<p>As far as cooking the brisket in a crock pot, I read on a different site that doing so results in a less tender cooked brisket. It’s not the leanest, most tender cut to begin with, and the long baking time in the oven is the right way to cook it. Trust me, I love the crock pot, but after seeing the cut of beef, I believe the writers who said to pop it in the regular oven!</p>
<p>Chi square: Well, that is a lot of information and now I probably know more than the butcher… I like the Norse spelling…and the myserious numbers in my earlier post have disappeared.</p>
<p>So now I have to go off to work but will ponder working up to a brisket…</p>
<p>Hours in an oven makes it a lot less likely to fit into my life.</p>
<p>Maybe I can try the same recipe with a different cut of meat, like a chuck roast. What do you think, cpeltz? I’m not a cook…</p>
<p>A brisket definitely isn’t the right thing to cook on a busy weeknight! While I cook, I’m definitely not a “cook”, so I’m the wrong person to ask!</p>
<p>Here is an easy recipe - and good for others dealing with vegetarian offspring.</p>
<p>Easy Asian eggplant Parmesan</p>
<ul>
<li>Asian eggplants (long, skinny, lighter purple eggplants)</li>
<li>ricotta</li>
<li>spaghetti sauce</li>
<li>mozzarella</li>
<li>parmesan cheese </li>
</ul>
<p>Slice eggplants lengthwise in two. (You must use Asian variety.) Spray pan with oil. Salt & bake eggplants 15-20 minutes at 350, skin side up.</p>
<p>Remove from oven & flip over. Top with spaghetti sauce & cheeses (family carnivore adds pepperoni to his) & bake for another 15-20 minutes.</p>
<p>Chisquare- you might do what I did last night. I put the brisket in the oven about 5 pm and set the timer for 3 hours. I took it out and let it cool. Put it in the refrigerator. I will take it out tonight and slice it and put it in the oven for 45 minutes to reheat. I try to never eat brisket the day I first cook it. Much better if it sits a day or two.</p>
<p>Hey, mom, that’s a good idea. </p>
<p>I was surfing the web looking for brisket tips & found a recipe that was identical, except it used a can of cola rather than the jar of cranberry sauce. That sounds good too, and I suppose would be a tenderizer. The raters gave it 5 stars.</p>
<p>The cola probably gives it the same sweetness that the cranberry jelly does.</p>
<p>Oprah had a show on yesterday with celebrity chefs. There are some recipes on her website that look interesting and doable for the average person.</p>
<p>Having a problem trying to figure out how to the brisket on the table. Everyone is gone from the house from 5:15 till 7:20. Brisket takes 45 minutes to reheat. Even if I start it the minute I get in it won’t be ready till after 8. Adding to my problem is that D wants egg noodles with her brisket. I picked up some baking potatoes after reading the suggestion on CC to throw a few potatoes in the oven. Thought I would put them in with the brisket.
I have a couple of ideas. I can program a stop time on my oven. I could put the brisket in at 5:15 and have the oven go off at 6. The oven is a Dacor and it will stay hot for long after the heat is off. I am thinking the brisket might be still hot when we come home. I just hope not dried out. Can you overcook brisket? This might also work for the potatoes if I put them in foil. But if D insists on the egg noodles I don’t know anyway to avoid them being overdone and sticky. Any ideas?
I am also going to see if there is a way to program the oven to go on at 6 and off at 7. </p>
<p>My 14 yr old has discovered the cooking channel. She is now planning on having her own cooking show one day. She now likes to come up with meals she has seen on TV.</p>
<p>I made the noodle bowl recipe (post 113) for dinner. It was very good. If I decide to make it again, I will reduce the amount of soy sauce because it was rather salty. I suppose you could either reduce the amount of soy sauce or cook more than one box of pasta, thus diluting the sauce mixture over a greater amount of noodles. I used pork as the meat.</p>
<p>mom60, this may be too late for you, but as long as you have the brisket pan covered with foil, it won’t dry out. </p>
<p>Well, I suppose eventually, but not in the timeframe you’re talking about.</p>
<p>Onward - glad you liked the “white trash chicken.” It is one of our favorite easy weeknight recipes.</p>
<p>Last night I made chicken tortilla soup:</p>
<p>2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 medium brown onion</p>
<p>Brown onion and garlic in oil until tender
Then add:
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
32 oz low sodium chicken broth
28 oz can crushed tomatoes</p>
<p>Bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes.</p>
<p>Then add:
2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts shredded
2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 or 2 cans (4oz) chopped green chili peppers
1 can of white or yellow corn
1 lime (squeeze the juice)</p>
<p>Simmer for 1 hour, then serve.
Toppings:
Crushed tortillas chips
Cheddar/Jack Cheese
Chopped green onions
Avocado
Sour Cream.</p>
<p>We usually serve with a small salad and corn bread.</p>
<p>I do a stir fry similar to the noodle bowl almost every week.
Here’s one version (I use different veggies each week).<br>
Saute cubed chicken or beef (usually put some aged Balsamic vinegar on it for flavor)
Remove from pan and saute cubed peppers ( I use red, yellow and orange), onions and peanuts.
Prepare a sauce in a glass measuring cup. About 1/2 -2/3 cup chicken broth, a few splashes of rice vinegar, more than a few splashes of lo-sodium soy sauce, a few spoons of apricot jelly or marmalade - heat in microwave until jelly melts and mix. Add about a tablespoon of cornstarch and mix again.<br>
Throw in the chicken, the veggies, and the sauce together in the pan and cook just a minute until bubbly. Throw on top of TJs brown rice (I like the frozen kind). if you have lots of hungry folks, serve with some of TJs dumplings (I like the vegetable gyoza).</p>
<p>veryhappy-
It is not to late. Only 4:30 here in Ca. I have it in a paella pan with lid but will also foil it. What about reducing the oven temp?</p>
<p>As long as it gets its 2 1/2 to 3 hrs at 350, it should be fine. It’s very forgiving.</p>
<p>Does anyone have good recipes with broccoli and/or cauliflower?</p>
<p>Hmom, my family loves this dish from the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten). I use slightly more pasta – about 3/4 pound, and more garlic. Don’t be tempted to cook the pasta longer than instructed – when the hot pasta is added, it cooks a bit more. </p>
<p>Broccoli & Bow Ties</p>
<p>Ingredients
8 cups broccoli florets (from 4 heads)
1/2 lb farfalle pasta (bow tie)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 lemon, zest of
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional) </p>
<p>Directions</p>
<p>Bring a large pot of salted water up to the boil, add broccoli florets, and cook for just 3 minutes; you need the water to cook the pasta, so do not drain; instead, remove broccoli with a large slotted spoon and place into a large serving bowl. </p>
<p>Making sure the water is still boiling, add pasta; cook according to pkg directions (about 10 to 12 minutes), then drain well and add cooked pasta to the broccoli. </p>
<p>While pasta is cooking, toast the pine nuts: place a small skillet over medium-low heat and add nuts to skillet; stir often–it will take about 5 minutes for them to toast; watch carefully so they do not burn; set aside. </p>
<p>Now heat the butter and oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat; add both minced garlic and lemon zest and saute for one minute. </p>
<p>Remove skillet from burner and add the salt and pepper, and the lemon juice; stir to combine then pour over the broccoli and pasta in the large bowl; toss. </p>
<p>Taste pasta and broccoli mixture and add more salt or pepper if necessary. </p>
<p>Sprinkle toasted pine nuts and parmesan over dish, and serve.</p>
<p>hmom, here’s a dish patterned after something we had in an Indian restaurant. Serve over basmati or brown rice. It makes a lot.</p>
<p>Potatoes, Peas and Cauliflower Curry</p>
<p>2 T vegetable oil
6 med-lg Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed in 3/4 inch pieces
2 T minced fresh ginger
1 head cauliflower cut into bite-size pieces
2 t salt
1 t turmeric
3/4 t chili powder
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t cardamom
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups water
1 can coconut milk
6 roma tomatoes, chopped
juice of 1 small lemon (or more to taste)
1 bag frozen petite peas
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)</p>
<p>Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes and ginger. Saute until potatoes are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Mix in cauliflower, then add salt and spices. Saute 5 minutes. Add water. Cover and simmer until vegetables are nearly tender – 10+ minutes depending on size of pieces. Add coconut milk and tomatoes. Cook another 5-10 minutes. Add peas. Cook until peas are heated through. Stir in lemon juice and adjust seasonings to taste. Sprinkle with cilantro if desired.</p>
<p>Just tried a recipe that is on Oprah’s website. It is called Greek Cinnamon Stewed Chicken. My family enjoyed it. I made it with rice and a salad. I will definitely make this again. I think that I can change it to make it slightly healthier (take skin off some of the pieces, omit the salt and maybe add a cooking wine). This time I followed their recipe fairly closely (made a bit more than what was listed).</p>