Monday Night Crock Pot

Tip: cut up veggies the night before or use frozen ones.

Slow-Cooked Brisket with Mashed Potatoes

1 Flat-End Beef Brisket

3 to 3 1/2 lbs.

Kosher salt to taste, plus 2 tsp.

freshly ground pepper to taste

2 Tbs. Vegetable oil

1 jar 25.5 oz Brisket Starter from Williams-Sonoma

12 oz. Carrots peeled and thinly sliced on the bias

5 lb. russet potatoes peeled and cut into 2-in pieces.

8 Tbs. 1 stick unsalted butter cut into small pieces

1/4 cups half and half heated

Season the brisket on both sides with salt and pepper. in a large fry pan medium-high heat, warm the oil. Sear the brisket until well browned on both sides., 8 to 10 minutes. transfer to a slow cooker and add the brisket starter and carrots. Cover and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until tender, about 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low. ** I prefer low settings.

Meanwhile, put the potatoes and the 2 tsp. salt in a large pot, add water to cover the potatoes by 3 inches and bring to boil over medium-heat heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently cook the potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well in a colander.

Set a potato ricer or food mill over the pot and pass the potatoes through in batches. Add butter and gradually add the half-and-half, stirring constantly and with a large spoon, until the potatoes are smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the brisket to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Skim the excess fat off th esauce. Cut the brisket into slices 1/4 inch thick and arrange on a platter. Spoon some of the sauce on top and pass the rest alongside. serve with mashed potatoes.

Serves 6 to 8

Back to Crock Pot Mondays

This recipe is made in the oven but is so easy.

You will need the Williams and Sonoma jar of arroz con pollo starter $ 12.00

Ingredients:

1 chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 pound cut into 8 pieces ( used chicken breasts)

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 cup long grain rice

1 jar arroz con pollo starter

1 1/4 cups chicken stock

1 cup frozen peas

chopped fresh cilantor for garnish

Directions:

Season chicken with salt and pepper

Preheat an oven to 350o F. In a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. working in batches, brown the chicken, turning once, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Discard all but 1 Tbs. of the fat in the pot. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the arroz con pollo starter and stock. Add the chicken, cover and transfer to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then gently stir in the peas. re-cover the pot and continue baking until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

January 2011

Winter break went by way too fast. Photodaughter has shown an interest in teaching English as a second language, in France. She has sent in her applications to various places along with Teach for America. Sounds like a plan. Take a year off before applying to graduate school.

• A piece of advice to new comers, invest in plastic Tupperware type containers. So many of these go back to college with food, cookies soup etc. and I never see them again.
• Secondly, save boxes. All sizes. Whenever Photodaughter is home visiting she always forgets something and (we are searching for a box) to mail the item back to her at college.

You can tell when you college student is growing up, they are busy over home breaks. Winter break was all about seeing friends, travelling etc. Yes, we did famliy time things but she is grown up 21 1/2 years old. Lastly, this is the "last ditch" before the real world of working for a living.

I think, if she could, she would be a "lifetime" college student.

Fianlly, Iwouldn't trade this for anything

Monday Night Crock Pot

Macaroni and Cheese- quick and easy

2-3 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1 qt. milk

1 lb. mild cheese, grated or Velveeta cheese cubed

1/2 tsp. salt

1 lb. macaroni, cooked al dente and rinsed

1. Melt margarine in large saucepan. Add milk. Heat slowly, but do not boil.

2. When very hot, stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted.

3. Stir in macaroni.

4. Pour into a greased slow cooker.

5. Cover. Cook on high 15 minutes, then on low for 30 minutes.

Crock Pot Monday

Thanksgiving has come and gone. I did manage to make turkey soup from the final leftovers. ( I have frozen it for the first snowfall.) The weekend went by too fast. I was trying to savor every moment with the family. "Family comes first". We drove photodaughter back to college after the "season's over" Redskin game. I am close to tears when we drop her off, knowing that as the days are counting down, to graduation in May, we will not be making this trip at Thanksgiving again. It's been fun for us as Parents', enjoying the special Parent's Weekends, site seeing around the college and especially the visit to Aix-en-Provence. As you first time college senior parents, are you feeling it?
What is for dinner tonight?
Mu Shu Turkey

1 can 16 oz. plums drained and pitted
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound boneless turkey breast, cut into strip or left over turkey
6 (7 inch) flour whole wheat tortillas
3 cups coleslaw mix

1. Place plums in blender or food processor. cover;blend until almost smooth. combine plums, orange juice, onion, ginger and cinnamon in Crockpot mix well.
2. Place turkey over plum mixture. Cook on low 3 to 4 hours.
3. remove turkey from Crocpot. divide evenly among tortillas. spoon about 2 tablespoons plum sauce over turkey in each tortilla; top with about 1/2 coleslaw mix. Fold up bottom edge of tortilla over filling, fold in sides and roll up to enclose filling. repeat with remaining tortillas. Use plum sauce for dipping.

Thanksgiving Break and Bye Week

Within the next 24 hours Photodaughter will be arriving home, with a full bag of dirty clothes,
a list of too do's and an appetite. The house is ready, cleaned, fresh sheets and a stocked refrigerator. I can't believe in three days I will be watching the Macy's Day parade on TV, while preparing the turkey. That has been one of my traditions. After dinner we go see a movie.
Turkey
dressing
green beans
mashed potatoes
rolls
cran-orange relish
gravy
pumpkin cheesecake
carmel apple pie

Monday Night Crock-Pot and Redskins Game

Steak San Morocco

round steak cut up in 1 in. strips
1 bag of Lipton's onion soup mix
1/4 teaspoon of oregano
pinch of garlic salt
1 can- tomatoes (not large)
1 tablespoon cooking sherry

Heat frying pan with 1 tablespoon Crisco
Brown the round steak

Add steak to crock-pot followed by soup mix, seasoning tomatoes and sherry. cover cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Serve over buttered noodles.

Last week's recipe :( . Next time use the dumpling recipe from the Bisquick box.