All you have to do is look at the ads and you can tell we are still in the full swing of summer. Fareway's ad again this week is advertising steaks, the greatest grilling meat there is.

Boneless beef chuck roast $2.39 lb. Well, here it is, I'm going to give away my secret to the best French dip I've made.

3 1/2 - 4 lb chuck roast. I add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to a frying pan on high heat and while I am waiting for that to heat up, pretty hot(starting to smoke, but not burn) I completely cover the whole roast with Italian seasoning. When the oil is hot, I sear every side of the roast, even the ends.

Then I mix the following ingredients:

1/2 c. soy sauce (less if it's a new bottle, it's stronger when first opened, decrease)

1 beef bouillin cube

1 bay leaf

3-4 peppercorns

1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. garlic

I now put the seared roast in the crockpot and cover with the mix, add enough water so that it comes to the top of the roast. Cook all day on low heat (7 hrs) About an hour before, or whenever the roast is near done, take two forks and pull the meat apart.

I serve the meat on french rolls, warmed in the oven, just enough to make the outside a bit crunchy. Add a little bowl of the juice with your sandwich to dip it in.

We always have cheesy potatoes with it, a family favorite.

Boneless Top of Iowa Sirloin Steak is a good steak for the money. I suggest you marinade it for additional tenderness.

Boneless butterfly pork chop. Excellent summer sandwich. I like to get them thin enough to put on a bun. I season them and slather on BBQ sauce at the end. If you wrap the sandwiches in foil, they will stay warm for quite awhile. I sometimes pack these for the baseball game, serve wtih chips, which Fastco chips are on sale for .88 cents. Ipersonally don't buy chips anywhere but Aldi's, unless it's a really good sale. Aldi chips are great and your family will never know the difference if you don't tell them. Disguise them in a different bag, if you have to!

Sara Lee 100% classic wheat bread. Ugh!!!! Let me tell you, this doesn't mean whole wheat!!!! Be careful of labels, but the good whole wheat bread. My kids weren't happy at first, but before I knew it, they were asking for the GOOD bread, we like Amana whole wheat bread from Fareway. I started using the breads with my panini maker, which kind of toast it, so they couldn't tell it was a little darker, now they love it.

Panini maker was a great purchase by the way. I bought ours last summer, I was grasping at straws trying to make the kids a good lunch that they would actually eat. It turned out a great investment. You can even use stale bread and they are great. I buy fresh deli meat, never packaged lunch meat, it's full of fats and perservitives. You can really add some spice and so many options.

Easy Panini's Feel free to add veggies, lettuce, tomatoe, peppers, onion, etc.

Turkey deli meat

2-3 slices of cooked bacon

Cheese (of your chose)

BBQ sauce

Turkey, ham and sliced salami or those little pepperoni's

Mayo

Cheese

Slice left over steak, real thin, into strips

Sautted mushrooms

Provolone or swiss cheese

(sautted onions would also be great)

Breakfast Sandwich (I learned this one while remodeling our kitchen)

Again I am using the good whole wheat bread

Sausage patty (Aldi's Appleton Pork Sausage Patties, original in the freezer dept. $3.49 2lb)

(these little patties are really good, you cook in micro for 60 seconds)

Egg patty I add about a TBsp. margarine or butter in a glass bowl, melt, add 1 egg and a little milk, micro, stirring once.

Top with provolone cheese and then put in your panini maker just enough to melt cheese and toast bread, it's great and EASY!

It's Sweetcorn season, who can resist the yummy sweetness of our shortlived vegtable. If you have some left from a meal, simply wrap in saran wrap and then you can just throw in micro about 40 seconds to reheat. I'm working on a corn soup tomorrow, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Just a few other money saving tips

I always buy my milk from Aldi, It's $1.49 a gallon, the cheapest around and isn't any different from Dean's or Swiss Valley. It all comes from the same cow, just a different label. I talked to a truck driver once who told me that when he would pick up his milk shipment that they would ask for what store and then put the label on. You are only paying for the label.

I will be adding more about how great powdered milk is for you and sharing some recipes next month.

Eggs .69 Aldi, same chicken!!!

Well, I have a hungry child. I'll update more tomorrow! Stay tuned for our Fair Meal! Corn dogs and Lemonade Shake ups, without the high price!