Coke Cola Brisket SHHHHHHHH this is a secret….

Do you have a recipe that has been passed down in your family? You know one that you swear your great, great great, grandma made? Well I do as well! Mine is Coke Cola Brisket. Now we are not sure who started it, but slowly it got passed down, and added to. It started out very simple, but as the times have changed so has the recipe. So here I am about to break all the family secrets and share it with you. You just have to promise one thing that when you make it, you say you have no clue where you got it from .

Coke Cola Brisket

Ingredients:

• 4lbs beef brisket
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoon paprika
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (I use about 1 to 2 tablespoons.)
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 cup coke cola (not diet)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a roasting pan with foil.
Rub brisket on both sides with the olive oil. Sprinkle both sides with paprika, salt, and pepper. Place brisket fat-side up in the prepared roasting pan. Top with  onion, carrots and celery.
Whisk together tomato sauce, cola, Pour over the top of the vegetables on the brisket.
Cover with foil and roast 2-1/2 to 3 hours, until very tender. Baste with pan juices every 30 minutes.
Let rest 10 minutes. Slice against the grain and serve with pan juices.
The brisket may be made a day in advance, sliced, and refrigerated. Reheat in the gravy.

Coke Cola not only tenderizes this brisket, it also makes a fabulous gravy along with garlic, onion, celery, tomato sauce, and dry onion soup mix. You will not taste the cola, and it is not overly sweet at all. The gravy is awesome over mashed potatoes. This is a comfort food favorite. And in my family something we look forward to! I can not tell you how many times I have made this dish and how many times my family and friends think I have slaved away in the kitchen, Who would of thought that something so simple as a can of Coke a Cola would make a dish so good!

So I ask you again what is a recipe you make all the time? Is the one that you love and that your family ask you to make over and over again? If so guess what you are starting your own family traditions today!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Coca-Cola® blogging program. If I am one of the first 100 blogs received by SocialsMoms, I will receive a $25 gift card. For more information on the program,click here.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Mamavation Monday

You got to love Mondays! I mean it is a time where we look at what we did all week right. This week was so crazy! Kids sick, trips to doctors, new medians, and so on. I am just glad to have support of my family and others to get through everything! I am on this crazy new med. I have a thyroid problem. I have a mass on my right thyroid, it is not little mass, but a huge ass one! No thank goodness it is not cancer, but we are trying to stink it and this med is kicking my trash! It is causing me some not nice weight gain. As you can see right here.

yep that’s right it is a 3 lbs weight gain! I knew it could happen, and I am ok with it, because I am not going to let it get me down! This is just a set back, but I will be able to get the weight back off and get to my goal.

I wanted to be honestly with you ladies and show you that this could happened, but I am ok! My next goal is to lose 16.8 lbs and get down to 170! I know I can do it, so starting now I am redoing what I did as a mamavation mom. Thinking of Mamavation moms if you have not go read there post get to know them and please go support them!

This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn.

How would you like to alter your family’s nutrition and eating habits? Do you have a plan to do this?

When became a mamavation mom last campaign I wanted to have my family get more fiber and whole grains, I had no clue how to do this. Alysa taught me that fiber was everywhere! In foods we where already eating! I am now making my own breads, and meals. I also have cu out sugars and proceed foods!

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the Mamavation Blogging Carnival for a chance to win an Orville Redenbacher’s Very Important Blogger Gift Basket.”

Mother’s Day

Looking at this picture you may not know it, but this little boy made my day on Mothers Day last year. I have this picture right now on my desk. He is my first boy, and his story is very touching to me because he was born looking like this:

Here he is at 4 pounds. He wanted to come early and join us almost two months before his time.

Now back to why Logan made my day last Mother’s Day. I was pregnant with my second son last year. I was was hot, tried, and honestly feeling under the weather last Mother’s Day. My wonderful Husband got me some Gerber daisy my favorite flower! Logan was walking them to me when he fell and the flower pot fell to the floor and broke! I started to cry when he ran got his flower hat and said “Momma I’m your flower now.”  The tears tuned into kisses and smiles.

Tiny Prints was able to take my special picture of my and turn into an picture sitting onto my desk! 

This year I am making Mother Day cards for all the grandmas! 

Share your appreciation and love this Mother's Day with Tiny Prints Mother's Day Cards.They offer cards suited for all sorts of moms in your life - mom friends, moms, mothers-in-law. Tell her she's doing a great job and "Happy Mother's Day" to make her day special to her. Check out their selection of customizable cards ready to personalize with your own special photo.
Whatever the reason, Tiny Prints has a card for it!

May 8th will be here before we know it!  It is not too early to pick out the perfect cards today.

* Disclaimer -  This opportunity was made possible by Global Influence and Tiny Prints. I was provided with a gift code in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own. No monetary compensation was received.

Changing

I want to show you something that is very scary to see are you sure you are ready ok here you go:

this picture is not someone else’s but mine taken back in Jan. 2011. and here is my picture:

Here I am in all my fatness! I am fat, and unhappy! Look at my face, the way I am holding myself, it’s not pretty at all. I wanted to change the way people where looking at me, so in Jan. of this year I started to change the way I was eating, exercising, and more then anything my attitude about myself! So slowly the weight started coming off. I learn that I only need 1250 calories a day to eat! I worked out for 45 mins at least and before I knew it I was here:

This is me now! I am 183 lbs I have lost a total 31.4 lbs! This is my big change! I did this for not only myself, but for these people as well:

My family! These right here! My change may not seem like a lot to some, but to my family it is so much. I am able to run after my boys, I am able to play outside with them. I am able to be out in public and not feel like everyone is staring at me. These are little changes in my life.

Changes can be big or small, but one thing I have learn is that changes are to be about your life, your family, and you! Changing is a great thing! Changes are something that can happened everyday and all the time if you let it. So I ask you what have you done lately to change your life? Was it a hair cut, or maybe it was a new car, or maybe it was something big like losing weight! Whatever the change is I know that you deserved it!

I am so glad that I took the leap to change my life, because now I have shown myself that I can change my life. I know that one day, when my  son’s come to me and ask me how to change something I will be able to help them because I was not scared to change. So one more time I say take a look at these pictures here.

I know that this picture here:

is no longer me!!!!!

But this picture here is:

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Cottonelle blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here

Wordless Wednesday

mamavation monday

Hi everyone this is going to be a quick post as Logan is sick with Bronchitis and Spencer is now getting sick. Things this week have been off track and the reason has been because I have let sickness get in my way. I know what I am to do and what I need to get done in order to stay on track, but I let myself slide this week. I know that and I am not blaming anyone but myself. As you can see here from my scale pic I have stayed the same.

 

I am glad the number did not change, for the worst, but it could have.

I am so excited to see who makes the next Mamamvation moms!!!! I know that whoever it is that you will rock it! I am so excited to be your mentor! I am here for you 125% . Know that you will be able to do it! To the others you will be able to rock the Move it and lose it! Till tonight when we party see you then!

It’s a PARTY!!!!!

Hello to all my readers out there! I am so excited to be able to party with you all this year. This is my first year going out on my own! This is my own blog, I am my own boss, my own writer. So I am here to offer you the chance to party with me and the rest of the blogs at the 2011 Ultimate Blog Party!

I am a stay at home mom of two boys, who are the love of my life! They make me completely insane some days, but honestly what kids don’t!

Here’s my little family! My husband Stephen, Logan my oldest, and Spencer my youngest.

So here you see my little family, yes my life revolves around boys! But come on how lucky am I never have to worry about fight for the bathroom!

In January of 2011 I was able to be a Mamavation mom. Many of you who follow me on twitter, know of my weight struggles. I have been trying for a long time to get weight off of me and did not know how. But in January I went from 215 lbs looking like this

 

to going to 187 lbs and looking like this

Having an active life style is now part of my life and you will see that on my blog! I love to cook as well, and also do scrapbooking.

These are just a few things about my life and now on to the good stuff!

*GIVEAWAY*

I am so excited that I am able to provide my readers with a free date night on me! I am not able to get away at all my my husband so I want you to get to the movies for FREE! I have one $25.00 Fandgo gift card up for grabs!

HOW TO ENTER:

1: Tell me what movie you want to see so bad if you win! (Yes I know, but honestly I am living through you!)

2: Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect GFC

3: Follow my on twitter (don’t worry I will follow back)

4: Tweet about this contest (psst you can use the retweet button)

5: Like this post on facebook

That’s it’s sounds easy right, It is! And because I am feeling very very nice I am throwing a $20.00 money card to eat on!!!!!!!