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.

Crock-Pot Ghee

I made ghee (clarified butter) last week in my Crock-Pot for the first time. As often is the case, I may be one of the last to hear about this simple method for making ghee. I am an ardent fan of my Crock-Pot, even going as far as declaring it this Shepherdess' Best Friend, and I have made countless meals in the various slow cookers I've owned over the years. Besides having dinner ready and waiting at the end of the day, they are also handy for making soap, and for dyeing fiber -though once you use a Crock-Pot to dye fiber, it CANNOT EVER be used to cook food in. Making ghee in the Crock-Pot was as simple as putting 2 lbs of unsalted butter, each cube cut in half, in my slow cooker and leaving it alone with the lid off for 4-5 hours. I left it until a layer of foam formed on the surface that browned a bit where it touched the crock, and the milk solids had all settled to the bottom. I then skimmed off the foam, and taking care to leave the milk solids behind, I VERY CAREFULLY poured the clarified butter through a fine mesh sieve and into a pint and a half-pint jars, which gave me three cups of golden ghee.



Removing the milk fats from the butter allows it to be cooked at a higher temperature without burning. It is commonly used in Indian and other ethnic cooking, and I made this to use in a Lamb Tagine I plan to make this week (in my Crock-pot, of course). Ghee can be used in many, many ways. After making this, I put some in the mashed potatoes I made for dinner, and also used it to saute some chopped garlic with thawed, frozen cauliflower, which was heavenly. I won't make any wild claims as to the health benefits of cooking with copious amounts of ghee, but cooking with a bit of clarified butter gives a big flavor boost to foods cooked in it, it stores well, and it is so amazingly simple and fool-proof to make in a Crock-Pot. Need I say more?



Finally, my Christmas Cactus bloomed! It actually is more of a Valentine's Day Cactus, whether that's it's natural tendency or a result of my neglect, I can't say, but I find its flowering quite cheering this time of year and I had to share with you. It reminds me that, despite our recent snow and cold, Spring IS on it's way!

Shepherdess Swedish Meatballs

One of the many things I love about meatballs, is that they can be frozen. Back in December I made Swedish Meatballs, after looking at several recipes and freezing half of the uncooked meatballs for another time. Yesterday, when I decided to make Swedish meatballs again, the little bag of them was there in the freezer, and I was more than halfway done already. In December I'd made them in a Dutch oven on top of the stove like this (click here), and let them simmer for a good half hour. Yesterday, I wanted to put the meatballs on to cook and go do OTHER STUFF, so I made them in the crock-pot. This worked wonderfully. I was able to spend the afternoon weeding and knitting while they were cooking unattended, and when it was time for dinner all I needed to do was cook some egg noodles.

Shepherdess Crock-pot Swedish Meatballs

Brown meatballs (thawed or unthawed frozen), either on an oiled sheet in the oven, or in bit of oil or butter in a skillet. I must admit that I browned these in a bit of bacon fat left in the caste iron skillet from breakfast, which (besides confessing to using bacon fat here) means it was past noon and the breakfast dishes were still lying about, but my motto for weeding is, weed first and do dishes after, gloves or no gloves, which is the only way I seem to be able to get my hands reasonably clean.

Put the browned (and drained) meatballs into the crock. Drain all but 1 T. fat from skillet and add 2 T. flour to make a roux. Stir in 3 c. lamb stock (or beef stock) to make a thin gravy.

Add:
3/4 t. salt
1 t. dill weed
dash allspice
1 T. ketchup or tomato paste
glug or two Worcestershire Sauce

Pour gravy over meatballs in crock-pot. Cook low 3-4 hours. To serve, add 1/2 c. sour cream and stir in. Meanwhile, cook 8 oz egg noodles until done, drain and stir into meatballs. Serve with a vegetable or salad. A bit of currant jelly added would be traditional, but I had a glass of currant wine after dinner instead.

Split Pea and Ham Soup

I love split pea soup. My kids aren't quite as gung-ho about it as I am, but I do love just how simple, straightforward and soul-satisfying it can be. And I love that it can be made in a pressure-cooker, a Dutch oven, or a crock-pot -fast, medium or slow- and it is always good and comforting, either with or without the ham hock, and by whichever method you choose to make it. I made some in the crock-pot a couple days ago, and then baked some cornbread muffins to serve with the soup, using the recipe on the back of the cornmeal box. A dab of homemade jam for the muffins, and it makes for a satisfying simple meal.



Split Pea and Ham Soup

For 4 people, place in crock-pot:
1 qt. water
1/2 ham hock (or omit for vegetarian version and add salt)
1 c. split peas
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2-4 bay leaves
bit of black pepper
Cook on low 8-10 hours. Remove ham hock to a plate, discard bones, dice meat, and return to pot.
Add:
2-3 T. molasses
salt to taste, if needed (I don't add any with the ham hock included)

What's for Dinner Tonight?

NOT Smart Duck for the coyote's (or racoon's) dinner, at least! I know this is a terrible photo -it's painfully obvious by now that I'm not much of a photographer- but it shows her roosting for the night, safe on top of the shop roof when I was locking up the chickens last night. Daily answering the question, 'What's for dinner?' is what all home cooks (and coyotes and racoons) do, day after day. I personally almost always enjoy the challenge, and pondering the myriad of possibilities. What's everyone feeling like? What's in the freezer and cupboard? What haven't we had for awhile? What about this new recipe?



I've been on a bit of a Vietnamese food streak, started Friday night, when we went out to eat at the Vietnamese restaurant, Green Leaf (very good, I highly recommend it). Saturday, we made a Lobster Bisque and Crab Cakes (the seafood was a very much appreciated gift, and yes, the bisque was heavenly). Sunday we had the Vietnamese Chicken Curry and Rice that I posted, and Monday I made Venison with Peanuts, adapted from the Vietnamese cookbook, KOTO (I checked this out from the library and totally fell in love with it), with sticky rice and a simple salad. Thanks go to my youngest brother, Wayne for his expert hunting skills and sharing his venison with us.



Last night, I had planned to make an Asian-style Duck and Rice Soup, but decided to veer away from Vietnamese foods, and instead made duck cooked in red wine in the crock-pot, Coq au vin style. I put dried shiitake mushrooms, chopped carrots, sliced garlic, shallots, seasonings and the duck in the crock-pot and then poured over several odds and ends of red wine -a homemade grape-blueberry I'd just bottled but wasn't very impressed with, the last bit from a bottle we drank the night before (I was impressed with it), and several frozen portions I had saved in the freezer. I often pour that last half cup of wine left in the bottle into a container and freeze it. I stock several of these to pull out when I want just a bit of wine for cooking and don't want to buy a bottle. And a bit of wine is often just what I want to add to something.



I cooked the duck on high all day in the crock-pot, turning it several times, since I hadn't marinated it in the wine overnight, as I really should have done for this, until it was falling off the bone. I removed the duck to a plate, removed all the bones and shredded the meat. Meanwhile, I made a roux, added the wine broth to thicken it all, and returned the sauce and the meat to the crock-pot and turned the heat to low until dinner and served it over pasta. Tonight? I can't decide. Caesar Salad and duck cooked in red wine in a sandwich roll comes to mind. Or maybe Vietnamese-style fried rice.

A Shepherdess' Best Friend

You might think a shepherdess' best friend would be her trusty sheep dog, or the man she's been happily married to for twenty some odd years, but no, a shepherdess' best friend is her crock-pot. I love mine. A crock-pot makes dinner all on its own, while you do whatever stuff you want, or need, to do elsewhere. Having used my crock-pot several times this week, I am reminded of just how wonderful it is. Granted, meals from the crock-pot are not always the most photogenic, but like a true best friend, it is reliable and always there for me, consistently providing delicious and satisfying meals with a minimum of effort.



Last night was lamb stew made in the crock-pot, and biscuits quickly baked in the oven. I firmly believe at the end of the day there are very few things better than an old-fashioned stew.



Mid-week I put pork country-style ribs in the crock-pot with green sauce and a bit of orange juice, left it to cook on high for 6 hours, then shredded the meat and removed the bones.



I added cooked black beans and some leftover rice before serving. Wrapped in a warm flour tortilla with lettuce and cilantro, grated Pepper Jack cheese, diced onions, pickled jalapenos and a hot green taco sauce, this made an amazing burrito filling.



These ribs were made early in the week and were scrumptious. I added the last spoonfuls of a couple of jams in the fridge to use them up, which were very tasty additions but not necessary. I think this recipe invites improvised additions and substitutions, but this was our only package of beef short ribs from our beef-for-lamb swap we did with The Soup Queen, so I'll have to wait till next year to make it again. Tonight I'm making a roast chicken and baked potatoes in the oven, and Grandma's Baked Beans in the crock-pot.

Sweet and Spicy Soy-glazed Beef Short Ribs
Brown 1-2 lbs. beef short ribs and place in oval shaped crock-pot.
Mix:
1/4 diced onion
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 minced garlic clove
1 T. minced candied ginger
1/4 c. each molasses, Chinese plum sauce, hoisin sauce, and sweet chili garlic sauce
2 T. orange marmalade
1 T. each red pepper jam, sesame oil and balsamic vinegar

Cook on high 4 hours. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with rice.