French Dip Sandwiches

1 2.5-3 lb. beef roast (you can use a frozen roast if you want)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
2 c. water
2 cans beef broth
6-8 large buns (or more…6 would be VERY generous servings!)
Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You’re not cooking the meat, you’re just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices. 

Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onions soup mix. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It’s hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it’s done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. When meat is ready, shred with a fork.

Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty. 

Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

From whence it came:  Here's another fab recipe from the Our Best Bites Cookbook!  I wasn't kidding when I told you it's a great cookbook!  I don't joke about things like that!

Why it's blogable:  When I tried this my family was totally wowed!  Everyone said it was their new favorite dinner and my teen son requested it for his birthday.  Both of my girls love this and my sonny-in-law and The Spy Who Loves Me are huge fans!  I just got back from visiting my married daughter and sonny-in-law and adorable grandpunk in Illinois last week and when I asked them what they wanted me to make while I was there, this was on the list.  This recipe could not be easier!  And we always have plenty for leftovers.  

Here's what I do:  Just to make it more yummy and less heart healthy, I butter the buns and sprinkle them with Parmesan cheese.  I broil them until the are just starting to brown, then take them out, put the meat and cheese on them and put them back under the broiler just until the cheese starts to melt.  You don't have to do this, but you'll be happy if you do!

Try this one soon!  And by soon I mean immediately!  Your family will thank you!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Soup made the easy way!

It's that time of year, time to enjoy a really yummy bowl of soup.  I love soup!  The Spy Who Loves Me, not so much.  He's not a huge soup guy, although there are a few soups he likes.  He's not into brothy soups (is brothy a word?)  He's more into creamy soups.  Creamy soups are fab, but they can also be pretty fattening.  I've found a way to make creamy soups without all the fat that comes from making a roux with butter and adding half and half or heavy cream.  And I'm gonna share my secret with you, and you are very welcome!

Yep, Bear Creek Soups rock!  And they are so very easy to make.  I love making soup from scratch, but if you're pinched for time or not a make it from scratch kinda person, Bear Creek is your new best friend!


This one might just be my favorite, although I have a few favorites.  My family LOVES this one, especially my teen son.  All you have to do is add 8 cups of water.  Seriously.  That's it!  Now, if you wanna get a little bit crazy, you can add some fresh broccoli pieces and then sprinkle a little bit of cheddar cheese on top of each bowl.  But you can just make it like it is and it is really really good!



This one is my new favorite.  (I told you I had more than one favorite and I wasn't kidding.)  I tried this one for the first time recently and wow, my taste buds did summer-salts.  There is a restaurant in San Diego called Croutons that has chicken and wild rice soup that I love, and this is very similar to theirs.  I added some chicken that I had baked in the oven and boy oh boy was it good.  My family loved this one, too!  I bought some for my married daughter who with the help of her husband produced the most fabulous grandpunk any grandma ever did have, and they went crazy for it!  She said they couldn't stop eating it.  And why even try?  It's that good!



I adore this one, too!  I brown 1 pound of ground beef and add it to the soup and it's awesome!  Serve it with french bread and a salad and you've got an easy yet delicious meal.



Bear Creek has so many delicious flavors.  I haven't tried one that I didn't like.  And get this, they are just over three bucks at my BFF Super Walmart!  Now that's a deal!

Like I said, you can't beat soup from scratch, but these are truly the next best thing!  Give them a try, you won't be sorry!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Homemade Salsa...So easy! So good!

1 small onion, roughly chopped
One Jalapeño, chopped {seeds and ribs are optional}
1 large Garlic Clove, smashed and roughly chopped
1 {28 oz can} Whole Peeled Tomatoes
1 {14.5} Can of Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies
One Generous Handful of Fresh Cilantro Leaves
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Juice of half a Lime


Add the chopped onion, jalapeno and garlic to a food processor.

Next add the can of whole peeled tomatoes {with their juices}, fresh cilantro, sugar and salt and the juice of half a lime. Pulse until you reach a consistency you like, should be a little chunky.

Add diced tomatoes with green chilies. Give a few more pulses.

Let refrigerate for a couple of hours at least before serving, but over night is best!

From whence it came:  The Internet, baby!  There are so many great recipes out there just waiting to be stirred up!  I found this one here, and boy am I glad I did!

Why it's blogable:  Salsa?  Chips?  Really?  You need to know why it's blogable?  Because it's salsa, and you dip chips in it.  That's why.  The first time I tried this recipe The Spy and my teen son went crazy for it.  Let's be honest, they were already half way to crazy, but this recipe pushed them the rest of the way.  I've made it for lots of people and parties and it's always a hit.  Y'all need to try it!  Soon!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Make this recipe but instead of adding chocolate chips, add 1 bag white chocolate chips

and 2 c. coarsely chopped macadamia nuts.  

That's it!  That's all ya have to do to make these marvelous mac nut cookies.  I figured this out all by my little old self.  Mostly myself is old, not really all that little, because myself loves cookies!

The Spy Who Loves Me said these are his new favorite cookies.  And my teen son is a fan, too!

Make these for someone you love and they are sure to love you back!!!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!!

Teriyaki Sauce that's Good Enough to Drink

1 Tbsp. cornstarch 
1 Tbsp. cold water
½ c. white sugar
½ c. soy sauce
¼ c. cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. black pepper

(I don't want to take credit for the cute writing style of Kate Jones, so I'll tell you here and now that the directions below were written by her clever and creative self.  My unimaginative brain just copied and pasted.)

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. We’ve talked about ginger before and you can use either ground ginger as directed or about 1 1/4 tsp. of fresh ginger. Believe it or not, in this recipe, I actually prefer ground ginger; it has a slightly different flavor that I think infuses better in the sauce than fresh ginger. That being said, I used fresh here because I had a bunch of minced ginger in my freezer and I didn’t want it to go to waste. And the sauce came out great. So whatever works for you.

ANYWAY. I’m rambling. Combine your ingredients in the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. While sauce is heating, combine cornstarch and cold water. When sauce comes to a full boil, add cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and use any way you darn well please. You can store it in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.

From whence it came:  I have a new cookbook!!!  


Well, it's not all that new, but since I haven't blogged for a million years it seems like it's new.  My super sweet sister-in-law, Geralene, gave it to me for my birthday over a year ago.  My birthday is in July (on the 2nd just in case you want to get me something next year) and her birthday is in August.  I love this cookbook so much that a month after she gave it to me, I bought one and gave it to her!  I bit of a lame and lazy gift, but she just had to have it.  It's that good!  Every recipe I have tried as been so good!  And I've tried a lot of 'em.  I really didn't think I'd be buying many cookbooks anymore since you can find almost any recipe you want on the Internet, but this one is worth having!  

Why it's blogable:  Yep, you could seriously drink this sauce, but don't, because that would be humiliating and give you really bad breath!  And then you'd lose friends because your breath was so stinky!  And then you'd be lonely because you don't have any friends.  And then you'd be depressed because you're lonely and you'd make a whole batch of this dough and eat it all by yourself.  And then your pants won't zip up because you ate a whole batch of that naughty dough all by yourself!  And then you'll need new pants.  I could go on and on, but the point is, even though this sauce is good enough to drink, use it on your favorite meat, vegies, in stir fry or wherever you want.  Use you imagination people!  I can't do all the thinking!  

Oh yeah:  You seriously need to double this recipe!  Possibly triple it!  If you don't you'll be sad.  And then you'll probably make a whole batch of this and eat it all by yourself!  At least that's what I'd do!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Look who's back!!!!!

The reasons I haven't blogged for many moons are many, and they are all lame, except for one!!!!

And that reason's name is  HUDSON!!!

Yep, I have a grandpunk!  And as you can see by the picture, an adorable grandpunk!  I have a grandpunk with spunk!!  Yep, he's got spunk, just like his Grammy Pammy!  

Proud?  You bet I am!  
Happy?  Happy beyond words! 
Obsessed?  Totally and completely!  
On FaceTime 24/7 because he lives half way across the country in the land of corn?  Absolutely!  
Distracted by his cuteness?  How could I not be?  

Look at him!  So you can point fingers and wonder why I've been such a lazy blogger, and then you can look at this picture and totally understand!!!

I know, I know, you didn't log on to hear my obnoxious bragging, you want recipes!  Well recipes you shall get.  I have tried lots of new ones and I've got some doozies ready for y'all!  So hang on to your hats, Grammy Pammy is blogging again!!!