French Dip Sandwiches

I love crock pot meals...easy to get going and less fuss (and mess) for me.

I found this recipe for French Dip Sandwiches on Jamie Cooks It Up!  My family loves sandwiches...they love meat...how could this go wrong?

Now, I am no expert on roasts.  I don't know one cut from another, so I stood befuddled in the meat section of the grocery store for a good 15 minutes before I finally picked one.  I went for a silverside roast (and NO, I have no idea what that means).

I only purchased a one kilo roast (that is about 2 1/4 pounds for my American friends), as our family is not that big.  I kept all the proportions of the original recipe, and I let the meat cook for 9 hours on high in my crockpot.

I took the meat out (about one hour before serving) and shredded as directed.  I added a packet of Au Jus Gravy mix to the juices (and stirred well) before putting the shredded meat back in to "soak" for that last hour.

We left the cheese out, but toasted the buns ( I used sesame seed topped Kaiserbroetchen rolls) under the grill in my oven.  I served the sandwiches with chips (ummm, that is French Fries for you non-English folks) and rootbeer (yummmmmmm, rootbeer).

The sandwiches were absolutely delicious!  The kids had a few bites and mostly stuck to the bread, but I was hooked.  I'm not usually a big fan of meat (I have texture issues), but this was good.  The sauce was awesome as well!

If you are looking for a quick easy meal to make, this is a great idea.  You can adjust for big or small crowds!

French Dip Sandwiches in the Crock Pot

Recipe from Jamie Cooks it Up!

Time: 10 minutes prep + 6-9 hours in the crock

Yield: 8 servings

1  3-4 pound beef roast

1  T olive oil

salt and pepper

2  1 oz packages Lipton Onion Soup mix

4  C hot water

2  beef bullion cubes

8  rolls (something with a good sturdy crust on it)

Provolone, Swiss or Mozzarella Cheese Slices (optional)

softened butter

1. Heat up a large skillet. Add the olive oil to the pan.

2. Sprinkle your roast with salt and pepper and place it in the pan. Let it get nice and seared on each side.

3. Place the roast in your crock pot. Sprinkle the Onion Soup mix over the top. 

4. Let your bullion cubes dissolve in the hot water and then pour it over the roast.

5. Put the lid on your crock and cook on high for 6-8 hours. Take the roast out and shred it up with a fork about 1 hour before you are ready to serve. Put the shredded beef back in the crock and let it cook in all those yummy juices for the last hour.

6. Spread just a bit of softened butter on your rolls. Toast them on a griddle. Then add the meat and some cheese if you'd like.

7. Pour the hot juices left in the crock into small bowls for dipping.

British Beef Stew

I have been trying to find a great beef stew recipe, and came across many in my search, but nothing that was complete enough for me...so I picked and chose the parts I liked and made up my own.

British Beef Stew

1 Kg (about 2 lbs) Irish Casserole Beef
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 c. beef broth
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. paprika
4 carrots, sliced
6 potatoes, diced
2 onions, chopped
1 cup frozen sweet peas

Place meat in crockpot.
Mix flour, salt, and pepper, and pour over meat.
Stir to coat meat.
Add remaining ingredients, except peas, and stir to mix well.
Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours or on high 5-6 hours.
Add peas about 15 minutes before end.
Stir stew thoroughly before serving.

** for the beef broth, I use bullion cubes. I add an extra cube (usually 1 cube + 1 cup water = I cup broth) to the mix for a stronger flavor.

Spicy Hamburgers

1 lb ground beef
1 lb mild pork sausage
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Yoshida's gourmet sauce

1. Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix well.
2. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Form into 6 patties.
4. Grill for 5-7 minutes on each side (until internal temperature of meat reaches 165 degrees F).
5. Serve with favorite burger toppings.

Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs

2 lbs. ground beef

1 lb. ground pork

½ c. bread crumbs

½ c. milk

2 eggs

½ onion (minced)

chopped garlic

2 t. salt

2 t. pepper

pinch of oregano

1. Put all ingredients in big bowl and mix.
   
2. Form in small round shape (I use small cookie dough scoop.
   
3. Melt some butter in a skillet, electric skillet or in the oven.
   
4. Cook meatball on medium heat until done.
   
5. If you want gravy, add sour cream and a little soy sauce (opt) and stir.

Spicy Meatloaf

1 egg (beaten)
1/4 Cup dried bread crumbs (or 3/4 cup soft bread crumbs)
1 Tablespoon dried minced onion (or 1/4 cup raw minced onion)
2 Tablespoons dried parsley (or 1/3 Cup fresh parsley)
1 teaspoon dried Oregano
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound hot pork sausage

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.
2. Combine egg, bread crumbs, onion, parsley, and Oregano in medium sized mixing bowl.
3. Add in ground beef and pork sausage.
4. Mix ingredients together by hand, until meat and spices are evenly distributed.
5. Form mixture into loaf or ring in shallow baking pan.
6. Cook meatloaf for 45-55 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
8. Use ketchup or other sauce (such as barbecue sauce) as a dressing.

** We like to serve with either mashed potatoes or scalloped potatoes, hot fresh rolls, a veggie (usually corn or green beans), and some applesauce or fresh apple slices. It make a great meal.

Marinade for Flank Steak

Marinade for Flank Steak (in response to favorite beef recipe)
1/2 c. veg oil
1/2 c soy sauce
1/4 c red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 TBsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp minced garlic cloves
1/4 tsp pepper.

Mix all ingredients together. I usually buy the packs of two flank steaks at Costco. Score the meat on both sides in a diamond shape- then put each in a freezer bag and pour 1/2 the mixture over each. Stash in freezer. Pull out on Saturday morning and put in the refrigerator to thaw. Then grill or broil on each side 7-10 minutes. It should be red-pink in the middle.

Favorite........Beef Recipe

You are all invited to share your favorite beef recipe. Simple, complicated, it doesn't matter!

Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s Pie

4 Medium – Large Potatoes
½ cup milk
1 tbsp margerine
1 lb ground beef
1 Can French Cut Green Beans
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 C Milk
1 tbsp Flour
1 tbsp margerine
Shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and cube potatoes. Boil potatoes until cubes are soft.
While potatoes are boiling, brown beef. Melt margerine in pan with browned meat. Mix in milk and flour. Heat and stir until mixture begins to thicken. Stir in tomato sauce, continue to heat until sauce thickens. Pour meat and sauce into casserole dish. Stir in can of green beans.

Mash cooked potatoes. Mix in milk and margerine. Spread over top of meat mixture until completely covered. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

** You can replace the green beans with your mix of favorite veggies, fresh, frozen, or canned.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained with juice reserved
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1 large carrot, diced (optional)
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1. To make the sauce, mix enough water with the reserved pineapple juice to make 1 cup. In a large pot over medium heat, combine the juice mixture, 1/3 cup water, vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Stir in cornstarch, ginger and seasoning salt, until smooth. Cover and cook until thickened.
2. Stir pineapple chunks, carrot, green pepper and meatballs into the sauce. Gently stir to coat the meatballs with the sauce. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked. Serve over rice.

Steak and potato dinner salad

1 lb red potatoes
3 strips bacon
small red onion chopped
1 lb boneless sirloin
¼ tsp salt
5 Tbs honey
5 Tb Apple cider vinegar
½ tsp cornstarch + ½ tsp cold water
1 bag baby spinach
1 cup grape tomatoes halved

Boil potatoes 15 -20 min. Cool and cut into quarters.
Cook bacon- remove to paper towel. Add onion to drippings. Add steak & salt- cook 2 min +. Set aside, keeping warm. Add honey and vinegar to juices- cook 2 min on Med heat. Add corn starch last 30 seconds- stirring well. Mix all together. Enjoy!