French Dip Sandwiches

French Dip Sandwiches

Original recipe from bakingbites.com

• 3 1/2 lbs. Beef Chuck Roast
• 14.5 oz. Beef Broth
• 10.5 oz. Condensed French Onion Soup (I used Campbell's)
• 6 oz. Red Wine
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)
• salt & pepper
• 4-6 Bolillo Buns or French rolls
• Provolone cheese, sliced

1. Trim excess fat off the chuck roast, season liberally with salt and pepper.
2. Pour the beef broth, soup, wine, and garlic into a crockpot. Place the roast into the liquid.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until very tender. Remove the beef from the crock pot, allow it to rest on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes, then cut into thin slices. Place all the sliced meat back into the crockpot for another 30 minutes (I skipped this part because I was STARVING).
4. Lightly toast the bread, top with cheese, and divide the beef evenly between the rolls. 
5. Skim the fat from the crockpot, then spoon the beef juice (au jus) into ramekins. Serve each sandwich with it's own ramekin of au jus.
6. Dip. Bite. Chew. Delicious. 

Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Best thing to do with all those damaged, mediocre, or extra tomatoes.

Roasting tomatoes concentrates the flavor, and turns them into the best condiment ever.

Start with cherry tomatoes, or any tomatoes.

Grab some fresh herbs, if you have them.

I used rosemary & thyme from my herb garden.

Halve the tomatoes. Chop the fresh herbs.

Gently coat the tomatoes & herbs with olive oil.

Just a little bit of olive oil.

Only enough to make them glisten.

Season with salt and pepper. But just a tad.  

Spread everything out on a baking sheet lined with foil.

Make sure all the tomatoes are gut-side up (skin-side down?).

Throw it in a 225 degree oven for.. are you ready? 3 hours or more.

I almost forgot! If you want roasted garlic,

throw in a few cloves. Leave the skin on.

3 hours later..

The outside is dry, the inside is still a little juicy. So fab.

Peel the garlic, and throw everything into tupperware with a little olive oil.

It'll be good for a couple weeks in the fridge.

We had pizza and wings for dinner. 

I put them on my pizza.

The next night I added them to pasta.

The next day I added them to my LeanCuisine for lunch.

I'm pretty sure they make everything taste better.

Pumpkin Bars

These didn't last long in our house. 

Obviously. 

Not long enough for me to take a decent picture, anyway.

Michael loves them.

I can't stop myself from eating them.

I love pumpkin bars. 

I want a pumpkin bar wedding cake someday.

Pumpkin Bars

Adapted from Paula Deen's recipe

• 3 eggs
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
• 2/3 cups white sugar
• 2/3 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning

Icing:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. 
2. In a stand mixer, beat together the eggs, pumpkin, sugars, applesauce, and oil until well-combined. About 3 minutes on medium speed.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie seasoning. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture over low speed until well-combined. 
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

*If you want a more cake-like, less dense pumpkin bar: increase the eggs to 4, and double the baking soda and baking powder.

Asparagus & Gruyere Tart

I don't know how to pronounce 'Gruyere'. Therefore, this dish is fancy.

Start by thawing Puff Pastry on your counter (approx 40 minutes).

If you want to ensure you're using a good quality puff pastry,

check the ingredients. 'Butter' should be the first ingredient listed.

After the puff pastry has thawed, unfold it.

Lightly flour your work surface, and roll it into a 16" x 10" rectangle.

Trim the rough edges.

I used a pizza cutter.

Transfer to a baking sheet.

Using the tines of a fork, mark a one inch border all the

way around the rectangle.

Then lightly score that border with a sharp knife.

Use your fork to puncture little holes, approx 1/2" apart.

Do that to the entire inner-rectangle.

Tedious, I know. But this will allow air to escape, 

so the middle won't puff up as much as the border.

Throw it into a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes,

until lightly golden.

While the pastry is baking, grab your gruyere. 

I purchased this at Costco.

Grate two cups, approx 5 1/2 ounces.

Next, trim your asparagus so it is all a uniform length.

Ideally, you want it to be equal in length as your pastry is in width (8 inches).

Remove the pastry from the oven. 

If the middle has puffed up, flatten it out with a pancake turner.

Brush the inner rectangle with 1/4 cup honey dijon mustard.

Top it with the cheese.

Lay the asparagus over the cheese, alternating ends & tips.

Lightly brush the top with olive oil.

Sprinkle salt & pepper over the top.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the spears are tender.

Asparagus & Gruyere Tart

Original recipe by Martha Stewart

• Flour, for work surface
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• 1/4 cup honey dijon mustard
• 5 1/2 ounces (2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt & pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
2. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle. Trim uneven ends. Place pastry on a baking sheet. 
3. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch from the edge to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, 10-12 minutes.
4. Remove pastry shell from oven, brush with honey dijon, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. 
5. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender; 18-20 minutes (longer if the asparagus is especially thick).

Tzatziki

• 12 ounces plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cucumber, peeled and shredded
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar (or lemon juice)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper
• *optional: 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, mint, or chives 

1. Squeeze all the excess moisture out of the shredded cucumber, then blot it on a paper towel. Try to dry it the best you can.
2. Mix all the ingredients together, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

I didn't take any pictures.. Whoops.

We had 'Greek Chicken Pitas' (grilled chicken seasoned with Greek seasoning from World Market, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion & feta cheese on flatbread) for dinner and this complimented them perfectly.

Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce

Pancakes

• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. 
3. Whisk egg, butter, and vanilla extract into "soured" milk. 
4. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
5. Heat a skillet over medium to medium low heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour  batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

Serves 2-4, depending on how many pancakes you eat!

Blueberry Sauce

• 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen 
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on your sweetness preference, I used 1/3)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional)

1. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Whisk in the water until the sugar dissolves.
2.  Add the blueberries and orange zest- bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Let the sauce boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm.

Strawberry & Spinach Salad

Strawberry & Spinach Salad

• 16 cups baby spinach
• 3 cups strawberries, sliced

Dressing

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar (can be found at Asian markets, or in the Asian section of supermarkets)
• 3 tablespoons red onion, finely minced
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• salt & pepper

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until combined. Toss the spinach and strawberries with the dressing right before serving.

Salad portions are large enough to be considered a main dish. The picture above is of ONE serving. One serving of the dressing is 3 tablespoons.

Serves 4