Beef Brisket Sandwiches

The great thing about this recipe is that you do most of the work the day before. On the day you want to serve it, all you basically have to do is slice and reheat! Don’t be concerned about the beer; it helps to tenderize this otherwise tough cut of meat and the alcohol will evaporate during cooking. Also, you don’t want to leave out the horseradish; this is the secret ingredient that gives the sauce its’ zip!

1. Place beef brisket fat side up in a large (13×9x2 inch) oven-proof casserole or baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix beer, ketchup, and remaining ingredients. Using a whisk if you have one will make this go faster and eliminate lumps. If you don’t have a whisk, try using a fork to beat the mixture.
3. Pour beer mixture over brisket and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, covered loosely with plastic wrap.
4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and bake brisket in a 300 degree oven for 4 hours. Remove from oven and let cool. Refrigerate covered with plastic wrap overnight.

On the day you plan to serve brisket:

1. Skim fat from top of sauce in pan. Remove beef from pan (do not remove sauce). Cut beef in slices to desired thickness across the width (short side) of the brisket and put back in pan with sauce.
2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Cover beef loosely with foil and re-heat in pan with sauce in a 200 degree oven until heated through, about one hour (you will want to check beef after 30 minutes, and every 15 minutes or so after that to avoid drying it out). Serve beef in buns with extra sauce spooned over meat, if desired.

Note: Meat can be served cold after this and leftovers can be frozen with sauce.

Easy Coleslaw

In a large bowl, toss the coleslaw mix with about ½ jar or bottle of dressing. If slaw seems dry add a bit more, but remember that the cabbage will give off some water as it sits in the dressing, so don’t add too much or slaw will become watery. Refrigerate for several hours to let flavors combine. When you are ready to serve, if slaw seems dry, add a little more dressing until it seems right to you. Remember, you can always put more dressing in, but you can’t take it out!

Seasoned Steak Fries

1. Bake fries as directed on bag on a large 15×10x1 inch cookie sheet.
2. While fries are still warm, sprinkle with seasoned salt as desired.

Recently I have been in Spring cleaning mode, sprucing up and organizing our big ole’ barn of a house from top to bottom. It’s a lot of work, and not something I look forward to, but my efforts have resulted in some unexpected benefits as well. Not only do I now have clean closets and drawers, but I’ve also uncovered some long-forgotten treasures like the notebook from my 9th grade Home Economics class that I wrote about the other day.

During my recent Spring cleaning frenzy, I was cleaning the home office my husband and I share, and came across another treasure- the Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library that used to belong to his mother. It was given to me by D’s brother after our sister-in-law Kitty passed away, and it’s exactly like the one my mother used to have. This yellow plastic box with recipe cards is vintage 1970’s and chock-full of recipes that are truly a blast from the past.

I started flipping through the slightly-faded cards, and came across so many recipes I remember from my childhood…dishes my mom used to make on a regular basis like Tuna Chow Mein Casserole, Pizza Potatoes, and Foil-Wrapped Dinners. These oldies but goodies are still as delicious today as they were 30+ years ago, and I will be sharing them with you from time-to-time because retro is cool again, and good food never goes out of style!

Today’s recipe is probably my favorite from childhood, mostly because the name appealed to my 10-year-old self more than the actual dish. The Betty Crocker recipe card calls it “Oven Porcupines”, but my mom always called it “Porcupine Meatballs”, a name that never failed to amuse me and my brother. This recipe is 70’s comfort food at its’ best, and tastes just as good now as it did when my mom made it.

Oven Porcupines aka Porcupine Meatballs(adapted from The Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library, copyright 1971, General Mills, Inc.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine meat, rice, 1/2 cup water, onion, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into balls. Place meatballs into ungreased 8×8x2 baking dish. Stir together tomato sauce, water, and Worcestershire sauce; pour over meatballs. Cover with aluminum foil; bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Note: This recipe can also be prepared in a skillet on the stove. Prepare meatballs as directed. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet; brown meatballs. Drain off fat.  Stir together tomato sauce, water, and Worcestershire sauce; pour over meatballs. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 45 minutes. If necessary, add small amount of water during cooking.

Here’s what we had, in no specific order:

Carbonara Pizza – This one went over hugely here. Not only were there no leftovers, I’ve already had requests for more. I used the cheaper bacon alternative, but other than that there were no changes made and it was perfect.

Arroz on Pollo – Another hit with returns for seconds (and thirds for some!) and one more added to the family recipe pile.

Grandma Nucci’s Meatballs – (pictured) This is now my go-to meatball for pasta dishes. This was the most delicious meatball I’ve had, hands-down! Bursting with flavor and a mere 5 ingredients, it doesn’t get any simpler or tastier.

Penne Pasta with Pesto – Two of my absolute favorites together – and the pesto recipe was perfecto! The kids loved it as well and it’s gone into our rotation, too.

Sticky Lemon Chicken – So good! Yet another go-to for a quick chicken recipe and one that everyone liked. Any side dish would go well with this, but we made the recommended mashed potatoes and peas & carrots.

Barbecue Bacon Burgers – OK, so I’ve been doing things like adding potato chips to my sandwich for years, but who’da thunk to add them to a burger? I’ve been asked to ‘please only make this burger from now on’ , and I think I’ll oblige! Very tasty and something you can serve for family or company.

That was our week  - and next time we’ll do meals from appetizer through dessert and report on that, as well. Please give one or two of these a try, they’re very worth it!

This recipe serves up delicious chicken and a sauce on the side – all in one pan and in under 20 minutes!

Our entire dinner this evening (except the bread) was very quick and simple, but so good that all of the kids asked for seconds. I served this chicken with steamed Brussels sprouts and orzo (which the kids can never get enough of) and there were clean plates all around.

The versatility of this is another reason I like it so much. Change up the liquid to just about anything, wine, stock, juice – and you can change the flavor of the entire dish very easily and still have great results. I made a sauce with an Asian influence tonight, but often I use orange juice in place of the soy sauce and add a bit of white wine. Use your imagination with this one.

Super Easy (and fast!) Chicken
Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Ready In: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

4 chicken breast halves, pounded to an even thickness or butterflied and cut the whole way through
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
4 Tablespoons cooking oil
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons Mirin

1. Stir together flour, salt and garlic in a resealable bag. Toss chicken in the bag and seal. Shake the bag to coat the chicken pieces well.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides – about 5 minutes for each side.
3. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
4. Add stock, soy and mirin to pan and stirr up all the browned bits. Continue stirring until sauce is slightly thickened (the flour from the chicken will do this well) and add the chicken back into the sauce. Coat each piece and cook for a minute or two before serving.

Most hashbrown casseroles call for melted butter to be added, but with all that sour cream and cheese, I never feel the need for it. You can use lower fat dairy alternatives and this will still come out tasting fantastic. Just don’t use the fat free cheese, it won’t melt the same.

Easy Hashbrown and Ham Casserole

3 pounds frozen shredded hash browns
16 ounces sour cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sliced green onion
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups cubed cooked ham

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Empty hashbrowns into a large bowl.
Blend together sour cream and milk.
Pour over hashbrowns and add 1 1/2 cups Cheddar, onion, ham (if using) and salt and pepper.
Toss until well combined and pour into a well greased 9×13 baking dish.
Top with remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar and bake 30 minutes until bubbly and browned.