June Club

Thanks to all who came to club last night (sorry I'm a slacker and don't have any pictures). I had so much fun and am already looking forward to August! Several people asked for recipes last night so here they are...

French Dip Sandwiches (recipe and pictures courtesy of www.the-daily-bite.blogspot.com.)

1 2.5-3 lb. beef roast (you can use a frozen roast if you want)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
2 c. water
2 cans beef broth
6-8 large buns (or more...6 would be VERY generous servings!)
Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices. Oh, and it smells so good--just like Grandma's house on a Sunday afternoon.

Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onions soup mix. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart.

When meat is ready, shred with a fork and place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty. And don't even think about walking away--things can go from lightly-toasted to on fire within a matter of seconds when you're using your broiler. Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!


Cranberry, Pecan & Pear Salad

Dressing
• ½ sugar
• ½ cup raspberry vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp. honey Dijon mustard (or honey mustard
• 2 tsp. raspberry jam
• Pinch or two of garlic salt

Stir sugar and raspberry vinegar together and then stir in remaining dressing ingredients.

Add pecans, dried cranberries, blue cheese, and 1 diced pear to two-three heads of romaine lettuce. Toss salad with dressing immediately before serving.


Pineapple Sherbet Ice Cream Dessert

• ½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
• ½ gallon pineapple sherbet, softened
• 4 bananas, chopped
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 1 bag frozen raspberries or strawberries, thawed

Slightly mash bananas and raspberries in large bowl. Add softened ice cream and sherbet. Stir together, serve immediately.


Spinach Salad (from the last party that was at my house)

Salad:
• 1 head red lettuce
• 1 package spinach leaves
• ¼ cup red onion
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup grated jack cheese (mozzarella works well too)
• 1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2-3 mushrooms, sliced

Dressing:
• 2/3 c red wine vinegar
• 1 cup oil
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 tsp tarragon
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• ¾ c sugar
• 2 tbsp finely chopped onion

Add dressing immediately before serving.

Oh... congratulations to Nikki, the proud owner of a new, fabulously chic apron.