Oven Roasted Smokey Beef Brisket

This was Michael's request for his birthday this year. He can't seem to get enough of it lately. As you may remember if you've followed our blog, this has been his long time favorite. However once I had made this, long before his bithday, he said "This is what I'm requesting for my birthday this year, I think I've had enough Chicken Cordon Blue for a while". Which has always been one of his favorites. I almost always make him a special dinner for his birthday. His birthday falls on Valentines day, so we usually stay in and have a cozy dinner at home. As the nicer restaurants are usually on a long wait to be seated. Although we did go out to a nice seafood restaurant this year that didn't have a long wait. You know what? It was a disaster. Michael's dinner came out and mine was still being finished up in one of the other kitchens. (They have three different kitchens.) Well we had been there once before and everything turned out wonderful. One would think that resaurants would be at the top of their game on special holidays knowing they are going to be "slammed". You just never know.

I served this awesome brisket with standard Potato Latkes and a side garden salad, and it was a meal to swoon over. Though since he's requested this more times than I can count, (and I suppose we'll have this many more times in the coming year) I suppose I'll have to come up with something else swoon worthy for next year. At least I have some time.

If you have any leftovers, you can repurpose them into sandwiches, burritos, carnitas, or any number of meals. 

Oven Roasted Smokey Brisket

Adapted from Paula Deen at Food Network

Ingredients

4 lb. beef brisket, trimmed

2 teaspoons liquid smoke (a little goes a long way)

2 Tablespoons salt, kosher

2 Tablespoons chili powder

1 Tablespoon Chipotle chili powder

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1Tablespoon onion powder

1 Tablespoon black pepper, freshly ground

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 bay leaf, ground

1½  - 2 cups beef stock

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Start by rubbing brisket with the liquid smoke.In a small mixing bowl, combine the salt, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dry mustard, sugar, ground bay and mix well. POur and rub in this seasoning mixture on both sides of the brisket, covering well. Place brisket into a roasting pan, uncovered, and roast for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, lower oven to 300° F. Add enough beef stock to coome up about ½ inch in pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and continue to cook for 3 hours, or until fork tender.

Trim any excess fat and slice thinly. Serve accompanied by pan juices.

Serves 10

I am absolutely certain that if you try this recipe, you will be swooning too! Let us know if you do (make this or swoon).

We are linking up with our friends at:

The Weekly Round-Up

Weekend Wrap Up Party

I'm Lovin' It

Weekend Whatever #12

Foodie Friday

Food Trip Friday #152

Simply Delish

Full Plate Thursday

Friday Favorites

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Carla

&

Michael

We're Back in 2012 with Cod in Parmesan Sauce

Yeah, we got some splainin to do huh? Naw, I'm sure you don't want to hear it. How bout some of the good news? We bought ourselves one of these babies for Christmas:

Still learning how to take food pics with it though. However it is light years better than this one that we were using:

Anyhoo, our pics on here will be a work in progress.

On to this post. You all know how I love me some seafood. However did you know when it comes to fish I am really picky? It's true! It has to be a firm, white fish fillet. Oh, I do like my salmon and ahi tuna as well. However I am not into soft, or gray, mushy fillets. Well I was watching one of my favorite networks FN and saw Giada making this Broiled Halibut with Bechamel Sauce and I knew I had to try it. First of all Italians will tell you that you aren't supposed to put cheeses with seafood. Uh-Oh! Well I've never believed that anyway. I believe to each his own. So like I said, I love seafood and I also love cheese. Well, I had cod fillets in the freezer and I had lots of cheeses in the cheese drawer in the fridge.

Nothing like some beatiful fish fillets swimming in a white wine bath.

Except maybe a pan full of a cheesy bechamel sauce.

Leftover Mushroom Risotto

for these Arancini di Riso (Rice Balls)

Broiled Cod with Parmesan Sauce

Adapted from Giada at Home on Food Network

Ingredients

For the Parmesan Bechamel

5 Tablespoons room temperature butter, unsalted

1/4 cup flour

2 cups whole milk, warmed

1/2 cup (or maybe 3/4 cup) Parmesan cheese, grated

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

salt and pepper, to taste

For the Cod

1 (750 ml) bottle of white wine (I usually prefer to cook with Sauvingnon Blanc)

2 cups water

4 (6 ounce) cod fillets

salt and pepper

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, diced into 1/4 inch pieces

Directions

Spray an 8 x 8 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

To make the bechamel sauce: In a medium size saucepan, meltl the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and wisk until smooth, at which point you will have a rue. Do not let it darken as you will want it to stay white. (A bechamel sauce is a white sauce.) Slowly add your warmed milk to the rue, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Whisk until the sauce is smooth and thickens. Remove from heat and add the cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.

To make the Cod: In a large deep sided skillet, over medium-high heat bring the wine and the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the cod. Cover and cook until the fish is opaque. Remove the fish to the glass baking dish in a single layer and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the broiler. Spoon the bechamel sauce over the top of fish. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese. Top with butter and broil until golden brown.

Serve with the Arancini di Riso

Linking up with my friends at:

Mouthwatering Monday

Made by you Monday

Tuesdays at the Table

Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday's

Delicious Dishes

Just Something I Whipped Up

Makin You Crave Monday

What Makes You Say Mmmmm? Monday

Made From Scratch Tuesday

Cast Party Wednesday

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Tuesday's Tasty Tidbits

Carla and Michael

Carla's Roasted Chicken Sandwich

This has become one of my favorite lunches ever. I saw this Grilled Chicken and Avocado Napoleons on a Giada at Home re-run and I knew I had to make it. I thought even though I didn't have any puff pastry thawed out, I could do this sandwich one better. Besides I thought that three sheets of the puff pastry was a bit too much "bread" for my liking. I'd had a large roasted chicken breast left over one night and sliced into thin slivers to make sandwiches with. I've made this three times over the last 10 days. Once on a large toasted croissant (the best), once on a toasted onion roll and this one on a small burger bun (hey, it was already thawed and at the ready).

Roasted Chicken, Avocado, and Spinach Sandwich

Courtesy Recipe Addict

Ingredients

Thinly sliced roasted chicken

Smoked Provolone cheese slices

Fresh baby spinach leaves

Red onion, sliced thin

Avocado slices

1 Tablespoon Sambal Oelek (ground fresh chili paste-found in the international isle)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Toasted croissant or bun of your choice

Directions

Make the chili mayo and refrigerate. The amounts are up to you. I make mine fairly spicy. Upon your toasted croissant or bun, layer the roasted chicken on the bottom half, smoked provolone, baby spinach leaves, sliced red onion, and sliced avocado. Top with a healthy slather of the chili mayonnaise and the top half of your bread. Sit back and enjoy one of the best sandwiches you have ever had.

This would also be excellent with turkey. Maybe some bacon too!

Linking this up to:

Tuesdays at the Table

Recipes I Can't Wait to Try

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

It's a Blog Party

What's on Your Plate

Cast Party Wednesday

It's a Keeper Thursday

Transformation Thursday

This Weeks Cravings

Full Plate Thursday

 

Carla and Michael

Meatballs and Peas

So they say fall has officially started. Ha! Today it is a balmy 86 degrees outside. Though they say by Saturday we will dip into the low 70's. Sure wish it would stay there, though I'm thinking we're not quite finished with the hot and humid higher 80's here. I myself am through with the heat. Although, I'm not quite ready for coats and mittens either.

Even though I'm cranky about the weather, I'm never one to feel that I have to conform my ways of cooking to the temperatures outside. Therefore I could just as easily enjoy a warm comforting bowl of chili in the middle of the summer as I could enjoy a cold salad in the middle of winter.

This is one of those meals I could enjoy anytime. I found it here in my December 2009 Food and Wine Magazine. We both loved this and will be having it time and time again. It is pictured here over rice, though it is equally delicious over mashed potatoes.

For the meatballs. The original recipe calls for 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 ground pork (didn't have any ground pork on this occasion). I used ground beef, onion, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, thyme, parsley, and egg. The original recipe calls for raisins. I left them in the box for snacking on. I DO NOT like raisins in my ground meat recipes. (I omit them from picadillo as well.) Mix well and form into 24 meatballs.

Again, the original recipe calls for broiling the meatballs. I find that method more of a pain than simply frying them off in a little olive oil. So that's what I did. Pour wine into casserole and add the meatballs. (I bet you thought those were sitting in a puddle of oil!) I would suppose if you do not cook with alcohol, you could use some broth for an added flavor boost, your call there.

For the sauce: canned tomatoes, garlic, onion, oregano, frozen peas. You know the drill: in a little EVOO, saute the onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes and oregano, simmer a bit. Add the peas and simmer a bit more until sauce thickens some.

When sauce is thickened a little pour over meatballs and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve with your choice of rice, potatoes, pasta, or even polenta.

Simple and delicious.

Meatballs with Peas

Slightly adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

Adapted and tested by Food and Wine Magazine from Eugenia Bone

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

1/2 lb. ground beef chuck

1/2 lb. ground pork (I omitted this and just used 1 lb. ground chuck)

3 tablespoons golden raisins, soaked in hot water and drained (I omitted)

1 large egg

1/2 cup onion, minced

2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (can't find it here, seriously!) Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh parsley (our parsley died on us, so I used 2 teaspoons dried)

1 tablespoon water

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1/2 cup dry white wine

For the Marinara Sauce

1 tablespoon EVOO

1/2 cup onion, miced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 16 ounce can chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

salt and pepper

Directions

Start by making the meatballs. In a bowl combine all the meat, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, thyme, parsley, water, egg, and salt and pepper. Form into 24 uniform size meatballs. For this I like to use a small ice cream scoop (#25 or 30). Fry meatballs over medium to medium high in a little oil, browning on all sides. Transfer to meatballs to a baking dish. Add the wine and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a saucepan over medium heat add the oil and saute the onion and garlic for approximately 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and oregano and simmer for another 5 minutes. Lastly add the peas and simmer another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over meatballs and bake for 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

We are linking this post up to:

Recipes I Can't Wait to Try

Delicious Dishes

What's on Your Plate?

What's on the Menu Wednesday

Cast Party Wednesday

 

Carla and Michael

Preserving Summers Bounty

Goodbye Summer. Hello Fall. I love my Local Farmers Market. That being said, I decided I would stock up on the end of the summers beautiful vegetables and store them for use when they are no longer available in the fall and winter.

Fresh picked Baby Pea Pods are given a good wash.

See those beautiful fresh babies!

Shelled and rinsed again.

Into a big pot of boiling water they went to be blanched for 2 minutes. Then submerged into a big bowl of ice water until cool. Lastly I patted them dry on paper towels and sealed them up in my Food Saver.

Now in the dead of winter I can use my garden fresh peas or green beans (I did the same par-boil to them too) and I don't have to go to the freezer section in the store. I've also done the same with the beautiful zucchini and crookneck squash as well. My mother just froze a big batch of fresh green tomatoes and brought me a huge bag full. Yummy, fried green tomatoes will definately warm me up this winter. Thanks mom. I plan on visiting the farmers market and doing the same with the fall and winter vegetables during this up coming season.

Preserving Fresh Summer Vegetables

Garden Peas

Green Beans

Zucchini

Crookneck (yellow) Squash

Rinse off vegetables well in cold water.

Fill a large bowl with ice and water.Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.

When water comes to a full boil put in vegetables and immediately start your timer.

Peas only take a minute or two, most other vegetables take a full 3 minutes to blanch.

When time is up, immediatelyscoop out the vegetables and plunge into the ice water. This will stop the cooking process and help preserve the color and freshness.

When cooled, spread the vegetables out on a large sheet pan lined with paper towels and dry them off.

At this point, if you have the space in your freezer you can remove the paper towels and flash freeze or IQF (Individually Quick Frozen).

If you have a Food Saver all the better, if not just use a good zip freezer bag. Bag up vegetables in amounts according to your usage preference. Label item and date. Store in freezer for later use.

Linking up with:

Food Trip Friday

Foodie Friday

Friday Favorites

Weekend Wrap Up Party

Frugal Friday

Frugal Fridays

Feature Yourself Friday

Carla and Michael