Slow Cooker : French Dip

It's that time of year to dust off your slow cookers and put them to use.  There is nothing better than coming home from work to a kitchen that smells like you have been slaving for hours.  This week we made a favorite meal of mine French Dip Sandwiches. This is the first time I have ever made them myself, usually I order them at a resturant, and I must say mine are right up there. 

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

approx 3 and a half lbs beef chuck roast

16 oz. beef broth ( 1 1/2 cans )

1 10.5 oz can condensed French Onion Soup

6 oz. red wine

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper, to taste

4-6 French rolls

sliced provolone cheese, optional

1.Season meat with salt and pepper

2. Pour beef broth, condensed soup, red wine, and garlic powder into slow cooker and place meat into liquid.

3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, may very depending on the strength of your slow cooker.

4. Strain beef from juices, however keep juices. 

5. Place meat back into slow cooker and cover allowing meat to rest, leave cooker on low allowing meat to remain warm.

6. In a 450 degree oven toast bread with or without cheese slices, adding a little crunch to your bread (best dipping tool)

7. At this point season your Au Jus, I used a combination of pepper and garlic salt.  We also needed to skim excess fat that had settled on the top.

8. Build, Dip, Bite, Enjoy

- Megan 

Obsession : Fairy Tales

I have recently been loving anything Fairy Tale, I think it all started with my

Sunday Night Fave "Once Upon a Time"

Today I read about a few new movies that won't be in theater until next summer

but they totally captured my attention...

Snow White and the Huntsman, starring Kristen Stewart as Snow and Charlize Theron as Evil Queen, described as an epic action-adventure.  As we all know Snow White is the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen therefore the queen sets out to destroy her.  The queen is reluctant to know that Snow White had been training in the art of war with a huntsman.  (Cue Title)

Produced by the same minds that brought us Alice in Wonderland, this film is a modern vision of the tale we all grew up with. 

The Trailer

Mirror, Mirror starring critically acclaimed Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen and the fresh new face Lily Collins as the one and only Snow White.  This version sounds like it could be one of my new favorite takes on the Snow White story because of the attention paid to the dwarfs and their plot to reclaim the kingdom from the evil one herself.  Tagged on The Internet Movie Database as a Comedy, Drama, Fantasy sparking my interest even more. 

Movie Stills

And to bring your own Fairy Tale to life below are a few homes for the Modern Dwarf, I mean Dweller.

My favorite part about these thatched roof beauties are their unique shapes and how they seem to blend into the surroundings not take away from it.  All we need now is some porridge and good Fairy Tale to read. 

-Megan

Thirsty Thursday: Fall Cocktails

Happy Thursday! Who's ready for the weekend?? Or maybe just a cocktail!  Here are some fall cocktail recipes that look delicious!

Pumpkin Martini

-1 part Grey Goose La Poire flavored vodka

- 1 part pumpkin butter

-1/2 part triple sec

-Pinch of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger

-Grated nutmeg and apple chip for garnish

via

Apple Cider & Bourbon Cocktail

-2 parts Apple Cider, refrigerated

-2 parts Ginger Ale, refrigerated

- 1 part Bourbon

via

Guadalajara Silver

1.5 oz Don Roberto Tequila Plata

.25 oz Agave nectar

.75 oz fresh lime juice

.5 oz fresh pink grapefruit juice

.75 oz Ginger liqueur

.5 oz Fresh Granny Smith Apple Juice

equal parts sugar and cinnamon for around the rim

garnish with granny smith apple slices

via

Pomegranate-Champagne Punch

- 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice

- 1 cup pear nectar

-1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur (Grand Marnier)

- 1 bottle (750 ML) champagne

via 

Enjoy!

Life's a Zoo

Kansas City voters just approved a 1/8-cent sales tax for the Zoo! This will generate an estimated $14.2 million a year, which will help to create a better zoo for the community. The best part....they promise to bring PENGUINS to the zoo!

We just recently went to the zoo Halloween weekend. We had a great time, saw lots of animals and even rode the new African Sky Safari ride. We also saw the newest member of the zoo, a polar bear named Nikita. She was so big, and had a little swimming routine she did over and over and over.

here are some pics of our little adventure..

we even saw Timon & Pumba!

A shot from the African Sky Safari

So happy for the zoo, they really need this money. Can't wait to go back and see some penguins!

-Whitney

Squashing the Carbs

Spaghetti squash is one of the weirdest/coolest vegetables I think that I have ever eaten. You bake it, and the inside shreds exactly like spaghetti noodles, minus the carbs, and it tastes great! Just like pasta, you can put whatever kind of sauce on it you want. We made our own spaghetti sauce with ground turkey.

Ingredients

FOR THE SQUASH:

2 spaghetti squash (pictured above)- 1 squash feeds 2 people

Pepper

Italian Seasoning

Garlic Salt

FOR THE SAUCE:

1 lb ground turkey (or beef if you prefer)

1/2 an onion

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

1 large can of stewed tomatoes

1 can of tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut squash in half, and scrape out the seeds. Poke with a fork and season as desired. We used garlic salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning.

Fill the bottom of a baking dish or cake pan with about a 1/2 inch of water and place the squash halves, inside up, in the dish. Bake for about an hour, or until the squash is tender.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan cook the turkey meat and Italian Seasoning, breaking it up while it cooks, until it is still a little pink.

Add the onions, garlic powder, tomatoes and tomato sauce and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until onions are soft, turkey is no longer pink and sauce is hot.  Add chopped basil.

Once the spaghetti squash is done cooking, pull the squash out and let it cool a little. If it's too hot it will be hard to scrape the inside.

Using a fork just simply scrape the inside of the squash, it will pull off very easily and will look like pasta.

You can use the outside of the squash as a bowl, and just add your sauce right on top of the squash, with a little Parmesan and more basil as needed.

Enjoy your carb-less spaghetti!

-Whitney

A Tale of Two Cities

Coming across this fun blogspot Paris versus New York was a highlight of my dreary day.  If only I could look out my window and spot the Statue of Liberty or even better ... Eiffel Tower. 

Described on the page as, "A friendly visual match between two cities told by a lover of Paris wandering, through New York.  Details, cliches, contradictions."  Even better this blogspot is becoming a book (US version coming soon to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indie Bound) and some images are even sold individually here.  Check out a few of my favorite posters below

How Fun!

-Megan 

Quinoa with Corn & Scallions

I'm not sure if you have tried any type of quinoa, or if you have even heard of it, but we are big fans. It is a sort of nutty grain, you can substitute for rice. It has a lot of protein, and a little bit of a crunch to it. It doesn't really taste like much plain, but is great in dishes, or even with just soy sauce.

This quinoa recipe has a lemony flavor, which tastes awesome with the scallions.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups corn (we used defrosted frozen corn)

1 tbsp grated fresh lemon zest

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups uncooked quinoa

4 scallions, chopped

Rinse uncooked quinoa in a strainer under cold water until it runs clear.

Cook the quinoa in boiling salt water as directed on the package. The Trader Joe's quinoa we used said to boil 2 cups of quinoa in 4 cups of water and then simmer for 10-15 minutes until the water is absorbed.

Meanwhile whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, melted butter, honey, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Once the quinoa is cooked, add it to the dressing along with the corn and chopped scallions. Mix until evenly coated. Add additional salt and pepper if needed and serve.

Enjoy!

-Whitney