Brisket Day!

I’m hungry for beef tacos tonight, plus my son has a wrestling tournament after school that will last God knows how long, SO I’m cooking a beef brisket with chipotle chiles in a slow cooker.  I’m using a recipe from “What’s Gaby Cooking” modified slightly – I’m not putting in any molasses.  I have some Guinness in the fridge left over from holidays and was tempted to add that, but I wasn’t sure if it would make the broth bitter and waste the entire brisket.  Will test that another time on smaller cut of meat.

We will be eating this thing all week – it is a full brisket (5+ lbs) as that is all the butcher had in where I shop.  Once the meat is cooked totally tender and shredded, I spoon it plus some of the onions and chiles onto a flour tortilla.

I put out chopped cabbage, crumbled Mexican cheese, guacamole, and salsa to go with.  Cabbage has more heft and crunch than lettuce and will hold its own with the brisket.  I think lettuce is OK on ground beef tacos, but is too wimpy for brisket.   The whole process is so easy – I sliced and sauteed the onions and garlic this morning, then stirred them into the slow cooker along with the chiles and all of the spices.  The brisket is seared in the same skillet and then stuffed (did I mention it is HUGE?) into the slow cooker and left to cook on low for however long it is until we get home tonight.

Way easy!  Plus the house smells fabulous all day long with all of those spices!

 

New year – new commitments!

I’m a believer in New Year’s resolutions.  To be more accurate, I’m a believer in ONGOING resolutions.  I read once that it takes 21 days of action to make something a habit in your life.  So, I’m constantly assessing all aspects of my life and tweaking.  No draconian measures, just constant evaluation and improvement.

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Lowe’s – No More….

Dear Lowe’s:

I am writing to let you know that I will no longer shop at Lowe’s due to your recent pulling of advertising from the TV show “Muslim in America”.
I don’t watch that show, nor anything else on that channel, but the fact that you let your advertising policy be dictated by a group of ignorant self-righteous bullies is ridiculous.
The Florida Family Association has every right to express their opposition and to voice their opinions, but Lowe’s should not feel compelled to defer to them.
I hope the Florida Family people spend enough at your stores to make up for all of the other customers you are driving away by your recent cowardly short-sighted actions.
And I must say that if Lowe’s actions were NOT in reaction to the Florida  Family Association, but just a reflection of your own corporate values (or lack thereof), then that is even worse than cowardly.

I have spent $XXXX at Lowe’s in the past two years.  I realize that the amount we have spent is no big deal in your overall corporate picture, but from this point on, it will be ZERO!

How’s your PC?

That’s pimento cheese, NOT political correctness, for any non-southerners. It is a southern staple.  Served on sandwiches, with crackers, and shockingly (to me anyway) scooped on top of hamburgers, it is a southern staple.  Primarily composed of cheese and mayo, this is not a food for a nutrition fiend.  I am very picky about what I eat, but as I’m a total gym rat and work out ALL the time, I think there is room in my diet for the occasional “junk”.  Sorry to you southern people to deem your PC as nutrional junk, but that’s basically it.  Anyway, I LOVE Carrie’s Hot Pimento Cheese.  It is from a kitchen in Charleston and it is totally addictive.  It has Tabasco sauce and cayenne pepper mixed in to give it some zest and takes it out of the “boring” category.  You can find it in Charlotte at Reid’s Fine Foods on Selwyn Ave. Apparently, if you order biscuits to accompany, you can buy it online from www.calliesbiscuits.com

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I do make the sandwiches on whole grain bread as a concession – that does keep it out of the total junk food category – or maybe I’m just justifying my craving!

The garden IS growing!

I’m sitting here in the 92 degree weather like a moron looking at my gorgeous little garden.  I THINK, just for the
moment, I have the upper hand on the beetles that were devastating the eggplant.   I certainly hope so, it’s about time for those to start producing.  Thanks to NEEM oil and thanks to Matt Kokenes of microfarm Organic Gardens for turning me onto the stuff, the plants are looking much repaired.

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The House Hunt…………..

I spent the afternoon looking at houses.  Not a bad afternoon; it was actually lots of fun.  Visited eight places – five warrant a second visit, the other three, I NEVER want to see again.  I feel a lot like Goldilocks – most of the houses are too big or too small, still looking for JUST right size.

I feel for the people who have to keep their houses clean while on the market;  that is absolute MISERY!  You run around, cleaning everything, hiding the dog and the dirty laundry and then go out and drive around the block while people come through and pick EVERYTHING to pieces.  People will complain about the DUMBEST things!  It is SO hard to take the criticism after a while.  You have this house that you have lived in, loved, taken care of, and people bitch about the landscaping, the kitchen, too may rooms, not enough bathrooms, too much yard, not enough yard, etc. etc. etc.  It is really hard!  On the one hand, you hope for somebody to come along who will love your house as much as you did and that it will be the perfect space for them.  On the other hand, COME ON! – a lot of the complaints can be easily remedied if you have half a brain.  The worst is people who complain about the paint color or the shrubs in the front yard.   I firmly believe that people who are too stupid to re-paint a room or replace some shrubbery are just too stupid to own a house in the first place.

So, with that, I did not dump any houses off the list because of PAINT colors.  The ones I nixed had:
1)  kid’s graffiti all over the walls in the living room – can’t you clean that up?  Can’t you tell your kids NOT to write on the living room walls?  Who’s the adult here??  It just made the whole house seem grungy and unkempt.
2) a floor plan that was like a maze in Alice in Wonderland – I may have nightmares about that tonight.
And
3) eight foot ceilings.  I am a fixer-upper and believe that just about anything can be remedied, EXCEPT, there’s just not a lot you can do about eight foot ceilings.

So – it is back later this week for round two with the remaining five houses to show the spousal unit and younger offspring.  UNLESS these sellers all get offers in the meantime, which is a very real possibility around here right now…………………