4th of July Slow Cooker Brisket

I have been making this easy, yet delicious, brisket for more than a decade. I think the original recipe came from a magazine, perhaps Quick Cooking. If you have a Food Depot near you, they have beef brisket on sale for $2.96 a pound right now.

4th of July Slow Cooker Brisket

Ingredients:

Dry Rub:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 1/2 - 3 pounds beef brisket, trimmed

BBQ Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1-1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard powder

Directions:
Rub the beef with the dry rub. Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine all of the BBQ Sauce ingredients. Place the brisket in the slow cooker. Pour 1/2 of the sauce over the top of the brisket and refrigerate the remaining BBQ Sauce. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low 8-10 hours. Serve with warmed, reserved BBQ Sauce.

Serves 6

Crazy Crunch BBQ Cups

Here's my latest prize winning recipe: Crazy Crunch BBQ Cups  It comes together very quickly-no "real cooking" involved.

http://phyllo.com/recipes/crazy-crunch-bbq-cups/

Budget Boursin Potato Gratin

My dear friend, Claire, requested a good, potato side-dish recipe. I thought I had posted this one, but I failed to share this deliciousness. My bad. I am re-posting the recipe for making your own Boursin, so you don't have to spend $6 for a little circle of it anymore. Let me know if you like this one as much as we do.....

Budget Boursin Potato Gratin

Budget Boursin
1-8 ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon dried dill
1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients until well-mixed. Refrigerate for up to a week.
Boursin Potato Gratin

Ingredients:
2 cups half and half
1  Budget Boursin cheese
3 pounds potatoes, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9x13 pan. Melt the Budget Boursin and half and half in a medium saucepan until it is smooth.  Layer all of the potato slices in the pan. Pour the cream mixture over the layers. Bake for one hour, uncovered.

Grilled Lemon-Lime Chicken

I can't believe I haven't posted this family favorite recipe yet, and this is BG post #75. You make a simple marinade and let the chicken absorb the flavors all day. I think the original recipe came from a Quick Cooking magazine. A perfect, affordable summer meal! 

              Grilled Lemon-Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup cider vinegar

3 tablespoons lemon juice (and zest, if available)

3 tablespoons lime juice (and zest, if available)

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder (California-style preferred)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

4-6 chicken breasts

Directions:

In a medium-large bowl, mix the eight marinade ingredients together. Marinate and refrigerate the chicken breasts for a minimum of four hours or up to twelve hours. Grill the chicken until thoroughly cooked.