Feb 4, 2010 Posted by Lisa Milone on Feb 4, 2010 | 0 comments

And The Winner Is…

The winner of the Le Creuset giveaway is.. LISA ENSOR!

Lisa, I’ll send you an email shortly! A big thanks to everyone who entered and who follow me on twitter! Check back later today. I’m posting a new recipe

Jan 31, 2010 Posted by Lisa Milone on Jan 31, 2010 | 67 comments

Time For A Giveaway!

In effort to keep myself from being a procrastinator, I set a goal for launching this blog. I remember sitting on a bar stool at Fido (one of my favorite coffee shops) and setting a deadline for my first post – January 1st. Okay, okay, I was a little late but not by much!

For the anniversary of the first day I was supposed to be writing my first blog post, I want to post a giveaway to say thanks. I am incredibly thankful for everyone that comes and checks out recipes, sends emails, posts comments, and gives feedback!

Ready for the details? Thought so! Giveaway is for a Le Creuset 9″ Square Baking Dish with Bonus 5″ Baking Dish in Cobalt!

Trust me, I was really tempted to keep these for myself, but I definitely think someone will love these as much as I do. The wonderful people at Cookware.com have given me not one, but two baking dishes to give away. Yes, these are a set so they will both go to one winner. That’s such a bonus though! I’m a sucker for matching bakeware.

To enter: Just leave me a comment! To get another chance to win, follow me on twitter and leave another comment including your twitter name. This giveaway is open until 9am (CST) Thursday February 4th. This item can only be shipped to an address in the United States & Canada. Hopefully I can post an international giveaway soon (sorry!!).

Jan 29, 2010 Posted by Lisa Milone on Jan 29, 2010 | 8 comments

Southwestern Pulled Brisket

Three years ago I decided to cook my first dinner. I know it’s surprising that I had gone so long without actually cooking, but I typically just prepared foods instead of baking and cooking from scratch. It’s just easier that way. Let’s put it this way, I had no idea what I was doing. My mom had given me a wonderful crock-pot when I moved into my first apartment, but it basically just moved from cabinet to cabinet. One night I decided that I wanted to make a real dinner. It dawned on me that the crock-pot in the cabinet would be the easiest way to make this meal possible. I threw chicken breasts, mushrooms, and onions in a crock-pot with some spice mix and left it to do its thing. It came out delicious! Whoever invented this magical cooking device deserves a hug and a high five.

After that meal, the crock-pot went back in its carrying case and back in the cabinet. I’ve moved seven times since I received this gift of easy cooking. Each time I moved, the crock-pot found itself a new cabinet to call home. FINALLY, the other night I thought I’d give it another try now that I really enjoy cooking. What did I decide to throw in there this time? Brisket! This brisket isn’t just any brisket either; it’s southwestern brisket. You will be blown away by the amazing flavor that is cooking into this meat while you’re working or running errands. It’s truly magical.

I slightly modified this recipe from the Food Network. I’m so glad I stumbled across it and gave it a try. Also, Smitten Kitchen used this recipe to create some tasty brisket tacos! I served this over fried polenta squares and topped with crumbled goat cheese and red peppers.

Ingredients:
3 pounds beef brisket
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
1 (14.5 oz) can whole peeled organic tomatoes, with their juices
2 whole canned chipotle chiles en adobo (not 2 cans!)
2 bay leaves
6 tablespoons molasses

Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat just until beginning to smoke. Add the meat and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker; leave the skillet on the heat.

Add garlic, onion, chili powder, coriander, and cumin to drippings in the skillet and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vinegar and boil until it’s almost gone, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in water and pour the mixture over the brisket. Crush the tomatoes through your fingers into the slow cooker; add the tomato juices, chipotles, bay leaves, and molasses. Cover the cooker, set it on LOW, and cook the brisket until it pulls apart easily with a fork, about 9 hours.

To serve, leave the meat in the slow cooker and use 2 forks to pull it apart and stir it evenly into the sauce; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove and discard bay leaves.