Shrimp Cakes with Orange Tequila Glaze
Makes 24-30

To prepare the shrimp cakes:  Mix all ingredients except panko crumbs. Shape into 2-3 oz cakes. Coat on all sides generously with panko crumbs. Chill 1 hour. Sauté in a nonstick skillet in olive oil and butter, about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden.  Serve hot.  If desired, lightly brown shrimp cakes in the skillet and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

To prepare the sauce: Mix together the marmalade, chicken stock, picante and chipotle in a medium saucepan. Heat until mixture boils and marmalade is melted.  Stir in cilantro. Dissolve cornstarch in the lime juice, add to mixture and cook until thickened.  Stir in tequila, and cook about 5 minutes more.  Serve warm or room temperature over grilled shrimp.

Everything But the Kitchen Sink Salad with Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

In a large bowl, mix together the vinegar and milk.  Mixture will thicken.  Stir in remaining ingredients and chill for at least 4 hours to allow flavors to combine.  Serve over salad. Store leftover dressing in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Molly's Brisket
Total Cooking Time: 6 hours
Serves 8 (or more, depending on the size)

To prepare the brisket: Preheat oven to 300°. Use heavy duty foil; tear two LONG pieces and place them in a cross on a baking sheet with 1 inch sides.  Place brisket in the center and season the leanest side generously with salt, pepper, celery seed, Worcestershire powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and several dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Turn brisket over, and repeat on the other side with the same seasonings. Remember, season generously! The side with the most fat should be up during cooking. Next, sprinkle the top with the two envelopes of the onion soup mix. Top with sliced onion and mushrooms if you are using them. Drizzle top with barbecue sauce (maybe ½ -3/4 Cup). Wrap tightly in the foil. You want to be sure no juices escape.

Bake in the slow oven 5 hours. At the end of the 5 hours, open foil up to expose the top of the brisket. Careful! It’s very hot, and steam rushes out as you open the top of the package. Add more barbecue sauce (about the same amount as before) and return to the oven – brisket uncovered, for another hour. The cooking time is always the same, regardless of the size of the brisket.

Remove the brisket from the oven, and carefully transfer it to a cutting board. Tent it with foil to keep it warm and let it rest about 15 minutes for juices to redistribute before slicing. Slice in thin slices across the grain. I find an electric knife is the best for this job!

To prepare the sauce: Pour drippings collected in the foil into a fat separator. Transfer just the defatted drippings to a saucepan, add more BBQ Sauce, and thicken as desired with a bit of cornstarch dissolved in cold water.

Make Ahead Tip: The brisket can be made and sliced the day before. Reheat, covered tightly, at 350° for 20-30 minutes or until hot throughout. It can also be cooked and frozen.

What is brisket?

Brisket is a beef cut taken from the breast section beneath the first five ribs, behind the foreshank.

Fresh brisket is an inexpensive boneless cut that requires long, slow cooking to break down the collagen in the connective muscle tissues achieve tenderness. The long piece is cut in half for marketing. You'll find it sold as a flat cut or a point cut. The flat cut is leaner, but the point cut has more flavor due to a bit of extra fat (called the deckel).

Green Chile Rice
Serves 8 to 10

            Cook rice with water, salt and 1 Tbsp butter until done.  While rice is cooking, melt remaining butter in a small skillet and sauté green chilies, jalapenos and onion until tender.  Add to warm rice and stir in sour cream. Combine cheeses, reserving some for the top of the casserole, and add remainder of the cheese to the rice mixture.  Taste and correct seasonings.  Spoon mixture into a greased baking dish.  Top with cheese.  At this point, the mixture can be refrigerated.

            If baking immediately, cook uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes.  If chilled, cover with foil, heat for 30 minutes, uncover, and cook an additional 15 minutes.  Garnish with parsley before serving. 

***You can also add ½-1 tsp ground cumin and about ½ tsp dried oregano if you want….zips it up a bit more.  The light sour cream works well (non-fat is a bit “plastic”)  You can also add cooked diced chicken breast to make a whole meal casserole.

Chocolate Flan Cake
Serves 10-12

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions, adding in the cinnamon. Pour the Cajeta (warmed if needed to make it “flow”) into the Bundt pan and tilt to coat the insides as much as possible. Pour the cake batter into the pan. Mix the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Slowly pour over the top of the cake. Cover the cake pan with foil and bake in a water bath for 2 hours. Remove from the water bath and let cool 1 hour. Invert onto a large cake platter with a lip (the custard will have migrated to the top of the cake). Refrigerate until serving time. VERY Yummy!