Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

For those of you who were fortunate to come to our Oscar party, you probably had one of these. They were yummy fall apart in your mouth good. But it does make a lot (4 lbs of meat would make a lot of anything).

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
Makes 9 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes plus 7-8 hours simmer time

Ingredients
4 lbs chuck or rump roast
1 12 ounce bottle of your favorite beer
1 can (10-oz) french onion soup
1 can (10-oz) beef broth)
2 thinly sliced onions
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp dried thyme

Directions
Place fully thawed roast in slow cooker. Pour soups and beer over roast. Grind some pepper on top. Sprinkle thyme and salt on top. Top with sliced onions. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Take meat out on cutting board, slice up or shred with fork. Place back in slow cooker and mix with juices and onions and serve on toasted bread.

We actually left the meat separate and took out some of the onions so you could put that on the roll and then dip it into a bowl of the juices.

Quesadilla Pie

So, here's the recipe that started the whole thing. It's from Real Simple: see recipe. Very easy and very yummy. I made it with some of the individually frozen chicken breast tenders instead of a rotisserie chicken and it worked fine. Just cook them in some olive oil and seasonings in a fry pan and shred them.



Quesadilla Pie
From Real Simple

1 10-ounce can green or red enchilada sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 8-inch flour tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) grated Monterey Jack, plus 1/4 cup for the top
1 3 1/2- to 4-pound rotisserie chicken, shredded
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 cup salsa
1 avocado, diced
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Heat oven to 400° F.

In a small bowl, combine the enchilada sauce and cream. Spoon 1/4 cup of the sauce mixture into the bottom of a shallow 2-quart casserole or 9-inch springform pan. Top with 1 tortilla and a third each of the cheese, chicken, onion, and zucchini. Repeat twice to form a total of 3 layers. Top with the remaining tortilla, sauce mixture, and cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more. Slice into wedges and serve with the salsa, avocado, and cilantro.

Tip: For a vegetarian version of Quesadilla Pie, replace the chicken with 2 cups fresh corn or frozen corn that has been thawed and patted dry.

Introduction

Dan and I decided to create a new blog where we could share our most recent successes in the kitchen and hopefully hear about yours as well. Please leave us a comment, or email us if you would like to join in the fun.