Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

 

 

Is it Throwback Thursday, or do they still do that?  It’s the time of year when you want to pull out the slow cooker and make your house smell like “yum”.  This post is an oldie but a goodie from a past Maven.  Enjoy!

“Oh my goodness these are delicious! My family was completely quiet while they ate these. It was so funny! No one had time to talk…too busy eating! We were so craving a roast for Sunday dinner. I wanted something a bit different. I found a recipe for French Dip sandwiches and tweaked it for my family and this is what happened! Very yummy.”

3-1/2 lbs beef chuck roast
16 oz beef broth
1- 10.5 oz can condensed French onion soup
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 TBSP. Worchestershire sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
4-6 French rolls
olive oil
sliced provolone cheese, optional

1.  Trim excess fat off beef roast and season meat with salt and pepper.

2.  Into the slow cooker add the following ingredients: beef broth, condensed French onion soup, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, Worchestershire sauce and mix well. Then add the beef roast.

3.  Set your slow cooker on high! Set the time for 5 1/2 to 6 hours. This will be falling apart when you next look at it! But, you need to adjust this to your slow cooker. My slow cooker cooks really hot and fast. So think about yours before you set it. If you have time, put this on earlier in the day and set it to low. Since this is cooking in liquid it will not dry out.

4.  When it’s time, take beef out and rest it, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes. Slice beef and return to slow cooker on low for another 20 minutes.

5.  Slice French rolls and brush them with olive oil. Lay cut side down onto baking sheet and toast them to your liking. If someone wants cheese on their sandwich add the cheese onto roll to melt in the oven face up!

6.  Divide beef onto rolls and spoon the au jus sauce into little bowls for each person. (no one wants to share their au jus sauce!) Serve while hot! Your family will love this!

Originally posted on March 6, 2012.

 

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole

I got this great recipe from a good friend named Ginni.  I do things differently with it from time to time, but it is still basically the same. Its all good.  You can not go wrong with this one. Its simple, tastes great, comforting, and all in one dish!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 box Chicken Flavored Stovetop Stuffing Mix. Prepared according to package directions.
3 chicken breasts, cooked the way you like it (I grill it.) chopped into bite sized pieces
1 head of broccoli, cleaned and cooked until it looses some of the crunch, cut into bite sized pieces.
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1 cup water, or milk
salt
pepper
Swiss cheese slices

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray your baking dish. I use an 11×7 size dish. Spread out your Chicken flavored Stovetop Stuffing on the bottom of the baking dish.  I usually spoon in the stuffing and then wit  a wet spoon I spread it out a bit until the bottom of the dish is covered.  Sprinkle the chicken over the stuffing evenly.   Sprinkle the broccoli over the chicken. then in a separate bowl pour in the cream of chicken and the cream of mushroom soup. add the cup of water and stir until incorporated. Continue to add water until the mixture is pourable. Pour the mixture over the casserole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay swiss cheese slices over the top of the casserole. Bake at 375 for about 25-30 minutes. Watch that the cheese doesn’t brown too much. You can always turn it down or cover it with tin foil.

Original recipe by Ginni White

Homemade Chicken Crepes

This recipe originates from an old ward cookbook. I have added a couple of additional ingredients that we like. If the thought of making your own crepes then filling them and then baking them may seem like too much work, don’t worry. I promise I wouldn’t do it if it was too hard and if it wasn’t totally worth it! I have typed this out in detail, so don’t be afraid of it. This process moves fast. These are really delicious. Enjoy!

Step 1: Chicken
Boil 3-4 chicken breast. You will need about 2 c. of chicken. While this is cooking, begin cooking your crepes.


Step 2: Crepes
1 -1/4 c. a.p. flour
3 eggs
1 c. milk, we use 1%
1/4 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. melted butter

I use my smallest skillet for this. Its smaller than a salad plate, but not by much.
Preheat your skillet on medium low heat and then spray generously with nonstick cooking spray. Spray up the sides too. Then spoon in about 2-3 tbsp. of the batter and immediately tip it and turn it until it spreads all around the pan and its very thin. Cook about 1 minute on each sides. You don’t want to brown it. It should be very soft.  It should look like a light tan color. Remove it from the pan and continue the process until. you’ve used all of your batter. 

Step 3: Filling
1 (10- 1/2oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1 tbsp. onion, minced
1-2 tbsp. celery, minced
chopped or shredded chicken
m
Mix all of the above ingredients in one bowl really well. 

Step 4: Assembly
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray non-stick cooking spray on a 9×13 baking dish. Place 2 -3 tbsp. of the filling on one edge of the crepe and roll up like and enchilada. Place seam side down on the baking dish. Continue this process until the crepes are all filled.

Step 5: Topping
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream, or 1/2 cup of milk
cheddar cheese

Mix this together the soup and the sour cream, or milk. Then spoon evenly over the crepes. Sprinkle the cheese over top. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

These are so delicious. My family wipes out the entire 9×13 dish full! Enjoy!


Adapted from an original recipe by Wendy Starks. Thank you Wendy!

 

Sweet Potato Souffle

This is a family recipe that we bake every year for Thanksgiving. It is so delicious! This tastes like a pecan pie on top of sweet potatoes. How can that be wrong? Happy Thanksgiving!

Soufflé:
3 cups of sweet potatoes, boiled and mashed
*I use a big can of sweet potatoes and drain the syrup.
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of these until smooth. Pour into a greased baking dish and set aside. I used a 9×13 sized baking dish.

Topping:
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup coconut
1/3 cup melted butter
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix all of these topping ingredients together a  sprinkle evenly over the sweet potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.
*The secret to this, is to double the topping recipe! 

Gratitude Is A Virtue

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles has a said,

“Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable.
 
“You might be surprised to know that gratitude is a commandment of the Father. “Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things” (D&C 59:7), the Lord has commanded in these latter days. Even further, He has admonished that “in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments” (D&C 59:21).”
 
“In the Book of Mormon we learn that we should “live in thanksgiving daily” (Alma 34:38). Isn’t that a wonderful thought to live in thanksgiving daily? Can you imagine how your life would improve if you lived in thanksgiving daily? Can you imagine how your life would improve if others did the same? Do you think the world would be a happier place? less stressful? less angry? more spiritual?”
 
“President Joseph F. Smith proclaimed: “The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 263).”

I have seen in my own life the blessings that come from practicing Gratitude. If I find myself completely down in the dumps, and it happens, I have found that counting my blessings lifts my spirits! Simply thinking of my many, many blessings can change my outlook on my life. I am so grateful for this testimony.

My blessings are too numerous to count. I see that my Heavenly Father is mindful of me and makes things happen in my life that lead me to him. All that I have comes from my Heavenly Father. May you too remember to count your blessings and be grateful. Practice an “attitude of Gratitude.”

Roasted Sausage & Veggies

 
I love easy one dish meals. This is super easy to prepare and is very satisfying and filling.
 
 
 
1 lb. all beef smoked sausage or sausage of your choice, chopped
2 large green bell peppers, sliced or chopped
1 medium yellow, sliced or chopped
6 medium potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
pam
olive oil
salt
pepper
aluminum foil
large cookie sheet, or roasting pan
 
Prepare all of the veggies and the sausage and place then into a big mixing bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the mixture and then toss to coat.  Cover the bottom of your pan with aluminum foil and spray pam over it generously. Pour the bowl of sausage and veggies onto the aluminum foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Serve and enjoy!
 


Easy Donuts

 
Every once in a while my mom would break out the canned biscuit dough and make us these sugary treats. They are so simple and so yummy! Maybe everyone know about these already, but I thought they were worth the reminder. These are best with Pillsbury Grands, but you can use the smaller ones too.
 
Pillsbury Grands, 1-2 cans
sugar
oil, for frying
 
Pour oil into a pot until its about 2-3 inches deep, and heat on medium. While its heating up, open the biscuits and use something to cut a perfect circle into the center of each biscuit. Then drop 2-3  donuts at a time into the oil to fry. The trick to this, is you don’t want the donuts to cook too fast or they will be doughy in the center. So, it should take 25-30 seconds on each side, maybe a bit more if you cook it on lower heat. Using tongs, lift the donuts out of the oil and let the oil drip off good then place the donut into the sugar. Lift all of the donuts and place into the sugar and then transfer to a plate to rest.  Toss the donuts around in the sugar until they are thoroughly coated.  These are really great and so quick.
 
 
 

Snickerdoodle Brownies

 
So, you should know, that unless you are prepared to pretty much eat the whole pan of these you might not want to make this recipe! You think I’m kidding!? These have the perfect texture, a little chewy and just the right amount of sweet. This is definitely going down as a family favorite! I did find this recipe on “pin-interest”. (That’s how my mom pronounces it. LOL!) This is a great fall dessert. The cinnamon and sugar are warm and cozy.
 
Recipe:

 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Get out three separate bowls.
1-In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and set that aside.
2-In  small bowl combine the white sugar and cinnamon, and set that aside.
3- n a large bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat until well blended.
Spread the mixture into the 9×13 baking dish.

Sprinkle the sugar cinnamon mixture evenly over the batter.

Bake for 25-30 minute or until it springs back at touch.
Let the brownies cool on a wire rack for a bit and serve.
 
 
original recipe from Dozen Flours


Ice Cream Cookie Treats

A treat now and then is good for everyone!  This is really ridiculously yummy!  So, easy to put together and the kids love them, ofcourse.

Ingredients:
1 c. Butter Flavored Crisco
3/4 c. Granulated Sugar
3/4 c. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
*Blend these ingredients until smooth.
2 1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
*Add these ingredients to the first mixture.
1/2 c. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 c. White chocolate chips
*Add chips to mixture.
—————–
Vanilla icecream

Directions:
Drop by rounded tablespoons on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 9-12 minutes or until barely golden brown! Remove cookies from baking tray and place on cooling rack. Let them cool completely then add a tablespoon of vanilla icecream to the cookie and gently press another cookie on top. Serve immediately.

 *You can add any kind of chocolate chips, or nuts, candies, anything to these!

Keep The Commandments

  


“Consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God” (Mosiah 2:41).

“Commandments are the laws and requirements that a loving Heavenly Father gives His children to bless them, protect them, and guide them back to Him. When we keep the commandments, we show our love for Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. As we obey the commandments and continually repent, we become more like the Savior and we are blessed with happiness, peace, testimony, and the companionship of the Holy Ghost.”

Two scriptures that illustrate the point that Heavenly Father will bless us with so much if we will be obedient to him follow.

1 Nephi 17:3 “And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and astrengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did  means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.”

 Mosiah 24:14 “And I will also ease the aburdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as bwitnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their cafflictions.

“Good choices make us happy”. I say this to my children all the time. Not only will we feel happy when we have been obedient to the commandments, but Heavenly Father will bless us and that will make it even sweeter. Finding our way back to Heavenly Father can be done if we stay on the path that he has given us.