Spring Comforts

Whoa…what a busy couple of weeks.

Spring time should mean garden centers, sunny days and warm evenings.  But here in Oklahoma we’ve had nothing but cold and damp!   Clearly, this calls for a little bit of comfort food to warm us up and bring the family together!

All too often those kind of meals require a lot of preparation and can be very time consuming.  Goodness knows we all are too busy running a shuttles for our families to spend four hours in the kitchen on a weeknight!  So, here is my family’s favorite comfort food that can all be prepared ahead of time or can be thrown into a crock pot and left to simmer while you are away and be ready and waiting for you to serve when you get home!

 

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

3 pound beef tenderloin or rump roast
2 cans Campbell’s French Onion soup
1 can beer
1 can of low sodium beef broth
1 package hoagie rolls
8 slices provolone cheese
seasoning salt
pepper

Place the beef tenderloin in the crockpot and pour in the french onion soup, beer and beef broth. Turn on slower cooker to low and cook for 8 hours. When you get back your meat will be so tender and ready for sandwiches. Remove meat and set on cutting board to cool. Then shred for sandwiches.

To make sandwiches open up the hoagie roll and top with provolone cheese. Place under broiler and allow to melt and get toasty.

Top your rolls with the warm beef. Dip out the juice into small bowls and use the left over juice to dunk your sandwich into.

Easy AuGratin Potatoes

1 package Ore-Ida Southern Style or O’Brien Hash Browns
1 onion, chopped fine
1/2 stick butter, unsalted
1 can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Philadelphia Cooking Creme, Original flavor
2 cups Kraft Touch of Philly Triple Cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper
1 cup canned fried onions
1 cup corn flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 casserole pan with non stick spray.
In a small skillet saute onion and butter till tender. Remove from heat.
Using a large bowl, pour in hash browns, onion mixture, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, cooking creme, and shredded cheese. Stir together until well combined. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
Pour potato mixture into 9×13 casserole pan.
Combine corn flakes and fried onions in a bowl. Sprinkle on top of casserole.
Bake for 30 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil and allow to cook 15 additional minutes or until topping is browned.

Chocolate Bliss Bundt Cake

1 devils food cake mix (no pudding added)
1 small box instant chocolate fudge pudding
3 eggs
1 cup hot water
½ cup canola oil
1 cup sour cream
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks
1 container fudge frosting (not whipped)
½ cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray Bundt pan with non stick spray. In a large bowl add the cake mix and fudge pudding. Using an electric mixer, pour in the water and oil mixing till smooth. Slowly add eggs one at a time till incorporated. Pour in the sour cream and mix only till you do not see white. The batter will be quite thick. Fold in chocolate chunks. Spoon cake batter into bundt pan making sure to smooth top. Place into oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cook 10 minutes. Cover couter top with parchment the width of Bundt pan and invert onto counter. Allow to sit a couple of hours. (The heat of the cake creates moisture within this sealed dome and ensures a super moist cake) Once it pan is completely cool remove pan and place cake on a plate.

To make chocolate glaze: remove metal lid from frosting container. Place container in microwave and heat on high for 1 minute or until smooth enough to pour over cake. Once glaze is poured over cake, top with mini chocolate chips and serve.