Crock Pot Brisket

This is a super easy and delicious recipe for "slow cooked" brisket!  I call this semi homemade.  It has a fantastic dry rub that is a mixture of ingredients that you need to make yourself but the sauce that is added at the end is from a jar and the combo is amazing!

Ingredients:

1st Cut Brisket 2-3 lbs
2 large sweet onions cut into chunks
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bottle of Soy Vey Hoisin Garlic Sauce

Preparation:

Mix together, brown sugar, paprika, black pepper, chili powder, salt, cumin and cayenne pepper.  Spread the dry rub mixture all over the top, bottom and sides of your brisket.  Place your onions on the bottom of your slow cooker and then lay your brisket on top of the onions.  Cover the slow cooker and set on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.   After the full time is up, transfer your brisket to a cutting board and let rest for 10-15 minutes.  Slice brisket across the grain and place back into your slow cooker.  Pour the full bottle of Hoisin Garlic sauce over the top, cover and cook on high for at least another hour but it can braise in the liquid for longer if necessary.  Serve hot!

"Leftover-Makeover" Curry Chicken Fried Rice

I love taking leftovers and creating a new meal from them. One of my favorite left over makeovers is fried rice. I always have the ingredients on hand in my freezer and pantry so it’s a very easy go to dish for a last minute meal. I had Chinese white rice in the fridge and leftover teriyaki chicken in my freezer ( I made teriyaki marinated chicken cutlets for dinner a few weeks ago and diced up the left overs and froze them). This is a very simple recipe because you really don’t have to measure anything. Just dump in what you like and season to taste. Any chicken would work as well. I have used leftover roasted chicken many times and it’s delish.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 pints left over Chinese take-out white rice
1 Cup frozen peas, corn, red peppers, edamame
1 C. Frozen Broccoli
1 T. curry powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. red chili flake
1/3 C. soy sauce
1 egg
1 C. left over cooked chicken, diced

Preparation:

Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with oil and set on medium heat. Add frozen vegetables and sauté for 2 minutes. Add white rice and continue to stir until heated through. Add curry, garlic, onion powder, red pepper flake and soy sauce and stir through. Next, make a well in the middle of the rice. Crack an egg into the well. Scramble egg, then mix into the rice. Add the cooked diced chicken and heat through.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

I just made these today when I noticed a full pint of blueberries untouched in my refrigerator.   Wow these are good!  Sweet and tart all in the same bite!  The addition of the Greek yogurt in the filling is perfect to cut the sweetness of all the sugar in the crust.  These were delicious straight out of the oven or once they are cooled!  You can also substitute any berry that you prefer as well as mixing all the leftover berries together! I will have to try that next time.

Ingredients:

Bottom Crust and Crumble Topping:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

3/4 cup cold butter, cubed

Filling:

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup non-fat greek yogurt

Pinch of salt

2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preparation:

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine all crust ingredients (flour, sugar, salt and cubed butter).  Using a hand mixer blend ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse sand.  It should be crumbly not smooth.  Remove 1 cup of the crust mixture and set aside to use as the topping.  Take the remaining crumb mixture and press into the prepared 9x13 baking dish covering the bottom.  Bake the crust in your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the crust is firm but should not be brown.

While the crust is baking prepare the filling.  In a bowl whisk the eggs and hen add the sugar, greek yogurt, flour and salt.

When the crust is ready pour the blueberry filling over the top of the hot crust and then take your remaining cup of the crust mixture and sprinkle over the top of the filling.  Bake for 60 min until the top is slightly browned.  Wait about 20 minutes and slice into squares.  Or if you do not have the patience serve by the spoonful hot over ice cream! YUMMY!

Crab Cake Sliders with Homemade Tartar Sauce

This is a awesome appetizer!  I served this last week during a fun cocktail party with friends and everyone just loved them!  The homemade tarter sauce is a must to bring it all together.  Very easy recipe and can be made ahead so it's a must try!

Ingredients:

Crab Cakes:

1/3 cup Mayonnaise

1 large egg, beaten

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 lb lump crab meat (picked through for shells)

3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped

Canola or Vegetable Oil for Frying

Preparation:

In a medium bowl mix together, mayonnaise, egg, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and salt and pepper to taste.  Set Aside.  In another bowl combine, lump crab meat, breadcrumbs and parsley.  Pour mayonnaise mixture into crab mixture and combine carefully, trying not to break up the crab.  Form mixture into small, slider size patties and pan fry in vegetable oil over medium high heat until brown on both sides.  Transfer to a plate covered in paper towel to drain excess oil.  Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 F degree oven until ready to serve.  

Tartar Sauce:

1 cup Mayonaise

2 tablespoons dill pickle, chopped

2 teaspoons dill pickle juice

1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

2 teaspoons lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation: 

Mix together all ingredients and chill before serving.

Too assemble slider, place 1 crab cake slider on a small slider bun or a Hawaiian roll, top with tarter sauce and enjoy!

Strawberry Crumb Bars

This recipe is just as delicious as it is easy!  I made this for Father's Day and everyone LOVED it!  It's the perfect summertime dessert!  It uses only fresh strawberries for the filling but when it bakes the strawberries bake into a jam consistency making this dessert sweet and gooey and perfect!  You can definitely substitute other berries such as blueberries, raspberries or blackberries if you prefer.  I'm exited to make this again maybe next time trying mixed berries, YUM!

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups flour

1 cup cold butter

1 egg, beaten

4 cups fresh strawberries, chopped

1/2 cup sugar

4 teaspoons corn starch

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 F.   Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper (this make for easy removal and quick clean up) . In a large bowl whisk together sugar, baking powder, salt and flour.  Cut cold butter into the flour mixture using 2 knives until pieces are pea sized.  Stir in the egg to form a chunky dough.  Pat down half of the dough mixture into the baking dish and reserve the other half as a topping for your crumb bars.  In another bowl combine the chopped strawberries, sugar and cornstarch. Spread the strawberry mixture on top of the dough in the pan.  Crumble the remaining flour mixture of the top of the strawberry layer evenly.  Bake 45-55 minutes util slightly browned.  Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

Spring Time Rainbow Cookies

Rainbow Cookies have always been a favorite of my family.  I wanted to make them with a Spring Twist so here are my version of Rainbow Cookies in pretty Spring colors!  Really anything goes!  For Valentine's Day it would look so pretty in shades of Pink and Red, 4th of July - Red, White and Blue!  Here for Springtime I choose, Pink, Teal and Lime Green.  This recipe is a little labor intensive but I promise you, it's worth it!  It' a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

8 ounces almond paste
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/4 cup apricot preserves
3/4 Cup chocolate chips

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Preparation:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F.   Spray three 13" x 9" x 2"  pans with cooking spray. Line each pan with parchment paper and coat the paper with cooking spray.

In a large bowl add almond paste. Use a fork to break it up into small crumbs.  Using a hand mixer  combine almond paste, butter and sugar and mix until fluffy.  Next, add the egg yokes and beat until incorporated.  Now add the flour and use a wooden spoon to stir until well combined. 

In separate bowl beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the almond batter until thoroughly blended.

Separate the cookie batter into 3 small bowls and a different food color to each bowl and mix until desired color is achieved. 

Add each of the three colored batters into one of the prepared pans, using the spatula to spread the batter to the edges. Bake at 350 degree F and rotate pans halfway through the bake time so that they bake evenly. until the edges are golden, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then invert onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely.

To Assemble:

Place one layer on a large cutting board or a large inverted baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the top. Place the 2nd layer on top and spread with the apricot preserves. . Top with the last cake layer. Cover with plastic wrap and place a heavy cutting board on top to weight it down. If you don't have a large heavy cutting board you can put another sheet pan on top an weight down with cans. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in a microwaveable bowl. Spread the chocolate on top of the cooled cake and let it dry slightly. Trim the rim of the cake with a serrated knife to make clean edges. Cut the cake into strips and then cut each strip into squares. 

Passover Granola

Happy Passover!

This recipe is nothing short of delicious.  I was given this recipe from a new friend that I met recently playing Mah Jongg.   It's made with Matzoh Farfel and lots of yummy dried fruit and nuts.  My friend Caryn, who already made some for her family was so sweet to drop off a whole bag of mixed dried fruit so I can test this recipe.  Thank you Caryn!  I hope you try it too because it really is amazing.  If you don't have Matzoh Farfel, you can just take sheets of Matzah and place in a large Ziplock bag and crush the using a rolling pin.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Matzoh Farfel
1 Cup Almonds, Coarsely chopped
1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) Butter
2 Tablespoons Honey
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Mixed Dried Fruit ( I used Apricots, Prunes, Figs and Apples)

Preparation:

Preheat Oven to 325 F.  Spread Farfel on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-20 minutes, tossing several times until it's very lightly toasted (watch carefully)

Meanwhile in a 2-quart saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, honey and salt.  Bring to a simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Place the Farfel, Nuts and Dried Fruit in a large bowl and drizzle the Brown Sugar/Honey mixture over  top.  Toss until Farfel, Nuts and Dried fruit is coasted well.

Spread mixture back on to cookie sheet and bake in a 350 F oven for another 10-20 minutes stirring frequently to prevent burning, until Granola is golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool.  Once Granola is cool you can store in an air tight container to store or just take a handful and Enjoy!