Rosettes

Rosettes are a delicate fried cookie that are another family Christmas tradition.  I remember my Grandma having pans and pans of these cookies at her house for our family Christmas party.  She probably hated having the sugar all over the floor, but they were so good everyone couldn't help going back for more. 

You can find Rosette irons at many cooking stores, I've even seen some at the dollar store (although I don't know how well those would work).  It might be a process of trial and error to find some great irons, but once you do, making these cookies will be a breeze.  There are also two pronged iron handles so you can make two cookies at once to speed up the process.

Rosettes

2 eggs
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Peanut oil (for frying)

Sugar
Cinnamon (optional)

Put first 6 ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth (you don't want any lumps, it will be the consistency of crepe batter).

Heat 3" of oil in a deep fryer (or deep pan) to 365 degrees.  Place a rosette iron in the hot oil for 60 seconds.  Pour batter into a deep dish (I like to use a bread pan).  Dip the hot iron into the batter, making sure NOT to let the batter run over the top of the iron. If you do, the rosette will be impossible to remove. Immerse the coated iron in the hot fat and fry 25-30 seconds until light brown (you can use a fork to help slide the cookie off if it is sticking). Once light golden brown, flip cookie over and then out of the oil to drain on a paper towel lined cookie sheet.   Heat iron again and repeat.  Sometimes you can get two cookies after heating the iron.
In a pie dish or other shallow container, combine 1 cup sugar (and cinnamon if you wish) and mix well. Dip rosettes in this mixture while still warm. You can also sprinkle them with powdered sugar. Don't skip this step - the cookies aren't really sweetened until they're coated in some kind of sugar!

Makes about 5 dozen rosettes

Beef Brisket

This recipe is a family tradition at Christmas time.  My Mom and Grandma bake it in the oven pretty much all day and sometimes I do the same but other times I opt for the time-saving pressure cooker for the first portion of cooking and then add the sauce and cook for the remaining hour in the oven.

Beef Brisket

4lb. Beef brisket
3 tablespoons liquid smoke (I use hickory)
3 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion salt
2 teaspoons celery salt
2-3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1-2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Sauce
1 cup ketchup
1 cup water
3 cups brown sugar (I use about half of this, just depends on how sweet you want it)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion finely chopped

Place brisket in a large casserole dish and sprinkle both sides with liquid smoke, garlic powder, onion salt, and celery salt.  Cover with two layers of plastic wrap and leave overnight in the refrigerator.

Remove from refrigerator and sprinkle with pepper and worcestershire sauce.  Cover with foil and bake 5 hours at 275 degrees.

While baking, make the sauce by combining ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 15 min.

After 5 hours, remove brisket from the oven and pour juices from the meat into a bowl or large measuring cup. Skim the fat/oil from the juices and then put juices back on meat.  Cover brisket with sauce and bake uncovered for an additional hour.