Two Posts in One Week????? Unheard of.

Well, I guess I am back in the swing of things, and I am renewing my committment to being more faithful to post on our blog. I started this blog so I could chronicle our family's activities, and by not blogging, I am in essence allowing myself to forget all the wonderful things God is doing in our lives. Because I am hoping that what my mind cannot remember someday, this blog will remind me of. As I get older and with all the responsibilities of life, my ability to remember details fades away (the funny words of my children or their hilarious antics). So precious are these times and the kids are not getting younger. They are growing older as fast as dishes get dirtied around here. I want to be able to remember it all!

So with all that said, here's a Tasty Tuesday for you!

This weeks recipe is a new one I recently added to my recipe book, and for very good reason. It's really a two-in-one. I love it when meals fall into place so easily with just a little effort. And this meal was a home-run in my house...actually both of them were. So I won't beat around the bush (Karen did I get that one right)????? I am famous for destroying cliches.

Beef Dip/Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

......AND........bonus recipe:

Authentic Tasting Beef Tostadas

People, I wish I had a picture for this, but I don't. A picture would describe it all, and you wouldn't even have to think twice before making this. So just trust me on this. You just have to try this. Don't be fooled by the simplicity. It's amazingly delicious.

Let's start with the meat. You want to go get yourself a lovely rump roast. The recipe says a 2 1/2 lb roast that will serve 8, but I went a bit bigger so I could make the tostadas another day. Depending on your family's size, you can adjust the amount of meat easily, and the rest of the ingredients don't matter all that much. So, the night before, throw your roast in a ziploc with the following ingredients and marinate overnight:

14 oz of beef broth (I love Trader Joe's) 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning 1 tsp crushed red pepper (or to taste) 1 garlic clove, minced

In the morning, empty the contents of the bag into a crock pot, and cook on low for 8 hours or until the beef is tender. When ready to serve, place the beef on a cutting board and let it stand for 10 minutes. Slice the beef, place in a shallow dish, and pour the liquid over the beef. Now, get yourself some really nice crust french rolls (or sourdough, or whatever you like), and serve up the sliced beef onto the roll. Serve as simple as this with a side of the au jus for dipping, or kick it up a notch and add sauted bell peppers and onions and a piece of provolone cheese. Either way, it's delish! I served it plain with the dip on the side. It reminds me of my Mom, who ALWAYS ordered French dip sandwiches if it was a choice on the menu.

So, just when you think it's all over, just wait! If you planned ahead, you will have lots of tasty leftover meat. So plan ahead. You really want to. You really need to. Shred the remaining leftover meat, and place it in a ziploc or other handy container and freeze it. On another night, you can pull out that delicious meat and made tostadas. It is like having authentic Mexican meat, since it was slow cooked to perfection. I fried up some corn tortillas in oil until they just crossed the line from chewy to crunchy. When the edges just begin to brown, pull them out of the oil. Heat up some refried beans, chop up some lettuce or cabbage, crumble some cotija cheese (or cheddar if you're boring), add cilantro, guacamole, salsa, or whatever else you like, and you have another meal. The meat only needed to be reheated in a frypan, and it was done. Nothing else required. How easy is that? This is definitely one of my new regulars. In fact, there is a rump roast in my freezer as we speak! Enjoy!