Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Today is all about one of my favorite sandwiches, the French Dip! 

I remember growing up and my mom and I would always go out to lunch and order a French Dip sandwich.  I always thought it was so fancy and different from regular sandwiches because you got to dip it in a wonderful beefy sauce.  Through the years I've had some very good French Dips and some bad ones.  But I never really thought about making one at home.

So I was feeling nostalgic the other day and decided  to cook a brisket in the slow cooker and make my favorite sandwich.  Nothing could be easier than making these in the slow cooker.  You just put in the ingredients and walk away.  When you come back 8 hours later you get succulent beef and a wonderful dipping sauce.  For flavoring I used an old trick that my friend Mary taught me for her pot roasts, using a dry onion soup mix.  I chose a beefy onion soup mix, but if you can't find that use the regular onion soup & dip mix.  It's easy peasy...and it tastes fabulous.

I served the sandwiches with the following salads and they were the perfect side dishes:
Artichoke and White Bean Salad

Asparagus Tabbouleh with Prosciutto





The sandwiches or either salad would be a great dish for the upcoming Labor Day! 
Hope you enjoy these as much as well did.  So many memories.  Plus the leftovers were even better!

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

serves 8

1 3 lb beef brisket
1 pkg dry beefy onion soup mix or regular onion soup mix
1 10.5 oz can condensed beef broth
8 hoagie or french rolls

Place beef in cooker. In small bowl, mix dry soup mix and broth; pour over beef. 

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Skim any fat from the liquid in the cooker. Remove beef from cooker and place on a cutting board. Cut the brisket across the grain into thin slices.

Cut each sandwich roll in half horizontally.   Place sliced beef on bottoms of rolls and top.  Cut in half crosswise and serve with broth for dipping. 

Asparagus Tabbouleh with Prosciutto

It's almost time to celebrate another holiday...Labor Day!

I wanted to bring you a couple of easy salad dishes to make for the holiday, or before summer ends.  Several days ago I brought you my Artichoke and White Bean Salad which is so yummy!  Today I want to bring in some Mediterranean flavors with a variation on the well known tabbouleh salad.

I was perusing one of my favorite cookbooks (Cuisine at Home Fast & Fabulous Mediterranean Menus) for a new salad.  Cuisine at Home has a wonderful knack for taking the familiar and putting a new twist on it.  Well, I found it.  This earthy tabbouleh is made with roasted asparagus and has crispy prosciutto and feta mixed in to the traditional ingredients.  Made from bulgur wheat this salad is light and fresh.  The lemon, parsley and mint give you the freshness but the added ingredients that make this unique and take this over the top!

Try something new this weekend and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!


Asparagus Tabbouleh with Prosciutto

makes 8 cups - serves 6

1 c dry wheat bulgur
3 oz prosciutto, diced
2 t olive oil
4 T olive oil, divided
1 t minced garlic
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
salt & pepper
1 c chopped fresh parsley
3/4 c chopped fresh mint
1/2 c chopped fresh chives
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 c chopped pistachios
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 t Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cook bulgur in a pot of salted water according to package directions, drain and rinse.

Cook prosciutto in 2 tsp. oil in a nonstick skillet until crisp, transfer to a paper-towled lined plate.

Combine 2 Tbsp of oil and garlic in a small bowl.  Place asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil mixture, and season with salt and pepper.  Roast asparagus in oven, until tender, 8 minutes; transfer to a rack to cool, then chop into 3 to 4 inch pieces.

Combine parsley, mint, chives, feta, zest, bulgur, prosciutto, and asparagus in a large bowl.  

Whisk together lemon juice and Dijon until emulsified.  Whisk in remaining 2 Tbsp oil, then drizzle over tabbouleh; toss to combine.  Garnish servings with pistachios.


Source:  Cuisine at Home Fast & Fabulous Mediterranean Menus

Restaurant Review: Panini Cafe

A visit to Panini Cafe for fresh paninis, pastries, and casual café vibes—here’s what we ordered and what stood out.

Review of Panini Cafe

MGG and I love to try new restaurants.  One weekend we happened to go to a relatively new place called Panini Cafe  over in Woodland Hills that serves Italian and Mediterranean food. 

WoooWee!  Did we hit the jackpot.  Their food is outstanding!  Let me say upfront that Panini Cafe isn’t asking me or paying me to say this.  They don’t even know about it!  These are purely our own impressions of their wonderful dishes! 

The menu is filled with wonderful items.  They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Breakfast specialties include scrambles and omelets, French toast, and oatmeal.  We haven’t had their breakfast yet but hear that it is delish! 

We've eaten here several times now and are addicted to some items.  Both times we have a late lunch or early diner after a long day of running around.  Each time we’ve chosen an appetizer that will knock your socks off.   We’ve had their fresh Tatziki with fresh pita bread…killer.  This time we chose their Humus Trio which consists of 3 varieties of humus (black bean, traditional, and edamame) and includes fresh pita and chopped tomatoes and greens.  The Edamame humus is my favorite.  Nice and light but with a zip of garlic.  As I was eating this I said…”I need to buy more of this and take it home!”  Just fabulous!   Just look at this appetizer plate.  It’s rather large and should be shared by several people, or you can try and eat it all yourself like I almost did.  

Now, on to the main course.  We've tried several of their dishes such as Mousaka and the Linguine with Grilled Vegetables and Feta.  Both were delicious!  But my hands down, flip your skirt up, favorite dish has to be the Charbroiled Chicken Skish kabob.  O..M..G!  Even the menu says “A MUST” next to the item…that says it all!

Just look at this baby.  A HUGE plate with wonderful, succulent, marinated chicken, and vegetables.  And that’s not all…it comes with your choice of grain and salad.  We chose the Basmati Rice and a Romaine Avocado Salad dressed with a light lemon vinaigrette.  HEAVEN!

This is my new obsession.  I can’t stop thinking about it.  So much so I think I will order some to take home for dinner tonight.

So if you get the change to try the Panini Cafe, please do.  The food is outstanding.  The atmosphere is nice.  It’s a family friendly place with excellent food.  Next time I’m not going to eat so much food so I can try one of their desserts…they look decadent for sure.