French Dip Sandwiches

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooh. Yum. This is one of the best meals I've made in a long time. So delicious. Typically, I am not a fan of red meat. Just not my favorite thing. But, I do like good shredded beef. And, apparently I like red meat while I am pregnant. Weird.

So, I plopped this big hunk o' meat in the crockpot at 6:00 am and by 4:30 pm it was falling apart. I can't remember exactly the cut of meat I bought, but it was top round something or other. I got it because it was reduced for quick sale and it looked like what I might need. Like I said, I don't really "do" red meat. So when I buy beef, I have no clue what I'm buying. I just guess. This time, guessing paid off. It shredded wonderfully and was lean, but still tender.

These sandwiches are amazing. The flavors are unique, but still what you expect from a "french dip" sandwich. We toasted our bread and I had Provolone cheese on mine and Lonnie had Swiss cheese on his. I found the recipe from Real Mom Kitchen. I only made a few minor changes from her recipe.

Here's the recipe -

FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES

(recipe adapted from Real Mom Kitchen)

1 Tbsp. minced roasted garlic
1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
3 bay leaves
1 cup soy sauce
6 cups water
3-4 pound beef chuck roast (or whatever kind of roast I used!)
Rolls or buns
Provolone cheese

In the slow cooker, combine the garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, soy sauce and water. Place the roast in the liquid. Cook on low for 10 hours.
Remove roast from the slow cooker and shred. Put shredded beef in a separate bowl. Add some of the liquid to the meat. Strain the rest of the liquid and put in small bowls for dipping.
Butter the rolls and put under the broiler to toast. Put meat on the rolls and top with cheese. Put under the broiler for a few more seconds for cheese to melt. Serve with the reserved liquid for dipping.

Not-So-Red Beans & Rice

(It's really hard to get a good picture of beans and rice)

I had Red Beans & Rice on the menu for today, but decided to use pinto beans instead of red beans. I think they're a little softer. And, I decided to use the crockpot. I love my crockpot. Stick everything in in the morning and you have a delicious meal in the evening. Couldn't be easier. And then there's also less excuses to go out to eat. :)

There are some theories on whether or not you should soak the beans overnight before putting them in the crockpot. I would've soaked my beans...but I just forgot to do it last night. They cooked fine without soaking them. I've read that the soaking process is supposed to take out some of the...um...gas factor.

SLOW COOKER RED BEANS & RICE

(recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen)

1 lb. dried beans (red or pinto)
7 cups water
1 bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 lb. andouille sausage (or kielbasa or smoked sausage), sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 Tbsp. creole seasoning
Cooked rice, to serve over

Add all ingredients, except rice, into slow cooker. Cook on high for 7 hours or low for 12 hours (I cooked mine on low for 7 hours and then on high for 2 hours, just to make sure the beans got soft enough). About 1/2 hour before serving, smash up some of the beans in the slow cooker.
Serve over hot rice.

Slow-Cooker Sunday

Today I (Stephanie) made Zuppa Toscana soup (like the kind from Olive Garden) in the crockpot. It was fairly easy to put together and absolutely delicious!!!

The meat

The Potatoes



My little helper's hand on top of mine, helping slice the potatoes.



(Almost) all of the ingredients in the crockpot!


The finished product!

Slow-Cooker Zuppa Toscana

(adapted from "Gimme Some Oven!")


12 oz. spicy italian sausage
6 slices bacon
1 onion, diced
1-2 lbs. red potatoes (I think I used closer to 2 lbs.)
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups torn or chopped kale
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
Salt and pepper


In a large skillet, brown the sausage and drain any fat. Set aside in a small bowl. In the same skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Also set aside.
Add onion, garlic, potatoes, chicken broth and water to the slow-cooker. Then add in the sausage. Crumble up the bacon and add it to the soup.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Half an hour before serving, turn the heat up to high and add the kale and cream (or half-and-half).
Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!