Crockpot Beef Brisket

How Long
Preperation Time: Varies
Time To Completion: 12 Hours
Servings: 6

Ingredients
6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 medium carrots, sliced
3 medium onions, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste (depends on how salty the broth is)
dash paprika
dash ground black pepper
1 beef brisket, about 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pounds, cut in half, if necessary to fit in pot
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup cold water
3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
dash Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet (gravy browning sauce)

Instructions
PUT the carrots, potatoes, and onions into the crockpot. Trim off the fat from the briskets and divide it into 2 pieces if it’s too big to fit into the crockpot. Sprinkle it with a little bit of salt, a dash of pepper, and paprika. Place it on top of the veggies in the crockpot.
ADD the bay leaf and 1 1/2 cups of beef broth. Cover up the crockpot and cook it on low for about 11 to 14 hours.
REMOVE the bay leaf and put the brisket onto a cutting board. Take out the veggies and save the cooking liquid left at the bottom.
MIX 1/3 of a cup of water into flour slowly in a saucepan. Mix in the cooking liquid and gravy mix. Keep cooking until the gravy is thick. Season it to your tastes. Serve with the veggies and beef.

Tips
Keep the beef brisket and veggies warm while preparing the gravy.

Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

How Long
Preperation Time: About 5 Minutes
Time To Completion: About 25 Minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 sliced onion
1/2 cup regular barbecue sauce
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 French bread baguette about 20 inches long
4 slices of american cheese

Instructions
COOK the chicken along with the onions in a skillet on medium/high heat for about 8 minutes. Stir it occasionaly.
ADD the water, barbecue sauce, and sugar. Turn down the heat to medium and cover it up. Then cook it for another 7 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked which is 165 degrees.
REMOVE the chicken from the skillet and shred it or chop it into small pieces. Put it back in the skillet and stir it until it is evenly coated with the sauce. Cut up the baguette in pieces and put the chicken on it with a slice of cheese on top.

Tips
Use your favorite barbecue sauce and cheese for a wonderful experience.

Taco Bake

How Long
Preperation Time: About 15 Minutes
Time To Completion: About 35 Minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients
1 pkg. (14 oz.) Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning Mix
3/4 cup Sour Cream
1-1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
1 cup Chunky Salsa

Instructions
PREHEAT your oven to 400°F. Make the Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner as directed on the box. Cook the ground beef and add the seasoning packet just as instructed.
STIR up sour cream into cooked Macaroni Dinner then put about half into an 8 inch baking dish. Put meat mixture on top of it, 1 cup of cheese, then put the rest of the Macaroni Dinner on top. Cover it with some foil.
BAKE for 15 minutes then take it out of the oven. Add the salsa and the rest of the cheese to the top. Put it back in the oven, uncovered, and bake it for about 5 more minutes or until the cheese melts.

Tips
Add some crushed tortilla chips for extra crunch.

Healthy Cooking Is A Must for Families

When it comes to cooking healthy meals for our families, there is always some degree of dissention among the ranks. The good news is that there are recipes that are very healthy but the healthy nature of these recipes is somewhat disguised. What they do not know in these instances truly should not bring harm their way (outside of allergies, which should never be ignored).

Healthy cooking is often difficult as most of us do not want to spend time planning and preparing meals that our families refuse to eat. At the same time, we want our families to be healthy so we feel compelled to learn new and improved ways of cooking healthy foods for our family to enjoy (and unfortunately in some cases scorn).

With weight and nutrition being known as the culprit in so many health conditions it is impossible to ignore the importance of not only eating healthy ourselves but also of teaching our children the importance of eating healthy. One way to insure that your loved ones are in fact eating healthy is to make sure that you are cooking healthy and nutritious foods for them. This does not mean that you cannot enjoy the occasional calorie splurge or even that you shouldn’t. The key to cooking healthy is learning to control portions and understanding the importance of moderation.

For those that are hoping to incorporate healthy cooking habits into their daily routines, there are no more resources available than ever before in order to assist you in those endeavors. You can seek the services of a professional nutritionist, your doctor can offer advice, you can find all kinds of books on healthy eating, cooking, and living at your local library, and the Internet is an outstanding source of all kinds of information when it comes to leading a healthier lifestyle all around.

There are many books and magazines that are filled with recipes that encourage healthy cooking and eating habits. If you truly love to cook, then there is no shortage of recipes that you can try out along the way. The really good news is that you can incorporate healthy cooking into your cooking routine whether you are cooking for one or a household of ten.

There are many that will argue that cooking healthy food costs more than cooking the prepackaged foods that pack on the calories and additives. The truth of the matter is that when you compare the costs with the medical bills of the future for failing to do so, they seem rather slight by comparison. Yes, good food costs more money. In many cases, that is a simple fact of life. However, by learning portion control and eating the proper portions you just may discover that you are actually spending less as you adjust to the proper amounts of food you should be consuming in order to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

Cooking healthy isn’t an overnight change; it is a lifestyle change that should be implemented one step at a time. You do not have to go into your kitchen and through out every little thing that you deem ‘unhealthy’ only work to not buy more of these items once they’ve been used. Make wiser decisions when purchasing fats for food preparation and you will discover that you’ve made a vitally important step in the process of incorporating healthy cooking and eating habits in your home.

It’s those small steps you take towards your goal of cooking healthy foods for your family that will matter far more than any giant leap. Before you know it you will find that you all have more energy and a better sense of overall health than you would have imagined before changing your cooking habits. If that isn’t enough to encourage you however, you can always check out the excuse to go shopping for new clothes after you drop a size or two.

Gluten Free Cooking

When it comes to cooking, there are many dietary restrictions that will be encountered along the way. One restriction that is gaining some degree of notoriety in recent years is the need for a gluten free diet. Gluten is a substance that is commonly found in flour products that a decent sized portion of the population has a negative reaction to in some form or another. For these people, gluten free isn’t a choice it is absolutely necessary.

Gluten free cooking does impose many restrictions and often makes it quite difficult to enjoy something the vast majority of us take for granted—dining out. The good news from those who require gluten free cooking is that more and more restaurants are beginning to acknowledge this condition and offer some selections that are gluten free. It takes time, just as it did with low carb craze for the demand for these products to make it worth the industries while to make adjustments in their way of preparing foods.

While on the one hand it is frustrating to not have the option of dining out, there is some challenge to finding new and tasty foods and combinations for cooking each and every night without falling into a rut of the same old foods that you know you can eat without worry. Consider cooking gluten free a challenge rather than a chore and you may find that the process is much more enjoyable. You might even find that you appreciate the meals you’ve worked hard to prepare even better because of the great sense of accomplishment.

There are many resources available for those who need to eat gluten free foods. There are even more and more ‘convenience’ or prepackaged foods that are designated for gluten free cooking. This means that those who once had no option but creating meals from scratch do now have the occasional shortcut available to them. We are even finding cookie and cake mixes that are now gluten free in order to enjoy some of the finer things in life for those who would have been completely deprived only a few short years ago.

Changes are being made and resources are being shared through the Internet that help not only adults that require special gluten free cooking and diets but also support for the parents of children who must have gluten free diets. Cooking for children in the best of circumstances is often difficult. It is even more difficult when there are excessive dietary restrictions that often eliminate the possibility of our children enjoying childhood favorites. That is why it is so important to seek out the many resources and recipes that are available for gluten free cooking.

If you require a gluten free diet and have no idea where to start or what you should be cooking you should check out the many websites and blogs online that address the issues and needs that are faced by those requiring gluten restrictions. You will probably be amazed at the wealth of information that is available. Also, if you have a Trader Joes or Whole Foods store in your area, most of them either offer or will order gluten free products for your cooking needs.

Gluten free cooking does not have to be the chore many of us think it must be and all gluten free food doesn’t taste like cardboard. Take the time to get to know the wonderful gluten free recipes that abound and incorporate them one at a time into your cooking repertoire. You will be amazed at how wonderful you feel as well as how great the food tastes.

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