is a thick batter, not like pancake batter). Heat griddle over medium heat (brush lightly with olive oil, we have a nonstick griddle so we didn't do that). The original recipe said to drop it in batches of a 1/4 cup onto the griddle. I did it with a 1/3 cup. I dropped it on and sort of spread it out a bit because it is pretty thick it doesn't really spread out on its own. Cook, turning once.

These corn cakes are dense. They made 8 for me. Really yummy with the sour cream and salsa verde. We liked them.