Recipe: Brisket Tacos

The first time I had a Brisket Taco was in Dallas on the recommendation of our friends (I think it was this place).  Handsome and I had never even heard of such a thing (and we consider ourselves pretty well-versed on Mexican/Tex-Mex/Kans-Mex food, since we live in the same town as so many REAL Mexicans).  They.  Were.  Amazing.  It's like all of the things I love about brisket and about Mexican food rolled into one, juicy taco!

We go classic when we eat these at home.  Warm tortillas slathered with sour cream, pile the meat high, scatter chopped cilantro, some salsa or purple onion, squeeze a lime on top and it's go-time.  Honestly, though, this meat's pretty great in a regular sort of taco, too.  It reminds me a lot of Chipotle's Barbacoa, but a little less spicy.  However you decide to eat it, just get-going and make it, because it's tasty!

Brisket Tacos
by The Spares

3-4 lb. Brisket*
6 Chipotle Peppers (from canned Chipotles in Adobo sauce)
1-3 T. Adobo Sauce (from can)
4 c. Beef Broth
6 cloves Garlic, peeled
2 T. Cumin
2 t. Oregano
Salt & Pepper

Optional:  Heat smoker to 250 degrees F with your favorite wood--my husband likes to use Walnut.  Liberally salt and pepper both sides of the brisket and smoke for 2 hours (we're not trying to cook it here, just get some smoke flavor).

Combine peppers, Adobo sauce, garlic, cumin, oregano and 3 T. broth in a food processor.  Process until smooth and set aside.

At this point you can use a slow cooker or your oven.  If using your oven, preheat to 300 degrees F.

Place (smoked) brisket in a slow cooker insert or roasting pan.  Spread Chipotle sauce on top of brisket and pour broth around the sides.  If using oven, cover roasting pan tightly with foil.  For both oven and slow cooker, cook on low for 8-10 hours, until brisket shreds easily with a fork.

Remove brisket from pan onto a large platter or cutting board.  Shred with two forks (be careful, it's hot!).  Moisten the shredded meat with some of the sauce.  You probably need to use at least half of the juices.  For a spicier taco, reduce pan juices by boiling them in a pot on the stove for 10-20 minutes, and use all of the juices to moisten the meat.

Serve on warm tortillas with sour cream, cilantro, diced purple onion, homemade salsa, and a squeeze of lime juice!

*I can usually buy a half brisket (8-12 lb) at the local packing plant and save half for later.  This freezes very well, so don't worry if you can only find a large piece of brisket.

Battling Negativity

Yesterday, I was having a total bummer of a day.  Nothing was going right.  I. was. so. frustrated.  I ugly-cried.  (You know what I mean.)  And you know who wasn't helping me out?

Me.

I say the meanest things to myself.  And sometimes I don't even realize it.  So, yesterday I started doing something that did help me out.  (And I thought I'd share it, because maybe you guys are mean to yourselves sometimes, too.)

When I start saying to myself, "This is so frustrating.  I can't do anything right.  What is my problem!?" I rephrase it to sound like someone else is saying it to me.  Like this:

"You are so frustrating.  You can't do anything right.  What is your problem!?"

Yikes.

I wouldn't let someone else say that to me... so why do I say it to myself?  Am-I-right?  Rephrasing my negative self-talk helps me see how mean I really am being to myself, and gives me a chance to look at the issue realistically.  It gives me the chance to say, "Yes, sometimes situations don't go my way and they are frustrating, but I do many things right every day, and some situations are out of my control.  There's no use beating myself up about them."  Yay!  So much better, right?

I hope you found some encouragement in this!

Words

I just heard this song and it blew me away.  I have no idea if Train is cool anymore or not (my dear brother, if you're reading this, I'm sorry), but I think they released an album recently, which means there's a chance.

Train
Words lyrics

Songwriters: MONAHAN, PAT / BECKER, JERRY / MALDONADO, LUIS

I'd give anything but I won't give up on you
I'd say anything, but not goodbye
I will run with your changes and I'm always on your side
And there's not a word I've ever heard that would make me change my mind

Words they'll try to shake you
Don't let them break you
Or stop your world from turning
When words keep you from feeling good
Use them as I would and let them burn

Like stones in your pocket people try to wear you down
Someone always wants to take the love you've found
So let's runs with these changes and I want you by my side
And there's not a word I've ever heard that would make me change my mind

Words they'll try to shake you
Don't let them break you
Or stop your world from turning
When words keep you from feeling good
Use them as I would and let them burn

Let them burn
Let them burn
Underneath every word somebody's heart been broken
With or without words we try to forget

Words they'll try to shake us
Don't let them break us
Or stop our world from turning
When words keep you from feeling good
Use them as I would and let them burn

Words they'll try to shake you
Don't let them break you
Or stop your world, stop your world from turning
When words keep you from feeling good
Use them as I would and let them burn

Let them burn
Let them burn

© EMI Music Publishing

Christmas Cards!

Scripted Blessings Religious Christmas Card

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View the entire collection of cards.


Well, I just wanted to share with you all the great deal we got on our Christmas cards (we saved almost $40).

Shutterfly has a 40% off sale on all of their cards, as well as free shipping on orders over $30 until tomorrow.

So, if you normally send out photo cards... this is a GREAT deal!

Note:  This is a sponsored post (I get compensation for posting this), but I the opinions are mine (I still think the cards are super cute).

A Non-Denominational Christian's Thoughts on LDS and the Election

My parents taught me that an honest question deserves a well thought-out and thorough answer.  As the child-full-of-questions, they carefully explained life, the universe, and everything when I asked (even when they were to the point of exasperation).  Gosh, I'm thankful for their example.

My friend recently posted the following on Facebook (here's the link: http://www.lds.org/new-era/2011/08/the-only-true-and-living-church):

And I told him I would give him my response.  So, without further ado...

I think what you're asking is, "Why do Christians support Romney when he doesn't believe most Christians are part of the 'true church'?"  Completely legitimate question, but let's start with some background.

What do I think about Mormon's Exclusive "Church"?
Though Mormons believe they are Christians, most Protestants and Non-Denominational (e.g. "Bible" churches) Christians don't believe they are.  Protestants and Non-Denoms believe that one becomes a Christian by faith alone (believing that God/Jesus is who he says he is and did what he said he did), while Mormons believe that works are also a part of becoming a Christian.  This is obviously a broad-stroke picture, but the point is that they don't agree with traditional Christians.

Mormon theology is based on the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon.  Protestants and Non-Denoms (and probably Catholics, but I'm not certain) don't use the Book of Mormon because it doesn't meet the requirements for the Biblical canon.  As you probably know, there are a lot of gospels (think "The DaVinci Code"), but only some are part of scripture.  Some of the requirements are the following:  that they should be primary sources, written close to when the events happened, and verified by the rest of scripture.  Some problems with Joseph Smith's revelations are that they were to one man (privately), much later than the rest of scripture, and they contradicted the other parts of scripture.  (There's a lot more on this in the book The Case for Christ by Strobel.)

With all of that said, I don't see why there couldn't be Christians who are Mormon.  It would be silly to think that every person adheres perfectly to every tenet of their denomination.  I think it's very likely, given that they have the same Bible that I do, that some Mormons have the same saving faith that I have.  I'm not in any sort of position to say that specific people are or are not Christians; God and the person are the only ones certain of the state of a person's soul.

So, if a person believes in Jesus' saving work on the cross, then I believe they are part of the Church (universal).  If they think that I'm not part of the Church since I don't go to their LDS church, then I think they are misled.  But, knowing who is and who isn't part of the Church isn't a requirement for salvation, so it's not essential.

What does the responsible Christian do if they don't (spiritually) agree with either candidate?
So Romney doesn't think that I'm a Christian.  Well, I suppose that doesn't matter so much to me.  I disagree with both candidates on different (Christian) issues; neither lines up perfectly with my theology (and I doubt any candidate ever will... unless I ran for president... Lord, help us all).

The responsible Christian will consider the issues most important to him or her and then find the candidate that most aligns with those issues.  Honestly, you could substitute "American" with "Christian" in the last sentence, because the general principle is the same, even if the issues are different.  I think it's less about rooting for someone on your "team" and more about finding someone who you agree with.  We get so caught up with labels (and I do think that labels are helpful in some situations), that sometimes we can miss glaring discrepancies.  It's important to know the facts.  It's also important to know what you believe and why you believe it.  This is what my friend was getting at (I think), and I agree with him (and I say "way to go" for holding me accountable).  You know who you are -- thank you.

EDIT:  I suppose the main idea here is that I'm voting for my president, not my pastor (an important distinction).  America's not a Christian nation, and so I don't expect the president to play the pastor role.