Italian Roast Beef Sandwiches

This is what's for dinner tonight at my house. It's another quick and super-easy recipe. I learned this one from my dad.

Italian Roast Beef Sandwiches

1 Boneless Chuck Roast
2 Packets Dry Italian Dressing Mix
Hoagie Buns
Butter
Garlic Powder
Sliced Cheese

Brown the chuck roast in a skillet until the outside is nice and golden brown. Put it in the crockpot and fill with enough water to cover the roast. Pour in the two packets of italian dressing mix. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the roast falls apart. Pull the roast into shreds

Butter each side of the hoagie buns and sprinkle with garlic powder (or garlic salt if you like it a little salty). Put them in the oven on 400 until they are lightly toasted.

Put shreds of the roast and a slice of cheese on each hoagie bun.

I serve these with homemade fries.

Chris Sligh

I saw Chris Sligh in concert tonight. It was so much fun! He's really funny and has a beautiful voice. Afterward, he signed my CD and I got my picture taken with him. If he ever comes to your town, I suggest you see him. He puts on a really good show...plus he has a really cool fro.

Gigi's Apple Crisp

Yesterday was my 4 year wedding anniversary. The Lord has blessed me with an amazing husband who is also a wonderful father to our two boys. I love him so much and thank God continually for him.

We always get each other the "traditional" anniversary gifts. The 4 year traditional gift is flowers or fruit. So, he got me flowers and I made him an apple crisp. I use my mom's recipe and it is soooo delish! (the grandkids call my mom Gigi). It's nice and crispy and sweet. In fact, after this post I think I'll go have some!

(Warning: if you are on a diet...turn away now! This stuff is full of sugar and butter!)

Gigi's Apple Crisp

4-5 Gala Apples
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 stick of butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
1 egg
1 stick of butter

Peel apples and slice into wedges. Grease a rectangular glass baking dish. Cover the bottom of the dish with the apple wedges. In a medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar, the cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle mixture over apples. Cut the 1/4 stick of butter into small slices and scatter them over the apples. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup sugar and 1 cup flour. Beat the egg in a small bowl. Mix the egg into the flour/sugar mixture with a fork until it is crumbly. Spread the crumbles over the apples. Melt 1 stick of butter and pour over the top of the crumbles. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on top.

Busy Mom Recipe: Dorito Chicken

I subscribe to daily email devotionals from Proverbs 31 Ministries. Today's devotional was called "Her children arise and call her busy". In the devotional the author writes that one day after telling her daughter she was too busy to tell her a story, her daughter said,

"That's okay, I'll tell you a story. Once upon a time," she began, "there was a very busy mom. She woke up every day and she was tired. She made a big pot of coffee and went into her room to pray. She prayed and prayed and prayed…but nothing happened. She did the laundry and went to Target and to the grocery store where she spent lots of money. She made dinner and cleaned the house. She went to help the homeless children. At the end of the day, she was still tired so she went to bed. The end."

That really hit home for me. I bet that's how my son views me as well. I really need to slow down and spend some good quality time with him and with the Lord each day.

So, for you busy moms, I have a great recipe. I'm making this for dinner tonight...it takes very little time and it's delicious! My mom always called it "Mexican Chicken", but I've heard several people call it "Dorito Chicken". Whatever you want to call it, here is the recipe...enjoy!

Dorito Chicken

1 Whole Chicken
2 cans cream of chicken
2 cans rotel
1 large bag of Doritos
2 bags shredded cheese (I use colby jack blend but you can use cheddar too)

Boil the whole chicken until done. Strain and let cool. Pick all the meat off the bone and pull into small strips. Put the meat in a large bowl. Mix in the cream of chicken and rotel. Stir in some salt and pepper.

Crush the Doritos while still in the bag.

In a large, deep casserole dish, cover the bottom with half the bag of Doritos. Cover the Dorito layer with half the chicken mixture. Cover that with half the shredded cheese. Then do a layer of the other half of Doritos, a layer of the other half of chicken mixture, and finally the other half of the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Serve with Tortilla Chips.

Think about it

I want you to think about something. First, pick a person in this world of great status. Maybe it's your favorite actor, or the president of the United States, or your favorite singer. Just think of a person you would love to meet and have a conversation with. It has to be someone of this world, who is living right now. Do you have your person? I'm going to pick a person, too. My person is George W. Bush.

Ok, now imagine that person wanted to come to your house and sit with you at the kitchen table and have a conversation. I think if George W. Bush wanted to visit my house and have a conversation with me, I'd probably be very excited about it. I would probably clear my schedule so there would be no interruptions. I probably wouldn't say, "you know, George, I'm a little busy watching Judge Judy right now...maybe some other time." Of course not! I would be very interested to talk with him and probably would want to make our visit last as long as possible. What about the person you picked? Would you blow them off or cut your conversation short? Probably not.

Now, think about this question. When it comes to God, do you really believe, that what you believe, is really real? I mean do you REALLY believe it? Because if you REALLY believe that when you pray, you are meeting with the creator of the universe, the living God, you wouldn't have trouble praying daily...you would have trouble leaving your prayer! Think about it. If a conversation with someone of this world who you find fascinating would get you so excited that you wouldn't let anything stand in the way of it, how much more exciting should it be to speak with GOD?!

Last night, we started a weekly Bible study with our friends called The Truth Project. Let me tell you, it is really amazing. If you ever have the chance to do The Truth Project...do it. It will make you think about your faith in ways you have never thought before. And it will make you constantly question yourself..."Do I really believe, that what I believe, is really real?"

The idea about prayer really hit me. I struggle to have a daily prayer life. But if I really believe I'm speaking with God, why is it so hard? I think this concept is going to dramatically change my prayer life. Each day, if I choose, I get to meet with the creator of the universe...and THAT is more exciting than meeting with anyone else I can think of. I'm really excited that I have the privilege to speak with Him whenever I want...and I think now it's going to be hard to peel me away from those conversations.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

I've always loved homemade scalloped potatoes (the boxed ones are kinda yucky), but I never knew how to make them. I was so excited when my mom got me the new Better Homes and Gardens "Celebrating the Promise" cookbook for Christmas. I was looking through it and found a simple recipe for scalloped potatoes. I've made it twice with dinner and it's sooooo good. Don't forget to comment if you ever try a recipe from my blog and tell me how you like it. Here is the recipe, with some slight changes made by me.

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter or margarine (I use real butter)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
4 medium, thinly sliced potatoes

1. For sauce, in a medium saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir in cheese until melted. Remove from heat; set aside. Place half the sliced potatoes in a greased, shallow casserole dish. Top with half the sauce. Repeat layers.

2. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 50 more minutes or until potato is tender and top is a nice golden brown. Let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes before serving.

Beef Tips with Noodles

Ok, sorry I haven't been blogging regularly...I do have a newborn baby at home, so I think that's a legit excuse. I plan to get going on my blog regularly very soon. We're starting to get into a good routine around here, so it won't be long. Meanwhile, here is this SIMPLE crockpot recipe for you busy moms out there. It is sooooo delicious... my favorite thing to prepare for my family when I know it's going to be a busy day.

Beef Tips with Noodles

Put all these ingredients into your crockpot and cook on Low 6-8 hours or until the beef is tender.

2 pounds beef tips (I get the kind for stir-fry)
2 cans cream of celery
2 cans cream of mushroom
1 whole onion diced (I know it sounds like a lot of onion, but it doesn't taste onion-y, trust me)
One tbsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. pepper
1/2 tbsp. garlic powder

When the beef is tender, boil a pot full of egg noodles until they are tender, then mix them into the crockpot. Serve with Cornbread.

Enjoy!

Another Giveaway from Sunshine

My friend Sunshine over at Make Life Delicious is doing ANOTHER giveaway. Check it out HERE