RECIPE: Biere Dip

There are few foods in the world I love more than French dip. Seriously. If you put Russian caviar next to a poorly-made French dip, I'd still pick the dip -- no question. So it was high priority for me to come up with a solid French dip recipe. And here it is.

• 1 1/2 pounds of chuck roast, cubed
• 12 oz of beer (I used Leinenkugel, but I bet an amber or a stout would be even better...)
• 1 can of beef broth (low-sodium for me)
• 1 package of onion soup mix (generic rocks)
• 1/2 cup of soy sauce (Kikkoman)
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic

Throw everything in the slow cooker on HIGH for 6 hours. Move the beef to a bowl and shred it with a fork; put the shredded beef on a roll.  Strain the little onion bits out of the broth, and make bowls of au jus for dipping. My hubby recommends a slice of cheese on the sandwich, but I can go either way. Tres delish, dude.

RECIPE: Fakeyaki

I'm addicted to Chinese food but a total wok-o-phobic. Too easy to overcook the chicken, too easy to undercook the veggies. Not to mention, my inner health nut feels guilty super-soaking the pan with sesame oil. So I came up with this dish that takes about five minutes to prep, two hours to cook, and tastes like real teriyaki. You don't even have to invest in sake.

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup organic ketchup (I'm anti-HFCS)
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cubed

Throw the chicken on a cast iron skillet for about two minutes, so the outsides are white but the insides are still pink, then throw it in the slow cooker along with everything else. Whisk it up and cook on HIGH for two hours. Added steamed broccoli for the last 15 minutes of cook time (or add frozen broccoli halfway through). Serve over rice, obvi.