Take a Dip.....

French Dip that is. I love basically all foods that you dip, soak or dunk. Topping that list is the French Dip sandwich. I've always wanted to make it but never really found a recipe that struck me. Until yesterday I found this wonderful recipe on a food blog I frequent.

Crock pot French Dip Sandwiches

Source : Crock It Cookbook by Barbara Murray

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

3 lb boneless beef chuck roast

1 pkg Mushroom/onion soup mix

1 10oz can of beef broth + 1 can of water

French rolls or sour dough bread

In a medium bowl whisk together the broth, water and soup mix. Trim any excess fat off of the meat. Add meat to crock pot, then pour broth & soup over it.Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove meat to a large bowl or plate using a slotted spoon. Use two forks to shred up the meat & remove any excess fat. Toast the bread and make sandwiches with the beef (we added some horseradish to them) serve with a bowl of the au jus from the crock pot for dippin'.

This was so so good. I know we will be having this quite often. I sautéed onions and it was perfection!

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been in the mood to make home made chocolate chip cookies. My family is so used to the "break and bake" they were all amazed when I broke out the mixer for cookies. "Mom, you are making home made cookies???" I've had my eye on this recipe from this blog and this blog for a couple days. So I was excited to try them. They did not disappoint!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from America's Test Kitchen

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled until warm
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk dry ingredients together; set aside.With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter & sugars until thoroughly combined.

Beat in egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients & beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chips.

Roll scant 1/2 cup dough into ball (I cute this in half for my second batch). Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball.

Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft & puffy. *This took about 15 minutes in MY oven but start at 10 minutes and check from there. Do NOT over bake!

Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking and place on wire rack to cool.

A cold glass of milk + one of these cookies = Yummy Goodness!

Weekend Happenings

Saturday - started very very early with a soccer game at 8:00am. This was the first to two playoff games we had that day. They won both games!!! Buddy even had a goal in the second game which was a nail biter. I can not sit during the games - I'm usually pacing the sidelines cheering my little guy on. The game was so tight and we scored in the last few minutes to win! We have a very tough game next Saturday against the #1 seeded team in the division, the Evil Leprechauns. If we win or tie on Saturday, we will advance and play another game on Saturday. Very exciting!!!

Big Bang Theory - No, not the t.v. show - Me! after I got my hair cut. I have not had bangs in so long. I'm still getting used to them but it's a nice change. The good thing about a hair cut is if you don't like it - it will grow back - it's not permanent.

The rest of Saturday was spent not doing too much. Cooking and cleaning (what a good little wife/mommy). I made a yummy broccoli cheese soup and an OK banana bread. This would have been a lot better had I followed the recipe. Ooops!

Sunday - aaahhhh time change!!! I'm not one that can sleep in. Sleeping in to me is 8:30. So imagine my surprise when I woke up at 9:00! And better yet I gained an hour - because it was 8:00 because of the time change. It's the little things that get me excited. We all went to breakfast (my mom, sis, Daughter, Buddy, J and me) to a little place right around from our house. The food was good but the company was great! I'm so close to my family - I consider myself so lucky and so blessed to have the kind of relationship I do with them.

The rest of the day I finished up the cleaning and *ugh* grocery shopping. I actually don't mind this - I'm strange I know. But I am a coupon shopper and once upon a time I would spend quite a bit of time clipping, organizing and shopping AND enjoy it.

Made dinner, watched Princess Bride (all time favorite) with Buddy, watched Brothers and Sisters ( I love this show!!!) and then it was time for bed!

I LOVE Sunday nights when my house is clean, laundry and grocery shopping has been done.

Not too much of an overly exciting weekend but a weekend filled with exciting things.

A New Day - A New Blog

Yesterday I finally did something I've been wanting to do for some time now - I created a food/recipe/cooking blog. I love cooking, finding new recipes and of course eating.

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I don't know how easy it is going to be to keep two blogs going but I really want to try. I have never been one to keep a diary, to share my thoughts/feelings openly and this is my opportunity to do just that. I'm pretty much a private person. I started a "mememe" post a while back but have yet to finish because it just seems so open - so personal. I understand that is the whole purpose so I need to step out of my comfort zone and finish it and just put it out there.

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I love to read other's blogs and to be perfectly honest I feel like mine is really really boring compared to others. I came to the conclusion that I was blogging for others and not for myself. I found myself reading my posts and then changing them a million times because I didn't think they were interesting and were boring. I wasn't being true to myself and what I believed in and it bothered me. I actually changed a post and deleted a portion and re-posted. And it was one of the most important parts - about how the Rockies organization is made up of mostly Christians. I guess I didn't want to put out there that I'm in deed a Christian, a church going Christian. Why? I don't know. Maybe I thought it would make me boring. Whatever. I questioned myself yesterday - what is the purpose for my blog? Which is why I wanted to create another - one for my personal posts and one for my cooking/food related posts.

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Purposes -

MissMissy - an on-line diary of my likes, my dislikes, my family, my thoughts, every day happenings (boring or not).

Missy's Dishes - to share my favorite foods, recipes, cooking dishes, eats, etc.

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There I did it - I opened up. Not so bad actually.

Off to finish my 8 Things About Me post....

Taco Soup - One of my Favorites!

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans

1 (15 ounce) can black beans

1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 cup water
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes

DIRECTIONS
In a large Dutch oven, brown the beef and chopped onion over medium heat. Drain off any fat.
Add chilies, salt and pepper, beans, water, seasoning mixes, and stewed tomatoes to the beef and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Top with shredded cheese, and serve with chips.

Weekend in Review

You can definitely tell we are entering into Fall. There is a chill in the air - not much - but just enough to sense we are in October. I love the change, although it's not a huge change. October and March are my two favorite months.

Friday - we went to see the Disney movie "Game Plan" with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Surprisingly it was a really cute movie. The plot is basically an NFL quarterback living the bachelor lifestyle discovers that he has a 8-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. Dwayne Johnson is handsome as ever and the little girl that plays his daughter is adorable. She is very very cute in this movie. I truly enjoyed it. Family, The Rock, popcorn and M&Ms - can't get much better than that!

Saturday - Buddy's soccer game was not until 11:45 - a nice change from the 8:00 games. We were able to sleep in a bit (I'm not one that can sleep in so 8:00 is sleeping in for me). Was able to get a head start on my cleaning. Daughter and I walked Duncan to Simone's and enjoyed our little time together. I had my usual non-fat, sugar free Vanilla Latte and she just had a peppermint tea. Both were yummy!

I have been wanting to put up my Halloween decorations so J was a dear and rearranged the garage to get to the boxes. Note to self: Halloween comes before Christmas. Remember this next year when putting away the Christmas decorations....

Off to the game! Yay for Green Extreme! Another win and another goal for Buddy!!! The boys have worked so hard and are playing so well together. After the game we went to lunch at Mimi's cafe. Last time we went it was so good. This time it was meh - the food took a long to arrive and when it did the Blackened Chicken Caesar salad that was so good last time was awful. Too much dressing and as daughter described it - it tasted like pickle juice. As much as we love the zucchini bread and muffins - I think we will think twice about going there for a while.

Mimi's is right by the Pacific View mall so we headed over there a bit. Keeping with Sister's promise of $10 a goal Buddy quickly had a pocket that was burning with the cash! Nothing caught either of our eyes so we just headed home.

I have been craving a good Margarita for quite some time. So I finally busted out and made a couple.

Recipe - Beer Margarita

1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate
12 fluid ounces tequila
12 fluid ounces water
12 fluid ounces beer
ice
1 lime, cut into wedges

DIRECTIONS
Pour limeade, tequila, water, and beer into a large pitcher. Stir until well-blended, and limeade has melted. Add plenty of ice, and garnish with lime wedges. Adjust with additional water, if needed.

I thought they were pretty good. My craving continued into Sunday - but this time I just made them with the Cuervo Margarita mix. I actually liked this one best. Not as sweet as the limeade mixture. But both were yummy!!!

It turned out to be a home improvement weekend.
A couple trips to Lowe's and we now have

New Kitchen Faucet (Saturday's project)

New Front Door (Sunday's project)

Sunday - Home improvement continued. And football was on all day. I don't know if it was the weather or what but I had zero energy and really just wanted to relax. But that is so not my nature that it's almost more non-relaxing to do nothing than to actually get up and do something. The grocery store had been on my list of things to do all weekend so I finally tackled it. I don't mind grocery shopping at all. I picked up some wonderful T-bone steaks for J to bbq. They were very good - I marinaded them in a mixture of soy sauce, teriyaki, Worcestershire sauce, steak sauce, garlic salt and a little olive oil. Yum!

I enjoyed my Cuervo mix small margarita, Extreme Makeover Home edition (this one was not as good as the others and I didn't even shed a tear which is rare for me) and by that time I could not keep my eyes open. So sad to miss Housewives but thank goodness for DVR!!!!
Thank was our weekend in a nutshell

Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast

During the colder times of the year I love to use my crock pot. This is my all time favorite crock pot recipe. Very easy and very yummy!!!

INGREDIENTS
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup

1 (10.75 ounce) can of beef broth
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1/2 cups water
5 1/2 pounds pot roast

Carrots, celery onions

DIRECTIONS
In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water. Place vegetables on the bottom and add pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture.
Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.

Cheesy Baked Ziti

This is a new favorite in my house - it's cheesy yummy goodness!!!

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package ziti pasta
24 ounces ricotta cheese
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse.
In a medium bowl, mix ziti, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and spoon in ziti mixture. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce, followed by Parmesan cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes; let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

**I sometimes add cooked ground beef or Italian sausage in the spaghetti sauce**

Kitchen Items I love!!!

I dream of having a big kitchen where I have lots of counter space and even more cabinet space to store all of my kitchen appliances, cookware and gadgets (the ones I have and the ones I want). On my list of favorite gadgets I have are:


On the top of my list is my all time favorite is Wolfgang Puck Immersion Blender and Chopper. I love this appliance. I use it all the time. Chopping, blending, whipping, everything. I love it!

I love my hand held Cheese Grater from Ikea - It's a cheese grater and a food saver all in one. Very simple but I use it all the time.

My Apple Wedger from Pampered Chef - again very simple but use this all the time. It's the easiest way to cut apples and core them at the same time.

One of my favorite pans is the Kitchen Essentials® from Calphalon - my brother got me this last year for Christmas and I use it almost everyday.

The kitchen items I want

For our wedding we received a gift certificate for Pampered Chef. I have the order coming so until I have them and can use them they will be under my want list. I've always been interested the the Stoneware from PC and have heard great things. I'm excited to get my bar pan. A definite want has always been a Kitchen Aid mixer. I have watched friends make cookies, mashed potatoes, dough using theirs. I've literally drooled not over what they were making but the mixer itself.

I have so many more I could list - I'm getting depressed thinking of everything I want. Click here for a better idea of what other kitchen gadgets I want.

Good 'Ole Comfort Food

Twice Baked Potatoes

INGREDIENTS
4 large baking potatoes
8 slices bacon (optional)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.
Bake for another 15 minutes.

These are an absolute favorite in my house. A bit time consuming but worth it!!!!

Weekend in Review

Saturday

* Soccer game - Lost 5-1 (Green Extreme is now 1 win and 2 losses)

* Lunch Red Robin for lunch. YUM!!!!!

* Old Navy + great sale = Duncan in a red polo shirt (1/2 off - Thank you very much!)

* Bath and Body -bought the last Sandlewood Vanilla

* A dead 70 foot Blue Whale washed ashore 10 miles North from us. VERY STINKY!!!!

Sunday

* Cleaned - I LOVE Mr. Clean Magic Eraser!!!! It is truly a miracle worker!!!!

* And Cleaned - I'm a cleaning product junkie. Especially anything that smells like or contains high levels of bleach!

* Meatloaf - My mom makes the absolute best meatloaf ever. I attempted my mom's recipe. Even though I don't think I'll ever be able to make a meatloaf as good as mom's - according to my son (her meatloaf's biggest fan) "this is as good as Grandma's"....

* Emmy Awards - Sister works (VERY HARD and VERY long hours) on the ABC Show Brothers and Sisters. She is the Production Coordinator and does a wonderful job! Sally Field won Best Actress on last night's Emmys. Way to go Sis!!!!

Yummy Wine Sauce!!!!

I made this last night and it was wonderfully creamy and tasty. I only used the wine sauce portion of the recipe with chicken breasts (not with Swiss cheese or ham) and served with rice. It was very tasty!


Cordon Bleu

INGREDIENTS
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
6 slices Swiss cheese
6 slices ham
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS
Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

**'Cordon Bleu' is a French term, literally translated as 'blue ribbon', that originally referred to an award for culinary excellence given to women cooks**

Recipe Thursday

Today is Thursday - after the Labor Day weekend so I thought I'd share my favorite recipe ever for ribs. These ribs are the absolute best. I recommend making extra sauce and having a ton of napkins!!!

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds pork spareribs
3 cups ketchup
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste
3 tablespoons steak sauce, (e.g. Heinz 57)
2 cloves garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS
Place the ribs in a large stock pot with enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and cook over medium-high heat for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In medium saucepan, combine ketchup, barbeque sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, steak sauce and garlic; blend well. Cook the sauce over medium heat for approximately 20 minutes. (Please note that the above ingredients are all to taste. Use more or less of anything you like. I never make the ribs the same way twice!)
Cut the ribs between the bones and place in a baking pan. Pour sauce over ribs, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.

Enjoy!!!! Yum!!