Crockpot Peppercorn Beef Brisket

CROCKPOT PEPPERCORN BEEF BRISKET

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I have never been a big fan of Brisket or Corned Beef.... until recently. I was staying at my sisters and her husband, who is an amazing cook by the way, made it for all of us. I was BLOWN away!! I had always thought it had to be dry and fatty, too peppery and rubbery... pretty much GROSS- but like so many other things in my adult life, I was way WAY wrong.
It was tender, flavorful and it melted in your mouth. I was so excited to try his method of cooking brisket, but with the HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS Salt-Free spices!

INGREDIENTS

4 1/2 pounds corned beef brisket

3 tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS BEEF RUB

1/4 cup black peppercorns

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 onion, peeled and quartered

INSTRUCTIONS 
Place the corned beef briskets into a large crockpot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the briskets by 1 inch. Add the HS Beef Rub, peppercorns and garlic powder and quartered onions. Cover the crockpot and set on high for 1 hour. At the end of an hour the water in the crockpot should be boiling. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cook for an additional 3-4 hours, checking hourly, and adding more water if necessary to keep the meat covered. Once the time is up-- carefully remove the meat from the pot, as it will be extremely tender. Set on a cutting board, and allow it to rest until it firms up a bit, about 10 minutes. Slice or shred to serve. I usually discard the cooking liquid, but it can be used to cook cabbage and other vegetables if needed. It will be so tender and juicy... it will literally fall apart in your hands! Serve with potatoes, cabbage or on hearty artisan rolls for a "grab and go" situation-- Pot Luck Dinners, Football Games, Office Parties the works!

 > > > > > > > > >  > > > YUMMY!!
Seriously... look how deliciously juicy it is! Even though its close to midnight... I'm starting to talk my self into a meaty midnight sandwich!

Crockpot Sticky BBQ Meatballs

CROCKPOT STICKY BBQ MEATBALLS
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This weekend we have a bunch of friends coming into town. Some will be staying with us which is awesome, but the kicker is that we never really know when they will be pulling into town. The drive from Salt Lake takes about 4 hours and they usually leave right after work, (without stopping for dinner,) so I always try to have something delicious and filling for them to nosh on when they get here. My crockpot is my weapon of choice in this situation. I can tackle dinner for my family AND our late night visitors in one fell swoop!

Now PAY attention cause I am going to throw a little curve-ball at you... For this particular recipe I actually use the HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS PORK RUB, and not the BEEF RUB. It has all those tasti-fied browns sugars & homestyle bbq flavors that I was looking for in this dish, and its a super simple SET & FORGET recipe, which I love!

INGREDIENTS
1 bag (48 ounces) frozen meatballs
1 bottle (28 ounces) your favorite BBQ sauce
3 tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS PORK RUB
1/8 cup Apricot jelly or preserves (optional)
1/8 cup Honey

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine meatballs, BBQ sauce, HS PORK RUB, Honey and apricot preserves in a crockpot.  Heat on High until warmed through, then set to Keep Warm until your guests are ready to enjoy them.

Herb Rubbed Mushroom Caps

HERB RUBBED MUSHROOM CAPS
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I love mushrooms! I do... I am a true-blue mushroom lover, sometimes I just eat them raw- I know thats probably pretty weird, but they are one of those veggies?? fungi?? well.. food! But I have come to grips with the fact that they are one of those foods people either LOVE or HATE... not many "in-betweeners" out there. SO for all those non-mushroom people out there, you may not be a big fan of this recipe, but I will say this much--EVERY time I make them... there are NO leftovers! They are perfect for parties, pot-lucks, game days, holidays, you name it! Cheap, Super Fast to make and DELISH! Its a simple recipe, which starts with (of course) MUSHROOMS! I pick them up in bulk at Costco or Sams, but for a normal family 1 or 2 of the smaller grocery store containers is usually enough for a side dish.

Really quickly, here are a few tips on storing and cooking mushrooms > > > > > > > > > >
If you won’t be using the mushrooms right when you get home from purchasing them, store them in a brown paper bag, just fold the top over loosely and your good to wait a few days. Just before cooking the mushrooms they will need to be cleaned. Although common wisdom says mushrooms should never be washed, many mushroom experts disagree. Wild mushrooms can be covered in all sorts of craziness including snail goo so always wash them to help remove bacteria. (For safety, they should also be thoroughly cooked.) Farmed mushrooms are either sprayed with pesticides and chemical fertilizers or grown in organic fertilizer (read: animal dung); either way, you should wash them. Nonetheless, don’t soak them in water, since it can really change their flavor. Instead, gently rub them with a damp terry towel or soft vegetable brush.

INGREDIENTS:
2 Dozen Large Mushroom
2-3 tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS Veggie Blend
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
HIMALAYAN Pink Salt to taste (optional)

 INSTRUCTIONS
Start cleaning by the mushrooms in what ever way you see fit! Pop off the stems and hold onto them for another great dish later during the week. Get a large, non-stick frying pan or skillet and lightly coat with a bit of olive oil.
Place the mushroom caps, bottoms-up, inside the botton of your pan. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the caps and generously sprinkle with the HS Veggie Rub. After about 3-5 minutes they will begin to >snap,crackle,pop<
Check one of the mushrooms out towards the edge, by flipping it over. They should begin to look golden brown, if they are not then give them another few minutes.

 Deliciously Golden Brown!

< < NOW BACK TO THE INSTRUCTIONS > >

 Add another sprinkle of the HS Veggie Blend, and a pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt and cook for another 3-5 minutes. You will notice water or moisture start to collect at the bottom of the pan, that means that they should be tender and ready to eat! Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the mushrooms with a slotted spoon to your serving dish (leave all that weird mushroom water behind) You can then dive right into these bad boys! I like to serve them with a multitude of different dips from simple ranch dressing, to spinach & artichoke or even one of my favorites; a jalapeno n' dill and sour cream dip that I will be featuring later this week! You name it, they are yummy on the side of something, or just by YUMMY ole' selves!! enjoy~