Sunday Sweets . . . or sweetness . . . or whatever

I have no spiritual thought today because I'm just not in a spiritual thought kind of mood. I suppose I could be if I really, REALLY tried, but my brain is exhausted. And when my brain is exhausted, my body is too.

I'm having a terrible mother day . . . again. I don't normally think of myself as a terrific mom, but I like to think I hover somewhere along the 'ok mom' border. Today, I crossed the border.

All pity-partying aside, I really think it has something to do with the type of birth control I'm using. I haven't been this *lovely* in quite a while. Oh, I still had my hissy fits, don't get me wrong, but lately it has been BEYOND hissy fit.

Just ask my poor hubby who was woken up from a dead sleep this afternoon. And he has to work tonight and all day tomorrow.

So, lack of self-confidence and parenting confidence and change in hormones . . . that's where I am today.

I guess I can only take so much being screamed at in church by a soon-to-be 3 year old. Then add to that the temper tantrums of the 11 y.o. and 7 y.o. which then leads to the tackling of the 7 y.o. by the 11 y.o. who fully knows better but seems to have no regard for his younger siblings. Thankfully this was not at church, but we hadn't been home 5 minutes. Geez, Louise! I'm raising a bunch of neanderthals!

Anywho, I do have a recipe to share.

I found this one over on Our Best Bites. You can print the recipe over on her blog if you like. She also has tons of other great recipes.

We love French Dip! This recipe is super easy, especially when you know you have a busy day ahead or if you just don't want to heat up your kitchen during the hot summer months. It's also freezable.

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. You can't mess this up.The longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. When the 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 melted. And don't even think about walking away--things can go from lightly-toasted to on fire within a matter of seconds when you're using your broiler. Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

FREEZER DIRECTIONS:
Prepare roast through the searing step; after meat has cooled, place in a plastic freezer-safe container (think Gladware), cover with onion soup mix and bouillon, and freeze. When ready to cook, put it straight into the crockpot (frozen), add 2 cups of water, and set to high until warm or, even better, simmering. Turn to low; cook for a total of 8-10 hours.


If you don't like french dip, you can easily turn these into Italian hoagies.  Use the same basic recipe, shred the meat, place on the bun, drizzle with some Italian dressing, top with mozzarella cheese, and pop it in the broiler or toaster oven to melt the cheese and toast up your bun. You can finish it off with lettuce and tomato, too. Whatever makes you happy. Enjoy!