Yet Another Birthday Dinner

If you are reading this on Friday morning, then Tommy and I are already on our way to Vermont! We will be staying at Mount Snow for the weekend and I cannot wait to get my ski on! I also wanted to report that after this weekend, you won’t have to hear about birthdays on the blog for a whiile. (My wallet is also happy!) I feel like everyday this week was inundated with birthday shtuff, but my two men where born in the same week, and celebrate I must!

Let’s backtrack to dinner last night. In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that I was making Tommy a special birthday dinner, and let me tell you, it was a big hit!

At first glance, it may seem like any plain old meat and potatoes dinner, but you are mistaken, my friend. This dinner consists of slow cooker BBQ beef brisket, cauliflower ‘mashed potatoes’ and some semi home made garlic bread. Not too shabby. Since everyone loved it, I’ll share the wealth.

Brisket is one thing that I’ve been scared to make for a while. I don’t know why but meat freaks me out. (TWSS) I don’t mind working with chicken or ground meat, but other types of meat are not my forte. Not to mention, it’s so easy to undercook and overcook beef. No one wants to eat a brisket that tastes like a shoe. The recipe I found seemed easy enough and I figured the crockpot is almost foolproof, so I went for it.

Crockpot BBQ Beef Brisket (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 pounds beef brisket, trimmed of fat
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 cups barbeque sauce

Directions

Combine spices in a small bowl; set aside. Rub brisket all over with liquid smoke, then rub with spice mixture. Refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight. Pour Worcestershire and barbeque sauces into a slow cooker; place beef on top. Cover, and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours, until fork tender.

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I know you’ve probably heard it a million times, especially in healthy living blogs, but the cauliflower mashed potatoes were so good that you can’t tell the difference. When I told Tommy that there were no potatoes in them, he was surpised. This is definitely something to use to trick your kiddos (or hubbies) into eating their veggies.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions

Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Steam the florets until fork tender. Pat dry, do not allow the cauliflower to cool. In a bowl with an immersion blender, a food processor or blender, puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, butter and pepper until almost smooth.

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And since no birthday is complete without a cake and candles to blow out, I stopped at Cupcakeland Bakery to pick up a few cuppies. The place was small, but very cute. Added bonus – they sell individual candles at 15 cents a pop, which saved me a trip elsewhere to get a candle.

Strawberry shortcake for the Birthday Boy! I hope your wishes come true!

Have a great weekend!

What’s your favorite not-so-good-for-you food substitute? What are your plans for el weekendo?

P.S. My giveaway ends on Monday. It involves cupcakes, so you’ll probably love it!