French Dip Sandwiches

(Thanks to Gene for this recipe. I’m not sure if I did this exactly as he did, but I did my best and it really turned out well. NOT near as good as his were, but still yummy! These were SO good. They require a little extra work, but it is so worth it. Trust me, you will NOT be disappointed.)

-2 lb Sirloin Slab (I couldn’t find this exactly, so I bought 2 separate sirloin steaks, that equaled about 2lbs.)

-Montreal Seasoning, applied liberally (I bought a huge container of this at BJ’s. We use it for grilling too.)

-Large Onion

-Packet of Au Jus (made according to the directions)

-Buns

-Provolone Cheese

-Mayo and Horseradish (Mixed)

Apply Montreal Seasoning to sirloin. Cut onions in slices. (I didn’t separate these, just left them in chunks.) Place them all over the sirloin. Place the sirloin in a covered roaster with a short drain rack on the bottom and slow cook the sirloin slab. Cook on low, using a thermometer. (I put my oven a little under 200 and cooked it for 4 hours.) You don’t want to go above 170 degrees.  (When I pulled ours out, the temperature of the meat was 150.) This is best done cooked the day before. Refrigerate sirloin and juices.  The following day, shave your sirloin into slices. (This was done with a slicer when we had it. It was recommended to be done with an electric knife if no slicer was available. I didn’t have either, so I slowly, painstakingly sliced the sirloin as thin and uniform as I could get it with a very sharp knife.) Pour the juice in a serving pan and line the pan with the slices. (I didn’t have a lot of juice from mine, so I went ahead and prepped the Au Jus and added a bit to the pan to coat the sirloin. I wanted it all covered so that it didn’t dry out.) Place in the oven to get warm. (I heated mine on 350 for about 10 minutes.) Turn to warm for 45 minutes to an hour to allow the meat to marinade.

Lightly butter your rolls and toast on a skillet. Mix together the mayo and horseradish, spread onto the bun.  Place the amount of sirloin you want for one sandwich on the griddle, cover with cheese and allow to melt.  (We also used onions on ours.) Serve with Au Jus to dip.

Hearty Chili Roni

(This was a pretty good dinner. Kevin loved it. We found this one on a recipe card in the grocery store. I like to make something easy and quick on Friday, since we have movie night. We all eat in the living room, so I need something that the kids can easily manage. Another hit!)

2 lbs ground beef

1 medium chopped onion

1 medium chopped bell pepper

2 pkgs chili seasoning mix

2 cans (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 (8 oz) tomato sauce

3 cups water

1 (16 oz) box elbow macaroni

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown beef, onion and bell pepper. Drain. Stir in seasoning mix, tomatoes, tomatoe sauce and water. Bring to boil. Stir in pasta. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Remove from heat. Stir cheese into pasta until melted.

Crock Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu

(Thanks to Jessica for sending this recipe to me. It was great. The original recipe called for 2 cups of milk and 2 cans of cream of chicken. That was way too much, so I’ve edited the recipe. 1 cup of milk and 1 can of soup will be more than enough. The chicken just falls apart, so I shredded it and added it back into the broth. I served this with a vegetable and mashed potatoes. I ended up eating mine in a bowl and went back for the veggies. In the photo you can see how much liquid we ended up with. You can also see the ham pieces.)


1 cup of milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 bag of boneless, skinless chicken (or 4 lbs)
1 lb of ham, cubed
10 slices of Swiss cheese

Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Mix soup and milk. Add a little to the bottom on the crock pot. Place one layer of chicken in, top with ham and finally cheese. Pour more of the soup and milk mixture on top and repeat layers. Finish with soup/milk mixture. Cover and cook for 5 hours on high.

Home Style Chicken and Biscuits

(I got this recipe at my Bridal Shower from my best friend, her mom and aunt. I'm not certain who's recipe it actually is, but I thank them for it nonetheless. We had everyone bring their favorite recipe with them and write it on an index card. On the back, they were to write pieces of advice for the Bride to Be. This was a great way to get some new recipes and a great keepsake! Tonight we tried this for the first time and it was a hit. The kids really gobbled this up! It was simple and fast. Great for a night that you just don't feel like being in the kitchen, but would still like to have something that is better for you than fast food!)

2 cans (10 3/4 oz) Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 cup of milk

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

2 (16 oz) bags frozen vegetables (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrot Mix)

3 large, boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and chopped

1 package of refrigerated biscuits

Stir soup, milk, cheese and pepper in a mixing bowl. Last stir in vegetables and chicken to coat. Add to a large baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Stir and top with biscuits. Bake 15 more minutes or until biscuits brown.  

Sweet 'N' Sour Pork Chops

(Thank You Rachel for this delicious recipe! Rachel found this in Taste of Home and shared it with us. It was declared a keeper by my husband. Kaeleb asked for more "sauce" on top of his pork, while finicky Ms. Kaytlyn didn't care for the sauce as much.)

Here's is what I did:

1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, un drained
2 cups honey barbecue sauce
1 chopped onion
4 tablespoons chili sauce
8 boneless, lean pork chops (2 to 3 lbs)

In a bowl, combine the pineapple, barbecue sauce, onion and chili sauce. Pour half into a greased slow cooker. Top with pork chops and remaining sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until meat is tender.

*Note* I think this would be great with pork loin or even chicken. I served it with corn and mashed potatoes so that we could also use the fantastic liquid as a topping for them.