Crock Pot Italian Beef

I appreciate all of the prayers and questions regarding my dad. He started radiation this past Thursday to both the brain and the lungs. He is getting around okay,eating well - a little feisty for my mom but I think that is to be expected. We will go see him the week before Easter. My girls need to see their POTTER! :)

Well, this week I remembered a recipe a friend Lisa told me she makes regularly. I tried it years ago but made it too spicy so I was more cautious this time. This Italian Beef was easy and really good. I love the pepperoncinis. We enjoyed it the first night on a toasted French roll with melted cheese. We enjoyed it a 2nd night as a Rice Bowl. Our middle daughter's favorite restaurant here in Omaha is Pepperjax. She is loves the Rice Bowl with rice, meat, green pepper, mild salsa and ranch. AND - I did just that! (pepperoncinis instead of green pepper though)

My friend Lisa that makes this often uses a much bigger roast, at least 2 pkgs of dressing, a jar and a half of pepperoncinis, etc. - just know you can work this to fit your family.

Crock pot Italian Beef

1 3-4 lb roast
1 2 envelopes dry Zesty Italian dressing
1 bottle beer
16 oz jar pepperoncinis

Spray crock pot with cooking spray and add roast. Add dressing and beer. Snip stems off pepperonicins - add to crock pot along with half of the juice. Cook on low 7-8 hours or until tender and can pull apart with a fork. Serve on a toasted bun, top with melted cheese and pop in the oven to melt cheese. Serve au jus! ( My hubby put his melted cheese on bottom - to each his own:)

Rice bowl - cook 1 cup rice rice according to directions. (We prefer Texamati rice) Mix rice with 1/4 cup or so of juice, diced pepperonicinis and shredded beef. Toss. Top with salsa and a drizzle of sour cream. ( can always add beans, black olives, etc.)

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Roasted Green Beans

My friend Emily suggested I try these roasted green beans. I did a little research and gave them a try. The green beans weren't great this time of year - a little limp and not overly "snappy" but I gave them a try. We loved them. What a great new vegetable to add to our regular dinner routine. I feel like we eat steamed broccoli WAY too much. These will be staple from now on. They are quick, easy and healthy! Everyone with little children should try them - you could possibly pass them off as green french fries! :) I promise you will love them as a snack, an appetizer or as a side dish. I couldn't stop eating them - even ate them room temperature as they cool off pretty fast!

Beware - these are not overly attractive. They are shriveled with brown spots...... but looks can be deceiving! Enjoy!

Roasted Green Beans

1 -2 lbs. fresh green beans
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4-1/2 pepper

Wash the green beans and pat dry. Snap off the ends. Toss in olive oil - just enough to lightly coat. Add salt and pepper and toss. Spread out on a cookie sheet - bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes - turning once halfway through cooking. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

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White Chocolate Brownies

Our oldest loves white chocolate and with the recent extraction of her wisdom teeth, I thought I would try something she would enjoy. We ALL enjoyed them......Annie only had a bite or two. She pretty much stayed with smoothies and more smoothies. I did make one end with pecans and one end without - knew she better not have nuts! These remind me of a yummy blondie with yummy frosting!

White Chocolate Brownies ( adapted from Dining By Fireflies - Charlotte Jr. League)

Brownies

1 cup butter
1/2 cup white chocolate
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups pecans or walnuts, chopped

Icing

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup white chocolate
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 -4Tbsp half and half
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. For Brownies, melt butter and white chocolate in double boiler ( I used the microwave melting at 1 min intervals) Pour into a large bowl and whisk in eggs then slowly adding sugar; Add flour and vanilla. Fold in nuts; Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. Bake 28 - 30 minutes. Allow to cool and spread with white chocolate icing.

For Icing - melt butter and white chocolate in top of double boiler ( I used the microwave again). Remove from ehat and beat in powdered sugar, half and half and vanilla. Spread over cooled brownies. Cut into small squares. Yields - 28 small squares

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Easy Cheddar Biscuits

Making biscuits from scratch really isn't hard AND....I usually have everything on hand. We were having soup the other night and I wanted to try something new. I found this recipe in my Southern Living Homestyle Cooking. I liked the sharp cheddar cheese - gave these biscuits extra flavor. They were perfect with our soup. Truly, these took 5 minutes to mix and about 10 minutes to bake. You should try it!

Easy Cheddar Biscuits (adapted from Southern Living Homestyle Cooking)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 oz shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup shortening (use the Crisco sticks)
1/2 cup milk

Mix the first 4 ingredients using a fork, pastry blender or even a food processor. Add cheese and shortening continuing to mix until mixture is crumbly. Add milk and mix until forms a dough. ( I used my hands some too) Pat dough onto a lightly floured surface, pat to 1/2 inch thickness and cut with a 2 inch round biscuit cutter, cookie cutter or glass. Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 425 for 8 - 10 minutes or until golden.

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