Philly Cheese Steaks from the Crockpot

Thank you for your patience as I try out some new recipes.  This one was an instant hit so I made it again and took some pictures so you can enjoy it too!  My husband wants these sandwiches in the regular rotation.  I make these before and after a 12 hour shift with a 45 minute commute.  That's how easy they are!!!

Ingredients:

3 lb brisket or beef roast
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 C beef broth
1 Lg onion sliced
1 Lg bell pepper sliced
16 Tbsp steak sauce
8 ciabatta rolls
8 slices provolone cheese

Directions:

Place the brisket or roast into a large crock pot.  Pour the beef broth over top of the roast and sprinkle with dry onion soup mix directly from the envelope.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or more.  I have a timer on mine.  I choose 8 hours on low and then it switches over to keep warm until we are ready to eat.

About 30-60 minutes before dinner shred the meat with two forks and add the sliced onions and peppers.  Cover and cook on low to steam the veggies.

Now you are ready to assemble all your sandwiches. Slice the rolls and open the cheese to set up an assembling station.

First spread 2 Tbsp of steak sauce on one ciabatta roll.  Our favorite is A1 thick and hearty.

Add a generous helping of shredded beef and sliced onions and peppers to the other half of the roll.

Now top the beef mixture with a slice of provolone.



Here is the finished sandwich.

They are soooooo tasty.  Your house will smell amazing all day.  I assemble all the sandwiches and wrap the ones we aren't going to eat for dinner in aluminum foil. 

I put the wrapped sandwiches in a gallon zipper bag and put the date on the bag.

Now you can freeze theses sandwiches for months.  When ready to eat please thaw in the fridge for 2 days.  Then bake in the foil wrappers at 350 degrees for one hour.  If you want to have a picnic in the park you can bake them at home and place the foil wrapped sandwiches in a basket.   They will still be piping hot when you get to the park. 

I hope you enjoy these sandwiches as much as we do.  They are just mouthwatering!  They are so easy to make you can put it together in ten minutes in the morning before work and assemble them in fifteen minutes after you get home. 

Enjoy!
Christie aka Keeza

Chicken Taco Casserole

When I started dating my husband, I shared a casserole with him at his house.  His mother often sent him home with casseroles and cookies and I was so happy to learn that he liked casseroles as much as I did.  After James and I got married I asked my mother in law for her recipe for chicken fajita casserole and I made it.  I must say, it was pretty good.  But I can't leave any recipe alone.  I change every recipe I read to make it suit my personal taste.  The original recipe had no vegetables other than the canned chilies, so I added lots of fresh salsa.  The original also called for canned chicken.  I was astonished to discover that chicken even came in a can!  Did you know this?  Canned chicken?  Like tuna?  Needless to say I used her recipe to inspire this recipe and I changed the name to one that more suits the ingredients.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts cooked and cubed           4.27
24 oz chunky salsa medium                        5.22
7oz can chopped green chilies                      .88
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (not pictured)             .25
2 cans reduced fat cream of chicken soup   2.50
8 oz light sour cream                                     .99
2 packages taco seasoning                             .92
12 ten inch tortillas (corn or flour)              3.72
8 oz block of sharp cheddar                         2.14
8 oz block of pepper jack cheese                 2.28

Directions:

 

Pour the salsa and green chilies into a colander and stir well to get rid of any extra liquid.  This will keep your dish from getting soggy.

In a large mixing bowl combine the chopped chicken, drained salsa & chilies, 2 cans of reduced fat cream of chicken soup, 8 oz light sour cream, 2 packages taco seasoning and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves.  Stir well.

Shred the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses onto a large plate.  Take out 12 tortillas and slice them in half.  Now you are ready to assemble.

Place three 8x8" pans side by side and spread a small scoop of chicken mixture in the bottom.  This will prevent the tortillas from sticking.

Place two halves of tortilla in each pan with the strait side out and the curved side to the middle. 

Now layer two more halves over top so all the edges are covered. 

Now spread a large scoop of chicken mixture in each pan.

Sprinkle each pan with about 1/6 of the cheeses.

Repeat the layers one more time.  Tortillas, chicken then cheese.  Label 3 pieces of foil and cover each pan. 

Place one pan in the fridge for tonight and two pans in the freezer for later.  Please thaw in the fridge for two days before baking.  When you are prepared, bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. 

My husband likes his with pickled jalapenos.  I like mine with a scoop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro.  This would also be good with a can of black beans added to the filling.  I was able to make 3 pans of chicken taco casserole for $7.72 each. 

Enjoy!
Christie aka Keeza

French Onion Meatloaf

I was watching the Rachael Ray show and she made a great homemade french onion dip in one segment, and in the last segment she made a meatloaf.  I got to thinking.  I wonder if anyone has ever made a french onion meatloaf?  You know, with a can of Cambels soup condensed french onion soup?  I bet that would be amazing.  So I looked up French Onion Meatloaf on the Internet and I found and awesome recipe by Jan Peters on Tasteofhome.com.  My mouth was just watering before I could even make the meal!  So here it is in all it's glory! 

Ingredients:

3 eggs, beaten
1 can condensed french onion soup
6 oz stuffing mix, crushed
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey

Directions:

Using a blender or food processor crush the dry stuffing into crumbs.

In a medium bowl beat three eggs.  Stir in 1 can of condensed french onion soup.  Add the crushed dry stuffing mix and stir well.  Crumble the ground beef into the bowl and mix well with your fingers until fully Incorporated.

Shape into two loaves.  I made one large loaf for tonight and two smaller loaves to fit in a 8x8" pan to freeze for another night.

Cover each pan with foil and label. 

If cooking from frozen, please thaw in the fridge for two days before baking.   Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes covered.  Then uncover and bake 5 more minutes to brown the top.

We ate ours with potatoes and mixed vegetables.

I am a meatloaf lover and this one did not disappoint.  My husband thought it was less dense than my usual meatloaf and it had lots of flavor.  The sage from the stuffing mix really makes this meatloaf a knockout.  The ground turkey helps keep the grease out and create a great canvas for the onion soup to shine. 

Give this one a try.  It's a keeper!
Keeza aka Christie