Dinner Party for Eight (Italian Beef Sandwiches, Green Beans with Balsamic Glaze, Sweet Potato Fries and Grilled Sweet Corn)

Cooking for eight people can seem daunting.  Slow cooker recipes are a great way to feed a large group without stressing out.  My mom gave me this recipe and it never fails to impress.  For the side dishes, I stuck with simple vegetable preparations since the focus of the meal was the beef.

Sweet Corn
8 ears of sweet corn (peeled)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black peper

1. Grill on medium high heat for 30 mins (rotating corn every 10 minutes)
2. If not done, finish in 350 F oven for 5 minutes

Green Beans and Balsamic glaze

1. Wash and trim green beans.
2. Boil or blanche the green beans.
3. Meanwhile  reduce 1 cup of balsamic vinegar in a pan over medium heat.  Add a pinch of sugar to vinegar.
4. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the liquid tastes sweet.
5. Serve green beans with balsamic glaze on the side or drizzles on top of the beans.

Sweet Potato Wedges

3-4 Sweet potatoes or yams
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon paprika
½ chipotle powder
1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
a dash of cayenne powder
½ teaspoon of cinnamon

Prep Time: 15 minutes                   Bake Time: 25-30 minutes                            Oven Temp: 400 F

1. Wash and peel sweet potatoes.  Cut into wedges.
2. Transfer to a bowl and toss with all ingredients except cinnamon.
3. Bake for 25- 30 mins, rotating throughout so that the wedges cook evenly.
4. During the last 5 minutes of bake time, sprinkle cinnamon over wedges.
5. Serve warm.

Italian Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients
1 boneless beef chunk roast (3 lbs)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup red wine (I used leftover Malbec)
1 jar sliced pepperocinis (undrained)
1 medium sweet red pepper (cut into small slices)
1 green bell pepper (cut into small slices)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
2 spoonfuls of sliced jalapenos  (optional)
6-8 thick bread rolls (the bread needs to be sturdy so that it wont become soggy when the beef filling is added)

Prep Time: 10 minutes      Cook Time: 5 hours     

1. Cut roast in half and place in a 5 quart slow cooker/crock pot.
2. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, cayenne and black pepper.
3. Add red wine. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
4. In a separate bowl combine the pepperocinis, jalapenos, sliced peppers, garlic, soup mix and Worchestershire sauce. Keep this bowl beside your slow cooker to add later.
5. After  4 hours, remove beef from crock pot and shred with two forks.  Return to pot and add the second bowls contents.  Cook on high for 1 hour.
6. Serve hot on thick bread rolls.  I used dutch crunch.