Fun-filled Memorial Day Weekend and Slow-cooked Beef Brisket & Vegetables

Our Memorial Day weekend turned out to be all about cooking, partying and spending time with good friends. It was a bit exhausting, but we definitely had fun!

Saturday was our goddaughter's birthday. She had a "Spring Tea Party" themed birthday celebration, and for that, I baked Inipit and Food for the Gods, which I wasn't able to take pictures of. But here are pictures of the birthday girl and my girls during the Tea Party. All the girls were really so pretty in their spring dresses and hats.


Then Sunday, after attending mass, we spent a few hours at our friend's lake house for a pre-Memorial Day celebration. I brought some Filipino Egg Rolls and Inipit. I was kinda in a rush so my inipit was a little more toasted than it should be. :)


Sunday was also the birthday of our dear friend, Melo who is Cherlin's godfather. We prepared a simple dinner for him and invited a couple of friends to come over. I cooked Filipino Egg Rolls and Pancit Canton. Ryan grilled some pork chops, pork belly and bratwurst. I didn't have enough time to make an elaborate cake...but I wanted his birthday cake to be homemade, so I decided to just make a simple strawberry shortcake which the kids really liked.


Yesterday, we decided to just stay home the whole day and take some rest while enjoying some good food. Ryan cooked Fish and Chips for lunch. He used White Bass fillet from the dozen of White Bass he caught last week when he went fishing at the lake.

And for dinner, we had Slow-Cooked Beef Brisket and Vegetables. This is one of my daughters' favorite slow-cooked dishes which I love making because of the ease of preparing and cooking it--- no basting, no flipping...It’s the kind of thing you can throw together and just allow to cook on its own.

It's so easy and delicious that I want to share the recipe with you...
  • 3 lbs beef brisket, cut if necessary to fit in pot
  • 6 medium- sized potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 6 medium-sized carrots, sliced
  • 2 medium-sized onions, sliced
  • 1 head garlic, crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ cups beef broth
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 1/3 cup cold water
  • 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
Procedure:
1. Trim fat from brisket. Wash and drain then rub with salt and pepper. Let sit for at least 15 minutes. 
2. Place potatoes, carrots, garlic and onions in crockpot. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. 

3. Place brisket on top of the vegetables. Add bay leaf and 1 ½ cups beef broth. Cover and cook on LOW for 10-12 hours. 

4. Turn off crockpot. Remove bay leaf. Lift brisket onto cutting board. Cover with foil. Drain vegetables and reserve 1 ½ cups of the cooking liquid. Add butter to vegetables and mash; season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep beef and vegetables warm while you prepare gravy.
5. In saucepan blend 1/3 cup cold water slowly into flour, stirring until smooth; stir in reserved 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid, along with 2 Tbsp soy sauce. Cook and stir until gravy is thickened and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste.
6. Slice brisket thinly across grain. Serve with the mashed vegetables and gravy.


31 comments:

  1. What a feast- you were busy!!!! The fish makes my mouth water and the brisket/vegetables look so good! Will have to try this next time I do some slow cooking.

    http://homestyleworldcook.blogspot.com

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  2. I know hah! But honestly, I didn't realize that I did a lot of cooking last Saturday and Sunday until yesterday when I was feeling so exhausted and I didn't want to get up from bed. LOL.

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  3. I love those egg rolls. Did your hubby really catch all that fish? I'm impressed. Wanted to let you know that I finally did the awards post for that wonderful award you gave me.

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  4. So many delicious goodies, no wonder all those little girls look so happy ;)!

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  5. wow you guys were sure busy over the weekend. i love beef brisket however i've only ever had it in chinese beef brisket noodle soup. i'll have to try this thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  6. What a fantastic weekend you guys had! It's always great to spend time with dear friends! And when you don't have family around, they become sort of "your family"! :-) Great pictures! I really like the brisket recipe!!! It is always good to be able to prepare something so delicious without having to work too much! <3 You really cooked a lot of yummy food Tina! <3

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  7. Hi Tina! Oh my goodness...You've been cooking so many food! You can totally open a restaurant Tina. I'm very nervous when I have to cook for many people but you seem like you even enjoy cooking for crowds. I wish I have that talent! I realized you posted so many dishes while I haven't been able to visit you. Since last week I've been sick but I'm slowly going back to get online. Your dishes made me feel more energized! Thanks!!

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  8. Thats plenty of food there Tina and wish I could have tasted some.

    I don't eat beef but surely love the way the potato is served with it.

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  9. @Chris: Yeah, Ryan caught all that! He said there was a lot of white bass near the shore following the spawning run of shads that day. He actually caught more than 2 dozens but he released those that are less than 10 inches. :)
    @Manu: You're right! Our friends here became our second family, and we spend every special occasion with them. Having good friends really makes being far from your family a whole lot easier.
    @Nami: As the saying goes, practice makes perfect! I used to think that cooking for big parties is hard but after doing it for my girls' birthdays in the last 5 years, I'm kinda good at it now. :)

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  10. Sounds like you had a fun weekend with lots of delicious food. All the dishes you made looks wonderful!

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  11. Hi Tina! Wow your weekend is definitely filled with so much fun and mouth-watering foods! I bet everyone of you had a great time! :D
    The strawberry cake you made is so lovely & Cherlin's godfather sure had a wonderful warmth birthday celebration. :)
    I love everything here in short! LOL
    I'm drooping over the beef brisket &mashed! ^.^
    Hop over to my blog when you free, I've got some awards for you, my dear friend :)

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  12. What a feast! I love slow cooked meals esp on busy days and lazy days .... well, that's nearly everyday LOL!
    The beef brisket looks so delicious together with the mashed veges. Yum.

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  13. Holy guacamole, now am hungry lol... hanks for visiting my foodie blog Tina, now following you too.

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  14. Love the people photos.
    Love the food photos.
    Love the recipe.
    Love the post.

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  15. Wow. What an amazing party spirit and what a spread of the most incredible looking dishes. What a happy celebratory post. Fabulous!

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  16. One great party!! That's an amazing way to spend holidays .. food ..fried and lots of FUN :)

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  17. What a great post, filled with wonderful photos and food.

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  18. oh my heck! This post made my mouth water! it all looks fantastic! Thanks for the recipe! i am your newest follower and would love it if you would check out my blog and follow me too! Thanks!
    -Nikki
    http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/

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  19. Hey! I host a blog hop and would LOVE it if you came over and linked up! Here’s the link :) http://thesweetdetail.blogspot.com/search/label/Savory%20Sunday

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  20. I have this lovely smile on my face while reading your post.I really enjoyed reading and I am getting so hungry!Your new look suits you well.

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  21. Came back again to say Thanks for sharing this post with hearth and soul hop

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  22. Looks like everyone had a great time, and thanks for sharing that great brisket. I love the vegetables and how they were part of the meal. Thanks for linking with the hearth n soul hop.

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  23. Love your blog!! I am definitely going to be your new follower :) I would love it if you followed me to @ for-the-luv-of.blogspot.com that would be great :) I am just starting out, but I am excited to share new recipes, crafts, and makeup.. And Giving away giveaways on mineral make-up!

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  24. Hey! Just thought I would let you know a featured you on Savory Sunday! The new hop is up so I'd love for you to come and share another recipe :)

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  25. Tina, it looks like you all had a great weekend. All the food looks so delicious, but especially that cake. Thanks so much for sharing it at the recipe spotlight :) Have a great day and hope to see you again soon!
    Katie

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  26. I just saw this post, Tina. Thank you for making the awesome inipit and food for the gods for me. They were of course, very yummy. My first bite of inipit was like going back to motherland. Thank you!!

    You truly need to open up a restaurant. I'll be frequenting that place, for sure! :D

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  27. You're always welcome Anne!
    Having my own Filipino Resto has been my dream since I was in college...I hope someday it will come true! :)

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  28. Hi ate tina! Si pam to :) Nagugutom ako sa mga dishes mo. :)) Kamusta na pala kayo jan? Regards from me and mommy. :*

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  29. Hi Pam! Ok naman kami! Thanks for visiting my site! We miss you all! Regards to everyone!

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  30. I love beef brisket! Low and slow heat is totally the key. Yum!

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  31. These look so yummy. Love your blog come and check out my blog

    www.thedailysmash101.blogspot.com

    Have a great day

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