My Favorite Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches

I love French Dip sandwiches! I have a number of recipes for French Dips on this blog, but this is my favorite. I love the au jus - it has the perfect flavor to me. I got the recipe from Your Home Based Mom and it's great! I served it on French Rolls with provolone cheese. A side of carrot sticks and mixed berries and it was a great week night meal. I love meals were my slow cooker does most of the work.

My Favorite Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches 

1, 3-4 lb chuck roast
Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 teaspoons oil (I like using avocado oil)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
4 whole black peppercorns
2 cups beef broth
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
8 French Rolls
8 slices provolone cheese

Sprinkle roast with Montreal Steak Seasoning on both sides. Heat oil in a skillet until hot. Brown roast in the hot oil on both sides. Place browned roast in Crock Pot. In a bowl mix together soy sauce, water, peppercorns, broth, rosemary, thyme, minced onion, and garlic. Pour mixture over the roast. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours, until tender and easy to shred.

Remove roast and shred with 2 forks, discarding fat. Strain remaining juices from the crock pot into saucepan and heat to a simmer (this is the au jus for dipping). Place a slice of provolone on each roll and top with shredded meat. Ladel heated au jus into ramakins or small bowls to dip sandwiches in.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

This is such a great cake. I absolutely love lemon cakes. This cake is moistened with a glaze and then frosted with vanilla frosting. So good! I got this recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff. I made it for a book club. It's great for any get-together of any season, but it tastes especially like Spring to me.

Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

1, 15.25 oz package lemon cake mix
1, 3.4 oz package instant lemon pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tub vanilla frosting

Preheat oven to 350.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, eggs, and water. Mix until moistened. Turn speed to medium high and beat for 2 minutes. Beat in poppy seeds. Pour batter into a bundt pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake for about 60 minutes in the pan.

Invert onto a cooling rack placed inside a baking sheet lined with foil. Pour glaze, recipe below, over the cake. Let cook for another 30 minutes, until completely cooled. Take lid and foil off the tub of frosting and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir heated frosting and then pour evenly over the cake. Once frosting has dried, place the cake onto a serving plate.

Lemon Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about the juice of 1 medium lemon)

Whisk all these ingredients together and pour over cake as directed above.

Favorite Beef Enchiladas

Here's another enchilada recipe for you! Every Tuesday we have "Taco Tuesday" which just means we either have Chipotle (I love a good barbacoa bowl!) or I make a Mexican dish at home. My family really likes enchiladas and this is now my favorite beef enchilada recipe. It's simple and flavorful. You can dress it up by serving it with sliced avocado or guacamole and sour cream.

Favorite Beef Enchiladas

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1, 4.5 oz can green chilies
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1, 28 oz can mild red enchilada sauce
1, 8 count package flour tortillas, burrito size
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz shredded pepper jack cheese
1, 4.5 oz can sliced olives
1/4 cup sliced green onions
sour cream, optional
sliced avocados or guacamole, optional

Pre-heat oven to 350.

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Add in the onions, bell peppers, green chilies, salt, cumin, and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes or until onions are translucent.

Place half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place about 1/3 cup of the meat mixture into the center of a tortilla. Top with a handful of cheddar cheese and then roll up. Place the open edge side down in the pan. Repeat with all remaining tortillas. Top with remaining enchilada sauce, remaining cheddar cheese (if you have any left), and shredded pepper jack cheese. Cover with foil that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan, uncover, and top with olives. Place back in oven to bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, uncovered. Once cheese bubbly and hot, remove and sprinkle with green onions. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving to make it easier. Serve with sour cream and avocado or guacamole if desired.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Thanks to my friend Corinne for this wonderful and easy to make chocolate cake recipe. It really is delicious! Corinne, likes to cool the cake so the chocolate chips harden before serving, but I prefer this cake warm and gooey - either way is yummy. We had this recently for a family night dessert and I realized I hadn't put this recipe on my blog yet. We've been having this for years and it's a family favorite.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

1 Devils Food Cake mix, dry
1, large 5 oz package chocolate cook and serve pudding
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

In a saucepan whisk together pudding mix and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry cake mix and the cooked pudding. Stir well. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan. Sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cake is delicious served warm with ice cream if desired or cooled and the chips will harden a little.

Clara Dessert (aka Eclair Dessert)

I'm reposting this dessert because it has changed a little over the years and this is the way I always make it now. It's such a favorite and so tasty. It really does taste like an eclair casserole! My youngest thinks it's named after her because she thought I said it was "Clara Dessert" instead of eclair dessert, so we just call it Clara dessert now.:)

Clara Dessert (aka Eclair Dessert)

2 boxes honey graham crackers, will not use all
2, 3 oz packages instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
8 oz Cook Whip, thawed
1 tub chocolate frosting (or use homemade frosting recipe below)

Line the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with a single layer of graham crackers.

In a large bowl beat together the pudding mixes and the milk. Beat for 2 minutes. Stir in the Cook Whip. Spread half of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers in the baking dish. Top with another single layer of graham crackers. Pour remaining pudding mixture over the graham crackers. Top with another layer of graham crackers. Here you can either use a can of chocolate frosting or use the recipe below for homemade icing. If using store bought frosting: remove lid and foil from tub of frosting; microwave for 30 seconds. Stir heated frosting then pour evenly over the graham crackers on top. Spread evenly with a knife or offset spatula. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, though 8 hours is best. Cut into pieces and serve.

Homemade Chocolate Icing

1/3 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick butter
1/4 cup milk

Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool a little before spreading over the eclair dessert.