My view for today....

This is the view from my window on this stormy day.

I am pretending this is my view for today. I like this much better.

Yes, today is a rainy day. Thunder and lightening even graced us with its presence this morning. A perfect morning to drink tea (and coffee) and map out the schedule and menu for Thanksgiving weekend with my family here in Augusta and to write this post. Things to do but I will wait for the rain to let up before I head out. The sound of rain is relaxing and a nice backdrop to my day.

Yesterday I made a brisket in the slow cooker. It has felt very fall-like here. The foliage has been amazing for my New England soul. The colors right now are amazing. We even made a fire (our first one in Augusta) on Saturday night. The brisket was perfect comfort food - it was a new recipe from Cooking Light. I adapted it some but it was really delicious alongside a nice simple salad (romaine, red onion, tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette), and great to come home to after a long, cold but fun day on the road to Greenville, SC for soccer. We ate at the table and then watched 60 minutes. That is a perfect Sunday evening in my book. Watching some of the Patriots game just capped off the evening.

As for simple moments...I went for a walk in the woods with my friend and her pup on Thursday. It was a new place and I was able to let Chappy off leash which was awesome. She and I were able to talk and enjoy the walk AND the dogs. Since her dog was there, he was very content to follow her around and stay relatively close to me. We were laughing because her lab mix was running around in the grass and woods while leaping into every body of water that was around us. Meanwhile, Chappy was like - the path is nice, what's wrong with the path!!

It has made me want to find other fun places for us to explore in the woods. I have been yearning for walks in the forest. Kelley went mountain biking this weekend at Clarks Hill Lake and between that and FATS, I have some good places to try out.

Put on Lips are Movin by Meghan Trainor and get cooking!

Sweet and Tangy Slow Cooker Brisket - Cooking Light, April 2014
1 (4 1/2 lb flat cut brisket roast, fat cap trimmed to 1/8 inch thickness) (I did use a smaller cut)
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided (I used much less)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1T canola oil (I used a nice canola/olive oil blend)
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder (I used more like 1T)
1 tsp paprika (I used more like 1T)
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thirds (I used 5 - and could have used 6)
3 celery stalks, cut into thirds (I used 5 - and could have used 6)
Cooking spray
2 large onions, halved and vertically sliced (I used 1- but might use more next time)
4 garlic cloves, chopped (I minced)
1 cup unsalted beef stock (I used just over 1 cup)
1 (15-oz) can crushed tomatoes (I would use 2 cans next time)
2T brown sugar
2T apple cider vinegar
5 thyme sprigs (I used more like 7)
2 bay leaves (I used 3)
Flat leaf parsley leaves (optional) for garnish

Sprinkle brisket evenly with 1 tsp salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add brisket; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides (this took longer than 5 minutes for me). Rub brisket with garlic powder and paprika. Arrange carrots and celery in a 6-quart electric slow cooker coated with cooking spray; top with brisket, fat cap side up.

Return skillet to medium heat. Add onions to pan; cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover. Stir in garlic; cook 5 minutes or until onions are tender and golden.  Arrange onion mixture over brisket.

Combine remaining 1/4 tsp salt, stock, tomatoes, brown sugar, and vinegar in hot skillet, stirring with a whisk to loosen browned bits.  Pour tomato mixture around brisket.

 

Place thyme and bay leaves in slow cooker, pressing into tomato mixture. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours or until brisket is tender when sliced. Cool slightly in cooker, about 1 hour. (Ours was on the warm setting for a few hours and it was fantastic)

 

 

Place brisket on cutting board. Trim fat cap; discard fat. Cut brisket across the grain into thin slices. Pour sauce through a sieve over a bowl; discard carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaves.  Return onions to sauce. Serve brisket with sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired. (I don't think pouring the sauce through the sieve was necessary. I wanted to eat the carrots and celery. So, I just took out the sprigs, bay leaves and remaining fat in the sauce.

 

 

Don't forget the menu index if you are looking for a particular meal. There are over 56 recipes listed on the index as of today! Enjoy and have a happy day, everyone!!