ROAST BEEF WITH GARLIC-BUTTER POTATOES

Serves 8 - 325 degree oven

4 medium potatoes; peeled if desired, sliced 1/4" thick

1/4  cup butter; melted

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 beef bottom-round roast (3 lbs)

salt and pepper

Horseradish-Mustard Sauce (recipe below)

Spread potatoes in shallow lightly greased roasting pan; drizzle with mixture of butter and garlic. Rub beef with salt and pepper and place on potatoes.  Roast in preheated 325 degree oven for 1 1/4 to 2 hours or until meat thermometer registers 5-10 degrees lower than desired doneness.

Remove from oven and let stand about 10 minutes.  Serve half the meat hot, sliced thin, with the potatoes. Refrigerate the remaining meat and slice thin prior to serving cold with Horseradish-Mustard sauce.

Horseradish-Mustard Sauce:  Mix equal parts of prepared horseradish, prepared mustard and sour cream.  Will keep up to 1 week.

Review:  Not a huge fan of a bottom roast, but got one from my butcher (at what I thought, considerable cost --- $7.00/lb) and was happy with the outcome both hot, and cold with the sauce.  I probably wouldn't make it again, however. 

CHOCOLATE FILLED THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Makes 3 dozen

350 degree oven

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 t vanilla

3 cups flour

1/2 cup (scant) semisweet chocolate chips

5 t milk

1/2  t salt

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Chocolate Filling:

1 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 T solid vegetable shortening

1/4 cup light corn syrup

2 T water

1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Blend butter, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, milk and salt, and mix well.  Form dough into 1" balls.  Arrange on ungreased baking sheets.  

Indent center of each ball by pressing firmly with thumb.  Bake cookies until golden, about 12-15 minutes.  Immediately roll in powdered sugar, covering them completely (that was not easy). Arrange on rack and let cool 15 minutes.

Prepare filling:  Melt chocolate and shortening in top of double boiler over hot water,  Remove from heat.  Stir in remaining ingredients until smooth. Let cool 5 minutes.

Place generous 1/2 teaspoon of filling into each thumbprint.  Store in airtight container.

Review:  These were like a shortbread with chocolate filling.  Good, but more trouble to make than they were worth.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH GARDEN VEGETABLES

The vegetables in this recipe can change with the seasons.  Asparagus spears or sweet baby peas may be substituted for the zucchini (which I didn't even include).  I chose to split the chicken down the breastbone so that I could broil the skin more effectively.

6-8 servings - 400 degree oven

1 1/4 t salt

1/4 t Hungarian sweet paprika

freshly ground pepper

2  2 1/2-3 lb frying chickens; washed and patted dry

6 celery leaf sprigs

2 parsley sprigs

2 bay leaves
1 T oil

1/2 cup parsley

2 large cloves garlic

1 med onion, chopped

4 med carrots, cut into 2" pieces

3 large celery stalks, cut into 2" pieces

6 small red new potatoes

2 T oil

1/2 t dried thyme

1/2 t salt

freshly ground pepper

2 small zucchini

Preheat broiler.  Combine first three ingredients in small bowl. Rub chicken cavities with some of mixture.  Place 3 celery sprigs, parsley sprig and bay leaf in each cavity.  Rub outside of chickens with oil and sprinkle with remaining paprika mixture.  Fold wings up over neck and tuck legs closely into the body.  Arrange chickens in large roasting pan breast side up. Broil 5" from the heat source until brown; about 6 minutes.

Chop parsley, garlic and onions and place in large bowl.  Slice celery and carrots, and add whole small potatoes to bowl.  Add oil, thyme, salt and pepper and toss gently.  Arrange around chicken in roasting pan.

Position rack in center of oven.  Cover pan or tent with foil and roast for 50-55 minutes in 400 degree oven.

If using additional vegetables which cook quickly (zucchini, etc), place them over the cooked vegetables and cover and continue roasting for an additional 10 minutes.

Let the chickens rest before serving.

Review:  This was an easy tasty dish that I will make again.

SPIRITED FRUIT BREAD

From Bon Appetit, October 1983 ...

Makes 1 loaf - oven at 350 degrees

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
2 T apricot brandy (substituted brandy)
2 T almond liqueur (substituted Grand Marnier)
2 t vanilla
1 cup mashed ripe banana
2 t pumpkin pie spice
2 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 cups flour
6 oz dried apricots, finely chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and lightly flour 9" x 5" loaf pan.

Combine sugar, melted butter eggs, liquor and vanilla in large bowl and whisk well until well blended.  Stir in mashed banana.  Combine pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt in small bowl and mix well.  Whisk into banana mixture; blending well.  Fold in flour using spatula (batter will be thick).  Stir in chopped apricots and walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean; about 50-55 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack; about 2-3 hours.  Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and store at room temperature from at least 2 days before serving.

Review:  Not any better than my usual banana bread.  Thought the liquor would add to the taste, but it didn't.

RASPBERRY-STUFFED PORK CHOPS

Serves 4 - 350 degree oven

1 1/2 cups raspberry jam

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup honey

2 tbsp diced onion

2 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

4   1 1/2" thick loin pork chops

1/2 onion, sliced 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine jam, apricots, honey, diced onion, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper in medium bowl.  Make slits in sides of pork chops, forming pockets.  Generously stuff some of the jam mixture into each chop and secure with toothpicks.  Set aside remaining jam mixture.  Arrange chops in 9" x 13" baking pan, and bake for 30 minutes.

Top each chop with some additional jam mixture and onion rings.  Cover and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes.

Review:  Not terrible, but perhaps a bit too sweet and fruity for my taste

"NEW" JELL-O PUDDING DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

This recipe is from 1982 when General Foods first introduced Jell-o cooked pudding in packages.

2 pkg (4-serving size) Jell-o Cooked chocolate pudding and pie filling

3 1/2 cups milk

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1 baked 9" pie shell, cooled

Combine pie filling mix, milk, butter and chips in saucepan.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a full bubbling boil  Remove from heat.

Cool 5 minutes, stirring twice.  Pour into shell and refrigerate for 3 hours. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

Review:  Quick and easy to make, but not really anything great ... unfortunately, photo looks like a nasty piece of pie.

POT ROASTED CHICKEN 

From The Boston Globe, January 23, 1980 ...

Serves 4 - oven 350 degrees

1 chicken; halved

2 tbsp oil or butter

1 clove garlic, minced

4 medium onions; quartered

4 medium potatoes; quartered

6 carrots; cut into 2" pieces

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp rosemary; crumbled

salt and pepper

Heat the oil or butter in a skillet or dutch oven and add the garlic.  Place chicken, skin side down and brown on both sides.

Remove chicken and add vegetables; saute briefly.  Return chicken to pan, add broth, rosemary and salt and pepper.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees, basting a couple of times.  Serve.

Review:  I only made this since it was a cool summer day, and it was next up in my list.  It was just okay ... I think the leftover vegetables will end up being the best part.