bbq brisket

day one-
1 beef brisket (3-4 pounds)
3 tbsp Worcestshire sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp liquid smoke except I am pretty sure I used 1 TBSP it was early when I put this together
2 cloves minced garlic
-mix all of the ingredients above together and marinate in a plastic bag for at least 24 hours

day two-
you will need a can of cheap beer or beef broth will work too
dump it with the marinade & meat into a crock pot and cook on low7-8 hours
remove meat from crock pot and put into a baking dish smother with bbq sauce of your choosing, we really like Rendezvous sauce which I can happily buy at Target
cover then throw it in oven on 350 degrees for about an hour

the original recipes had a lovely homemade bbq sauce recipe and I had every intention of making it as well but come on who has time for their own bbq sauce? not me!

beef & beans

sort of a chili but not it is very tasty stuff

1lb dry pinto beans
2 lbs stew meat
chunk of salt pork
1 cup of water
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper
salt to taste

-prepare the beans everyone has there own method, soak them over night, quick soak whatever you heart desires
-when ready to cook throw everything in the crock pot
-stir cook on high for 5-8 hours
I must admit I probably did add more liquid I usually add a can of beer, cheapest you can find however it was a morning that I put this together so I can not remember if I did this or not

zesty Italian roast

3 potatoes unpeeled and cubed nothing fancy just in chunks
1 bag fresh baby carrots
(1 celery rib cut into 1" pieces I skipped this as we did not have celery on hand this morning)
1 boneless beef chuck roast around 3 lbs
pepper
1 can chicken broth
1 can progress tomato soup(might have been basil tomato?)

-put roast in slow cooker, crock pot whatever you choose to call the appliance
-dump in carrots & potatoes
-season with pepper to taste
-pour in soup & broth
-cover slow cook for 10 hours

tex-mex chicken

1 lb boneless chicken breasts cut into strips
2 tbsp taco seasoning mix
2 tbsp flour
1 each green pepper & red pepper cut into strips
1 cup frozen corn
1 small jar chunky salsa
1 can beer-cheaper the better

-toss chicken with seasoning mix & flour in crock pot
-stir in remaining ingredients
-cook on low for 6-8 hours

another goodie from Kraft magazine.
I thought the recipe could use more fluid so I am adding beer to the mix next time or some chicken stock would work well too. I also think chicken thighs would work well.