Pioneer Woman

The Leftovers

Of course, no Thanksgiving dinner would be complete without meals carefully planned for the leftovers in the following days. Here’s a list of what we’ll be having, (in addition to the requisite turkey-on-Rye bread sandwiches!):

These dinners are almost as exciting as the big meal itself!

Tasty Tuesday–Braised Beef Brisket

I make this Pioneer Woman recipe every year on the Fourth of July, and I also made it for our big Markelparty on Sunday. It’s definitely a family favorite!

  • 2 cans Beef Consomme
  • 1/2 cup Lemon Juice
  • 1-1/2 cup Soy Sauce
  • 5 cloves Chopped Garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons Liquid Smoke
  • 10-15 pounds Beef Brisket

Combine first five ingredients in large roasting pan (a disposable is just fine). Place brisket in the marinade, fat side up. Cover tightly with foil. Marinate in refrigerator for 48 hours. When ready to cook, place pan covered in foil into a 300-degree oven. Cook brisket for approximately 40 minutes per pound.

When fork-tender, transfer whole brisket to a cutting board. Slice against the grain and place slices back into the cooking liquid. Alternatively, shred the meat for sandwiches. Serve immediately, spooning juice over the meat. Barbeque sauce may be used, if preferred.

You may store pan in fridge for up to two days or freeze for use at a later date. If fat collects and hardens at the top, remove and discard.

Epic Markelparty

Over the years, our various homes have hosted many Markelparties. We’ve had memorable gatherings in every home we’ve lived in, (at least they were memorable to me!), with varying numbers of guests. I can remember thinking that having five or six guests over was a lot, back when we were in a tiny one-bedroom apartment. But the party we had here last night was truly epic, as we were hosting 18 of Ryan’s co-workers from the Automattic Happiness Team.

I have never prepared so much food for any one event in my life–not even holidays. I actually had to draw myself a diagram of our kitchen counters so I could make sure everything would fit, (of course the diagram and the final arrangement have very little in common)!

The main event was the shredded meat–beef brisket and Dr. Pepper-Chipotle Pork (both recipes courtesy of the Pioneer Woman). Turkey lost a tooth during dinner, courtesy of his brisket sandwich–I don’t think anyone else suffered that fate, though!

We also had a variety of BBQ sauces for people to sample at their discretion, our focus being on “local” flavors from St. Louis and Kansas City.

There were the standard side dishes–baked beans and potato salad, (neither homemade–I’m not Super Woman!), as well as Jalapeño-Cilantro Slaw, for the sandwiches, or just to be enjoyed on its own. I wasn’t impressed with the corn at the grocery store on Sunday, so that got nixed. Oh, and we had the ubiquitous pickles, too.

We had a small salad bar, too, (with another local flavor–salad dressing from The Hill)–it really didn’t get very much attention. Then again, who wants salad when there’s all that delicious shredded beef and pulled pork?

Plenty of snacks–Buffalo Chex mix, potato chips, and a huge veggie tray, with two different dips. The dip I made from scratch was much more popular than the store-provided stuff, even though it didn’t look as cool–the store put their dip in hollowed out bell peppers!

Let’s not forget the drinks–in addition to the iced tea, lemonade, Dr. Pepper, wine, (from Missouri and Illinois), and mixed drink ingredients on the counter, we also had a cooler full of soda and various types of Schlafly beer–another local offering.

And desserts! I made two different kinds of blondies–dried cranberry-chocolate chunk and butterscotch-caramel. These were definitely popular, which is a good thing, because they’re my signature baked good!

After dinner, there was Rock Band. Lots and lots of Rock Band. People rotated in on the various instruments–guitar, bass, drums–even vocals, which is the one thing that is often ignored around here. I don’t think anyone ever played keyboards, though. The fog machine and light kit even made an appearance, although with so many people in the house, the fog didn’t last long!

This was by far the most diverse group of people we’ve ever had in our home. Not only did we have people from all over the country in attendance, but there were literally people from all over the world as well. It was delightful hearing so many charming accents in our home, and a great opportunity for the children to learn first hand what people from different places sound like when they speak. For one evening, anyway, I felt rather cosmopolitan!

In the words of Nathan Fillion as Mal Reynolds on Firefly, it was a “Mighty fine shindig!”

Tasty Tuesday–Spicy Chipotle Pork Sandwiches with Jalapeño-Cilantro Slaw

This is a Pioneer Woman recipe that I tweaked a bit to suit our family. Both the meat and the slaw are quite spicy. The slaw is very pretty and summery with the bright green and purple colors!

Spicy Chipotle Pork (serve on Kaiser rolls):

  •  2 Whole Onions, Peeled And Quartered
  • Pork Shoulder Picnic Roast (about 6 lbs.–I used two smaller roasts)
  • Salt And Pepper
  • 1 can (12 Ounce) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce
  • 24 oz. Dr. Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the crock-pot.

Pour the can of chipotle peppers and sauce into a medium bowl. Pour in the Dr. Pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in. Pour over pork.

Cook on low for 10-12 hours, turning the roast every few hours. Check meat after 10 hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.) If it’s not falling apart, leave in the crock-pot for another 1-2 hours.

Remove meat from crock-pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Before returning the meat to the cooking liquid, strain out the onions and whole peppers. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it’s cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stovetop and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.)

It’s quite spicy–you’ve been warned! The pork can make a repeat performance as quesadilla filling later in the week, if you’re looking for a quick leftovers meal.

Jalapeño-Cilantro Slaw

  • 1/2 head Cabbage, Sliced Thin
  • 1/2 head Purple Cabbage, Sliced Thin
  • 1 whole Jalapeño, Halved Lengthwise, Seeds Removed, And Thinly Sliced
  • 1/2 cup Whole Milk
  • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon White Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
  • 2 cups Cilantro Leaves, Barely Chopped

Combine shredded cabbage and sliced jalapeño in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix milk, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Pour over cabbage. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate two hours.

Before serving, toss in cilantro leaves. Serve over meat in kaiser rolls.

The slaw is also spicy, so you may want to leave out either the jalapeño or the cayenne pepper to tone down the heat. It can be served on other sandwiches as well, and for the courageous, who either really like spicy food, or coleslaw, or both, can be eaten on the side.

A Feast Fit For A…Patriot

You didn’t think I’d say king on Independence Day, did you?

Over the past few years, I’ve developed our family’s traditional Fourth of July dinner. The main course is the Pioneer Woman’s beef brisket. It is, without a doubt, the best meat dish I have ever prepared. I think the real secret to the success of this dish is the liquid smoke…I look for any reason to use that stuff, and it is simply amazing as part of the marinade for a very slow roasted brisket.

We, of course, had all of the traditional side dishes. Corn on the cob, baked beans, and potato salad.  I have, in the past, attempted to make my own baked beans…they were OK, but not really worth the effort in my opinion. And Bush’s has that secret sauce that the dog’s always trying to give away, so I don’t feel too bad using canned beans. I sometimes make the potato salad from scratch, but not this year…sometimes it’s nice to just relax and enjoy the holiday without making yourself crazy with preparing and cooking!

The beverages of choice for this holiday were root beer, and regular beer. OK, not regular, because it was a fancy Schlafly brew, but still, beer. The children think it’s very exciting any time they get to have soda with a meal, and what’s more American than root beer?

Of course, the day wouldn’t be complete without a little patriotic Funfetti! It may just be a box mix, but there’s something charming about the sprinkle-laden cupcakes. Plus, it’s another tradition…so it’s a necessity, no matter how corny it is!