Easy Slow Cooker French Dip

Got this from Allrecipes (surprise, surprise)
:)
The version I gave you was scaled down to serve 5 instead of 9.
(recipe below serves 9)
I also added a couple of things to the meal you received; 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce, 1 tbsp minced garlic and 1 tsp thyme.
Before serving, thinly cut the meat then return it to the crock pot for half and hour to allow the meat to take in a little more juice.
Lastly, if you have cheese on hand you may want to add it to the bread before toasting. Just an idea.
Enjoy!


INGREDIENTS

* 4 pounds rump roast
* 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
* 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
* 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
* 6 French rolls
* 2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Trim excess fat from the rump roast, and place in a slow cooker. Add the beef broth, onion soup and beer. Cook on Low setting for 7 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Split French rolls, and spread with butter. Bake 10 minutes, or until heated through.
4. Slice the meat on the diagonal, and place on the rolls. Serve the sauce for dipping.

Thai Beef With Chiles Over Coconut Rice

Serves 6 ~ Prep Time: 15 minutes ~ Total Time: 25 minutes.
From Everyday Food – September 2009

Ingredients
1 ¼ cups jasmine rice
1 can (13.5 oz.) coconut milk
coarse salt
2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 long hot peppers or red jalapeno chiles, seeded and sliced into 2-inch matchsticks
1 ¼ pounds ground beef sirloin
1 cup loosely packed torn fresh basil leaves

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, ¾ cup water, and ½ tsp. salt. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes.

2. When rice is almost done, combine fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl; set aside. Heat a cast-iron skillet or wok over high heat. Add oil and heat; add garlic and half the chiles. Cook, stirring constantly, 15 seconds. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until completely browned, about 4 minutes. Add soy mixture and cook 30 seconds. Add basil and remaining chiles and stir to combine. Serve beef over coconut rice with lime wedges.

Notes:
You may substitute turkey, lamb, pork or chicken.
If you prefer, you can also serve Thai beef with steamed plain rice instead of coconut rice.

Salisbury Steak Deluxe

Sorry this is about two months late!!
Have to say, this recipe is super, super easy. There is one very important key to remember though...the sauce gets it's unique flavor from the combination of horse radish and, here's the key...the scrapings from the pan that the meat is browned in. There have been times that I almost burnt the meat and the sauce ended up with the best flavor (in my opinion). So, after you've browned (or almost blackened) the meat, take the patties out and drain off the grease. Then then let the sauce (+ water) simmer for a few minutes. I use a wisk to get everything blended well then put the patties back in before serving.
Good luck :)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Dash pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl, combine the soup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and horseradish; blend well. Set aside. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add bread crumbs, onion, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup of the soup mixture. Add beef and mix well. Shape into six patties.
2. In a large skillet, brown the patties in oil; drain. Combine remaining soup mixture with water; pour over patties. Cover and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until meat is done. Remove patties to a serving platter; spoon sauce over meat. Sprinkle with parsley.

Ratatouille

I used Martha Stewart's recipe for this month.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/ratatouille

Of course I made some minor changes.
I used some of my own eggplant, Hansel Eggplant - they are the little round circles of eggplant.
I used lots of different colored peppers including yellow banana from my own garden.
The yellow squash from my gardened ended up too seedy to use, so I added extra eggplant and tomatoes. I used Kusa squash instead of zucchini which is similar in texture but has an amazing lemony smell.

Add the fresh basil just before serving.

Pesto Pizza

Basic Pizza Dough recipe

Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook
Note: I like this dough because you don’t roll it, you just stretch it by hand

Makes enough dough for one 14-inch or two 9-inch pizzas
Active time: 30 minutes, start to finish: 1 ¾ hours (includes rising)

1 (1/4-ounce) package (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading and dredging
½ cup whole wheat flour (or can use regular white flour instead)
¾ cup warm water (105 – 115 degrees F) - divided
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

Make the dough and let it rise:
1. Stir together yeast, 1 tablespoon flour, sugar/honey, and ¼ cup warm water in a measuring cup and let stand until surface appears creamy, about 5 minutes. (You must use yeast that is not old.)

2. Stir together 1 ¼ cups flour and salt in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture, oil, and remaining ½ cup warm water and stir until smooth. Stir in enough of remaining flour (about ½ cup) so dough comes away from sides of bowl. (The dough will be wetter than other pizza doughs you may have made.)

3. Knead dough on a dry surface with lightly floured hands (reflour hands when dough becomes too sticky) until smooth, soft, and elastic, about 8 minutes (I usually do 5 or 6 minutes.) Form into 1 ball, put on a lightly floured surface, and generously dust with flour. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 ¼ hours.

To shape the dough for baking:
1. Do not punch down dough. Carefully dredge dough in a bowl of flour to coat and transfer to dry work surface. Holding one edge of dough in the air with both hands and letting bottom touch work surface, careully move hands around edge of dough (like turning a steering wheel), allowing weight of dough to stretch round to roughly 10 inches.

2. Lay dough flat on lightly floured work surface and continue to work edges with fingers, stretching it into a 14-inch round.

Pesto recipe
Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

Makes about 1 1/3 cups (enough for 3 pizzas)
Active time:15 minutes, start to finish: 15 minutes

3 large garlic cloves (peeled)
½ cup pine nuts
2/3 cup coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

With the food processor running, drop in garlic and finely chop. Stop motor and add nuts, cheese, salt, pepper, and basil, then process until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil, blending until incorporated but not completely smooth.

The pesto keeps, refrigerated, the surface covered with plastic wrap, for up to 1 week.
The pesto can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. If you are planning to freeze it, omit the cheese when preparing the recipe, then stir it into the thawed sauce before serving.

Pesto pizza
1 pizza dough
1/3 pesto recipe (slightly less than ½ cup)
1 can diced tomatoes, completely drained
shredded cheese – I use half extra sharp cheddar and half mozzarella (it’s better to shred this yourself – if you use pre-shredded cheese, it is dry when you bake the pizza. When you shred it, it melts beautifully.)

Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Spread the pesto on the pizza dough. It will seem like a fairly thin layer of pesto, but you don’t want too much. Distribute the diced tomatoes evenly on top of the pesto. Cover with shredded cheese, less than 8 oz total, but it’s up to you depending on how much cheese you like.

Bake in lowest rack of oven for 10-15 minutes, until dough is fully cooked and cheese is melted.

I pre-baked the dough completely without toppings (pierce dough with fork so it doesn’t bubble up.) Then I covered with pesto, tomatoes and cheese and froze. Bake the frozen pizza at 400 degrees, directly on the oven rack for about 10 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.

grilled lemon chicken with satay dip (Barefoot Contessa)

Grilled Lemon Chicken

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)

2 lbs. boneless chicken breast

Whisk together the lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Pour over chicken breasts in a nonreactive bowl. Cover and marinate over night or for at least 6 hours.

Grill until cooked through- can be put on skewers to make a nice appitizer


Satay Dip

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of dark sesame oil
2/3 cup small diced red onion
1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons of good red wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons dry sherry (I didn't use this)
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice (this makes the dip!)

Cook olive oil, sesame oil, red onion, garlic, ginger root, and red pepper flakes in a small pan on medium heat until onion is transparent. Whisk in the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, ketchup, sherry and lime juice. cook for 1 more minute. Cool and use as a dip

Chicken Fajitas

3 tablespoons lime juice
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil


6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced


1. In a large bowl, combine lime juice, garlic, oregano, hot pepper, salt and oil. Add chicken and toss to coat. cover and marinate for one to two hours.

2. Saute peppers and onions in a bit of olive oil until slightly cooked.

3. Saute chicken until no longer pink (I cook the chicken separate from the veggies and combine them in the end.

4. serve with tortillas, salsa, cheese and sour cream (included in kit)