Pinterest Challenge: Balsamic Roast Beef

I still don't use my crock pot as much as I ought to, but since discovering crock pot buffalo chicken we've been using it a couple times a month.

While I'm a massive fan of buffalo chicken, my husband is more of a beef guy - so when I saw a pin for Crock Pot Balsamic Roast Beef Dip Sandwiches from Crock-Pot Ladies I immediately started plotting to make it for the husband.

The recipe called for a lot of things I don't usually keep in the house - including balsamic vinegar and Worchestershire Sauce. So it did require a trip to the store, but after being gone for nearly a week for the wedding, I needed groceries anyway.

As predicted, the husband was absolutely thrilled to see some beef on the menu plan. Even if I was a little nervous about adding honey to the mix, we threw it all together as soon as we got home.

That evening:

This absolutely does need a little bit of the leftover broth mixture either poured over the top of the sandwiches or used as a dipping sauce. Not only does it add a little more moisture, but it helps add a little more flavor.

No surprise - I thought the honey was a little too strong. I was sorely tempted to skip it completely, but I tried my best to follow the recipe. I still wonder if I would have liked it better with less or no honey. On the other hand, the husband loved it.

And, as I'd hoped, it made enough for several meals. After a couple sandwiches, we got a little more experimental and made both pizza and tacos. Both of which were way better than the sandwiches.

The pizza is a simple crust, a sauce made of horseradish mixed with balsamic vinegar (which sounds a little weird, but was completely delicious), and some extra sharp cheddar. This is what happens when I turn the husband loose in the kitchen - and yes, it needs to happen a lot more.

I didn't get any pictures of the tacos, but my husband's response was that they were better than the brisket tacos he gets when we go out. Without the horseradish, the tacos were a little sweet for me again.

If I make this recipe again, I'll skip most (or all) of the honey, and we'll turn it all into pizza or tacos. I'm not totally convinced we'll do it again, but I might use it as a jumping off point to do some different flavors with the roast.