The Best French Dip Sandwich So Far....

French Dip Sandwich... my teenage daughter's favorite!

My 16 year old daughter loves French Dip Sandwiches.  She used to work at a restaurant, and when she got her dinner break it was fairly likely this would be her choice of meal.  A French Dip is easy to make because you simply place a roast in a slow cooker or Crock pot with a lot of water and spices and about 6-7 hours later you can serve it with very little work on your part.   

There are two basic recipes that most people use for this.  One includes an onion soup mix (the dried kind that comes in an envelope).  That isn't the kind we prefer though.  The kind our family likes starts with a soy sauce base and does not include onions.  (I KNOW!  Can you believe it?  I'm a girl who would eat onions at every meal in one way or another... but this is one recipe that simply doesn't need them).     


French Dip (Sandwiches)

1 T chopped or minced garlic
1 beef bouillon cube
1 T rosemary
3 bay leaves
3/4 c - 1 cup soy sauce  (I use approximately 1 cup, give or take)
about 6 cups water
1 beef roast (chuck is affordable and tastes the best)
buns
provolone cheese

Put all ingredients in a Crock-pot or slow cooker.  The size of your roast can be anything from 3 pounds to about 4 or 5 but 3-4 is best for the amount of juice left for dipping.   Cook on high 6-8 hours until tender and falls apart easily when you pull with a fork.

Remove roast from slow cooker and shred with two forks, pulling all the pieces apart.  Remove the bay leaves from the juices in the slow cooker.   Place the shredded beef back in the crock pot and keep on 'warm' setting until needed.  Open a roll, spoon meat on and cover with a slice of cheese.   Broil in the oven just until the cheese is melted.  Spoon liquid into small cups on the side for dipping.

Basketball Cookies in a Gift Basket for a Special Teacher

This week is teacher appreciation week at one of my daughter's high school.  It is a 'secret Santa' style appreciation where each student in a certain school club secretly treats a teacher with little appreciation gifts.  The teacher my daughter has happens to be a basketball coach as well so it was only fitting to make him some yummy basketball cookies.  A simple sugar cookie cut into rounds with the addition of orange and black icing was all it took for a great and easy cookie.  We continued the basketball theme by purchasing a red wire basket and a stuffed basketball at the Dollar Store.  A very frugal gift, yet was very cute!   (See the gift basket image at the bottom of this post).

If you are making these cookies for fun or for an event that they do not need to be stacked or packaged, I would use your own favorite frosting recipe.  I opted for a sturdy Royal Icing instead only because they were going to be stacked and packed into a gift basket.


 Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 c butter, soft
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t cream of tartar
1 t salt

Combine  sugar and butter, beat until creamy with your electric mixer.  Add eggs  and vanilla.  Beat well.  Add dry ingredients and mix until blended.   Chill dough until it's easy to work with;  30-60 minutes.

On  lightly floured surface roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut out  cookies.  Bake at 350 until the edges just start to turn golden brown,  about 10 minutes.  Cool on wire racks.  Frost.


 Royal Icing  (Frosting)

4 c confectioners' sugar
3 large egg whites
1/2 t cream of tartar
1/2 t vanilla
1 T water

Beat 4-6 minutes on high.  (Add more or less water depending on stiff it is and how stiff you want it).  Will be very hard when it dries.

I drew some basketball shapes on paper to practice my designs

The final gift basket was a great $2 investment from the Dollar Store

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Time for Ghirardelli Holiday Bark!

  Long term readers of An American Housewife know I'm not a big fan of chocolate.  In general I prefer yummy vegetables or something crunchy and salty like a chip.  However, there is one chocolate candy I am too weak to pass up and look forward to every year;  Ghirardelli Holiday Bark.

Not only do I love it and look forward to buying it each and every year at the holidays, it is so beautifully wrapped that I love to have an assortment in a candy dish for guests.  The brilliant colors are eye catching and elegant.  Something you can be proud to offer guests.

As I munched on one tonight,  (or perhaps it was two or maybe three?) I realized;  this is what could give my husbands employees this year for Christmas!  Their gift towers are impressive and beautiful.

If you click the image link above of the basket, you will see Ghirardelli offers baskets and gift sets and bags for any occasion.  From simple bars to bags to gift sets, chocolate drinks and baking mixes; I found a wide range of price points and the gift 'towers' are exactly what I was considering ordering this year.

It's a quality,  premium chocolate (most are also certified Kosher) I can be proud to give and I know it will be well received.


*Currently offering free shipping with a $60 order! See their website for details and the coupon code.








I received a variety package of  chocolates from Ghirardelli to try their new flavors;  however the decision to write about and all opinions of the product are mine.

Easy Artisan Bread Rounds

Yesterday afternoon was a nice lazy, Sunday.  I was relaxing on the couch with my laptop and reading random news stories when I found myself on the website of our 'old' hometown.  Or should I say 'home city'?  There was an old, archived "lifestyles" segment from the Star Tribune which featured a video of a quick Artisan Bread.  I watched the video (no written article or written recipe) and thought to myself that it was so quick and easy, I'd give it a try.

Some details weren't given in the quick video, but common sense can fill in where the video lacked.  I made it purely by memory so that should tell you how quick and easy it is!  I believe this is the book that features the recipe if you need or want more details or love it so much that you want to purchase the cookbook. (Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking).

I LOVE this recipe.  Only 4 main ingredients and you can mix it up with a wooden spoon in a bucket.  No kneading.  No fuss. 

Artisan Bread

1 ½ T yeast
1 ½ T salt
3 c water, lukewarm
6 ½ c flour
1 bucket with lid
cornmeal
flour
Baking/Pizza Stone


Dump yeast, salt and water into a bucket or container.
Add flour.
Mix with a wooden spoon just until the flour is incorporated. No dry flour, no lumps.
Put the loose lid on. Not air tight.  Let set at room temperature about 2 hours.
Sprinkle bit of flour so your fingers don’t stick. Cut off grapefruit sized piece with serrated knife.
Work in your hands to make a ball, pulling top layer to bottom.  Round and smooth.
Place on cornmeal sprinkled board.
Let set 40 minutes.
Sprinkle with flour, slash the loaf with a few slices.
Bake at 375 preheated oven with an empty pan in the bottom.
Slide on middle shelf baking stone.
Pour a cup of water in the hot empty pan and close door quickly to steam the bread.
Baked till top is golden brown.
Hard crust and moist, soft bread!

Mix the yeast, water and salt right in your container

An ooey gooey mess.  Perfect.

Lid on... but not air tight! Make sure your container is big enough to allow for rising.

Formed into rounds. Scoring the tops with a knife.

Fresh from the oven - let it cool.

I couldn't let mine cool. I cut into right away!  Crisp and crunchy crust - moist and chewy inside. PERFECT.

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14 Thanksgiving Dinner Recipe Ideas and Photos!

A MUST MAKE tradition in our family; Cupcakes that look like a full tiny Thanksgiving Dinner! (ALL CANDY!)

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and if you are starting to make your menu and get recipe ideas and your shopping list ready, then todays post is for you!

I started this website back in 2006.  After almost 7 years, I have thousands of recipes and obviously, a nice little slice of that recipe 'pie' includes Thanksgiving posts.  This morning I decided to do a random search using the search bar on my site (just above this post) and typed in the simple search;  "Thanksgiving".   From there, I grabbed 14 of my previous Thanksgiving posts to share with my readers.

Thanksgiving is a time for traditions;  and we make traditional food.  I will always serve some of the same dishes that are steeped in tradition, but I also always add 'something' each year.  For sure we will have turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cheesy corn, green bean casserole and rolls.  What might change is the style of cranberry sauce or dessert, the pumpkin desserts, or maybe the addition of a green bean and almond side dish.  You just never know!

So this year, how about keeping the old, but adding something new?  I'm also including in the list, directives on how to carve a turkey!

Mini Thanksgiving Dinner Cupcakes - a full sized cupcake that looks like a turkey dinner!
Perfect Thanksgiving Day Gravy - a make ahead option
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans with Gorgonzola

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Garlic 
Toffee Dream Pie
Green Beans with Mushrooms
Mashed Potatoes with Greek Yogurt
Real Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Dessert
Smoked Salmon Cheesecake Appetizer
How to Carve a Turkey
Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake