Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 (4 pound) boneless beef roast
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 (10 ounce) cans beef broth
• 8 french rolls or hoagies
• 16 slices Provolone cheese
• butter for rolls

Directions:

1. Remove and discard all visible fat from the roast. Place trimmed roast in a slow cooker.

2. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, bay leaf, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder. Pour mixture over roast. Add the beef broth to the slow cooker. 

3. Cover, and cook on Low heat for 6-8 hours, or until meat is very tender. Mine was done after 5 hours so it depends on your slow cooker; it could take more or less time.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for toasting the rolls. Remove meat from broth, reserving broth. Slice or shred meat depending on your preference. I prefer it sliced really thin.

5. Slice rolls in half and place on a cooking sheet. Spread with butter and bake in the oven for 2-3 minutes or until barely toasted.

6. Pile meat on rolls and top each roll with 2 slices of Provolone cheese. 

7. Place rolls back in the oven for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

8. Skim any fat off the surface of the reserved broth in the slow cooker. Serve with reserved broth   

-You may need to add water to adjust the strength of the au jus. Sometimes it is stronger than others and you can adjust it easily by adding water to your preference. Serve in ramekins so everyone can dip their own sandwiches.-

Meatball Marinara Subs

I love Meatball Marinara sandwiches, so I tried this and loved it. Got it from Rachel Ray, can't go wrong with her :)

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup (3 handfuls), Italian bread crumbs
1 medium onion, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons (several drops) Worcestershire sauce,
1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) grated Parmigiano or Romano
Coarse salt and black pepper

5 Minute Marinara Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, (2 turns around the pan)
4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
A handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, about 2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28 ounces) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14 ounces) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 semolina crusty sub rolls, with or without sesame seeds (I use hoagie rolls)
1 (10-ounce) bag (2 1/2 cups) shredded provolone or Italian 4-cheese blend

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Place ground sirloin in a large mixing bowl and punch a well into the center of meat. 

3. Fill well with the egg, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire, parsley, cheese, and a little salt and pepper. 

4. Mix up meatball ingredients until well combined, yet not over-mixed. Divide mix into 4 equal parts, roll each part into 4 balls and space equally onto a nonstick baking sheet. 

5. Place meatballs in oven and roast about 12 minutes. Break a meatball open and make sure meat is cooked through before removing from the oven.

6.Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and garlic. 

7. When garlic starts sizzling, add herbs and crushed pepper. 

8. Allow oil to infuse for half a minute, then stir in the tomatoes and season sauce with salt and pepper. 

9.Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer until meatballs are removed from oven.

10. Combine meatballs and sauce and pile into sub rolls, 4 meatballs per sub. 

11. Top with shredded cheese and place under subs under broiler to melt cheese. 

12. Top with shredded basil or arugula and serve with a pile of oven fries, recipe follows.

Barbecue Meatball Hoagie

Ingredients:
1 can Pillsbury refrigerated crusty french loaf
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
16 frozen cooked meatballs (about 8oz), thawed
Shredded cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray cookie sheet with cooking spray

2. Cut loaf of dough crosswise into 4 pieces to make buns. Place dough pieces seam sides down and 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

3. With hands, stretch each dough piece until 4 inches long. With sharp knife, cut 2 diagonal slashes, 1/2 inch deep, on top of each.

4.  Bake 21 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes.

5.  Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat barbecue sauce and meatballs over medium-low heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until hot.

6. With serrated knife, cut buns in half horizontally, cutting to but not completely through one long side. Spoon 4 meatballs with sauce into each bun.

7. Sprinkle with cheese if desired

Cheese Broccoli Ham Braid

Ingredients:
1 bunch of broccoli
8 ounces Gouda cheese
15 slices ham, diced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp whole grain mustard
salt and pepper
2 packages crescent roll dough


Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350-375 degrees.

2. Blanching the broccoli: After you cut the broccoli florets into bite size pieces, cook it in boiling water just for one minute. During the cooking process prepare a bowl of ice water and dip boiled broccoli to ice water bawl for shocking.

3. Combine diced ham, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper (all the ingredients except crescent roll dough) in a bowl.

4. Un-roll 2 packages of crescent rolls on a large baking sheet and place the combined ingredients to the center of the rolls.

5. Then tear strips along the border of the dough and “braid” the dough over the top of the mixture. 

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown.

Easy Meatloaf

                          

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 pound breakfast sausage mild
1 cup crackers crushed
1/2 cup ketchup
1 bell pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
salt/pepper

Directions:

1. Mix all of this together 

2. Put it in a loaf pan or  shape into a loaf and put in baking dish

3. Cover with topping -Click here for a wonderful sauce topping

4. Cook meatloaf 350 for 45min 

5. Pour the rest of the topping sauce over it 

6. Cook for another 45 min

7 Serve warm (great with mashed potatos)

Crock Pot Roast

                            

Ingredients:
1 roast (go with the cheap one it will cook long enough to become tender)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package lipton onion soup mix
2 or 3 potatoes cut up
carrots
salt/pepper

Directions:
1. Put roast in crock pot, pour onion soup on top, then the mushroom soup on top of everything. 

2. Place potatoes and carrots around the roast (you can put roast on top of veggies too, but don't put veggies on top of the roast)

3. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours

Salisbury Steaks with Buttered Egg Noodles

Ingredients:
¼ pound mushrooms
2 stalks celery
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 pound lean ground beef
2/3 cup fine plain bread crumbs
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup beef broth
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
Hot cooked egg noodles with butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the broiler. Line a broiler pan with foil. Cook egg noodles according to package directions.

2. Coarsely chop the mushrooms, celery, onion, and garlic.

3. Combine half the chopped vegetables with the ground beef, 1/3 cup of the breadcrumbs, the salt and pepper.

4. Form the mixture into patties, a scant ½ inch thick.

5. Place the patties on the broiler pan and broil 4 inches from heat for 5 minutes. Turn over and broil for 7 minutes longer, or until browned on top.

6. While patties are cooking, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot.

7. Add the reserved chopped vegetables to the skillet and sauté until the onion is slightly softened, about 2 minutes.

8. Stir in the beef broth, tomato paste and remaining 1/3 cup breadcrumbs.

9. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.

10. Spoon sauce over Salisbury steaks before serving. Serve steaks with buttered egg noodles. Makes 4 servings.

Amish Meatloaf

I have two favorite meatloaf recipes, both of which incorporate a sweet component that is just fantastic. I can't rave enough about this recipe for Amish Meatloaf. It is addicting. Did you know meatloaf could be addicting? It is!

The difference between the two recipes lies in where the sweet component is. In this recipe, the brown sugar is mixed into the meat, with a basic ketchup glaze on top. My other favorite meatloaf recipe has a pineapple preserve glaze on top, so the sweet factor is primarily on top. I love them both, but if I had to choose just one favorite, it would be the Amish Meatloaf.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
2 1/2 cups crushed butter-flavored crackers
1 small onion, chopped
2 eggs
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar

Meatloaf Glaze
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. corn syrup (optional), it makes the glaze a little sticky

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl, mix together ground beef, crushed crackers, onion, eggs, 3/4 cup ketchup, and 1/4 cup brown sugar until blended. Using a buttered baking dish, mound meat mixture into a loaf shape.

3. Bake for 1 hour in the pre-heated oven, or until cooked through. Add the ketchup glaze half way through cooking.

*6-8 servings*