Ya’ll are going to love me!!!  This is a pretty easy, makes in the crock pot and you come home to a wonderful smelling house and supper is almost ready.  How do you like me now?  I am giving ya’ll another ticket to New Orleans and ya’ll won’t even have to leave your house.  I mentioned my precious friend Angie in my post the other day I do believe.  She loves to cook, like me she cooks just about every night, and she doesn’t play around with so so recipes.  She goes full throttle, as a friend, mom, cook, you name it.  She is a little spitfire from Monroe but only small in stature.  Her personality is big.  I just absolutely love her.  She is hilarious, loves coffee and loves to text crazy emoticons that relate to whatever insane situation we have gotten ourselves into at the moment.  Like me, she loves Doxies.  In fact, she spawned my insane love of Doxies.  So as you can see, we have lots in common.  A few months after we met, she emailed this recipe to me.  My first thought was, “um yum!!” and also “sister is my kind of girl”.  I mean, willing to share a family recipe and such a fab one at that.  So, we became fast friends as did our kiddos and I am blessed to have her in my life.  First time I made this recipe, we were blown away.  It was “wow.  just wow”.  This is an authentic recipe and makes excellent, just like the French Quarter, poboy.  Obviously I need to take a trip to NOLA soon because this is the second copycat NOLA restaurant recipe I have made and posted this past week.  NOLA is calling I suppose.

I won’t go into much detail but lately Angie’s daughter has been having a few health issues.  They have been in and out of the hospital.  As a friend, it has been hard to watch.  But not nearly as hard as I imagine it has been on them to have to stay in the hospital and to watch her daughter endure all that she has.  Or for C to endure the poking, prodding and testing.  But they have.  As a friend, it has been hard not to see them.  I miss my friend.  My kids miss their friend.  Something we thought was only temporary has turned into a a more lengthy battle.  We cannot see them because sweet C cannot be around anyone who might have some sort of illness and with 4 school aged kids, my kids could have who the heck knows what.  So, we talk when we can and text when the mood strikes.  C is going to eventually be ok but it will be a long road.  Angie is a tough woman and I know she can endure, but my heart hurts for them.  It is kind of like all of this crazy winter weather.  Though we have not been hit with any blizzards or extreme cold, it has been cold enough for us here in the South.  Some of us even have some white stuff they call Sneaux on the ground (not us here in Shreveport because of some sort of freaky weather bubble but that is a topic for another time).  Just like the snow will melt, the ground will thaw, and the cold will turn to warm spring air, C’s body will get stronger and normal life will eventually resume.  The kids will be running and playing, jumping in the pool and sunning themselves on the deck while Angie and I chit chat and drink cup after cup of coffee. Sometimes I guess, you have to just hunker down, pray hard, and have faith.  That bodies will heal and that the sun will eventually shine again.  Endure the hard times by leaning on friends and when things are good, appreciating those good times.  And those people you enjoy them with.  Share good recipes and laugh.  Count your blessings and know that normalcy is a blessing.  Day to day life, though sometimes boring, is pretty perfect as is.  So just like Angie shared this wonderful recipe that forged a forever bond between us, I will extend this recipe to you.  Because that is just what we do.

Ready to enjoy some fun in the sun with my friend again…soon.  I miss her face.  

Jim’s Version of Napolean House Po-boys 

Stuff You Need:

3 pound chuck roast (must be chuck)

flour

salt and pepper

canola oil

1 cup chicken broth or stock

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

melted butter

garlic powder

creole mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomato (depending on how you want yours’ dressed)

loaf of french bread

What to do with the stuff:

Season flour with salt and pepper.  Dredge roast in seasoned flour.  Heat canola oil in a large cast iron skillet and then brown roast on all sides.  Put roast in 6.5 quart crock pot.  Now, add the remaining seasoned flour to the remaining oil in the skillet.  You are kind of making up a little roux.  If you don’t have enough oil left, just add a little.  You want to make a paste.  Now, whisk in the chicken stock and deglaze the pan.  You want to pick up all the little browned bits at the bottom of the skillet.  Now, pour all of this over the roast that is in the crock pot.  Lay the thinly sliced garlic over this.  Cook on low all day or until the roast is tender and you have a nice gravy.  You can shred the meat or slice it, whichever you rather.

Now, slice the French bread horizontally.  Pour the melted butter over the open loaf.  Sprinkle with garlic powder.  Turn broiler on low and slightly toast the bread until the edges are browned.  Make sure you watch the bread as it can go from perfectly browned to burnt quickly!!!  Cut loaf in half vertically to make 2 sandwiches or cut into smaller pieces to serve more. Spread mayo and or creole mustard over one half of the bread.  Spoon beef and gravy over the other half of the bread.  Top with  lettuce and sliced tomatoes if you want yours’ fully dressed.  Enjoy this delicious taste of New Orleans.  Don’t forget the napkins, ma cher!!!  C’est ci bon baby.

Dredged in seasoned flour and ready for browning…gonna be good yeah.  MMMMMM!!!