Certain things remind me of sunny summer or spring days: flip flops, sea shells, picnic baskets, lemonade, popsicles… Shanna’s Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches ;). Really, they do, especially how she photographed them — served open faced with veggies and just the right amount of melted cheese, for added flavor. This is the stuff that a good sunny day lunch is made of, say goodbye to cold cuts.

But when you’re planning a weekend picnic or outdoor party, the last thing you want to think about is cooking when it’s beautiful outside! Nice weather is meant to be enjoyed, and so are sandwiches. Neither of them should be boring, and Shanna’s are far from that. She slow cooked the beef until it was tender, the juicy meat is not only moist but also flavorful. Shanna gave the roast a twist by adding a dried Italian dressing mix to the meat while it cooked for about 10 hours.

My mouth is watering at the sound of that. Top the sandwiches off with sauteed veggies and cheese like Shanna does and even you’ll be drooling. Good Stuff Maynard is the blog to visit for more tasty lunch ideas like this one!