In case you didn't know, I LOVE to cook. There aren't many other things that make me as happy. Not many at all. As one of my favorite bloggers/cooks/ranching lady would say, "I'm just keepin' it real!"

So for my first foodie post, I thought I would go simple, yet scrum-dil-y-umptios! It is also a REALLY economical meal for a family- and we all know how important that is in days like we are livin'.

Italian Beef Sandwiches


here's what you'll need:

1 3-5lb rump or chuck tenderloin roast ( I have used both cuts with equally fantabulous results)
3 cups water
1 7 oz italian dressing seasoning packet
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1 bay leaf
package of sliced provolone cheese
1 pack of split hoagie rolls
few TBSP butter

optional:
1 large onion

Got it? great! Let's go!

I wasn't thinking ahead about posting this recipe, so I kinda missed pictures of the first part, but I know you are all very intelligent people, and well, this isn't rocket science, so I am sure you can hang...

Get out your trusty 'ole crock pot. Sigh at how wonderful it is. Heave the roast into the crock.

Now, in a medium saucepan. (please don't use non-stick. I won't go into how bad nonstick is for you, and I too, once used them for all my cooking, but I can't stand to think of all the icky non-stick contamination so just don't use it. Thank you.)

Into the contaminate- free saucepan add all the seasoning and spices to the water and stir, then heat to a boil. Once boiling, pour over the meat, put on the lid, plug in the crockpot and set the cooker on low ( one would think this step was obvious, but I once ruined an entire blissful dinner opportunity because someone turned it on low, but forgot to plug it in. I won't name names because he would get mad at me, again)then, go enjoy the next 10-12 hours.

Oh, did I not mention this was an ALL day recipe? Hey, guess what?! This is an all day recipe! Cool, huh? :)
Not a big deal, it takes MAYBE 5 minutes to prep, and everything else is done 10 hours later. Anyone can do this before work, I promise- I have!

If you don't have 10-12 hours, or you don't remember to make this until after lunch, just crank it on high and cook for 4-5 hours. I can't help you if it is 6 pm...

Once the time is up, it is time to prep the onions and buns. You don't have to have onions, but you really have to have onions. Just trust me. Sauteed onions make everything better. Especially Italian Beef sandwiches.

so, heat up about 2 tbs butter in a cast iron skillet if you have one. If you aren't cool, and just have a regular one it'll work, I guess... ;)

Yay! time for the first pic! Here is how your onions should look when you put them in the skillet:


I am currently drooling.

Now, I try to use no higher than medium heat, so I don't burn them, but just cook them at a nice slow even pace. It probably took 10 minutes to get them to look the way I wanted.



Some people will stop when they just get translucent. They are missing all the sweet goodness that happens as they brown and the sugars inside come alive. I really think I might just eat a plateful of them when my onions in the garden are ready. yes, I am that weird. But you are the one reading about me...:)


Okay, once they are done, put the onions in a small bowl and keep warm. It is time to get back to the meat. Remove the roast from the pot and juices, and put it on a good sized platter.



Now, take 2 forks and just start pulling it apart. Joe likes some chunky pieces, and I like it more finely shredded, so I do a little of both. a 3 lb roast will give you enough for a hungry family- and even have leftover. Guess what I am taking for lunch tomorrow...?



Once it is all shredded, put it back with the juices. I should note that in this picture, it is obvious that this is NOT my crockpot.
I kinda forgot to start making this until around 2:30 on Saturday, so I took all of it out of the crock after 4 hours, cranked the oven to 400 and let it cook in there for about an hour. Worked like a charm.



Anywho, now I just heat maybe a half tbsp of butter in the same skillet I used for the onions and toast my hoagie. Joe likes his untoasted. You can be weird like him if you are worried about the fat in butter. I happen to know it is good for me, and I also like the crispiness of the roll. Whatever you think works is great.



So now you just slap some provolone, pile on the juicy beef, and top with some onions and more cheese, and you get this: (sorry about the dark pic.. taken on iphone after the sun had set)


this is happiness.

I hope you liked my first recipe! I will try to get more up here in the near future... Maybe I'll even use that Uber-expensive professional camera I have to take some decent photos. We'll see!
Let me know what you think if you make it!

On the 3rd day of our endeavor, things are becoming more natural with Saul here. I speak only for myself here. Meaning, I am once again accustomed to rising at a decent hour, cooking breakfast, and getting dressed before rousing the other sleepyheads from their blissful sleep. This is much easier since I have reverted to the wonderful world of coffee. Sorry, folks. I tried- made it a whole week. (Sounds like the whole anti-cell phone endeavor doesn't it?) I am a much happier(read: nicer) and productive person when I have a single cup of java in my system. I would have felt better if Saul drank coffee, but in all honesty, I didn't need much more of a reason than a 6:45 alarm clock wake up to justify my downward spiral. :)

For the most part, I think Saul is adjusting great! He and the boys have a shared love for football, nerf guns and night vision goggles, as well as Wii games. There is some strange turning on and off of the shower in the morning ( it goes on, then of, then on again??) But, I worry about embarrassing him, so I may have hubby try to talk to him. That is my general rule of thumb. If I feel weird asking him something, I try to make Joe do it. His reply tends to be, " This is your thing." Then I bat my eyelashes and beg. Sometimes it works.

We did discover that the student staying down the street with our friendly neighbors speaks fluent English, so I used him yesterday to communicate to Saul that I don't mind him telling Logan to leave him alone. :) I love my son, but he can talk. Alot. Must get it from his dad. ;) Saul laughed. I think he understood what I was implying.

Ooh! I also discovered that both boys know how to Salsa dance. This could prove to be a very fun discovery if I can convince them to teach me...I feel a salsa party in the works! ( don't worry... I can pretty much guarantee Joe will nix that idea. He is allergic to dancing.)

That's all for now. Unless anyone happens to know how to make pate... His mom says he likes that. pate? as in...liver??? not sure if I can go that far.

Carrie

1. I am fat.
2. I am fat because I love food.
3. I love food too much. My butt is a good voucher for this.
4. I think I subconsciously think the food is going to love me back.
5. The food doesn't love me back. It only loves the space it inhabits on my aforementioned butt.
6. I actually notice myself craving exercise lately. Think maybe my butt is trying to tell me something?
7. I am much more productive at doing laundry and other household chores while listening to music on my ipod.
8. Alvin and The Chipmucks has a great soundtrack.
9. I may actually get in shape with this workout routine- my house may stay clean too!
10. I am more than likely certifiable.

Here is to the close to another year, and to the blessings that are sure to come in 2009! God Bless You!
Love,
Carrie

I am really a mess this year. I LOVE cookies, fudge, and pretty much any other dessert that is commonly found in November and December. I grew up watching my dad make all of it. And eating it. And eating it. And eating it... ad nauseum. But something has happened to my body this last year. I can't eat all the foods, in the quantities of years past, without paying the price in my derriere.
As in NONE of my pants or skirts from last year will slide over my newly curvaceous figure.
By curvaceous, please be advised I DO NOT mean 50's-pinup-silhouette, nor should images of Botticelli, Da Vinci, or any other Renaissance paintings be evoked in your mind.
No, the curves of which I speak are more like the underside of the smoked ham after sitting in its plastic net-bag that are all on sale at Target right now. Not a thing of beauty to be admired for generations on end.

So, you ask, what do I do to combat this evil?

Reason says I should be making changes to accommodate my body's new lack of get-up-and-burn. And I have! I take a plethora of supplements that do make a big difference in the way I feel, and I am taking steps (itsy bitsy, teeeeeny, tiny baby steps though they may be) to switch my whole family to a raw, whole food diet, free from processed sugars and technologically derived or created "stuff."
I have experienced how the less of the bad stuff we eat, the less we miss it. Our bodies REALLY do work better when we feed them better foods. And better foods aren't necessarily what the popular and so-called "experts" tell you. They can be the total opposite, actually. Technology does not make all things better. Modern medicine does not know and cure all. Traditional, whole foods the way they were made BEFORE mass-production started are really all they are purported to be! I have realized I am not 20 and will actually have to DO something to tone up this jiggly mess.
Realization is the first step in the 12-step process, and, alas, I have not yet gotten to the step where I actually DO something...
I think that is step 12? "Hello my name is Carrie..."
All of this awareness makes me feel like I am headed in the right direction.

I have subscribed to the wisdom of "KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!"

But, you want to know how I deal best with this dreaded discontent with my behind?





I make cookies and fudge and pretty much any other dessert that is commonly found in November and December.

The men in suits at the big food companies have done their jobs well! My 10 yr. old has fallen for their claims that Fruit Loops are healthy because they are made with whole grains, and Sunny Delight has lots of good vitamins, so I should buy it instead of juicy Juice. Oy Vey!

We are in the process of changing our eating habits in our household. In a HUGE way. Gradually, we are eliminating processed foods, and trying to buy only whole, raw, organic products. Anyone on a budget can understand how frustrating this can be. And I would be lying if there weren't days I wanted to stand in the middle of Super Walmart and scream, "YOU ARE MAKING PEOPLE FAT!!!!!!!" Because truth be told, the "cheap" foods that are accessible to people on limited incomes are killing them. They are laden with chemicals, processed beyond recognition and the preserved for longer shelf life. I am a transparent person. My family qualifies for assistance, and right now, we are using it. How crazy I must look to the cashier getting my free cheese and eggs and milk, and then filing the rest of my cart with expensive organic foods. Why is this country so unhealthy? Why can't I get free range eggs that are better for me kids for free? Why does it cost $10 a lb to buy chicken and beef that hasn't been bred to be "plumper" or fed soy??? 100 years ago our food sources weren't genetically altered or bred for production, chemicals weren't sprayed all over vegetables to make sure more got to the production plants, and guess what.. less cancer, less obesity, ADD was UNHEARD of as was autism, food allergies and a long list of other problems. OH! and they ATE ANIMAL FAT!!!! and hardly any of them had heart disease. Thank goodness in our modern age of science and technology, things ARE SO MUCH BETTER!!! Oy vey!
I think I need to go have a big glass of milk that came from a cow roaming around somewhere in a field in Asher, OK and take a nap! :)