Every Good LAX Mom needs to cook...so here is something good...

Every Good LAX Mom needs to cook...so here is something good... - Edit
March 30, 2010
Disclaimer: I hope no one is offended by a tiny bit of cursing...nothing bad but sort-of a 4-letter word...but not really...



I agreed to cook a brisket for the Teacher Appreciation Lunch at the school this week...simple enough...and the recipe was easy. I go to the store, get the brisket and all the stuff the recipe calls for and then decide to wing it and buy a bottle of marinade and doctor it up. All's well...



Until the teacher appreciation chairman asks me to make 2...



Back to the store...so now I have 17 pounds of brisket to contend with...thank goodness there are 2 of them and not just one giant brisket...



I do my thing with the marinade and put them in the fridge overnight...get up this morning, hit the gym (more on that later even though I said I wouldn't) and put the briskets in the oven. Run off to school to deal with some projects and come home and...



DA-YUMMMMMMMMMMM....



and I mean yummmmmmmmmmmm as in yummmmmmmy...my house smelled amazing...that brisket was going to be special if it tastes as good as it smells!



So off to the game I go and spend that time taking photos and getting amazed by our boys and how they are just an incredible bunch of kids...I'm so proud of them...especially since none of them needed to wear someone else's mouthguard.

And the pictures are better this time around...

After the game I come home and it is time to take the briskets out and trim them and put them in the fridge overnight to reheat for tomorrow.



The house still smells amazing...da-yummmmmmmmmmmm



You can't very well trim up a brisket without tasting some. The men in my house gave it two very big thumbs up. My husband wanted to know how much he could eat (a tiny bit) and my son wanted to know what the teachers did to be special enough that it was for them and not him...

My answer: "put up with you and your classmates". I helped Coach watch study hall today (apparently the 7th grade history teacher, whose classroom they use, is not pleased with the behavior...that doesn't bode well for next year with History if they don't find a way to endear themselves to him).

Anyway, back to the brisket...and just how good it is...

I fully expect marriage proposals tomorrow.



I think some men may drop on their knees and thank me and ask me to leave my husband.



I'm not a polygamist, but since my friend Jake is already my second hubby and the God of the Theater (GOTT---my friend who is the drama teacher at school) is my work hubby I might as well add to the crowd...



You know, you don't get this "fluffy" by being a bad cook!



So the recipe is at the bottom of this column and I urge you to try it...so easy and so good and your men are sure to be happy and your husband might offer a nice gift (I suggest asking for something in a little blue box from a store that begins with a "T") and your son might clean his room. It's THAT good...and the best part is that 90% of the work comes out of a bottle...and it will feed a crowd...



da-yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ...trust me on this...



So the gym is going well and I am still addicted to the cucumber water although I suspect that it might not be enough to get me to get up and go all the time but for now it is working...I hope they don't disappoint me and switch it up...



Did you know that George Michael's "Freedom 90" is almost 7 minutes long?



I didn't either until I was on that da-yummmmm elliptical machine (and only halfway through my hour on the da-yummm thing) and had the resistance way up and the incline all the way up...and the only way to get through it is to start to sing...



"I won't let you down...I will not give you up..."



yeah, the lady next to me was not appreciative of my love for George (Michael) and that I felt the need to push through by imagining I looked like the supermodels in the video and singing along...



The next track on the playlist was "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse so I was quickly out of my 80's stupor...and then my beloved Madonna followed and we Vogued and Expressed Ourselves...



Sorry, Lady-Next-to-Me, but I have to dance my way through the workout or it won't happen...



Then my favorite, very beloved (former) spinning instructor came in---I call her Spinderella--- and I tried to hide from her...she found me and wants to know when I am coming to class. I told her I would be there when I was sure she wouldn't need to give me CPR and when I could assure myself I could get through it without vomiting...this may take a while.



I think tomorrow I might need to find George (Michael), Michael (Jackson and his sister Janet), and MGMT (ask your kids) to get me through because I tried the brisket and...



Da-yummmmmmmmmmmm



I'll let you know if I am taking on any extra husbands...







So here's how you cook it:



Buy a 7-10 lb. UNTRIMMED brisket (yes, you need the fat on it)



1 bottle of CLAUDE'S brisket marinade and sauce



meat tenderizer



salt



SMOKEHOUSE pepper (trust me on this...it's addicting)



Liquid Smoke



brown sugar



Sprinkle the brisket liberally with the meat tenderizer, salt, and pepper (liberally) all over. Sprinkle all sides with a bit of the Liquid Smoke. Pour the bottle of Claude's brisket marinade all over it. If you have an injector, use it now. If you have a big brisket, you might want a second bottle of the marinade (one bottle is enough for 7 pounds).



Cover the brisket and let it marinate overnight in the fridge.



The next morning, set your oven to 450 degrees. When the oven is hot put the brisket in and let it sit in the hot oven for 15 minutes. Turn the heat down to 225 and go away for a while. After about 3 hours, take the brisket out an add about 1/2 cup brown sugar to the cooking liquid. Baste. Sprinkle more brown sugar on top of the brisket and return (covered) to the oven.



Go away and forget about it and enjoy the delicious smell...baste when you think about it...



This takes about 7-9 hours depending on the size of your brisket.



Slice it and serve it with de-fatted cooking liquid and/or bar-b-que sauce.



That's it...



Your men will love you...trust me...



da-yummmmmmmmmmmmmm...