French Dip Sandwiches

I like recipe posts where they cut right to the chase and post the bare necessities, aka the recipe, right off the bat rather than stringing you along through a host of unnecessary pictures that are only there for the cooking challenged and make you wade through a mountain of information when all you want is the list of ingredients so you can make a darn shopping list.  That being said, here is the recipe first and foremost, and a host of cheesy posed pictures that should be unnecessary if you have ever set foot in the kitchen before in your life will follow.   

FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES

(Crock Pot Italian Beef Au Jus)

3-5 lb boneless beef roast (chuck)

1 pkg au jus mix

1 pkg Italian salad dressing mix

14 oz can beef broth

1/2 soup can water

Place beef in crock pot.  Combine remaining ingredients.  Pour over roast.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  Slice or shred meat with forks.  Use juice for dipping.  Can thicken broth if desired.  Serve on toasted hoagie buns.  Add swiss or monterey jack cheese for an extra treat.

A friend gave me this recipe and I love it both because it is the easiest recipe in the world but also because of all of the french dip sandwiches that I have ever tried at restaurants over the years, this recipe makes the best sandwich I have ever had.  

So here are the photographed instructions:

Take your roast (I suppose those penny-pinchers out there could find a cheaper roast than this):

 

Be sure to remove that blood soaker thing before putting the roast in the crock pot (just hypothetical, of course, this has never happened to me...)

Take the above ingredients and mix together...

Don't forget to add the 1/2 can of water.  Don't worry if it's a bit lumpy.  That will cook away.  Then pour over roast...

Cook on low for 8 hours.  I started mine a little late and did it on high for the first 4 hours.  After that I chopped it into about 4 smaller pieces and turned the heat down to low for the last bit.  Then about an hour before I was ready to serve it up, I pulled out a piece at a time and just put it on a plate and started shredding it with forks as shown below.  

Once it was shredded, I added the shreds back into the crock pot to soak in the yummy juices for the last hour.  You can also just slice it up if you prefer.

I like to serve mine on toasted hoagie buns so I butter them first...

 then toast them on the griddle (or on a skillet, depending on how many you are trying to do at once)

 I then like to ladle out the au jus into small bowls for dipping for each person and then just use a slotted spoon to dish out the meat onto the toasted bun, slap on a piece of swiss or monterey jack cheese (or any cheese of your choosing or availability) and serve it up.  Enjoy!

To dip or not to dip... That is the question!

**Remember that TODAY is the last day to enter our giveaway here!!

We linked up with:

Whipperberry

30Days

Naptime Crafters

Creation Corner

Tater Tots & Jello

The Creative Crate

Father's Day Ideas

First off if you haven't already entered our giveaway please do so. You only have 2 days left to enter. And remember to leave a comment for each thing you do.

Is it just us or is this year just flying by? Seriously May is a blur.

And now Father's Day is creeping up on us.

With just over a week left, we thought we would hook you up with some fun ideas we have seen online lately.

But first, we wanted to give you some FREEBIES!

Yes, Tenille created some fun printables for Father's Day.

First is a fun 'Daddy' printable.

There are many things you could do with this.

First it could be used as a card using our 5x7 size.

Or you could print it out, frame it and wrap it up for Dad!

What dad wouldn't love this sitting on his desk at work next to a picture of his kids??

And for those dads who don't have a desk job, like mine, I think it would still look great sitting on his nightstand with a picture of his kids and him together!

Or for the dads who don't care for picture frames, you can print it off and mod podge it to a clipboard.

He can then carry that clipboard around with him at work or hang it in his office.

The printable has since been changed. A few of the words have had the colors changed so they show up better.

Our next printable might not be for everyone. Years ago in college Liesl and Tenille were introduced to 'The Poopie List'. A friend of theirs had this list hanging up in his bathroom. They loved it so much they made copies of it and have kept it all these years (10 to be exact...yikes we are getting old). When trying to think of what to do for Fathers Day they thought about this list they got so many years ago. They thought it would be a hilarious gift for those dads in your life who would appreciate such humor. You can print it out and frame it in your bathroom and give not only the fathers in your life a good laugh, but any guests that may use your bathroom.

To get the 'dad' printable click on the links below

dad(5x7) dad(8x10)

For the 'poopie list' click on the links below

list(8x10) list(11x14)

If that isn't enough, check out some of these ideas we have seen lately online...

DIY Soda Can Coasters

Saw this on The Idea Room

Give him an iDad

Found here

Daddy Printables

How sweet is this?

Idea here

And don't forget Grandpa!

This is so precious!

Go here for the idea

Now there is NO excuse why the fathers in your life shouldn't be spoiled next week!

We linked up with:
Whipperberry
30Days
Naptime Crafters
A Little Tipsy
Creation Corner
Tater Tots & Jello
The Creative Crate

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It's All About DRY SHAMPOO

So I pretty much only wash my hair once or sometimes twice a week.

I would love to tell you I do this specifically because it's pretty healthy for your hair, 

but I do it mostly because I hate to wash my hair!

I hate the extra time it takes in the shower.

I hate to blow dry my hair.

I hate having to style it.

Pretty much I'm lazy with my hair and I hate spending time getting ready.

However, my laziness is so healthy for my hair!:)

Here's how:

-Your hair needs your natural oils to keep it hydrated. Hydrated hair is healthy hair:)

-When you shampoo it everyday you are stripping your hair of these natural oils.

-When you aren't washing it you aren't having to style it as much which means less damage from that blow dryer and other styling tools.

Now this is where some complain that their hair gets too greasy so they have to wash it. 

Yes, I understand that some people's hair gets greasier than others but mainly it's because their hair is so used to being washed everyday that it has to hurry and produce more oil to try to hydrate the hair.

For you everyday hair washer's just start out slowly. Start with washing it every other day for a couple of weeks so your body can get used to it. This extra day may kill some of you because of the extra oil and make it so you can't do anything with your hair. So this is where the magical potion comes into play: 

Dry Shampoo!

I've tried a lot of brands of dry shampoo's out there, some that were pretty pricey might I add but one beats them all and luckily for all of us it's not expensive and conveniently sold at Sally's Beauty Supply!

It's called Batiste Dry Shampoo and comes in a couple different scents. My fav is the Blush.

How does it work you ask?

It comes in an aerosol spray and all you do is shake, spray on your roots (I mostly just spray on my top half and maybe sides), rub it in and brush through.

Quick and easy and you have fresh hair again!

Plus a little added bonus for us blonde's is that it makes your roots look lighter.:) But don't worry if you have dark hair, it won't make it look light like Baby Powder does.

But I will say I still love Bumble and Bumble's Hair Powders too. They are just more expensive and with how much I use it, it's just not fun to fork out that extra money.

However, their dry shampoo's come in different colors which is pretty awesome.

I used to have red hair, however, my roots would come in so light that it looked like I had a grey hair stripe. So I bought the red colored dry shampoo and just sprayed it on my light roots and it instantly matched the rest of my red hair plus making it fresh and have body again. Same goes for if you're trying to hide your grey hairs in between hair appointments. Magical:)

It comes in several colors such as white, blondish, brown, red, and black.

So If you need the extra color bonus then I would definitely invest in a bottle of this magic.

So just to clarify, I'm not saying if you wash your hair everyday it's horrible for your hair. I know many people who do and have gorgeous healthy hair.

However, it does give you and your hair a break so why not give it a try!

It's not as hard now that we have the Dry Shampoo to use:)

Don't forget to enter our giveaway here.  Remember to leave a separate comment for each thing you do.

Carrot Cake...

My husband and I have birthdays right next to each other.  His is the 5th and mine is the 6th.  So every year we do a little family party to celebrate our birthdays.  Basically we kill two birds with one stone.  But this also means that I usually always make 'our' birthday cake.  So this year I wanted something fast and easy, yet delicious.  So I decided on a yummy carrot cake recipe that comes from my in laws family. Best part is that you add all the ingredients together and mix with a spoon...can't get any more simple than that.  And everyone loved it but more importantly, the birthday boy LOVED it. 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups oil
4 eggs
1/2 tsp Allspice
1 cup walnuts
3 cups grated carrots (fresh ones taste better but I have used the pre-shredded ones and they are good too)
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
Combine all ingredients and pour into greased 13X9 inch pan. Bake for 40 minutes in 375 degree oven. Frost with Cream cheese frosting when cool (see frosting below).

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter (softened...if the butter is melted it doesn't taste the same...just trust me on this)

Beat ingredients until creamy

*Don't forget to go HERE and enter our 1st giveaway.  You need to make a comment for each entry you do!

Happy Birthday GIVEAWAY Time!!!

Guess who's having a birthday today??

Yep, the baby GIRL of the family is turning the 

big 2-9!!

Happy Birthday Tenille!

All of us sisters want you to know

WE LOVE YOU

and couldn't think of anyone else

we would rather have BOSSING us around! =)

*And of course all the pics we could find were silly posing pics...

but they showcase her TRUE personality so it's perfect!

In honor of baby sis's special day we would like to have our 1st

GIVEAWAY!!!

I am so very excited to tell you about this giveaway!

ROCKIN BOWSTARS

is an adorable company started by my good friend Ryann & her sister Kendra!

Here's what they have to say...

We are two sisters that decided to turn our hobby into our business.  We have 3 girls between us that love to rock our bows!

We specialize in boutique hair accessories, including bows and flowers for ALL ages.

I can PERSONALLY attest to the unique creativity that comes with a

ROCKIN BOWSTAR 

*My CUSTOM created Easter outfit bows for my 3 girls.  I sent her pics of their outfits and before I knew it I had these beautiful bows in my girls hair!

*Tenille can attest as well since Rockin Bowstars created this one of a kind baby headband flower for her baby girl!  She rocked it too!

Would you like a chance to have your very own custom 

ROCKIN BOWSTARS creation??

Rockin Bowstars is generously giving away a 4th of July custom set.

It includes

Peace & Stars Bottlecap Bow

and

Patriotic Princess Flower

plus

Red Headband

Retail value of $17

To enter for your chance at winning this giveaway please do the following:

*leave a separate comment for each entry you complete

1. Like Rockin Bowstars on FB and come back and tell us your favorite Rockin creation.

2. Follow {Junk in their Trunk} blog either by google reader or google friend connect

3. Like {Junk in their Trunk} on FB

4. Blog about this giveaway and leave a link back.

Giveaway closes Friday June 10th at 9pm PST.

For those who just can't wait...or those who don't win...

ROCKIN BOWSTARS is generously offering a

15% discount on all orders placed from 

NOW thru JULY 4th!!!

Just tell them {Junk in their Trunk} sent you!

Thanks Rockin Bowstars for a fabulous 1st giveaway!!

Knock off girl scout cookies...

Am I the only one who didn't see a single girl scout this cookie season?  What happened to the days where the little girls would go door to door selling their cookies?  Ok maybe I see why they don't want them going door to door but what happened to selling outside a grocery store?  Maybe I can chalk this one up to the fact that I live in a small town and basically when you live in a small town things are just done differently there (you are totally nodding your head right now agreeing if you have ever lived in a small town).  Anyways I have always loved loved loved the girl scout cookies.  Well let me rephrase that...I love the Caramel Delites (or Samoas depending on where you live...which this could be a whole post on its own...why is it called Samoas in some places and Caramel Delites in others...People in my small town thought I had lost it when I was asking for Caramel Delites.  They didn't have a clue and they thought I must be pretty dumb since on the box here it is clearly written Samoas...anyways I have digressed from my original post :)

So this year I really went looking for these little gems.  I was craving them badly and feeling myself getting desperate to find them.  But alas once I tracked down a place selling them they were of course OUT of my Caramel Delites. I wanted to cry...NO JOKE.
Yes my name is Tenille and I am addicted to Caramel Delites.  Thankfully my mother in law found me a box of them and sweetly gave me it.  Of course that box was done within 8 hours of me getting it and 6 of those hours I was sleeping :)  At one point we were down to our last Caramel Delite and I caught my 3 year old boy grabbing it.  I told him firmly that it was my cookie and to hand it over.  Being the obedient child that he is, he quickly took off running in a full sprint to his room.  Being the amazing mother that I am, I took off after him.  Of course that little stinker ate the cookie while running and I was left slouched on the floor wallowing in self pity over losing my last cookie (pathetic I know but don't pretend that you wouldn't have chased your child for that cookie....People, we are talking about Caramel Delites!!). 

And then the miracle occurred.  I posted this little story on my personal blog and my mom, sister and cousin all told me of Keeblers copy cat version of Caramel Delites.  I was so skeptical since I have had copy cat versions before but nothing compared to that overpriced box sold by those girl scouts.  But while I was shopping I saw this box. 

I figured I better give them a  try because after all, 3 very trustworthy people I knew had said they tasted just like the real thing.  Being the ultra patient person that I am, I opened the box in my car in the parking lot of the grocery store.  I took my first bite and, wait for it.....THEY WERE DIVINE.  Tastes almost exactly like the girl scout cookie, but is much much cheaper.  I mean what are girl scout boxes going for these days?  I believe they sell for $3.50 and you get about 5 cookies it feels like.  I got my box for $2.25 (don't know how that will compare with other stores since this was bought at a small town grocery store).  

Needless to say I have bought a few boxes since.  And obviously I have gained about 5 pounds but those 5 pounds were enjoyed and heavenly :)  But the greatest thing about this is I don't have to wait once a year and pay an arm and a leg for these beauties.  I can enjoy them all year long.  

So if you haven't tried these out, give them a whirl.  Let us know what your thoughts are on them.  

And can I get a Hallelujah for not having to wait til February/March 2012 to savor these babies!!!!

And yes while this post was being written at least 4 Coconut Dreams were enjoyed ;)

Summer Fun List

Who's ready for summer?

I know we are!

School doesn't even get out here until next week

but we are READY!

And of course as the mom you need to be prepared for the all too familiar phrase

"I'm bored!"

So let's get you started with some ideas

AND

a fun little way to keep track!

Subway art is HUGE right now and we love it too!

We saw this idea and made our own version for you.

Tenille whipped up this little beauty for you all to enjoy for FREE!

It comes in 6 different title colors (aqua-blue-green-orange-red-black)

***The above pictures are the fixed versions.  We realized after printing that we had many mistakes.  They have now been fixed so hopscotch is spelled correctly, the border is further in so the frame doesn't cut if off and talent show isn't written twice.  So when you print they will look like the versions above, not the one in the frame.

Now all you need to do is download it,

print it out at your favorite printer

(I use Costco...make sure you choose lustre print option AND turn auto correct OFF)

and pop it into an 11x14 frame of your choice.

Then here's the fun part...

Use a dry erase marker to cross off what you have done.

X it out

Make a squiggle line through it

Zig zag across it

*Oh and use a dry erase marker that is not almost dried out like mine!  =)

And the kiddos should have fun just trying to find the item to cross off. 

Enjoy your FREE printable

and

enjoy your SUMMER fun!!

red   orange   green   blue   black   aqua

***Remember these are all 11X14 in size

***And throughout the summer we will be showcasing some of these ideas and how to do them. 

And
StinkyBoys
Sweet C's Designs