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Category: savory

Easy Beef Brisket with Homemade Bourbon BBQ Sauce

Whew, it’s Friday! Has it been a week or what? Well, I have an amazing recipe to share with you today! The most delicious, easy beef brisket recipe plus my super easy homemade Brown Sugar Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. After trying this delicious barbecue sauce, trust me! You will never buy barbecue sauce from the store again! It’s smokey, sweet and savory all at the same time, and so easy to make!

 

easy beef brisket

 

I have to give a quick shout out to my husband. He and I tag teamed these recipes – he put together the brisket and I owned the barbecue sauce. We wanted these recipes to be really easy, and relatively hands-off.

 
 
easy beef brisket

 

Beef brisket reminds me of tailgating at football games, and that’s exactly what I was imagining as we pulled these recipes together! So with that in mind we thought up recipes that could be made in advance, be easily transported, and would taste incredible on a fall day.

 

Easy Beef Brisket & Barbecue Sauce Flavors:

Now let’s talk flavor! Because we all know that good, strong flavor is the cornerstone of both a good brisket and a good barbecue sauce! Since both the brisket and the barbecue sauce feature the same major flavors, (Brown Sugar Bourbon, worcestershire sauce, and garlic) they compliment each other so well. I love that the brisket itself leans toward the savory side, and the sauce slightly favors the sweet side thanks to the molasses and brown sugar. They are such a delicious combination when paired!

 

easy beef brisket

 

One of the flavors I especially want to call out is from the Brown Sugar Bourbon. It is soooo good! I love a splash of it in my coffee on the weekends! You might also remember it from my Pina Colada Cake and Mint Julep Cupcakes. Grab a bottle and cook through all of these recipes with me – more to come! (hint hint, it might involve pumpkin spice!!!)

 

homemade bourbon barbecue sauce

 
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Easy Beef Brisket with Homemade Bourbon BBQ Sauce

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Kirsten Bell
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 Hours
  • Total Time: 6 Hours and 10 Minutes
  • Yield: 10 Servings
  • Category: Barbecue
  • Method: Barbecue
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Easy and delicious beef brisket and bourbon barcecue sauce. Perfect for tailgates, backyard parties and cook offs!


Ingredients

Easy Beef Brisket: 
5 lb Beef Brisket
1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
1 Cup Worcestershire
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar Bourbon
Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce: 
1/2 Onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/3 cup Molasses
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Dijion Mustard
1 teaspoons liquid smoke
1/8 teaspoon Chili Powder
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Instructions

Combine all of the brisket ingredients, paprika through Brown Sugar Bourbon, in a small bowl. Rub onto both sides of the brisket. Wrap the brisket and refrigerate overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce below!
Preheat the oven to 260 degrees F. Place the meat on a rack in a roasting pan, fat side up. Pour excess juices/liquids into pan. Cook for 1 to 1.5 hours per pound of meat. Flip the meat over once, about halfway through cook time. The meat is done cooking when it has reached 180 degrees F, as measured by a meat thermometer. Wrap the meat in foil, turn the oven off, and then place the foiled brisket back into the now off oven for at least an hour.
Serve hot, with the Brown Sugar Bourbon Barbecue Sauce below!
Barbecue Sauce:
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, simmer together the onion, garlic, and Brown Sugar Bourbon for about 10 minutes or until the onion because translucent.
Add the remaining ingredients, ketchup through brown sugar to the saucepan. Stir well to combine, and then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate overnight. The flavors will continue to come together as it sits, so it will taste even better the next day!
If you prefer a chunky barbecue sauce (like me!), serve as is. If you prefer a smooth sauce, run the sauce through fine mesh sieve.
Serve with the above brisket recipe, chicken, fries – this sauce will taste amazing with pretty much anything!

Easy Lemon Risotto

Easy lemon risotto. Basically sunshine in a bite! This risotto is creamy and delicious, with bright and light lemon flavor. Perfect for spring gatherings and an elevated side dish to summer barbecues! And the best part? Risotto is super easy to make, and everyone will be asking for more.

I’ve gotten so many questions about these blue and white bowls, which are unfortunately not sold anymore where I found them! But here are some similar ones that I love!

Gruyere, Ham and Asparagus Crustless Quiche

I love a good and easy weeknight dinner idea, don’t you? We always seem to be scrambling, and between meetings, activities and early kid bedtimes, we just need a quick dinner recipe that everyone will love. This easy gruyere, ham and asparagus crustless quiche is also a healthy low-carb meal idea, and tastes just as indulgent as a traditional quiche recipe! Win, win, win!

easy crustless quiche

I also love this ham and asparagus crustless quiche for brunch. It’s quick to make the day ahead (even a few days ahead!), so I can bake a fun dessert or focus on mixing cocktails. Scroll to the bottom – I’ve listed some of my favorite brunch recipes at the bottom of the post to help round out your meal!

easy ham and asparagus crustless quiche recipe

 

You can really use whatever meat and veggies you like – quiche is so versatile! I’ll often just throw leftover veggies in, because why not! When I set out to make this crustless quiche recipe I knew that I wanted to use asparagus. We’re just heading into asparagus season, and I looooove asparagus, and am always looking up easy asparagus recipes so I can take full advantage!

Easy asparagus crustless quiche recipe

How To Make Gruyere, Ham and Asparagus Crustless Quiche:

You’ll notice below that I’ve included “step by step” photos for this easy crustless quiche recipe! I realized as I was writing it out that it was hard to describe in just words what the process looks like, so I snapped a few pictures along the way! Hopefully that’s a helpful reference as you make this at home!

Step 1: Firstly, evenly distribute the ham and asparagus in the pie dish.

When I was growing up and helping my mom in the kitchen, she would always ask me “If you got that piece, would you be happy?” as a way to help make sure I evenly distributed ingredients throughout a casserole, cobbler, whatever it was! It’s funny, but I think of that literally every time I make a recipe that requires even distribution of ingredients haha! Would I be happy with that piece? No, it needs more asparagus!

Step 2: Secondly, sprinkle on the cheese! I like lots of cheese. Saving calories on no crust means extra cheese right? (Yes, the answer is always yes!)

how to make quiche

Step 3: Sprinkle the scallions over the cheese. Did you know? Scallions and green onions are actually the same thing. And are delicious!

Step 4: Pour the egg mixture over the pie dish, and then bake! It really doesn’t get easier than that, right?

This is such an easy quiche recipe – just a few steps and full of delicious flavor! Remember, you can feel free to experiment with what to use. This is an awesome cleaning out the fridge/pantry recipe since it’s so flexible.

easy crustless quiche recipe

 

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Gruyere, Ham and Asparagus Crustless Quiche

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Kirsten Bell
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 Minutes
  • Total Time: 45 Minutes
  • Yield: 6 Servings 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Cooking

Description

An easy, healthy and delicious weeknight meal idea! This crustless quiche is perfect for a quick dinner on the go, or a sit-down brunch.


Ingredients

Scale

1 lb asparagus, washed, ends snapped off and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter
6 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups gruyere
5 oz ham steak, diced
3 scallions, white and green sections


Instructions

In a medium pan, cook the asparagus and garlic in the butter over medium heat until the asparagus is fork-tender. Season with a little extra salt and pepper. Once asparagus is done cooking, set aside, and preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Transfer the asparagus as well as the ham into a greased 9″ tart dish, pie dish, or an 8×8 casserole. By doing this first, we can be sure that all of the meat and veggies are evenly distributed. Top with the shredded gruyere, and then with the chopped scallions.

Pour the egg mixture evenly over the layered ham, asparagus, cheese and scallions. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the very middle of the quiche is just a little wobbly in the middle if you give it a gentle shake. Allow to cool before serving.


Finish Your Brunch With These Recipes: 

Brunch Inspiration For Your Table:

Tools Used In This Post:

Strawberry Basil Crostini

Easy, simple and delicious strawberry basil crostini. The perfect appetizer for your spring and summer tables! Juicy, fruity strawberries meet savory goat cheese, meet fresh basil. A flavor explosion in every bite! And the best part? This is a super quick appetizer to put together, ideal for entertaining!

 

strawberry basil crostini

 

One of my favorite meals of all time is just a table full of appetizers. It’s such a fun way to get bites of a lot of different flavors, and everyone can decide how little (or how much!) they want to eat! A few weeks ago I shared super delicious Fig, Brie & Prosciutto Rolls, which are another easy recipe for an appetizer party! And today’s recipe are these seriously delicious Strawberry Basil Crostini. I love mixing sweet and savory flavors, and these appetizers are a perfect mix of sweet from the fruit and savory from the cheese! Your guests will never want cocktail hour to end!

 

easy strawberry basil crostini

 
easy strawberry appetizer

 

I’m so excited to serve these crostini at spring picnics, summer brunches and Mother’s Day! Can I tell you a secret though – I’m not usually a fan of goat cheese. Or stronger cheeses in general. But in these, I’m obsessed. I use cream cheese mixed with the goat cheese to soften the flavor, and it’s beyond delicious. With the strawberries and basil – total perfection! But honestly I also ate the leftovers with crackers!

By the way, I just grabbed this beautiful white serving platter, and it’s on sale right now! I love that it’s simple enough that I can serve basically anything on it! And at a great price too!

How To Make Strawberry Basil Crostini:

Step 1: First, let’s make the easy balsamic reduction! Balsamic reductions sound fancy but they’re soooo easy! By cooking the balsamic vinegar, we cook out most of the acidity, and are left with a delicious syrup. A tiny bit of honey helps to sweeten it a touch too.

Pour the balsamic and honey into a saucepan over medium heat, and let it cook for about 5 minutes or until thickened. You can make balsamic reduction in advance, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge! It’s good for a few months!

 

quick appetizer idea

 

Step 2: Combine the goat cheese and cream cheese! You want them to both be soft for spreading, and if you need to soften them a bit more you can do it in the microwave on 10 second increments.

 

 

Step 3: Slice and toast your bread! Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too crispy! Meanwhile, slice strawberries and basil. Did you know? You can roll up basil leaves, to make them quicker to slice! The less we chop the basil, the more herb flavor will be left. (If your cutting board is green after chopping, it means all that delicious flavor is left on your cutting board!)

 

easy strawberry basil crostini

 

Step 4: Assemble! Spread the goat cheese mixture onto each slice of bread, top with strawberries and basil, and drizzle with balsamic reduction!

 

And that’s it! You’re just four super easy steps away from easy and flavorful strawberry basil crostini!

 

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Strawberry Basil Crostini

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Kirsten Bell
  • Prep Time: 10 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 Minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 12 Servings 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Cooking

Description

Easy, simple and delicious strawberry basil crostini. Fresh strawberries, savory goat cheese and fresh basil, drizzled with balsamic reduction.


Ingredients

Scale

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon Honey

A fresh baguette4 oz herb and garlic goat cheese, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
12 strawberries, thinly sliced


Instructions

Combine the balsamic vinegar and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously, for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is thickened. Allow to cool completely.

Combine the goat cheese and cream cheese in a medium bowl with a spatula. Slice the baguette, and toast in the oven at 350 for about 5 minutes if you’d like the bread to be toasty, but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Spread each piece of bread with a generous amount of the cheese, and top with the sliced strawberries and basil. Drizzle the balsamic blaze over each piece just before serving.


Notes

Balsamic reduction can be made ahead of time, and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a few months!

Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Grilled cheese sandwiches are my weakness. I can say no to most pasta, most cakes, most cookies, but put a grilled cheese sandwich in front of me, and it’s game over!

These sandwiches are a seriously delicious and easy dinner idea that everyone in the family will enjoy. Perfect for those busy nights when you’re juggling soccer practice and play rehearsals, or when you just feel like taking it easy!

Serve with homemade tomato basil soup and a green salad for a total meal, or serve on their own for a super simple yummy option.

I love that when things have Italian in the name, they seem so much fancier. These are a bit fancier than the average grilled cheese, but I promise they’re just as easy! Just a few extra ingredients make all the difference, believe me!

This sandwich is made super delicious with the addition of basil, caramelized onions, fresh tomatoes and gooey provolone and parmesan cheeses. You can add some crispy pancetta or ham for some extra protein too!

Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

8 pieces rustic bread
8 slices provolone cheese
4 slices parmesan cheese
12 leaves fresh basil
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions: 

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove onions to a plate.

For the sandwiches: layer the provolone, parmesan, basil, tomato and onion inside the two pieces of bread. Butter the outside of each sandwich. Cook the sandwiches in the same skillet as the onions over medium-low heat until the outsides are toasty brown, and cheese is melted. Serve with tomato basil soup!

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