Thanksgiving week and other domestic stuff...

[brandtrn]

It was a cold, miserable weekend..."winter" won't even technically be here for another few weeks, but it looks as though it's getting an early start this year. Received about 5 inches of snow on Friday and Saturday which thankfully, won't be here for long. It helps that the ground is not yet frozen and that the snow has mostly melted off the roads, at least. Anyway, we're loaded down with surgeries (even though this is Thanksgiving week -- what kind of nutcase schedules an "elective" surgery during a holiday week?), so I'm assuming ahead of time that there's no way I'll be able to order food of any kind tonight in a timely fashion. By the time things settle down to the point where I can even THINK about eating, our kitchen staff will have all left the building, and all of the local restaurants and delivery services will be closed. So, before I go back to bed for my pre-work nap, I'm making my lunch (and Yury's supper) for the next few days. Gotta love my slow-cooker! Once I've managed to throw the food together and turn the thing on, I can get some sleep while my slow-cooker does the rest. Anyway, for those of my BF buds who enjoy no-fuss cooking, I'm sharing my favorite slow-cooker Italian beef sandwich recipe, which I found online and then tweaked to my own personal tastes. Here it is:

INGREDIENTS:
1 5-lb. beef rump roast
OR
2 2-3 lb. beef shoulder roasts (I personally use the shoulder roasts because they're easier to find on sale)
1 10.5 oz. can of Campbell's au jus gravy
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix (i use their beefy onion soup mix whenever I can find it)
1 envelope Good Seasons Italian salad dressing mix
3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 jar peppers of your choice (I use mild banana pepper rings because Yury likes his food wimped down a bit)
1 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:
Trim fat from roast(s), season with salt and pepper, and then sear on all sides on stovetop until browned. Pour au jus, onion soup mix, Italian salad dressing mix, peppers (along with all liquid), garlic and water into slow cooker and stir well. Set slow cooker on high heat. Place browned beef into slow cooker and cover. Cook on high heat until meat is fully cooked and fork-tender (about 4-6 hours). Shred beef and serve on toasted, crusty rolls with mozzarella or provolone cheese.

This recipe will result in some seriously tasty sandwiches and normally, since it's just the two of us, we can munch on these for several days. Undoubtedly, we'll be eating on this stuff for most of the week, since it's the ONLY thing that I intend to prepare until I make our Thanksgiving dinner on Friday (no, we WON'T celebrating the holiday on Thursday as most folks do, simply because I'm working throughout the holiday, as usual. Tomorrow morning after work, though, I DO need to stop at the Farmer's Market to pick up the fresh turkey breast that I ordered, along with the rest of the fixings for our holiday meal on Friday. There's no WAY that I intend to struggle through the last-minute, day-before-Thanksgiving grocery store crowds on Wednesday! If I don't manage to post again before the holiday, I'd like to wish each and every one of my friends here a very happy Thanksgiving, filled with friends, family and much love. It is my sincere hope, as difficult as life can be at times for some people, that ALL of us are able to find *something* for which to be thankful...

[Icey]

And a happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Cindy.

The recipe sounds really nice, btw. x

[pilvikki]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!