French Dip Sandwiches

When I'm not admiring our wee little piggies and adorable lambs, smelling the roses or lilacs, blogging about the bucolic joys of raising a few farm animals, and simply enjoying country life...



...I sometimes have to work, both on the farm and off. I believe in trying to always be prepared (try being the key word here -I don't always succeed!), so when I go anywhere, I always try to remember to take a knitting project (so waiting is a pleasure and not a pain) and food -yesterday a parfait of granola, yogurt and a dollop of Apricot-Pineapple Jam (click here). On days when I know I'll be gone all day and getting home late, and when I have the foresight and forewarning to plan for it, I rely on my slow cooker.



Last night we had French Dips, something I absolutely love but haven't made for quite awhile. These are one of the simplest things in the world to make, and incredibly satisfying in a very lip-smacking, finger-licking, dripping-dipping sort of way. In the past, I made these rather often, and they were always a big hit with the kids at all ages and stages, so I am not sure why it's been such a long time since we've had them. It's probably because there is simply only so much room in my brain and I get distracted by new foods and recipes and FORGET some of our old favorites. Anyway, whatever the reason or lack of, last night's dinner was greeted with cheers from all...and it practically made itself, which was a reason for me to cheer!



Beef Roast in Broth

2-3 lb. rolled beef rump roast (from the lamb for beef swap (click here) we did)
1 quart beef broth
2-3 bay leaves
1 t. - 1 T. Worcestershire Sauce

Place in crock-pot (a shepherdess' best friend) and leave to cook on low 8-10 hours. Remove and slice roast.



Serve on rolls with yellow mustard and additional condiments of choice, along with bowls of beef broth for dipping (Au Jus, if you want to sound fancy, though my offspring have taken French and I haven't, so they were not so much impressed as condescendingly amused with my terrible pronunciation). We had a surprisingly good (for this time of year) honeydew melon with these sandwiches, but a green salad would also be great.