Beef Brisket with Pomegranate Sauce

I'm not a vegetarian.  Duh, there's a big hunk of meat pictured above.  But I don't cook meat all that often, especially large cuts.  I took a quick look at my blog stats and only 5% of my posts contain beef or pork and another 5% are devoted to chicken.  The stats are also pretty low for seafood.

I think a New Year's resolution is going to be devoting a little more time to protein based posts.  I normally don't buy into the whole New Year's resolution thing, but I really do have a lot things I want to accomplish in 2012 and maybe if I put some of these goals in black and white, I will be less prone to procrastination.  Okay, probably easier said than done.  Who are we kidding that I can change a lifetime of procrastination with the mere statement of a resolution.  But I can dream, right?

The weekend before Christmas Hubby and I had 2 couples over to enjoy a meal and help us decorate our Christmas tree.  We had a great time and ended up with a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. 

But I have to be honest, I have a love/hate relationship with entertaining.  Which, in part, ties back to my procrastination tendencies.  I love having people over.  I love cooking and baking.  I love putting all the little touches on everything from the food to lighting strategically placed candles and tea lights and picking out place mats.  But I tend to completely stress myself out during the process.  Especially the closer the clock gets to my guests arrival time.  I try, try, try to plan ahead (as much as my procrastinating self will let me) and make lists and start preparing really early in the morning.  Inevitably I always feel rushed in the final hour, and have moments of panic when I think, it won't all get done.   No matter if I start at the crack of dawn, or give myself a few extra hours of sleep, I always end up in the same rushed state...every time.  And every time, some how, some way, it does all get done.

One would think this beef brisket cooked in a crock pot would be the perfect dish to ease my stress.  That might be the case if I started cooking it the day prior to the event.  Instead, I went shopping for a 5 pound slab of brisket the morning of.  Store number 1 had a brisket...one.  It was 13 pounds (and they would not sell it in smaller portions).  No good.  We called ahead to store number 2 (while standing in the aisle of store number 1) and were told, yes of course, we can order you a 5 pound brisket and it will be here by Tuesday!  Um, thanks, but no.  We just headed to store number 3 with a prayer and a list of other items we needed to pick up.  The entertaining God's were with us because Costco came through and sold brisket in 5 pound increments!  Score!

This recipe really is easy.  I would recommend an anti-procrastination approach and cooking it overnight the night before you want to serve it.  Then you can pull out the meat and refrigerate it.  What is so great about refrigerating it is you can slice the chilled meat into nice neat slices (instead of the brisket falling apart into shreds of beef), a tip I picked up from In Erika's Kitchen where I found this tasty recipe.  Then you can warm the meat up back in the crock pot a couple of hours before you serve your dinner. 

The pomegranate sauce makes this brisket really special.  It is a rich, onion-y, slightly sweet sauce with a wonderful depth of flavor from the pomegranate juice and dried cranberries.  It's pretty darn delicious.  It looks like a thick brown gravy, but the cool part is it is not a traditional gravy requiring butter and flour to thicken it.  You simply puree the juice and cooked down onions and dried cranberries and reduce it in a saucepan to the desired flavor and thickness.

We served the beef brisket with roasted sweet potatoes with red onions and a wonderful salad our friend Sharon brought with granny smith apples, dried cranberries, green onions, sunflower seeds and feta cheese tossed in balsamic vinaigrette.   A recipe I've already tucked away for future use.

Beef brisket with pomegranate sauce would be great dish to make for the final night of Hanukkah.  Happy 8th night of Hanukkah!  It would also be nice for a New Year's Eve meal.  Or you could make this for New Year's Day football watching or Super Bowl and serve the meat shredded with the sauce on King's Hawaiian Rolls for a brisket slider.  

Enjoy! 

And here's to anti-procrastination in 2012!


Beef Brisket with Pomegranate Sauce
from In Erika's Kitchen

1 quart pure pomegranate juice
1 5 pound flat cut brisket, cut in half (to fit in crock pot)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 red onions chopped
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries

Bring pomegranate to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook until reduced by about 1/3.

Meanwhile, begin preparing brisket.  If you wish trim off some of the fat, now would be time.  Be sure to leave some of the fat on as this gives the brisket flavor and helps to keep it moist.  Sprinkle salt on both sides of brisket and brown in a hot skillet on both sides until seared.  Transfer the brisket to your slow cooker (fat side up).  Add oil and onions to the same skillet and cook about 5 minutes until the onions started to brown a bit, about 5 minutes.  Place onions in the slow cooker on top of the brisket.

Add the beef bouillon, tomato paste, cumin, brown sugar and cherries to the reduced pomegranate sauce and stir.  Pour sauce mixture over the onions and brisket.  Turn your slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours until brisket is tender. 

Remove meat and set aside on a plate or cutting board.  Transfer liquid and onions to medium sauce pan and puree using an immersion blender (or transfer to a standard blender) until smooth.  Cook until sauce reduces by about 1/4 to further intensify the flavors.  Check the season and add salt if needed. 

Slice or shred brisket and pour sauce over the top.  Note to get nice clean slices of brisket you can refrigerate the meat and then slice and reheat with sauce in the slow cooker.

Filet of Beef with Horseradish Sauce

Can you say ultimate leftovers?  This sandwich was made from left over filet of beef tenderloin with creamy horseradish sauce that Hubby and I made for our Mystery Dinner this past weekend.  Mystery Dinner is our fun new monthly activity that Hubs and I came up with as way to try new dishes at home and work together in the kitchen with a glass of wine in hand.  This month's dinner started with this 44-clove garlic soup and ended with creme brulee (to be posted on Friday).

And in between, our eyes rolled in the back our heads and closed, along with some grunting noises and murmurs like, "Mmmm", "Wow!", "Oh my God!," as we ate this filet of beef.  It was AMAZING.  It was melt in your mouth delicious. By far, the best beef we've ever made at home.  Tender, juicy, flavorful.   Heavenly, really.  I don't know if this was the wine talking, but I couldn't have been more happy with how this turned out.  And the horseradish sauce was a nice cool, creamy and spicy accompaniment.  Horseradish and beef are destined for each other. 

This was so easy to make and the ingredients couldn't be more simple.  Filet of beef, butter, salt and pepper.  That's it!  Seriously.  Goes to show you that delicious meals don't have to be complicated.

This recipe comes from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties cookbook.  Her original recipe calls for a 4 to 5 pound tenderloin but since it was just the two of us, we purchased the smallest one behind the butcher's counter at 2 pounds.  We halved the rest of the ingredients and kept the cooking time and temperature the same.  From what I understand, tenderloins are typically the same width and a larger filet is just longer and not thicker, so I didn't adjust the time in the oven.  The tenderloin goes onto a baking sheet in a 500 degree oven for exactly 22 minutes for rare and 25 minutes for medium rare.  We went with 22 minutes and it was perfect!  I recommend using an oven thermometer to verify your oven is up to temperature. 

I will say that filet of beef is not something that we buy every day.  In fact we have never bought a whole tenderloin before.  I've always wanted to make a tenderloin though, and Mystery Dinner was the perfect opportunity.  We went to our favorite butcher where we know they have the freshest, highest quality products and we forked over the credit card.  It better be high quality at $27.99 a pound!  But the splurge was worth every penny.  So incredible!  Did I mention how amazing this was? 

This would make a great special occasion dinner, like New Years Eve, Valentines Day or why not Columbus Day?  Treat yourself!

I wish I had snapped a photo of this gorgeous tenderloin the night we made it, but I have decided that I really can't stop and do a mini photo shoot in the middle of our Myster Dinner preparation.  Plus the lighting is no good at night.  But trust me when I say it was beautiful!

We got 3 meals out of the filet of beef (1 dinner and 2 lunches) which makes the price a little easier to handle.  We used  homemade dinner rolls slathered with plenty of horseradish sauce and stacked with beef for these tasty little sandwiches.  If only all leftovers were this good. 

If you are beef lover and have never tried to make a filet of beef tenderloin at home, you have to try it.  It really couldn't be easier! 



Filet of Beef
adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties

Serves 4

1 whole filet of beef (tenderloin), about 2 pounds, fat trimmed away and tied (your butcher will do this for you at no charge if you ask)
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degree F.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Pat the filet dry with a paper towel.  Rub the beef with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper on all sides.  Bake for exactly 22 minutes for rare or 25 minutes for medium rare.  Remove from oven and transfer beef to a cutting board and cover tightly with foil.  Allow it to rest 15-20 minutes at room temperature.  Remove strings and slice in thick slices, 1/2 - 1 inch thick.  Serve with horseradish sauce (recipe below).

Horseradish Sauce
adapted from Food.com

1/2 cup sour cream
1/8 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish (more if you like it spicy)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use. 

Nancy's Mexican Cornbread and 3-Day for the Cure

Today's post is a special one.  It's about cornbread.  And it's about breast cancer.  I know that cancer isn't as fun to talk about as cornbread.  But life isn't always as simple as cornbread, unfortunately.  Sometimes things like cancer show up on our doorstep one day and things change.

Let's begin the story with the fun stuff...the cornbread. 

This is no ordinary cornbread.  Normally I think of cornbread as a side served with chili or ribs.  Nancy's Mexican Cornbread is no side dish.  It's the main course.  This delicious southern style cornbread is baked in a cast iron skillet and is filled with hearty ground beef, onions, jalapenos and cheese.  It's warm, delicious comfort food.  Serve it with home made salsa (recipe to be posted later this week) and sour cream, chopped cilantro or some avocado slices and you have a seriously tasty dish on your hands. 

It presents beautifully in pie shaped wedges.  And the best part is it's really easy to make.   You mix up the cornbread batter and pour half the batter into a 10 inch cast iron skillet.  Pile on the delicious filling....browned ground beef, onion, jalapenos and cheese and then top with the remaining batter.  Baking it in the iron skillet gives the cornbread a nice crisped outer edge that I love.  No one would ever know what yummy flavors lie inside.  This dish would be great for dinner or brunch and looks great served straight from the skillet.

This Mexican Cornbread recipe is extra special because it comes from my close friend Shannon's Mom, Nancy.  Thanks for sharing Nan!  We met Shannon 10 years ago when Hubby and I were living in Chicago and she has been one of my best pals ever since.   She has a fabulous sense of humor and always makes me laugh.  Even during difficult times, like last year when I fought against breast cancer (and won, by the way)!

At 36 years old I was diagnosed with breast cancer and it was scary and confusing.  I had a lump in my left breast and after a number of tests it was determined that I most likely had stage 1 with a slow growing type of cancer.  Which is actually good news in the cancer world!?  But that's when the confusion really set in.  Because of the type of cancer I had, there were a number of options, including removal of both girls (even though only one had cancer!) and reconstruction, removing just the tumor (a.k.a "Fred" as Hubby named it), various radiation treatments, possible chemo and hormone therapy.  It was all very overwhelming and Hubby and I met with umpteen doctors to explore all the options.  Ultimately I ended up having just the tumor removed followed by partial radiation.  I was lucky and did not have to have chemotherapy.  And the best news is I continue to remain cancer free!

What was most impressive about going through this process was the amazing treatment options that were available.  My radiation therapy was a newer advancement in radiation treatment that cut the radiation time down from 30 - 35 treatments to just 5 treatments.  As little as a decade ago, breast cancer was a condition that often resulted in mastectomy as the standard course of treatment.  Today there are a number of possible treatment paths that can be taken depending on the situation.  

These amazing strides have been made possible by so many people, including the wonderful groups out there raising money for breast cancer research and support.  The Susan G. Komen organization is the leading non profit group focused on raising money for this cause.   I am incredibly humbled by all the women that have come before me and battled with this disease as well as the talented medical professionals who have been treating breast cancer over the last several decades.  Their experiences coupled with organizations like Susan G. Komen, have made the advanced treatment options that are available today possible.  

So how does this all tie back to my good friend, Shannon (besides her fabulous sense of humor keeping me smiling during a sucky time)?  She was inspired by my battle with breast cancer and decided to sign up for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure, 60 mile walk.  I was so touched that my experience inspired her to commit her time and effort to walk 60 miles in support of breast cancer.  60 miles is a lot of miles!  To quote Shannon's 3-Day for the Cure web page, "3 DAYS (wow), 60 MILES (where's the Ben-Gay?), NO SHOWER......NO PROBLEM." See what I mean about her sense of humor? :)

What Shannon didn't know when she signed up for this great cause, was that just a few months later, her own mother would also be diagnosed with breast cancer.  Nancy's battle with breast cancer has been much more complex and difficult than my own.  Shannon describes her Mom's cancer as being "a lot like the mexican cornbread, simple at first glance then when you cut into it, 'SURPRISE', but in a bad way."  You see initially Nancy's cancer was thought to be similar to my own situation.  But upon getting the pathology results back after her first surgery it was revealed that she actually had two kinds of cancer.  One slow growing and one very aggressive.  Thankfully they caught it early. 

Shannon and Nancy

Nancy is kicking cancer's butt and taking names as we speak!  She has had multiple surgeries and continues to endure chemotherapy and weekly IV infusions.  She is 2/3 of the way through her chemotherapy treatment and will be finished in September. She is also on a breakthrough drug called Herceptin which hinders the growth of new cancer cells and will finish with that part of her treatment in Spring of 2012.  Shannon says Nancy is doing fantastic considering everything and that "she's rockin' the bald look" and wears it well! 

Shannon's takeaway message/life lesson that she has has learned from this experience is that if you are diagnosed with breast cancer, get yourself a TEAM of doctors so that the communication and continuity of care is part of your treatment process. 

I concur with Shannon and say to anyone out there who has been diagnosed to not be afraid to ask questions.  Don't be afraid to get a second or even third opinion.  This is a complicated disease and education is key to determining the path of treatment best for you and your circumstance.

Donate to a great cause!

Shannon has been training for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure most of the year and she kicks off the first leg of the 60 mile walk this coming Friday, August 5th, in the Chicago area.  Please join me in supporting Shannon on her walk and head over to her donation page by clicking here.  Shannon has raised $2,500 as of the date of this post I'm hoping that we can help her raise even more for this very important cause. 

If you want to learn more about my personal experience, you can head over my blog Gloria vs. Fred that I set up to keep my friends and family informed during my journey last year.  I had previously kept this blog available to friends and family, but I think it's important to share it with a larger audience.  If any part of my story helps just one person with their own journey then it is a success. 

Thank you so much to Shannon and Nancy for letting me share their story with those who read my blog.  You are both amazing and inspirational women!

If you would like to make a contribution to further breast cancer research and support head over to Shannon's donation page.

Oh, and you should totally make this cornbread. It's delicious!

Nancy's Mexican Cornbread

1 cup yellow cornmeal plus 3 tablespoons
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons oil
1 15 oz can creamed corn
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, chopped (use according to taste)
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter or oil to grease your baking pan

Preheat oven to 350. 

Brown ground beef in a large skillet and season the meat with salt and pepper.  Drain fat off and set ground beef aside.   

Use butter or oil to grease a 10 inch cast iron skillet.  Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of cornmeal to coat bottom and sides of the skillet. 

In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt and stir until well combined.  Add milk, egg, oil, and creamed corn and stir until well combined.

Pour half of the cornbread mixture into the prepared skillet.  Spread ground beef evenly over the cornbread mixture.  Spread the onions, jalapenos over the top of the beef.  Top with cheese and then pour remaining cornbread mixture over the cheese and spread to cover evenly. 

Place skillet in the oven and bake for 50 - 60 minutes, until cornbread is golden brown and springs back to the touch.  Cool for 15 minutes and cut into wedges.  Serve with your favorite salsa, sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Note: If you don't have a 10 inch cast iron skillet you can use a 9x13 baking dish and make 1.5 times the recipe noted above and follow the same baking instructions.

Cheeseburger Stuffed Mushrooms

For a good portion of my life, I didn't like mushrooms.  I don't remember what changed but some magic thing happened and I started liking mushrooms sometime in my 20's.  I love the earthy, meaty, yet delicate flavor of these fungi.  Mushrooms are a great package to present other flavors.  My family makes a stuffed mushroom that is to die for.  Really it is.  These mushrooms are the first to go when served at a party.  They contain bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, onions and the ingredient that takes them into the "to die for" category....mayonnaise.  Oh yeah!  Don't turn your nose up.  It's pure indulgence and deliciousness.  Someday these "deadly" mushrooms will make an appearance on The Ginger Snap Girl. 

In the meantime I have another stuffed mushroom to share.  The Cheeseburger Stuffed Mushroom.  To be honest, it's very similar to the stuffed mushroom my family makes, subbing out the bacon for ground beef.  Now, what would really be delicious is making this a bacon cheeseburger stuffed mushroom.  Mmmmm.

Cheeseburger Stuffed Mushrooms

1 lb large mushrooms, white or cremini

1/3 pound of ground beef

3/4 tsp Lawerys Seasoning Salt

1/3 cup of finely diced white onions, reserve a couple of tablespoons for garnish

1/4 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese

3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise

Remove stems from mushrooms and discard.  Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel.  Place mushrooms in the basket of steamer and steam for 8-10 minutes to release the mushroom's liquid.  Meanwhile pre-heat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non stick cooking spray and set aside. 

Brown ground beef in a non stick skillet.  Season beef with seasoning salt halfway through the cooking process.  Once beef is cooked, drain off the fat and place ground beef in a medium bowl to cool.  Once beef is room temperature, stir in onions and mayonnaise.  You only need to use enough mayonnaise for the mixture to stick together to form a filling to be stuffed inside the mushrooms. 

Remove mushrooms from steamer and place topside down on foil lined baking sheet, placing about 1 inch apart.  Generously fill each mushroom with the beef mixture.  Don't be shy and pile it high.  I use my fingers to pack the filling in the mushrooms.  Sprinkle filled mushrooms with grated cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.  Garnish with reserved diced onions and serve.
Note:  For an even cheesier cheeseburger stuffed mushroom you can also add grated cheddar cheese in the filling mixture to your taste.  Just add enough mayonnaise so the mixture sticks together.

French Fridays with Dorie: Hachis Parmentier

How can you go wrong with meat and potatoes? This delicious recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan's new book Around My French Table. This is my first week cooking along with the new cooking group French Fridays with Dorie where we plan to cook and bake our way through Around My French Table. I'm excited to report this was a success!

I have to give kudos to my Hubby because he did most of the cooking on this one and I supervised because I'm recovering from some recent surgery. We were both a bit confused by the recipe as we chose to go with the "Bonne Idee" or "Good Idea" and used ground beef and beef broth rather than cube steak and homemade buillion or broth. It took a few tries of reading the recipe, or ten, and finally we managed to get things on track. It came together rather easily...or at least that's how Hubby made it look. I spent a lot of time fretting about what type of sausage to use. It just seemed counter intuitive to use Italian sausage...but that's what Hubby bought at the grocery store and I was relieved to find that it worked nicely, adding a great level of flavor to the ground beef. The final result was really tasty! It is a warm and inviting comfort food, perfect to serve for a fall or winter Sunday dinner. I look forward to making this recipe on my own next time. This will definitely be making a repeat appearence in our house. Mmmmmm.


See how other members of the group did with their Hachis Parmentier by clicking here.

Tacos Family Style

I'll just say it up front. Get the big mystery out of the way. The secret is ketchup. Yep. I said ketchup. My family has been eating tacos this way since my mom was a kid and the tradition has been passed on. My dad adopted the tradition and carried it on even after my parents parted ways. And earlier this week, I was lucky enough to get an invitation to indulge in this delicious, old favorite at Dad's house!


My Dad and step Mom invited Hubby and I over for tacos in exchange for a little computer assistance. It's a no brainer if tacos are involved (nothing personal about your company guys if you are reading this). My step Mom not only fried up fresh corn tortillas for the taco shells, but she also fried up fresh chips. Along with some homemade guacamole that I brought along, and the infamous tacos, it was a pretty darn good meal! Let's just say I didn't leave hungry.



The tacos are simple and so very delicious. A fried corn tortilla filled with ground beef and sauteed onion, lettuce, tomato, freshly grated cheddar cheese and.....my good friend Mr. Ketchup.


I see you scrunching up your face and going, "Ewww!". But the question is, have you ever tried it? I totally get that ketchup doesn't fall into the "Mexican" category. I am with you. But this isn't about authentic Mexican food. It's about tasty and heart warming comfort food. So don't knock it till you try it! Ketchup is the essential ingredient to bring a little tangy, sweet tomato-y goodness to the crisp yet chewy fried shell, crumbly ground beef, cool lettuce and tomato and soft, tasty cheddar cheese.

Homemade tacos are an old favorite that will always bring me back to childhood and fond memories of sitting around the table with the family enjoying food and conversation. It's a special treat that I look forward to every once in a while. So Dad, Mom, Grandma? I am available anytime for a taco dinner! Just sayin.

Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak with Blue Cheese Sauce

I recently purchased the latest Ellie Krieger cookbook, So Easy. I have had lots of success with her previous book, The Food You Crave and was excited to try a recipe from her newest book. I decided to volunteer my family as my guinea pigs and served this as the main course for our Mother's Day lunch. It wasn't too shabby for a first pass. What would a recipe be without some modifications? I felt the marinade didn't have quite enough tang for my taste. I will add a teaspoon or two of dijon mustard next time. The blue cheese sauce was a little too salty given the lack of tang in the marinade. A slight cut back on the blue cheese and an increase in the buttermilk next time should do the trick. I highly recommend marinating this one overnight and cooking it a scant 4 minutes on each side. The grilled red onions along side are delicious!

This would pair well with a tangy coleslaw and some watermelon wedges for a healthy and tasty summer meal. Click here for the recipe.