French Dip Sandwiches with Au Jus

I found this recipe on Favorite Family Recipes.

Her picture's prettier but I like to show you what an average cook's version looks like, complete with ghetto paper plate.

I should warn you there is nothing healthy about this recipe, but I've been having crazy meat cravings lately and this did the trick.

2-3 Lbs. oven roast
2 cans beef broth (about 4 cups)
2 pkgs Lipton Onion Soup mix
French hoagie or sub rolls (whatever bread you like to do)
Swiss cheese slices

Put oven roast in a crock pot. Add beef broth and soup mix. Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. Shred roast with a fork, then return the shredded beef to the crock pot for a few more minutes (to absorb more of that juicy goodness). Slice open the bread and place a good amount of beef on one side (scoop out some of the bread first if you don't like it really bread-y). Place a slice or two of Swiss cheese over the shredded beef and broil for a minute or so until cheese starts to bubble and brown a little. Remove from broiler and serve. Use a ladle to scoop out some of the juice from the crock pot and serve as au jus.

Apple Crisp

Another variation to the apple pie is an apple crisp. This is quicker and easier, or if you have leftover apples from your apple pie you can make one of these for someone.

4 cups sliced apples

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

7 Tbsp. butter or margarine

3/4 cup flour

Combine apples, water and cinnamon in baking dish, 8x8x2.'' Mix flour, sugar, and butter to crumble stage. Cover apples with the mixture. Press down with hand until flat.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 50-60 minutes.

Mom's Apple Pie with Crumb Crust

6 to 8 tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon

dash ground nutmeg

Pie crust (store bought works fine, or there's a recipe below if you want to be an over-achiever)

If apples lack tartness, sprinkle with about 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. Combine sugar, flour, spices, and a dash of salt. Mix with apples. Line 9 inch pie plate with pastry crust. Fill with apple mixture. Sprinkle crumb crust (recipe below) over filling and place on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake in oven at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until done.

Pie crust: (although I'd actually recommend just buying one at the store...)

2 1/2-3 cups flour

1 cup shortening

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix first three ingredients with pastry blender (I use a fork) Beat 1 egg, add 1 Tbsp. vinegar and 1/4 cup cold water. Makes one crust plus some extra (I used the extra to make my little heart decorations).

Crumb crust:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup firm butter or margarine

1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix three ingredients together with a pastry cutter (I just use a fork) until crumbly. Sprinkle over apple mixture in crust. Cover topping with aluminum foil the last 10 minutes of baking to avoid crust browning too quickly.