Beef Brisket

OMG, I need to mark Monday down on the calendar. It's the first time EVER Joe liked a new recipe more than I did. This was my first time making brisket. Overall, I enjoyed it. I think I would have liked it a little more tender--perhaps cooking for only 8 hours instead of 10? Either way, it was a hit and easy to make. I rubbed the spices on the night before and then just stuck it in the crock pot in the morning. It's so nice coming home to the smell of dinner cooking.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

3 pounds beef brisket, trimmed of fat
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups barbeque sauce (We used Famous Dave's)

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine thyme, paprika, pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and cumin in a small bowl; set aside. Rub brisket all over with liquid smoke, then rub with spice mixture. (I did this the night before)

2. Pour Worcestershire and barbeque sauces into a slow cooker; place beef on top. Cover, and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours, until fork tender.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

The Baltimore Nesties call this "crack dip" because it's so addicting. I heard so much about it I finally decided to give a try. I loved it! And an added bonus, Joe liked it too. This is definitely more an appetizer than a meal, but since we didn't have any parties coming up, I made it into a meal. I followed MrsNDM's recipe on Baltimore Nestie's Cooking Blog. Since it was only the two of us, I halved the original recipe and think it would still be plenty for a party of 6 or so. I preferred celery and carrots as the dippers over bread and tortilla chips.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups boiled, shredded chicken breast
12-oz bottle Frank’s Buffalo Wing sauce (not hot sauce)
1 cup ranch or blue cheese dressing (I used ranch, not a big blue cheese fan)
16 oz cream cheese (2 packages, softened – not low fat b/c the texture is different)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar and loved it!)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the softened cream cheese with the wing sauce and ranch dressing until all lumps are gone (either with a whisk or an electric mixer). Add in the boiled, shredded chicken. Mix well.

Pour into casserole dish (at least 8×8), sprinkle cheese on top, and cover with foil. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese is bubbly in the center (another 10 minutes or so).

Serve hot with tortillas, bread, or veggie.

Note: Can also be done in a crockpot.

Slow-Cooker Lasagna

Another recipe from Kraft foods. I thought it needed more flavor, but Joe didn't. I turned on the slow cooker before I left for work, so it was on low for over 8 hours. That's definitely too long and I think that's why it dried it out. I wouldn't push six hours if you're going to make it. I'd also only use 1/2 pound of ground beef next time since I thought it was too meaty.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. ground beef (I'd recommend 1/2 pound)

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 cup water

1 container (15 oz.) BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Ricotta Cheese

1 pkg. (7 oz.) KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

1 egg

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (I used 1 tbsp of dried parsley flakes)

6 lasagna noodles, uncooked

DIRECTIONS

BROWN meat in large skillet; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Mix ricotta, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan, egg and parsley.

SPOON 1 cup meat sauce into slow cooker; top with layers of half each of the noodles, broken to fit; and cheese mixture. Cover with 2 cups meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit; cheese mixture and meat sauce. Cover with lid.

COOK on LOW 4 to 6 hours or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; let stand, covered, 10 min. or until melted.

(Second photo from Kraft's website)

Slow-Cooker Lasagna