French Dips and President Clinton
I got in trouble the other day, for making my first RR recipe without my older daughter there to help. She loves to cook, and she loves Rachael Ray, and naturally she was mad that her younger sister got to help instead. So I remedied that situation tonight, but trying out yet another meal.
After gathering info on what the kids felt like having for dinner, we decided to try the French Dip with Italian Attitude as the whole family adores them, although the general attitude was “We’ll try it, but nothing beats our Auntie’s French Dips!” They knew it would be different, but Rachael Ray had huge shoes to fill if this was going to go over well with MY kids.
A quick trip to the store (I had to go anyway, I was out of my elixir of life - namely, Diet Coke) and the ingredients were gathered. We did, again, make a few substitutions because of where we live and the availability of certain ingredients. And we had to double the recipe, as it was written for 2, and there’s 4 of us.
So! The ingredients and our adjustments:
1 wide baguette
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano - [I] again, too expensive. We used grated Italian Cheese Blend - the kind in the can you shake over spaghetti? Yeah, that stuff.[/I]
1 small onion, chopped
2 large clove garlic, divided, 1 chopped, 1 crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
1 sprig of rosemary leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound sliced roast beef
6 slices provolone cheese
[I]Additions: 2 slices pepper jack cheese for The Girl, and mushrooms. because we like them, darnit.[/I]
We overtoasted the bread a little bit, but it was salvageable. We also added the onions/mushrooms from the sauce to the sandwiches, and also in a cup for dipping.
The biggest problem we had? The sandwiches were too big! We all cut them into smaller pieces so that we could soak them in the sauce, but oh… such a small price to pay! It was FANTASTIC and a BIG hit with the kids. While they ALL agreed that they loved Auntie’s Au Jus sauce better, they agreed that this Italian version was pretty darn tasty and would certainly eat it again. In fact, here’s their rating on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the worst, five being the best:
The Boy: 6.5! Not that it’s BETTER then Aunties, it’s DIFFERENT and are you gonna eat that piece? Yeah? bummer…
The Girl: 7! It was good! And easy! and did I mention GOOD?
The Pup: 82!!!! (No, dear, seriously.) Oh, ok. Yeah, definitely a 9 then.
Clearly, I’m going to have to rethink my rating scale. As for me, I give it a 4.5. It was good, and we’ll definitely make them again. I think it needed more garlic. Everything’s better with more Garlic!
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Today on the Rachael Ray Show, President Bill Clinton spent the majority of the hour at the Kitchen Table, and along with Rachael Ray’s Yum-o! Organization announcement, they talked extensively about what President Clinton and his Alliance for a Healthier Generation is doing as well to help battle obesity in American kids.
Bill Clinton is still a dynamic speaker, and it’s clear he really cares about this Alliance, and helping families that work so much, and lack the time to come together in the kitchen, at the table, and rely on fast food and other things to keep them fed. It’s not a quick fix, as it’s not been a quickly growing problem. He’s working with schools to give better choices on their school menus.
President Clinton spoke a bit about his own struggles with weight, (Hello! we remember his Presidential runs to McDonalds, right? Hee!) and like Rachael, he preaches all things in moderation. It’s ok to splurge once in a while, as long as you’re basic diet is healthy!
It was a really good show, and if you missed it, try and catch a replay.
Rachael, Ray, Rachael Ray, 30 minute meals, RR, TV, a day, Food Network, Everyday, President Bill Clinton, Yum-o!, Healthy Kids
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