French Dip Sandwiches

I found a great recipe and then made it my own...I LOVE these. The best I have ever had. Someday make this and you will be so happy you did. YUMMY!

Ingredients:

1 medium onion cut in half and sliced and separated

3 garlic cloves minced

3 Tbs. Butter

Water to cover roast

2-3 TBs beef bullion

1 ½ tsp oregano

½ tsp pepper

3 lbs. beef tender roast

Long Whole wheat rolls

Smoked sliced Provolone or sharp cheddar

Directions:

In a slow cooker melt butter while on high as you chop ingredients. Then add onion, garlic, herbs, bullion and stir and let cook slightly. Then add the roast and water to mostly cover roast. Let cook all day until the meat is shred-able. Turn the roast throughout the day and the last 1 or so let it cook with the lid off to let the juices reduce a bit. When done remove roast and shred. Taste broth and adjust flavor. Then heat rolls in the oven a little bit. Slice in half and place the cheese inside put the meat back in crock pot. Right before serving drain some juice into wide mouth cups for people to dip the their sandwiches in. Place meat in sandwich and then dip it to have sandwich heaven!

* When I am trying to be healthier I put my meat on shredded lettuce and put a little grated provolone on top. Still good not as good.

Favorite Tarts

Filo Dough is my favorite way to make beautiful and super yummy tarts! Here is how I did it. I bought some frozen filo dough at the store. I thawed it following their directions. Then using lost of slightly damp paper towels to help keep the dough from drying out as it does very quickly. I used three sheets of filo dough at a time brushing butter in between each sheet. Then I cut the three layered sheets using cooking scissors to cut them into small rectangles. Then I gently pressed then into a small cupcake pan. I think I baked them at 400 degrees. I baked them until light golden brown about 5 minutes. I removed them immediately from the pan to cool on my counter then I continued working with three sheets at a time. You get a lot of the tarts from one package. These can be made a day ahead of time and still be great.

I filled them with two different types of filling:

The raspberry ones I filled them with layered vanilla pudding, homemade raspberry syrup, and then whipped cream.

The chocolate tarts had vanilla pudding, homemade chocolate ganache, and whipped cream.

Crepes - I love them!!!

Okay, so we had crepes as our fancy Home made Valentine's Day Dinner and it was fabulous! I just made up the stuff for the insides and it turned out perfect. Here are my recipes if you want to try it out yourself.

Crepes

2 eggs
6 TB water
1 cup whole milk
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 TB melted butter

Put all the ingredients in your blender and blend until well incorporated. Put it in the fridge for at lest two hours before cooking. Lightly butter a large skillet pan heated on medium heat. Using 1/4 cup of batter pour it in the center of the pan and then rotate the pan in a circle to spread out the batter to make a large thin circular shape (it should sizzle when the batter hits the pan). Let the crepe cook for 30 to 60 seconds until the bottom starts to brown and then using a thin spatula flip it over and cook the other side for 30 to 60 seconds when it is slightly browned as well. place the finished ones on a plate lined with a paper towel. Then wont stick together so just stack them ontop of each other. They taste good roomtempature or warm. The first two will be your worst but by then end they will be turning out perfect. I promise!!! I recommend making them in advance, that way you aren't just making them as your family eats them up a cook and never get to sit down and eat yourself. I would just place plastic wrap over them and set them in the fridge. Later you can set them out to bring them back to room temperature as your prepare the filling.

Crepe Fillings

Basil, Cheese, and Chicken Filling

I just made it up so the measurements aren't perfect. So just do what you think will be good.

1 Stick 1/3 less fat cream cheese at room temp
3 TB Gouda cheese
3 TB Parmesan cheese
2 TB chopped Fresh basil
2 TB finely chopped green onion
A couple dashes of garlic powder
Slat and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

1 lb. thinly sliced chicken
2 TB fresh basil
1 clove minced garlic
salt to taste
3 TB real Butter
1/2 cup chicken broth

Heat butter and then add lightly salted and peppered chicken to the hot pan. Saute for a coupel minutes until the chicken gets golden. Then add the green onion, garlic and basil cook together until it is aromatic. Then add the chicken broth and let the chicken simmer until reduced and the chicken is cooked through.

Assembly:

lay the crepes out and spread the cheese mixture down the center of the crepe and then spoon the chicken mixture in roll them up and arrange them on a large plate. Mix the left over cheese in with the left over juices from the chicken and then drizzles it over them. So divine!!!!

Strawberry and Banana Crepes

So my favorite way to have crepe is with ice cream, homemade butterscotch sauce, and banana foster but I wasn't up to that much work so I did this simpler healthier version.

Softened frozen yogurt
light whipped topping
sliced banana
crushed strawberries sweetened with sugar sugar

I laid out the crepes and spooned in the frozen yogurt, sprinkled with sliced banana. Rolled them up and arranged them on individual plates. I poured strawberries on top and spooned a dollop of whipped cream too. So yummy, pretty, and not that unhealthy for a desert!