Buuhhh-riskit!

Welcome back to Free Recipe Friday everyone.
We're going to join in with the rest of America and celebrate
this holiday weekend by eating tons of food!?!
But we should not forget the true reason for our
awesome three day weekend.
As Ronald Reagan said in 1986
at Arlington National Cemetery. . .

"Today is the day we put aside to remember fallen heroes
and to pray that no heroes will ever have to die for us again.
It's a day of thanks for the valor of others,
a day to remember the splendor of America
and those of her children who rest in this cemetery and others.
It's a day to be with the family and remember." 

I hope everyone will be able to do just that.
Spend time with family and remember.

As you spend time with your family this weekend,
you may very possibly be having Brisket.
Beef heavenly Brisket is our focus today as it probably will be
for the rest of America as well.
There are many different ways to cook it,
however, ours will only focus on indoor recipes.
If you wanna smoke or grill one, go. for. it.  

Our method will be the easy,
let it cook overnight while you're sleeping method.
Annnnd today, you will not only get one, but TWO
AMAZING ways to cook a brisket in your oven.

Dos recetas.
I believe we discovered this recipe several years ago

via 'the Paula Deen.'  LOVE it! TRY it!

WHAT YOU NEED:

-Brisket Number One-

Beef Brisket - an average size
which for most of us in Texas is about 8-11 lbs.
(vacuum packed in the leather like plastic)

Large size disposable Aluminum Pan
(optional, but you will thank me)

Aluminum Foil to cover pan

4 Tablespoons Chili Powder

4 Tablespoons Salt

2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder

2 Tablespoons Onion Powder

2 Tablespoons Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons Sugar

4 teaspoons Dry Mustard
(or substitute several tablespoons prepared mustard)

2 Bay Leaves/crushed

3 cups good quality Beef Broth

WHAT TO DO:

Place unwrapped brisket into foil pan or large roaster,
fatty side up.  Please do not remove any of the
hunks of fat before baking even though you may be tempted to.
In a separate small bowl,
combine all of the dry ingredients listed above.
Mix well.
Cover/rub the entire brisket with this dry rub mixture.
Bake uncovered in a 350 oven for 1 hour.
Remove from oven and
pour your beef broth around the brisket so that it
comes up the side of the pan to about 1/2 inch.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and return to oven.
Reduce oven heat to 300.
Continue cooking for about 4 hours.

To cook overnight, we usually reduce the heat a bit more
and put it in the oven around bedtime -
it's done about 7 or 8 hours later.These times go for an average 8-11 lb. brisket
found in all supermarkets in East Texas.

Careeeeefully remove brisket from oven,
as the amount of liquid/fat in the pan has probably tripled
and is boiling hot.
Let it rest on a flat surface for an hour or so
right in the pan.
If you do not care for fatty pieces of meat,
the best way to remove the fat from a brisket
is to do so when it is still quite warm.
You can use a large spoon or spatula and
literally scrape off the layer of fat like butter!
Discard the fat via a trash can
or to your wild outdoor pets.

Then you can remove the brisket from the pan
and slice with an electric knife or other extremely sharp knife.
If you want to make this ahead, wrap the brisket very well
in some it's own juices and refrigerate overnight.
Remove brisket from juices, slice it cold
(which will actually be easier than slicing warm)
place back in it's pan and heat in a low oven.
The juices will keep the brisket moist.
It is a big fat YuMmO!

We discovered the recipe below by way of my sister-in-law.
It's the only way we ever had brisket
at James' family gatherings...unless you count the times
we had Sadler's pre-cooked and sliced brisket from Sam's.

DELICIOUS!!!!!  The recipe below makes more of a sweet
brisket, but it is OH SO good!
Don't let the sweet scare you.

WHAT YOU NEED:
-Brisket Number Two-

Beef Brisket - an average sizewhich for most of us in Texas is about 8-11 lbs.
(vacuum packed in the leather like plastic)

Large size disposable Aluminum Pan
(you will definitely thank me on this one)

Aluminum Foil to cover pan

1 bag Brown Sugar

appx. half a bottle of Liquid Smoke

1-2 cups of Water


WHAT TO DO:

Place unwrapped brisket into foil pan or large roaster.
  Please do not remove any of the
hunks of fat before baking even though you may be tempted to.
Completely cover the top of of the brisket with
pretty much the entire bag of sugar, 
Don't be scared.  I see you trembling.
Next, sprinkle the liquid smoke over most all of the meat.
Lastly, drizzle your water all around your brisket.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil
and bake at 225-250 appx. 8 hours or overnight.

Remove the brisket in the same way as the previous one.
Letting it rest, removing the fat, slicing, etc., etc., etc.

We truly love them both.
Not sure which is our favorite.
They will both be tender, moist and they won't last long!

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend...
be safe and give thanks for all of those fallen heroes
that gave their lives for our freedom!

I Heart Pillsbury. . .There, I Said It!

FACT: Crescent Rolls + Anything = Awesomeness.

Yessss, I know that doesn't sound very 'homemade-ey,'
but those things are just so handy and good.
Crescent Rolls can be used in about
a bazillion different recipes. . .from
Taco Pie and Sopapilla Cheesecake,
to Pig In the Blankets and many Pampered Chef recipes.
Whoever invented the Pillsbury Crescent Roll
should definitely win a prize!

For this week's Free Recipe Friday,
we'll call our recipe Cream Cheese Rolls,
because I've never had to name them until now.
My family just calls them 'cream cheese things'. . . as in,
"Mom, can you make some of those cream cheese things?"

I made these beauties for the first time almost 10 years ago. EEK!
CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT STACI WARLICK FREEMAN!?!?!?
I am not even sure where I got the idea for this recipe,
maybe a spin-off of something I had seen on TV?!?
But I remember the exact weekend I made them at our house
(which involved Staci and a bunch of 8th grade girls
and would require a WHOLE other blog to tell the tales
of THAT weekend!!!!!)
but we haven't stopped making these rolls since!

Again, these little yummies are very easy to do
and require just a very few ingredients.

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 tubes/pkgs Crescent Rolls
2 - 8 oz pkgs Cream Cheese, softened

Powdered Sugar (appx 2 1/2 cups)

Milk (appx 2-3 Tablespoons)
Vanilla (appx 1/2 teaspoon)
Baking Sheet, sprayed with non-stick spray
Oven :)

WHAT TO DO:

Place your softened cream cheese blocks
in a medium size bowl.
Add 2-3 Tablespoons of powdered sugar
to the cream cheese and stir well.  Set aside.
(This is optional - sometimes we add the sugar,
sometimes we don't).

Open your crescent rolls, unroll and divide
each triangle and lay flat.
You can do this on a cutting board, a clean counter
or your sprayed baking sheet.
(Helpful hint, unroll one tube at a time as these
babies get pretty gooey once the chill is gone.)

Now, spread a heaping tablespoon of your
cream cheese mixture onto each triangle.
It doesn't have to be beautiful and perfect. . .
just goop it on there, spread it out and go to the next one.
Resist your OCD tendencies here.

Roll up each triangle into it's intended crescent shape.
Place on sprayed baking sheet and bake for 15 or so minutes.

While these heavenly bundles of goodness are baking,
whisk together appx. 2 cups of powdered sugar,
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and 2-3 Tablespoons of milk.
You want a thick but pourable icing to drizzle onto the rolls.

 When you remove the crescents from the oven,

drizzle the icing on them while they are still hot

and after a few minutes of cooling, they are ready to eat!

Crescent Rolls are so versatile. . .
experiment with filling these with various cheeses
or even chocolate chips.

Happy Cooking!!!!
Enjoy!

Impress Your Guests with Fish & Paper!

Welcome back to Free Recipe Friday.
This week we are going to kick it up a notch.
Well, at least your guests will think you have.
It's fish, it's vegetables, it's healthy, it's delicious

and. . . . it's easy!  It really is.
It's a great meal done in your oven, the grill or the campfire.

It may look all froofy and fancy,

but it's all an illusion ;)

It's technical name is Fish en Papillote

(fish in parchment), so go ahead, impress your friends with that!

 Fish cooked en papillote is wrapped in parchment paper 

 and baked in a medium oven so it gently steams in its own juices.

  You may substitute aluminum foil for the paper, 

but Martha Stewart says if you do so, avoid using acidic ingredients 

like lemons, tomatoes, and white wine, 

which will react with the foil and cause an unpleasant taste. 

When the fish is done, the parchment will puff dramatically 

(if you use foil, the fish will cook more quickly 

and the foil will not puff up, so check it early).

There are tons of recipes out there suggesting

many different concoctions for your paper or foil packet.

Use whatever you have on hand, search the internet or get creative.

It's a wonderfully easy and healthy way to enjoy your fish.

This meal can easily be made for two or ten.
Just make enough for the amount of guests you have.
Or just make it for yourself!!!
We fed three, so we made three packets.

WHAT YOU OFFICIALLY NEED:
Fish - any kind and any quantity
Veggies - any of your fresh fav's,
about two cups of veggies per serving
Butter
Seasonings - salt, pepper, garlic, etc.
Parchment Paper or Aluminum Foil 


We have used tilapia and flounder.
For our vegetables, we have used
the frozen veggie mix of cauliflower, broccoli and carrots.
Recently, we used baby pearl onions, zucchini
and an assortment of baby new potatoes.  
Would have been great with mushrooms as well.
The next time we make these, I'd like to try olives and artichokes!
The sky is really the limit - and with fresh summer garden veggies
on the verge of abundance, get creative!

WHAT TO DO:
Preheat your oven to 350.
Tear off sheets of parchment paper in 18 inch increments.
One sheet per serving.
Fold paper in half and cut an easy heart shape in the paper,
like you did in grade school, using the whole width 
of the paper.  Open heart up and brush the paper
with melted butter.  If you are using aluminum foil,
tear off 12-14 inch squares that will be folded up into pouches.


Lay your fish on your paper and season a bit.
Next, lay your assorted veggies on top of your fish,
some seasoning. . . and a slice or two of butter is also great.
Now fold up your pouches for baking.
The edges of the parchment paper
need to be folded over several times to seal the packet.
It is okay if your pouches have plenty of space
around the fish and veggies - - -
you want to leave plenty of room for them to breathe.
Place packets on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. 
Bake for appx. 30 minutes.
Cooking times will vary depending on your choice of veggies.

Enjoy your Fish en Papillote!

See you next week!

Goodbye Carbs. . .for Now!

I'm not going to name any names or anything,
but the male in our house has decided he wants to
do without 'the white stuff' for awhile. . . .you know, those evil carbs.
Just when I had my 'cooking for 3' routine figured out. . .
now I get to rethink everything.  Arrggh.
The rest of us around here have decided to, kind of,
go along with him. . .because I love my 'mountain man' that much!
(Our new nickname for him. . .have you SEEN him lately?
He just gets more and more handsome every day!)

So, if you see us out in public, remember,
the females in this household may or may not be
as serious as the male is about cuttin' our carbs.
We may partake of a carb once in a while. Don't hate.

I will say that as of week 3. . .I have found that it is actually
harder to figure out WHAT to cook
rather than what we are being deprived from.
It's just a new way of doing things. . .I mean, we love veggies and protein.
We are just so used to having that starch on our plate.
Carbs are actually just tooo easy, aren't they?!?
It's easy to throw together a meal when you can toss
a potato in the oven, or boil up some pasta.
These days are different now. . .and it's time to get creative!

Sooooo. . .since potatoes have always been a staple
around our household, we had to find a substitute....fast!

This week's Free Recipe Friday addresses just that.
It's an AWESOME substitute. . .for potatoes.

   We think it's so good, you could probably even get by with
not even telling anyone it's cauliflower!
Wait, did I just say cauliflower?!

WHAT YOU NEED:

Fresh Cauliflower - 1 head - cut up
Water/Stockpot

Steamer Basket or Colander | optional
Butter or Butter Buds
Salt/Pepper
Maybe a little bit of Milk
Hand Mixer or Potato Masher

It's as simple as that!

WHAT TO DO:

Rinse your cauliflower and cut or break into sections.
Place cauliflower in stockpot with approximately 1 cup water.
If you have a steam basket or colander that fits into your
stockpot, by all means set your cauliflower in that.
I don't have a steamer basket
and not one of my 4 colanders fit in my stockpot.
Place stockpot on high heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and cover with a lid.
Continue to simmer on low/medium until soft and tender.
Approximately 20 minutes.
You will know they are done when they have wilted
and/or they are fork tender - which means you can easily
pierce them with a fork with no resistance.
Drain your cauliflower and keep in the stockpot.
Add several tablespoons of butter into the hot cauliflower.
(Or Butter Buds if you'd like them to be fat free)
Add salt and pepper to your liking.
We probably used 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.
You will only need milk if they are too thick.
We needed none.

Now, using your hand mixer or potato masher, blend until smooth.
Well, they won't be perfectly smooth. . .and that's how you want them.
They will have the look and texture of 'smashed' potatoes.
Delicious.
 

YUM.

Disclaimer:  I cannot post this recipe without telling you
the ONLY drawback if there were to be any.
When you eat these faux potatoes, you would
seriously think they were potatoes
IF you couldn't smell at all.
They still smell like cauliflower and maybe even
a bit like cooked broccoli. . . .soooo
if you cannot stand the smell of
cauliflower or broccoli, be forewarned!
In our household, we recognized this fact
and kept on eatin'!  It didn't bother us a bit.
They are yummy! Now, go be healthy.

The end.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Who doesn’t love a good pound cake or coffee cake?!
This one was served pretty regularly in our household growing up,
especially when company was coming or there was a church event.
I’m sure it was also because the ingredients were always on hand.
It required no icing or fancy ingredients -
we always had flour, sugar, eggs and of course sour cream,
it was a staple!  (Growing up, we had homemade burritos once a week,
but that'll be another post).
 
This yummy stand-by spreads the most amazing cinnamon aroma
throughout your abode!  You can hardly wait for it to cool off enough to
take that first bite.  The cinnamon crunch on the bottom of the cake
has always been my favorite part.  I only wish the cake could be ALL bottom!
BUT, the cinnamon layer in the middle
of the cake always fascinated me while growing up.
How did it get there? 
Floating in the middle of the cake like that?! 
I can remember the day I learned how it was done.
I think I heard angels singing or something! 
Ahhh, THAT’S how it’s done!!!!

This cake is so good with coffee, obviously.  It’s also good with no coffee.
It’s good with a tall glass of cold milk.  It's good with just water.
It's just good all by itself.  It’s good for a snack.  It’s good for breakfast.  

 It’s good at midnight. It gets better everyday.
You gotta try it!
(My mom's handwritten recipe below!)

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 cup butter - 2 sticks (room temperature)

2 cups sugar

2 eggs (room temperature)

1 -16 oz. container sour cream
(even though my mom's recipe says 1 cup)

1 teaspoon good vanilla

2 cup flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup brown sugar – packed

2 teaspoons cinnamon
(wayyy more cinnamon and brown sugar
than my mom EVER used!)

A good *Bundt pan
(*said in ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ voice)

1 heaping tablespoon shortening (to coat pan)

¼ cup flour (to coat pan)

WHAT TO DO:

First things first.  Preheat oven to 350. 
Prepare *Bundt (or tube) pan with shortening/flour.
I do this by dipping a clean paper towel into my shortening can
and swiping about 1 tablespoon of shortening onto the paper towel.
Next, completely cover the inside of the Bundt pan with the shortening.

This can be a little tricky with an ornate pan, but just work the
shortening into each crevice.  For most baking I can usually get by
with spraying my pan with non-stick spray, but for a Bundt cake,
I only trust the cake coming out in one piece if I use the shortening method.

Now, after covering the inside of your Bundt pan with shortening,
sprinkle the ¼ cup of flour into the pan and while holding it over your sink
(for less mess), beat and turn your pan around so that the flour will stick to
every surface you covered with shortening.
Flip the pan over and tap against your faucet to remove excess flour.

Set pan aside.
**(Scroll to the bottom of this post for a
 substitute method/recipe for this messy step!)

Next, prepare cinnamon mixture.  In a separate little bowl,
combine 1 cup packed brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon.

Set aside.

Now, on to some cake making.
In a medium size mixing bowl, cream together your butter and sugar
until it lightens in color and is fluffy.  Add your eggs, one at a time,
beating and scraping down your bowl between each addition. 
Next, add in your sour cream and vanilla.
Lastly, add in your flour, salt and baking powder.

Mix until incorporated. No need to over-mix.
Scrape half of your cake mixture into your prepared Bundt pan.
Sprinkle appx. 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture all over top of your cake batter.
(This is that mystery swirly layer that floats in the middle of the cake!)

Scrape remaining cake batter into Bundt pan and pour
your remaining cinnamon mixture evenly on top of that.
This final cinnamon-y topping will actually be your yummy crust.

Bake for 45-60 minutes.  Mine usually takes 50-55 minutes.
I do a first check for done-ness at about 45 minutes. 
I actually use an ice pick for this.  I quickly insert it into the tallest point on the cake,
if it comes out with batter on it, bingo, it’s not done. 
I reset the timer for about 5-10 more minutes and my ice pick
usually comes out clean the second time.

THE FUN PART:
When your cake is done, remove from the oven
and place on a cooling rack.  Cover with a sheet of wax paper
(to retain moisture) or simply lay a paper towel across your pan.
Let the cake sit for 5 minutes or so.
Now take a butter knife and gently scrape around the sides of the cake,
even the center edges, to release any stuck on parts from the pan.
Place a large dinner or serving plate upside down on your Bundt pan.
With two thick hand towels (to protect your hands) or large oven mitts,
hold onto the plate and Bundt pan at the same time (scary, I know)
and quickly flip the two over and set on the counter.
After you exhale, remove the Bundt pan and pray
the cake came out in one piece.  

If not, I promise, it’s no big deal.  Just quickly and gently
scrape any stuck on chunks of cake out of the pan and place them
where they need to go on the cake.  It’s like a puzzle piece.
It’ll be fine.  Really.  Once they take a bite of this cake,
no one will care WHAT it looks like!

This cake is really better once cooled (in my opinion) or even the next day.
(if you can keep everyone’s paws off of it)
Make sure you keep it well covered and sealed so it won't dry out.
Enjoy this yummy coffee cake…from our kitchen to yours.

***Alternate Shortening/Flour Coating

In a medium bowl, mix together 1 cup of flour
and 1 cup of shortening.  Mix well.
Keep mixture in a good sealed up container
in a cool place - maybe where you keep your shortening.
Use this mixture to coat pans with when baking.
It will keep a very long time and is much less messy.
(And much cheaper than those non stick sprays!)


ENJOY!