Roasted Beets

I've decided I need to expand our vegetable vocabulary, with a focus on  local and seasonal ones.  I've started going to our Saturday Farmer's Market and I try to get something new each time.  A couple weeks ago, I got golden beets and this week I got red ones.  I roasted the golden with potatoes (yum) and turnips (not yum), and we liked them so much I decided to try roasting the red solo.  Shocking surprise: beets not from a can are delicious!

Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese

• 1 bunch of red beets, trimmed and peeled*
• olive oil
• salt
• goat cheese

 Preheat oven to 400F.  Cut the beets into bite-size pieces.  I cut each beet into 4 slices, then cut those slices into quarters.  Drizzle with olive oil and salt and bake 20-30 minutes, or until fork-tender.

Sprinkle with goat cheese and serve. 

* It would be wise to use gloves and take care while handling the beets as they turn everything bright pink!

S'mores Tart

We recently visited some of my family in Austin and I brought them a few baked goodies as a thank you.  One such treat was the crowd-pleasing s'mores bites.  I had some of the graham cracker dough left over and I just couldn't let that go to waste, right? For some reason, I find tarts superbly pleasing (I think it's the fluted edges) and I was too lazy to think of a filling that would go as amazingly with a graham cracker crust as chocolate and marshmallows.  So s'mores tart it was!

S'mores Tart

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips 
• 25-30 marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350F.  

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat in the egg and vanilla.  In a small bowl, whisk together flour, crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until combined. It will be kind of clumpy.  Press into 10-11 inch tart pan.  

Spread a single layer of chocolate chips over the dough.  Bake 10-15 minutes, or until chocolate is softened.  Remove from oven and use a spoon or spatula to spread the chocolate into a one smooth layer.

Using sharp kitchen shears, cut each marshmallow in half and place cut side down on top of chocolate.  Turn oven to broil; return tart to oven and watch closely until marshmallows are golden and delicious.

Try not to eat it all in one sitting.

Brisket

So I'm a few posts behind.  That's what a trip, a houseguest, and laziness will do to a blog.  Also, hubby and I got chickens so we've been spending a good deal of time learning about them and designing a coop.  But anyway....

For Easter, I decided to try my hand at brisket, having always been too scared to attempt it before.  My grandpa used to make the best brisket ever, but I was entirely too young during those days to pay attention to, or even remotely remember now, what he did other than cook it for what seemed like forever in the pit.  My dad also makes a delicious brisket, seasoning it with a hodgepodge of spices in the pantry, cooking it mostly in the oven, and and then smoking it on the pit for the last hour.  I planned to follow his method, but also wanted a recipe for guidance.  A lady at work shared the Beef Brisket "To Die For" recipe from our local Junior League ladies' cookbook "Something to Talk About" which is a cookbook I happen to own.   And while I might not be dying over it, this is a pretty enjoyable recipe.

Beef Brisket "To Die For"

(Something to Talk About: Occasions We Celebrate in South Louisiana, pg. 165)

• 1 8-10 lb brisket, trimmed 
• Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 1 3/4 cups ketchup
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 10-oz can tomato soup
• 2 tbsp liquid smoke (I omitted this because I smoked the brisket at the end)
• 2 tbsp yellow or Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Preheat oven to 325 to 350F.   Season brisket generously with Cajun seasoning in a large roast pan with cover.  (Because I smoked mine, I used one of those disposable pans and covered it with foil.)  

Combine ketchup, brown sugar, soup, liquid smoke (if using), mustard, and Worcestershire in a bowl and mix well.  Pour over brisket.

Bake, covered, for 3 to 4 hours or until fork-tender.  

(Once the brisket was fairly tender, I put it in the pit for another 45 minutes to give it a nice, authentic smokey flavor.)

Slice thinly and enjoy!