Week 20 -- French Dip Sandwiches with au Jus

These make everyone in my family happy!


And they are easy. EASY, Easy, easy.

In a crockpot, put in whatever beef you may have in your freezer. I often use round steak, but I have used skirt steaks, flank steaks, rump roasts, you name it. Sometimes I use a crazy combination of those -- like when I have 1 small flank steak and 1 small skirt steak which would not be enough for one meal by themselves, I just throw them in the crock pot. Add 3 cups of water, 3 tsp of beef base (or beef boullion cubes) and add 3 tbs of soy sauce.

Let it cook all day.

Take out the meat and chop / shred it. Strain the broth in the crock pot for your au jus. Serve on a toasted roll.

Sometimes I add cheese, sometimes I sautee mushrooms and add those too. But most of the time it is just bread and meat and dip. (and of course some healthy fruits and veggies on the side!)

Chicken Fried Steak

Here it is. Doesn't it look good? After watching "The next food network star" and seeing them plate a "beauty" plate. I decided to also. I think Trent will think we were all fancy when he gets home and goes to heat up his save plate . . . OH wait, because of the gold edging on the china if you stick it in the microwave it sparks . . . Oh well, I will show him this picture so that when he wonders why his food looks like I have scraped it off someone elses plate I can assure him he is not eating the kids food left on their plate (cuz I would NEVER do something like that, put the food my kids don't touch on his plate????)

• Buy the pre-tenderized cubed steak.
• Make a seasoned flour mixture (flour, Lawry's seasoning salt, onion powder, garlic powder, ranch dressing packet . . . anything you like)
• Dip the meat in the flour and then dip into a beaten egg and then back into the flour.
• Have a skillet with about 1/8 inch of oil hot. Place the meat in the skillet. Allow it to brown on one side for about a minute. Turn and do the same to the other.
• Once both sides are browned, remove from skillet (allow the oil to drip off) and place in an oven safe dish.
• Bake at 350 for 20-30 more minutes.Tips, don't crowd the meat in the oil or oven.
• When finished with the skillet, pour off the oil, but leave the drippings. Add more of the seasoned flour and 2 TBS of butter and stir with a wire whisk to make a roux. Add 2 cups of milk and whisk continually until thickend. Country Gravy!!!!

Now, here's reality. I get to "plate" 5 plates all at once -- not because I am on the next food network star, but because it is my only shot at being able to sit and eat with my kids for more that 2 minutes!!!!!