Fast French Dip Sandwiches

This sandwich was pinned by a few of my friends on Pinterest and it looked so good so I had to try it. We had this for dinner last night and it was a delicious sandwich. I definitely suggest garlic or horseradish mayo - it really bumps up the flavor. My kids thought the sandwich tasted like the NY Steamer at Firehouse Subs, which is their favorite so it was a huge compliment. It makes 4-5 sandwiches depending on how high you pile the roast beef. The recipe is originally from Chaos in the Kitchen.

Fast French Dip Sandwiches

4 cups beef broth
1/2 onion, cut into rings
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 lb thin sliced deli rare roast beef
1/2 lb thin sliced provolone cheese
4-5 hoagie buns 
roasted garlic or horseradish mayo
butter

In a saucepan combine broth, onion rings, and garlic. Bring to a boil and let boil for about 7 minutes or until broth reduces down.

Meanwhile, cut hoagie buns in half and butter. Place under broiler and bake until just slightly browned on edges. Spread mayo on the bottom buns. Divide roast beef evenly among the sandwiches piling it on top of the mayo. Place cheese slices over the beef. Place under the broiler again and broil until cheese is melted and top bun is browned. Close sandwiches, cut on the diagonal and serve with au jus/reduced beef broth on the side.

Buttermilk Pancakes for Pancake Day

Since today was Fat Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day, I thought we should try a new buttermilk pancake recipe. I loved how these turned out - they tasted so much like IHOP's buttermilk pancakes. Light with a slight tang from the buttermilk. I really really like them and so did my whole family. The recipe is from Jamie Cooks It up.

Buttermilk Pancakes
-makes about 20 medium pancakes

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 1/4 cups buttermilk (I used 1% fat)
2 eggs, beaten

In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add melted butter and buttermilk and whisk. Add eggs and whisk until combined, being sure not to over mix. Spray a hot griddle with non-stick cooking spray and pour battler onto griddle in small circles. When the batter stops bubbling and underneath is golden, flip. Cook other side until golden. Serve hot with butter and syrup.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

I got this sweet little snack recipe from Mommy's Kitchen and love it. It is a kid pleasing treat that adults will like too. I find the salty, sweet, chocolatey combination irresistible - so addictive. You can also sprinkle the bites with holiday sprinkles if you want them to be more festive for Christmas goodie plates, Valentines treats, etc.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

2 cups powdered sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
small pretzels
1, 12 oz package chocolate almond bark

In the bowl of a mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, combine powdered sugar, butter, peanut butter, and vanilla. Beat until mixture comes together into a dough. Take 1 teaspoon of peanut butter mixture and roll into a ball. Press ball between 2 pretzels and place on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough (makes about 45 bites). When all the sandwiches are formed place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 45 minutes.

Before taking bites out of the freezer, melt almond bark according to package directions. Remove bites from freezer and dip half of the bites into the melted chocolate and place onto wax paper. Allow bites to set up completely. Store in an airtight container. 

No Bake Cheesecake

My friend Carolyn had this dessert on her blog recently and I remembered how much I love this cheesecake. I've used the same recipe before and it's great. So I had to make it again and I did for FHE on Monday. SO good. It is much lighter/fluffier than a traditional cheesecake, but I like that. And it's so delicious with a spoon full of pie filling on top.

No Bake Cheesecake

1, graham cracker pie crust or a prebaked regular pie crust
8 oz cream cheese, softened (regular or Neufchatel)
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed (you can use light)
1 can pie filling, your favorite kind (cherry or blueberry are my favorites)

In a mixer beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add Cool Whip and beat until well combined. Spread into pie crust. Chill for 3 hours before serving. Top individual servings with pie filling.

Pork Chops with Amber Rice Casserole

I hadn't made this casserole in such a long time, even though it is a family favorite. The recipe is from my sister and she gave it to me at my wedding shower. The invitation for the shower asked the women coming to also bring me a recipe - yes I have been obsessed with recipe collecting for a while. This casserole is a great kid pleasing meal. The rice has just a slight orange flavor to it. Yum.

Pork Chops with Amber Rice Casserole

4-5 pork chops
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 1/2 cups Minute Rice (or about 2 cups cooked rice, just decrease cooking time a bit)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken with rice soup

Season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet. Brown pork chops in oil and place in a 9x13 baking dish. In a bowl combine Minute Rice, orange juice, cream of chicken soup, and chicken with rice soup. Spread this rice/soup mixture over the pork chops. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes (check rice to make sure it's done).

Oven Baked Stew

This a great beef stew recipe. I got it from Life As a Lofthouse. I served it with homemade rolls and it was a great dinner for a cold winter night. I think this recipe would work great in the crockpot and in fact I might try it that way next time I make it. It is slightly sweet because of the ketchup, so if you would like it less sweet use tomato soup in place of the ketchup.

Oven Baked Stew

1 lb stew meat
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 large carrots, thickly sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 packet onion soup mix
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup ketchup

Combine meat, potatoes, carrots and onion in a bowl, toss with onion soup mix and paprika. Spread meat mixture into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Combine soup and ketchup and spread over meat and vegetables. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours. Mix well with a spoon and serve.

*To cook in the crockpot: Combine all ingredients, spread into crockpot and cook on low for, I'm guessing here, 6-8 hours.

Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Pulled pork sandwiches are a favorite dinner around here and I have quite a few recipes on this blog for pulled pork, but I hadn't tried this one yet. This recipe has been going around the food blogs like crazy. It is a super easy way to cook pulled pork and the result is awesome. We had these sandwiches and chips for dinner on Super Bowl night (not that we are actually football fans, but we did watch some of it - mostly for the commercials :)) and my whole family gobbled dinner down without complaint. Thanks for the recipe blogland!

Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2, 2 lb pork picnic roasts (or a 4 lb pork butt/shoulder roast)
2 cans root beer
1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
hamburger buns or homemade rolls

Place pork roasts in slow cooker (I use picnic roasts, which are small pork shoulder roasts because they are easier to shred at the end). Pour root beer over the roasts. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Remove pork and discard liquid in slow cooker. Shred pork, removing fatty pieces, and return to slow cooker. Add barbecue sauce, using about 3/4 of the bottle. Toss pork with sauce to coat. Fill hamburger buns with pork and top with more barbecue sauce.