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Operation Gratitude.

Actually, I don't give out candy. I like to give out toys or some other treat, which has worked very well when the child is diabetic or otherwise can't have candy. This year, it was glowsticks.

But I bought a bag of candy corn at 50% off to make the Candy Corn Nainamo Bars to take to an event next weekend.

Something I am not clear about - did you marinate the brisket and then cook it "dry," or did you cook it with some of the marinade or another liquid? I do brisket a LOT and it's something that needs to be cooked slowly, WITH moisture in the pan. Braising as opposed to baking. I believe that short ribs are the same, as I've never seen a recipe for them that gets done quickly or dry.

Here are two ways that I cook brisket:
1) Put in pan, sprinkle on onion soup, add a bottle of cocktail sauce (optional), pour in can of beer. Bake at 325(F) for a long time until it falls apart. Roughly mid-morning until dinner time.
2) Put in pan. Add around some scrubbed, sliced carrots (not thin slices or they disappear - more like chunks) and/or sweet potatoes and a lot of prunes. Pour in about a cup of red wine or so. Bake as above. You might need ot add a bit more wine. I've also used cider vinegar for this one.
3) Put in pan. Spread over a bunch of chopped canned tomatoes with juice. Add some chopped onion, a few hot peppers, and some more onion. Bake as above.
A note: If you don't mind using disposable stuff, my mother (who learned the first recipe as a young bride and passed it down) would line the pan with huge sheets of foil and then close them over the meat and accessories before putting it into the oven. You can also cook the brisket in a crockpot if it is small enough.

As for short ribs, most of the recipes I've used include a braise, tomato or red wine, and a long, slow cooking. It sounds like the meat is technically cooked but not really "done" when you have been taking it out. Pick a rainy afternoon and try a long braise and see what a difference it makes.

As for the already-cooked meat, I am pretty sure you can put it back in and cook it for a longer period, see if that helps. Meat should NEVER bounce (the occasional meatball being the exception).

Ditto on using the tops with fish. You can tuck them into the fish as well, or lay them decoratively on fillets when you broil or bake fish. Chop a few and add them to salad for an unexpected taste. I've got a recipe that roasts potatoes, onions, and fennel with bay leaves and it's decorated with the fronds, so you can just flavour a simple potato with the fronds. Eggs would be another use, a bit of the chopped fronds over scrambled or an omelet.

A mixture of potatoes, onions, and apples, pan-fried and seasoned with savory herbs such as sage, tarragon, or marjoram makes a nice side dish. Or a main dish with some protein and a green veg on the side.

I also do baked apples: Core, stuff with dried fruits, sprinkle with sweet spices (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg), place in pan. You can nuke them in 1-2 minute intervals until soft, or bake (add a bit of water to the pan) at 350(F) for about 40-60 minutes until soft. Serve as is or with ice-cream or thick cream or yoghurt spooned on top. You can add a bit of sweetener (brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, whatever) to the apples before baking if you like, depending upon the sweetness of the apples.

Waldorf Salad.

If you like applesauce, make it and either can or freeze in portions. That can be a handy lunch-cooler that thaws for a dessert or snack, if they are in single-size portions.

Make apple cakes or muffins and freeze for emergency use, rainy mornings (I think a hot muffin on a rainy morning is lovely), and similar needs.

Mulligatawny Soup; my recipe includes a couple of apples.

Tried to post this earlier tin the week when the system was being uncooperative:

Here's an idea you might want to try - "cupboard roulette":
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/dining/07appe.html?hpw

When I get into a rut I either go with it until I am bored with whatever and that forces me to think of something new, or I look for a new way to cook whatever I have available. For example, if I've been overdoing the chicken-and-rice combos, I might try a lemon chicken with dill rice. If I really don't feel like cooking, I make a big batch of some soup or stew and just have that for a few days. Sometimes, you need a break and I use the non-cooking time to read a book, clean out my wardrobe, or knit something. Or I tell myself "fine, I don't want to cook, so I will eat up all the frozen boxes meals I have" which helps me clean out the freezer. I tend to box up the last portion or two of whatever I have and put it away for a day I'm in a hurry, and if I'm in a no-cooking slump, that counts.

I also have some go-to foods that take minimal work but make multiple portions, if I want to cook a little but without thinking. Potatoes roasted with fennel and bay leaves; ratatouille; quickie veggie chili; meatballs (frozen) with chutney sauce (jarred); and so on. So I feel like I am cooking but it takes little brain power.

I do all kinds of stews, soups, and they portion nicely. You can also do two week's worth by making three or four large ones, and then mark them so you do a rotation of A, B, C, D in turn. I just did a recipe called "curried cabbage" that was really a vegan main-dish with other veggies, rice, and peas, and it made a huge amount that I boxed and froze for lunches or dinners over the next couple to three weeks.

I also do saucy things and layer them over rice or pasta for instant meals. Stuffed squash seems to work well also, and I've had good stuffed cabbage and peppers from a congregational fund-raiser (the sisterhood prepped and you could order ahead) a couple years ago, so you might consider those. I second the idea about lasagna; just be sure to let it cool and re-firm a bit before portioning, if you make the big ones. I sometimes do it in loaf pans which give lots of nice crusty edges; I love those.

Also, crockpots are wonderful things. Prep the food ahead of time as much as possible, put it into the crockpot, go out, and come back to wonderful smells and a hot meal. A friend was really decadent and had a timer-driven bread machine that he would set to come home to hot stew and fresh bread.

Pam, I have only done dumplings only a few times but I drop them onto the simmering broth/stew. Did you make smallish ones, cook them for the right time, and not keep checking and poking? I remember that letting them cook undisturbed for at least the first 10-15 minutes (depending upon size) is crucial. Some people insist they have to go completely under the water to start, "get all wet", or they won't cook properly. Some people I know resort to Bisquick; the only thing I learn from that is that a bit of leavening really does help. If you don't want to do that read up on matzoh balls for some tricks to making the dumplings lighter and fully cooked.

There was a great article on making homemade, individual, frozen chicken pot pies in Cook's Illustrated. It was in the last couple of years so is not yet on the website, but I can check at home tonight if you don't get that magazine and let you know the issue.

The only mango chili I know is mango pieces dusted with chili powder. But I checked online and found a couple recipes include mango in chili so you might do a search. Did he really mean the stewlike chili with mango, or the dried fruit snacks?

I agree with @dbcurrie about checking those sources for ideas. And @CJ's idea about angelfood cake - I've fed that to friends. You can make a chocolate angelfood cake easily, top slices with whipped cream and toasted almonds. Or put it together in layers and oranges or some other fruit between.

As @beth1 said, you can't do a direct substitution. Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats don't take as long to cook as steel-cut (check the cooking instructions on the packages) and will get gluey in the crockpot. I've done overnight crockpot recipes on cold days and they can be a great breakfast, but you do need to use grains that hold up to the long, slow cooking.