? teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 2 packages dry beef gravy mix, the kind that makes 1 cup (I used Schilling)
salt and pepper to taste
Hannah’s 1st Note: If you don’t want to use beer in this recipe, you can substitute a cup of beef broth or a cup of tomato juice.
Spray the inside crock of your slow cooker with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. (This will make it easier to wash later.)
Place the red potatoes in the bottom of the crock.
Place the carrot nuggets on top of the potatoes.
Place the onion quarters on top of the carrot nuggets.
Place the drained, button mushrooms on top of the onion pieces.
If you haven’t already done so, cut the beef brisket in half and trim off the layer of fat to make it as lean as possible.
Add both pieces of brisket to your crock.
Place the beef broth in a mixing bowl.
Add the dark molasses to the beef broth.
Add the cup of beer to the bowl.
Add the marjoram, thyme, and cardamom (or cinnamon) to your bowl.
Add the jarred garlic to the bowl.
Add the coarsely ground black pepper to the bowl.
Sprinkle the contents of ONE package of dry beef gravy mix over the pepper in the bowl.
Put the 2nd package of gravy mix on the counter next to the Crock-Pot in case you need it later. (You may, or you may not – it all depends on how juicy your onions and meat are.)
Hannah’s 2nd Note: I’ve used Lawry’s Seasoned Pepper in place of the coarsely ground black pepper. It’s good!
Mix the ingredients in the bowl together with a whisk or a wooden spoon. Continue to whisk or mix until everything is well blended.
Pour the contents of the bowl over the ingredients in the crock.
Put the cover on your slow cooker, plug it in, and turn it to LOW.
This dish needs to cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. You can also turn it up to HIGH for 2 hours and then turn it back down to LOW for an additional 4 to 5 hours.
You will be through cooking when you can easily pierce the brisket with a fork and the potatoes and carrots are also fork tender.
To serve, remove the pieces of brisket from the crock and place them on a cutting board. Cut the brisket into 8 to 12 pieces.
Remove the vegetables from the crock and place them in a serving bowl.
Cover the bowl and the meat platter with foil to keep them warm.
Check the gravy that has formed. If the gravy isn’t thick enough, turn the Crock-Pot up to HIGH and sprinkle in the 2nd package of dry beef gravy mix.
Stir in the gravy mix and cook until the gravy is thick enough to pour over the warm brisket on the meat platter.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings of tender beef and tender vegetables.
SAVORY TORTILLA CUPS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 bottle Italian dressing (I used Kraft)
1 can finely grated Parmesan cheese (I used Kraft in the green foil can)
12 ten-inch flour tortillas
Spray the inside of 12 regular-size muffin cups with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
Hannah’s 1st Note: Usually muffin pans have 12 cups in them. You can also use 2 muffin pans with 6 cups in them.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: I’ve filled these baked Tortilla Cups with mixed vegetables, rice, or beans. Just don’t try to fill them with something that’s too wet or the cups will get soggy.
Place the Italian dressing in a shallow bowl that’s larger than the size of the tortillas.
Place the finely grated Parmesan cheese in another shallow bowl a bit larger than the size of your tortillas.
Using tongs, dip one tortilla in the bowl with the Italian dressing. Then flip it over so that both sides are coated with the dressing.
Again using tongs, remove the tortilla from the bowl with the dressing and lay it flat in the bowl with the finely grated Parmesan cheese.
Flip the tortilla over so that both sides are coated with the cheese.
With impeccably clean fingers, place the center of the coated tortilla in one of the muffin cups, pressing it down to the bottom.
Once the bottom is flat, press the tortilla cup against the sides of the muffin cup. Your object is to form a tortilla cup that lines the inside of the indentation.
Bake your Savory Tortilla Cups at 350 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are beginning to brown slightly.
Take the muffin tin out of the oven and set it on a cold stove burner for 10 to 15 minutes or until the muffin tin and its contents are cool to the touch.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: Letting the Savory Tortilla Cups cool in the pan will firm them up so that they will maintain their cup shape when you remove them.
Flip the muffin tin over on a wire rack. The Tortilla Cups should tip right out. Since they’re now upside down on the rack, flip them over, place them on a platter, and fill them with contents of your choice.
Michelle’s Note: I’m going to use these Savory Tortilla Cups for potato salad, chicken salad, and tuna salad.
SWEET TORTILLA CUPS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup white (granulated) sugar ? cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, ? pound) salted butter 12 flour tortillas (I used Mission brand 8-inch size.)
Hannah’s 1st Note: I like to add a bit of cardamom to this recipe so I use 4 and ? teaspoons of cinnamon and ? teaspoon of cardamom.
Place the cinnamon in a shallow bowl on the counter that is an inch or so larger than the size of the tortillas.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: I usually use a 10-inch pie pan for the spices and sugar and another one for the butter.
Add the white sugar to the bowl with the cinnamon (and cardamom if you used it) and mix them together with a fork.
Place the cup of salted butter in a second shallow bowl that is microwave-safe.
Heat the butter on HIGH in the microwave for 30 seconds. Check to see if your butter is melted. If it is, take the bowl out of the microwave. If it isn’t, heat it for another 15 seconds on HIGH.
When the butter is melted, take the bowl out of the microwave and set it on your kitchen counter next to the bowl with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. (Be careful. The bowl with the melted butter could be hot.)
Move the prepared muffin pan next to the bowls for easy access.
Using your impeccably clean fingers or tongs, dip a flour tortilla into the bowl with the melted butter. Be sure to coat both sides of the tortilla.
Take the tortilla out of the butter bowl and dip it in the bowl with the cinnamon and sugar. Again, be sure to coat both sides with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
With your impeccably clean fingers, press the center of your buttered and coated tortilla into one of the muffin cups. Then press the sides of the tortilla against the side of the muffin cup. (You may have to overlap the sides of the tortilla together to get a good fit.)
Repeat the above steps with the remaining 11 flour tortillas.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: If you have quite a bit of melted butter and cinnamon and sugar mixture left, don’t worry. You can always save it to make Tortilla Snickerdoodle Cookies. (The recipe is also in this book. You may have to re-melt the butter, but that’s easy to do in the microwave.)
Bake your Sweet Tortilla Cups at 350 degrees F. for 13 to 15 minutes or until they are a nice golden brown.
Take the muffin tin out of the oven and set it on a cold stove burner for 10 to 15 minutes or until the muffin tin and its contents are cool to the touch.
Hannah’s 4th Note: Letting the Sweet Tortilla Cups cool in the pan will firm them up so that they will maintain their cup shape when you remove them.