FREEZER to CROCK-POT FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES

French Dip sandwiches are just a straight up classic.  Hubby loves them and feels well-fed, and my girls will even eat the meat, which at my house, is pretty amazing.  We don't eat much red meat here (we do own a chicken restaurant after all), but this is one recipe that we will take to the red meat bank.  It's good.

Remember back when I used to share recipes?  This summer I got out of my groove, and now I am trying to get my groove back.  But it's hard.  Other grooves are often easier paths of least resistance, but I am forging ahead, because my family needs to eat.  Every night, apparently.  This e-card sums up my feelings perfectly.

Source: sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net via Carol on Pinterest

That said, I really do enjoy cooking - it just takes more planning.  I am in a freezer food co-op with six other girls right now, and it is fantastic, because I make six of whatever meal I am making that month, and then I trade it for six different meals that each of them have made.  Win - win - win.  It makes my meal planning more simple, and I like my life better when after gymnastics and getting home around 5:20, I just need to pop a thawed something into the oven for dinner.  Or after I've been busy crafting or reading blogs and forget about dinner, there is something edible in my freezer.  Like I said before, a big win.

So, here's a recipe I adapted for the freezer - French Dip Sandwiches.  The recipe is mostly from Baking Bites, though I change a few things.  You need -

about 3 lbs of Beef Chuck Roast  (I have also used a pork roast with great results)

2 tsp of Beef Bouillon

2 cups of water

1 10.5 oz can of condensed French Onion Soup

1 cup Red Wine Vinegar  (original recipe uses red wine, but I like the slightly sharper taste of the vinegar - and it's cheaper.  Beer also works great.)

1 tsp Garlic Powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

4-6 French Rolls

Sliced Provolone Cheese

Put on an apron, cause you are about to deal with some raw meat.  I put on one of my favorite aprons made by my one of my sisters.

Trim the fat off of the meat and season the meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  If you are planning to eat it that night, go ahead and put it into the crock pot.

If you are planning to freeze it, put it into a high quality freezer bag.  Pour these ingredients over the meat - the Beef Bouillon, the French Onion Soup, and the Red Wine Vinegar.  If you are making it right away in the crock pot, pour an additional two cups of water over it.  If you are freezing it, omit the water - it can be added the day it is cooked and will make it take up less space in your freezer.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours.  How easy is that?  Shred the meat towards the end of the cooking time.

Make sure your rolls are ready to be toasted.  I needed to slice mine.

Toast your rolls.

When you're ready, load your roll with hot, shredded meat.

Top with a slice of provolone cheese, that will deliciously melt.

And you are good to go, in my book.  Use the extra juice as your Au Jus dipping sauce.  Yum.

John adds other stuff to his - like mayo and mustard.  Some people add horseradish sauce.

Just trying to broaden your sandwich horizons, since I know that's why you come here.

If you are freezing it, you will have a bag that looks like this -

Write a note to yourself, or whomever you are bequeathing it to, that you must thaw it overnight in the fridge.  Then, pop it into the crock pot, pour the two cups of water over it and follow the rest of the instructions the exact same.  I gave rolls to freeze and provolone cheese as well, though I only got a picture of the bagged cheese.

Then, after our swapping, I realized that I accidentally had kept extra bags of cheese for myself.  Doing anything with children or friends around can cause me to be a bit absent minded and overlook details like cheese.  Oh, well.  There is a lot of extra cheese laying around my life, it seems.

Happy French Dip Cooking!  Perfect for fall, which is slowly making its way toward us.