Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

Tailgate - [teyl-geyt] adjective - relating to or pertaining to a picnic set up on a tailgate.

Who would think that eating and drinking in a parking lot surrounded by rows and rows of cars, buses, and RVs could be so much fun?! Food tastes better and a cold beer is that much more thirst quenching when served out of the back of your car while enjoyed with good friends at a sporting event on the outskirts of a huge sports arena.

Spending an afternoon and evening at a college lacrosse tournament, the highlight for me was the tailgate. My contribution to the parking lot picnic was Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches. Thin sliced deli roast beef is combined with roasted red peppers, peppperoncinis, dried thyme and oregano and beef stock. If you are in a hurry, just a couple hours on High are all that is needed to make these satisfying sandwiches which taste like you spent all day preparing them. To make your sandwich more parking lot-worthy, add a generous squirt of Kraft Sharp Cheddar Easy Cheese

Eating out of the back of your car never tasted so good.

No cheese, please.

Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches

serves 12

3 pounds of thin sliced deli roast beef
4 cups of beef stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 jar (12 ounce) sliced pepperoncinis
1 jar (12 ounce) sliced roasted red peppers
12 long rolls, split
1 can Kraft Sharp Cheddar Easy Cheese

Place all the ingredients in crock pot and stir to evenly distribute. Set crock pot to High and cook for 2 - 3 hours or set to Low for 5 - 6 hours.

To serve, put a generous amount of the beef and peppers into a roll and drizzle with the broth. Squirt cheese on top if desired.

A cupcake to share

Pound Cake Cupcakes

Writing a food blog is a learning experience. I have learned many aspects about myself, my family, my friends, my online foodie friends, and my cooking. I started writing my blog for myself as a way to keep track of my recipes that I make for my family. Along this journey, I have amassed more than 200 recipes and continue to learn about myself each day.

I have discovered that if you make good food in an inviting atmosphere, they will come. People love food. People love good food. The food should be good food, not expensive and stuffy food. People are most comfortable eating a sweet and spicy pulled pork sandwich on the tailgate of your car or sitting around the picnic table with a pot of steamed clams, mussels, kielbasa, along with sourdough bread. They want to roll up their sleeves, dig in and enjoy the food, the drink and the company. Ask your guests what you served them the last time they came over, and they will most likely not remember. Not that your food wasn't good, but this is not in the forefront of their minds. They will not remember if you spent 2 days preparing the meal, and they don't want you to spend so much time preparing the food. What will remain in their memory will be whether they had a good time at you table. Did they laugh? Did they feel welcome and comfortable? People like a warm and welcoming gathering and having good, uncomplicated food is the icing on the cake.

I have discovered that there are many different types of cooks in the world. Some are fancy, smancy with a little bit of a snooty air about them. They take their title of "Chef" very seriously. Others love to bake albeit cupcakes, muffins, cakes, cookies, or brownies. Their baked goods are works of art. Some are intimated by cooking and need a nudge to try a new food or recipe. Some love to grill and barbecue. Some have found comfort in making casseroles. Some tinker with recipes and never make the same dish twice. I discovered that foodies are very friendly. Food brings people together. And when it comes right down to it, it is just food. Making food should be fun and not a chore. It isn't rocket science. Sure there are some aspects of cooking that are more difficult than others. But, it is about making good food and sharing with people that you love. That should be the most rewarding aspect of cooking.

I have discovered that no matter how unique and earth-shattering I think my most recent post is, someone has probably already made, tasted, photographed, and published my latest and greatest creation. With thousands of food blogs on the Internet, bloggers are blogging about the same recipes and cooking techniques that I am. Undoubtedly, food is a very important part of our lives. With my blog, I try not to just retype published recipes. Hopefully by following my posts, readers will try a few new recipes or learn a new cooking technique. By using fresh ingredients with simple techniques, cooking will be a joy.

Sharing food is central to my love of cooking. I offer you a recipe for Pound Cake Cupcakes. This is one of my good recipes. A basic dense, buttery cupcake. Bake a batch and share them with your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, teachers, the garbage men, or just about anyone you with which you come in contact. The world a better place if we all just shared a cupcake once in a while.

Cupcakes to share

Pound Cake Cupcakes

makes about 24
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
4 extra large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 sticks of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cupcake pans with foil cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a bowl of a standing mixer, combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Blend for about 4 - 5 minutes or until thoroughly combined. With the mixer on low, drizzle in the melted butter and continue mixing until combined, about 2 - 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture in 2 additions. Blend until just combined.

Fill each of the cupcake papers about 2/3 full with the batter. Bake for about 18 - 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan then remove and cool on a baking rack.

Turkey Sloppy Joes

No earth-shaking recipe for dinner last night. But it is a favorite at home as well as at the occasional football tailgate. I made Turkey Sloppy Joes, which takes me all of 15 minutes to make, and served them with steamed green beans.

Turkey Sloppy Joes are a good entree to take to a tailgate. They transport well, are generally a crowd pleaser, and require a minimal amount of work to prepare. I transport the seasoned meat in the insert to my crock pot. The insert is warmed by filling it with boiling water for 10 minutes. Pour out the water before filling it, and the meat stays hot until it is served. The insert is packed in a large cooler surrounded by clean dish towels. When it is time to enjoy the Turkey Sloppy Joes, spoon the seasoned meat into buns.

Siss-boom-bah! Go Team!!

Turkey Sloppy Joes

makes 8 sandwiches

1 package ground turkey - about 1 1/3 pounds
1/2 to 3/4 cup barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
8 whole wheat hamburger buns

Heat a saucepan to medium high. Add the ground turkey and cook until browned. Drain off any grease. Add the barbecue sauce and cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Add up to 3/4 cup barbecue sauce depending on how saucy you like your sloppy joes. Turn heat to low and cook the seasoned meat for about 5 minutes. Serve on buns.

Note - the sloppy joe meat can be frozen up to 3 months. After preparing the seasoned meat, cool and package in large resealable freezer bags. When you want to serve it, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave on 70% power until heated through or in a saucepan over low heat.