Dad’s Brunswick Stew

After dad’s services, the family came back to the house and enjoyed a meal catered by the wonderful Big Woody’s Barbecue. Dad loved that food, so everything was carefully chosen according to his likes – smoked brisket, green beans, corn on the cob (What Woody does to corn on the cob is nothing short of ambrosial.), cole slaw, and potato salad; local food from a family business, with Jilly’s (also local) Cupcakes for dessert. I had brisket left over, and, after enjoying it for an additional day, decided to turn it into Brunswick Stew (something also offered by Big Woody’s, but only seasonally).

Traditionally Brunswick Stew has a variety of meats including chicken and pork along with the beef, with okra and lima beans as part of the combination of vegetables. Here, I used what I had leftover (and you can too) to make this delicious stew. It can be made in a Dutch oven, but the flavors tend to mingle so nicely when prepared in a slow cooker. 

Dad’s Brunswick Stew

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 14.5-oz. cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 14.75-oz. can cream-style corn

1 cup frozen corn

1 can cannellini beans

1 16-oz. bag frozen mixed vegetables

½ cup ketchup

¼ cup hickory barbeque sauce

½ cup Jack Daniels whiskey

¼ cup cider vinegar

1 tsp. Creole seasoning

1½ - 2 pounds leftover brisket, broken into bite-size pieces

Salt and pepper, to taste

Hot sauce, to taste

Place all ingredients, in the order listed, into a crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Season to taste, and serve with corn bread.

PRINT RECIPE

An equally easy and wonderfully delicious stew is this Dead Guy Stew, flavored with Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale. So good!

This post contains affiliate links.

Happy Birthday Dad! (and a Recipe)

Last Sunday I had a party to celebrate my dad's ninetieth birthday. Trying to comprehend ninety alone is quite a feat, but so was planning and executing a party. I made it simple: twenty guests, buffet style, tried-and-true recipes that are known crowd pleasers. Easy, right?  Well, yes, fairly easy, but no matter how many parties I give (and it has been an amount quite considerable), I am always struck (more accurately, struck down) by how much work it is.

I am a planner. I make lists. I make schedules. I prepare make-ahead dishes the day before. I fold napkins in advance. I set the tables the day prior. But time after time I still end up facing massive cleanup and borderline collapse.

There are rewards, though, and lots of them. Lively conversation and raucous laughter, serving dishes scraped clean, small and perhaps picky children telling me how delicious the food is, and a guest of honor who is overwhelmed and pleased. Success!

The exhaustion is always well worth it, as is the exasperation, the anguish, and the lumps and bumps taken during the process.  It appears the industrial-sized bag of Oreos that beaned me when they fell from the top shelf of the pantry onto my head did not concuss me. It looks like the wine that I poured on myself while making the Sangria did permanently stain a favorite, old shirt, but think of the fancy dust rags I now have - beaded! The smell of beef is no longer evident in the garage from my spilling meat juices onto the floor both putting the meat into and taking it out of the fridge. Good news, indeed.

Here is my menu with links to the recipes, where available.

Blushing Sangria

Superior Pecan Spread

Brown Sugar Smokies (Courtesy of my daughter-in-law)

“Outstanding” Beef Brisket

Pattie’s “Masterpiece” Baked Beans

Party Potatoes (recipe below)

Cole Slaw (from the deli)

Deviled Eggs (Courtesy of my aunt)

Bread Assortment

Cake (Courtesy of our friend, Lennie)

It takes a village.

Party Potatoes (or Company Potatoes, or Potato Casserole, depending upon the region from which you hail) has been around since the seventies. My mother gave me this recipe. I still have the original, written on the back of an envelope in pencil that has seriously faded. I thought everyone had this, but as I got requests after the party, I thought I would share it here. It is largely a bunch of prepackaged stuff dumped into a bowl and topped with cornflakes, but, boy is it good.

 If you are preparing for a party (or recuperating from having given one), keep these recipes in mind, and treat yourself as well as your guests by making it simple and casual (and keep the Sangria close at hand!). 

These white trays (with matching mugs and flatware) were purchased by my mother, queen of parties, back in the seventies. Oh, the parties they have seen! If you ever see something similar, buy them! They are perfect for casual buffets with sections for holding flatware, a notched section for holding a cup, and lots of separated space for food. I am proud to be their new owner.

Party Potato Casserole

1 (10.75-ounce) can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

6 T. butter, melted

1 (32-ounce) package frozen hash-brown potatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (8-ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

Ground black pepper

1/2 cup crushed corn flakes

2 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix soup, sour cream, butter, potatoes, onion, cheese, and black pepper (to taste), and turn into a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Toss together the 2 Tablespoons of melted butter and the corn flakes. Sprinkle corn flakes over potato mixture.  Bake for 45 minutes or until hot.

This post is linked to:

Mosaic Monday

Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friday

"Outstanding" Beef Brisket

When my mother became ill and needed to be hospitalized a little over a month ago, I knew I had a big job ahead of me.  Yes, caring for my mother (who is now recovering in a skilled nursing center, I’m happy to say) by keeping a very close eye on hospital staff was work, but even more daunting was cooking for my dad.  Three times a week I’d run (and still do) full meals (dessert included) out to him to keep him well nourished.  He’s happy with pretty much anything (Although I think he’s still reeling from the Torta Rustica not knowing, with a name that contained the word “Torta,” if it was a main dish or a dessert!) but, basically, he’s a meat and potatoes man.  So it was time, I thought, to pull out the meat-and-potatoes-man cookbook, Cooking the Cowboy Way: Recipes Inspired by Campfires, Chuck Wagons, and Ranch Kitchens.  The recipe below is adapted from the King Beef Oven Brisket in the book and was deemed “Outstanding” by my dad.  I have to say that he’s right.  It was the best brisket that I think I’ve ever eaten.

“Outstanding" Beef Brisket 

1 tablespoon Penzey’s Chili Con Carne Seasoning 

(can substitute chili powder)

1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1-1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1/2 teaspoon Penzey’s Northwoods Fire Seasoning (optional)

1 4-pound beef brisket, trimmed

1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the rub, combine the chili seasoning, salt, onion, garlic powder, mustard, pepper, sugar, espresso powder, and Northwoods Fire Seasoning in a small bowl, and mix thoroughly.

Season the brisket on both sides with the rub. Place in a roasting pan or Dutch oven and roast uncovered for 1 hour.

Add the beef stock or broth and enough water so that there's about 1/2 inch of liquid in the pan.

Cover tightly with heavy foil (or the lid, if using a Dutch oven), decrease the oven temperature to 300 degrees F, and continue cooking for 3 more hours or until fork-tender.

Slice the meat thinly across the grain. Top with the juices from the pan, and serve to the hungry man in your life!

This post is linked to:

On the Menu Monday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

What's Cooking Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Foodie Friday

100th Post, a Recipe, and a GIVEAWAY!

Today I am celebrating two things, first, this is my 100th blog post and in honor of such I have a tasty giveaway (please see details below).  Second, and MOST importantly, it's my son's birthday, so Happy Birthday, Andrew, you handsome devil, and one of the best sons a mother could ever have!

Chef, foodie, & birthday boy

We actually celebrated a little early with a delicious dinner on Sunday.  In addition to the toothsome Brisket Braised in Porter (Brisket seemed an appropriate choice considering Andrew is a big fan of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory -- other BBT fans will know why), Gruyere Potatoes, and salad, I also served green bean bundles that were a big hit.  The beauty of all of these dishes is that they are make ahead - yay!  I think a good side dish is often hard to come by, particularly where vegetables are concerned, so give this one a try and let me know what you and your guests think.

Green Bean Bundles
Yields: 12 bundles


1-1/2 pounds green beans, washed and trimmed
1 stick butter
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon packed, dark brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 slices of bacon, cut in half


Fill a large saucepan with wanter and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.  Add green beans all at once and when water retruns to a boil, blanch for 3-4 minutes.  Drain the beans and immediately run under cold water.  Pat dry and place in an overproof casserole dish.


While beans are blanching, melt butter in a medium saucepan.  Add mustard, brown sugar, garlic and salt.  Pour butter mixture over beans in casserole dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Make bundles of green beans using between 8 and 12 beans depending upon size desired.  Wrap a half slice of bacon around each bundle and secure with a plain wooden toothpick (do NOT use colored toothpicks, or the color will bleed onto both bacon and beans).  Arrange bundles in a single layer in the same pan used for marinating.


Bake, uncovered for 35-35 minutes until the bacon is cook and the beans are roasted.


~~~~~~ GIVEAWAY DETAILS! ~~~~~~
I was fortunate enough to get one of the first issues of this excellent publication on women and their sacred cooking spaces.  Now I want to share one with you.

Where Women Cook is the newest quarterly magazine from the publishers of Where Women Create and Somerset Studio. This premier issue features Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman; Robin Brown of Magnolia Pearl; Serena Thompson, The Farm Chicks; Mamma Agata's Cooking School on Italy's Amalfi Coast; CAKE, Celeste Shaw's newest restaurant & bakery…plus so much more! Creative storage ideas, eye-catching décor, delicious food and drink recipes, and inspirational stories will all be shared within the pages of this magazine.

To win this premier - certain to become a collectible - Winter 2010 issue, all you have to do is become a FOLLOWER of this blog and LEAVE A COMMENT at the end of this post.  That's it!

The winner will be selected on Sunday, January 23rd and announced in my posting on Monday the 24th.


This is linked to: