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Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

By Lori Summers on October 17, 2011   /   Rambling, Tasting   /   Leave a comment

Next week I get to travel to my home town.  Chicago.  I’ve been living in Texas for 7 years now and I’m learning to adjust.  The summers are hot.  I mean hot.  This year we had over 70 days of triple digit temps.  Around August the grass turns brown. The leaves begin to wilt.  My roses don’t want to bloom.  If any fellow Texans are reading this please  please give me some pointers on how to keep my flowers blooming!  But I digress.

Back to my home town.  What I really miss and can’t get here.  Anywhere.  Is a good italian beef sandwich.  If any of you live or have been to chicago and have eaten at Portillos,  you know what I mean.

Here I am, the last time I went home…..

Yep, that’s me stuffing my face.  I’m not home 12 hours before I have to go to Portillos and get my fix.  My family knows this and they plan accordingly.

Since there is not an italian beef worth honking about in Texas, I have to make do with my own family recipe.  I thought I would share it with you today.

3-4 lb pot roast

2 cups water

2 beef bouillion cubes

1 tsp. onion salt

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. oregano

Cook roast in crockpot on low overnight.  In the morning, tear meat into small pieces.  Leave the meat juice in the crockpot and add all other ingredients to the meat.  Simmer in crockpot for 4-5 hours or until ready to eat.  Serve on Kaiser rolls or french bread.

 

You can add mozzerella or cheddar cheese if you want a cheesy beef.  Also,  sweet green peppers to give it a little kick.

 

Enjoy!

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Pinto Beans and Fried Potatoes

By Lori Summers on September 12, 2011   /   Tasting   /   7 Comments

With cooler weather comes quilts and comfort food.  Once a year or so I get a hankering for pinto beans and fried potatoes.  This is a favorite that I grew up with and love to this day.

 

My husband, who from this day on has asked to be referred to as Brilliant Guy, is not a fan of this dish so I don’t make it often.  Because I’m the only one that eats it I’m sorry to say it ain’t like my mom made.

 

Mom would soak the beans overnight and cook them all the next day.  Beans were cooked with ether a ham hock or bacon drippings for flavor.  She would slice up a tomato and onion fresh out of her garden.  And oh the corn bread that woman can make.  Golden brown…….  Sorry, forgot what I was doing for a minute.

So how is this easy way I cheat make beans?  I open a can.  Yes,  oh I’m so sorry ya’ll, but I open a can of beans.

 

I can hear cooks all over the country as they drop to the floor.  Or at least the 3 of them that are reading this….

Open the can, pour into a pan and add 1 cup of water.

Add salt

Add pepper – AGHHHH who loosened the pepper jar?  Grab a big spoon and bail out as much pepper as I can and hope for the best.

Sneeze……Sneeze…..wait for it…..Sneeze.

Peel 5 or 6 medium potatoes.  stop and take a bite.    Speaking of peeling potatoes does anyone else have this problem..after peeling a few potatoes the peeler and my hands get so wet that the little buggers keep flying right out of my hands in mid peel.

Add vegetable oil into the pan.  Just enough to cover the potatoes.  I usually add one potato slice and once it starts sizzling I know it’s ready for the other slices.

 

Now I like my fried potatoes greasy and soggy.  yummy.  To add more flavor I like to cut up some onion and sprinkle over my plate.

Delicious!  If only I learned how to make that corn bread…..

 

 

 

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