2.13.2013

Left Over Brisket Buns

{There's a story for how this meal came to be}
A couple weeks ago, we were visiting Banff National Park in Alberta, we had some extra daylight left over after seeing and doing everything we wanted and didn't feel like driving back home. So instead, we drove up the road some more and all of a sudden we crossed the border into British Columbia. We finally stopped in this little town called Golden. We were hungry, so we found this random BBQ restaurant on the side of the highway. Of course, before entering the place, we googled it to see if it was a good place to stop or if a simple Tim Horton's would suffice us until we got home. Turns out, it was a pretty highly rated little shack. So we went it and ordered. I, being the light weight had mac and cheese (cuz I wasn't that hungry) and husband ordered the Brisket Bun. It was the most delicious thing I had tasted... yes, I tasted it. Husband couldn't stop raving about it. So, a couple nights ago I made a brisket. Truth be told, it was just a pot roast because they were fresh out of briskets. I found this recipe on Pinterest called Dr. Pepper Brisket... You had me at Dr. Pep... So I made it, just instead of a brisket we had pot roast. It was DELISH! We had a ton of left overs, so my genius little brain of mine came up with the idea to re-create that brisket bun from Golden, BC. And there you have it. The birth story of one our new favorite dinners!
Ingredients for the brisket/pot roast:
1 medium sized brisket or pot roast
2 cans Dr. Pepper

Place brisket in crock pot, pour Dr. Pepper over the meat and cook on low for 9 hours. Shred. Empty 80% of the Dr. Pepper broth from crock pot, and return meat to broth to moisten.
This can be made in advance.

Ingredients for the sandwich:
Kaiser Buns
Left over brisket/pot roast
Sauteed bell pepper
caramelized onions
Mozzarella
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Start with the onions. Thinly slice them to however you want. There isn't a wrong way to do this, just make sure you are consistent. In a large frying pan add 2 tablespoons EVOO (thank you Rachel Ray) and a tablespoon of butter. Once pan is hot, add your onions. Caramelizing onions is not all that difficult as I found out. In fact, it's pretty simple. You just let them simmer on medium-low heat until a caramely (yes, that's a word now) brown and they are tender and delicious. Stir every so often to make sure they aren't sticking to the pan. If they are, just add a little more butter. They will shrink down in size significantly. For the two of us, we used an onion and a half.



While the onions are caramelizing, slice your pepper into small strips, and saute in a small amount of oil. Medium heat, but you can reduce it towards the end of their cooking process as they will probably beat the onions.

Finished product:

Once the onions and the peppers are finished. Slice your mozza. Slice your bun, and place how ever much meat you can handle on one half of the bun. Place on oven rack and broil until the meat is hot, but not burned. Next, place cheese on the other half of the bun, and broil just until the cheese is melted. But watch it, because it can burn fast! Top meat with onions and peppers, then top with the top of the bun.


I tell ya... it's so good! Best way to make left overs not so bland!

Source: Pinterest (pot roast)

2.12.2013

Cafe Rio Chicken & An Update, Sorta...

Well, well, well... look who finally decided to resurrect herself. Me! I'm happy to report that this behavior is no longer accepted. I was also very happy to see that I had 5 new comments when I logged in! I love all the support!
The good news is that I have A LOT of recipes to catch up on. I've taken thousands of pictures just waiting for a little blog love.
I also got a new camera and have been playing around with it. So my pictures should [hopefully] improve. Look at me, all grow'd up!

On to one of my all time favorite recipes from one of my favorite restaurants! Alberta got it's first official restaurant from the oh, so popular Mexican delicacy they call Costa Vida; it's in Airdrie. And I've been there twice already, over an hours worth of a drive! I'm pathetic! But I've also made my own renditions of their recipes to enjoy in the comfort of my own home without the road trip. You've seen some of my earlier posts on them. So here is a delicious recipe my cousin gave me for Cafe Rio Chicken crock pot style! YUM.


Ingredients:
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed
1 bottle of Zesty Italian Dressing
1 pack of ranch dressing mix
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Directions:
In crock pot, add Italian Dressing, pack of ranch dressing mix, water, cumin, and chili power. Whisk until combined. Add chicken breasts. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low 7-8 hours. Remove chicken breasts and shred with two forks. Should be so tender you barely have to do much shredding. Serve on tacos, burritos salads or come up with your own recipes! Saves well and easily feeds a family of 4! Enjoy!

Source: Cousin Adrian

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