Super Bowl menu and a yummy recipe

Usually for the Super Bowl, we do an appetizer schmorgasboard for our meal. That sometimes can get just as expensive (and time consuming) as doing a full dinner! So this year we decided on BBQ Beef Sandwiches, Chips and Dip, fresh fruit or veggies (My mother in law is bringing that so I'm not sure what she's bringing), baked beans, and a chocolate sheet cake with buttercream icing.

I have to say that I've been working on the BBQ Beef since Saturday at noon and my house has smelled heavenly. I've been reading a variety of beef recipes lately (Do you read cookbooks cover to cover like I do?). After reading several, I created this recipe which is a conglameration of the recipes that I read, and some things from my own beef repetoire.

Start with a yellow onion sliced slightly thick, and saute it in some melted butter.

Throw that into a crockpot that has been sprayed with Pam.

Put in a 3-4 lb chuck roast.

Add 1/2 cup soy sauce, 3 cups water, 2 beef boullion cubes, and three peeled cloves of garlic. (Don't need to mince/press the garlic, we want to taste the flavor, not eat the chunks). Top all off with a (15oz) can of diced tomatoes.

Put the lid on the crockpot and walk away for a long time. I did about 5 pounds of meat and it was on low for about 8 hours. When it gets to where it starts to shred when you poke and prod it with a fork, it's done.

I took the meat out of the broth, shredded it into a big container, put a few ladles of broth on top (just to keep it moist, and try to just get broth, not chunks of onion, tomato, or garlic). Then put some of the broth into the container and throw it in the fridge.

Today, I put the meat back in the crockpot, and topped with a bottle of Kraft Original BBQ sauce. I buttered and toasted some buns. And in about 45 minutes I will be eating a fabulously yummy bbq sandwich.

And what did I do with that extra broth I saved? Well... I pulled off the chunks of solidified fat (yuck), and heated the broth up. I melted some butter in a pan, whisked in some flour and let it cook for a few minutes (this is "roux" and you've got to give it a chance to brown a little. The head chef on the Disney Cruise told me so). Then dump in some broth and whisk your little heart out. Keep adding broth and simmering and whisking until it reaches the desired gravy consistency. Then pour over some frozen meatballs in a crockpot and let cook away. This would be what the girls (okay and the adults) will be enjoying with the rest of the meal. Nothing makes gravy like real-homemade-fresh broth. Yummo.

Hope you had a great weekend!