Roast Beef Teriyaki

I love the taste of teriyaki and I love roast beef so when I found this recipe and thought that it sounded so good I decided I would try it, but I’m going to admit that I changed most of the steps for making the roast. I simply seared the roasts and then placed them in a slow cooker and then added the marinade on top. It changed a 10+ hour process into 15 minutes of prep and then into the slow cooker to cook the rest of the day.

ROAST BEEF TERIYAKI

6-pound rolled rib roast of beef

2 cups beef broth

2/3 cup soy sauce

½ cup red wine

¼ cup green onions, chopped fine

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons powdered ginger

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Place meat in a deep bowl. Mix together broth, soy sauce, wine, green onions, brown sugar, lemon juice, ginger and garlic. Stir marinade until sugar dissolves. Pour it over the meat and cover with foil. Place in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 10 hours. Turn meat occasionally. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove meat from marinade and place on a rack set in bottom of a foil-lined roasting pan. The foil is important, as the marinade tends to burn on the bottom of the pan. Pour marinade into a saucepan and set aside. A meat thermometer should be used. Allow approximately 32 minutes a pound for rare, 38 minutes a pound for medium. While cooking, brush the meat three or four times with the marinade. Allow meat to set 20 minutes after removing from oven. Before serving, heat remaining sauce and pour into bowl to serve with meat. Serves 8.

The way I made the roast:

I seared the roast on all sides for color. Then I placed the roast in the slow cooker. I mixed the beef broth, soy sauce, red wine, green onions, brown sugar, lemon juice, ginger and garlic. Then I poured the mixture over the roasts. I turned the slow cooker on low and cooked the roast for about 8 hours. Take it out and let it rest about 20 minutes before slicing. 

I saved the marinade that the roast cooked in and used it to make a gravy. I also added potatoes to the roast after it had been cooking for a couple of hours. My family really enjoyed it and the next day I used the left overs to make a vegetable beef stew which was also a hit.

Happy October!

I love autumn! I love the changing colors of the trees, the cooler temperatures, the campfires or fire pits, the apples, the pumpkins, and the food! Hot chocolate, doughnuts, apple fritters, apple cake, apple butter, applesauce…did I mention apples?

Today’s recipe is fresh apple cake. I found this recipe in the Kansas City Star Magazine, October 24, 1971. It was submitted by a Mrs. Frank C. Farrell of Kansas City. I followed her recipe very closely because this is the first time that I have ever made a cake from scratch. I will admit that since I am not a fan of pecans that my finished cake will not have the pecan frosting.

FRESH APPLE CAKE

1 ½ cups flour, sifted

2 teaspoons soda

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup butter or margarine

1 ½ cups sugar

4 cups apples, pared and cut to pea size

1 cup dry oatmeal or bread crumbs

Sift together flour, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Into mixture blend butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs. Stir in apple and oatmeal. Bake in a well-greased, 13 x 9 inch pan at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

PECAN FROSTING

2 ½ tablespoons flour

½ cup milk

½ cup butter or margarine

½ cup sugar

½ cup pecans

Measure flour into sauce pan. Add milk slowly stirring until smooth. Cook over low heat stirring constantly until thick. Set aside to cool. Blend butter and sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add flour mixture and beat until light and of spreading consistency. Spread on cake. Sprinkle with pecans.

I used caramel sauce to top the cake instead of the pecan frosting. It was a hit with my family.

Ozark Pudding

As I was reading through recipes, I found a recipe for Ozark Pudding. When I told my parents that I had found it, my mom told me that it was one of my dad’s favorite desserts so I made it for the family the other night. When it bakes it forms a crust, and my niece Addie liked the crust so much that she picked at it all evening long. J I had heard of Ozark Pudding, but never tried it. I ended up really enjoying it although I will admit to the fact that I probably would have enjoyed it better without the nuts. Dessert was a big hit that night. Next time I think I will double the recipe.

Mrs. Harry S. Truman’s Ozark Pudding

1 egg

1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts.)

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup raw chopped apples

Beat the egg and sugar for a considerable time, until it is very smooth. Mix flour, baking powder and salt and then stir into sugar-egg mixture. Add apples, nuts, and vanilla. Bake in a buttered pie pan in 350-degree oven for 35 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. A little rum flavoring may be added, if desired.

Kansas City Star Magazine cookbook, October 24, 1971

Variations I thought of:

• Make individual puddings in ramekins.
• Use pecans instead of walnuts.
• For those who don’t like nuts, leave them out and double the apples.
• Add cinnamon, nutmeg, or apple pie seasoning.

Taco Meatloaf

While I was going through notebooks with recipes written down by my great-grandmothers, I came across a “cookbook” from the Kansas City Star Magazine. This cookbook was dated October 24, 1971, and it has many recipes that were submitted by cooks from throughout the Kansas City metro area. One of the recipes that caught my fancy was a taco meatloaf. I love tacos and I love meatloaf so I thought why not. The recipe was submitted to the Kansas City Star by a Mrs. Ray G. Roberts from Overland Park, KS.

 I made this as the main dish for our Monday night family dinners. Almost every Monday night, my parents, I, my sister, brother-in-law and my niece and nephew get together for a family dinner. Since I am starting this blog, my family is going to be the guinea pigs of any recipes that I try out. The taco meatloaf was a hit with them.

Parentheses indicate the changes that I made to the recipe.

TACO MEATLOAF

2 pounds ground chuck

1 cup crushed taco shells (I used Fritos.)

1/3 cup taco sauce

2 tablespoons taco spice

1 egg

½ cup Monterey jack cheese, crumbled (shredded)

Combine all ingredients. Press into loaf pan or ring mold. Bake at 375 degrees for 60 minutes. Pour off excess fat. Return to oven about one minute. (I added taco sauce to the top of the meatloaf before returning it to the oven.)

To vary the oven for hamburgers: Omit egg and Monterey Jack cheese. Make hamburger patties as usual, rolling them a little thin. Top with cheddar cheese after frying and serve on a bun with taco sauce.

Some variations that I thought of while making the meatloaf:

• ·         Use ground turkey or chicken for a healthier option
• ·         Crush more taco shells to add to the top of the meatloaf for a garnish and to add a little crunch.
• ·         Make a taco meatloaf taco by placing a slice of meatloaf in a taco shell and then topping with your favorite taco toppings.
• ·         Using crushed tortilla chips instead of taco shells.

Call Me Old-Fashioned

When I started this blog a few months ago, I didn't have a plan or a direction for it and because of that I haven't been very faithful about writing. I recently found a direction that I want to take this blog in. I love old things, old recipes, antique furniture, and basically I love how simple life seemed to be back when my grandparents and great-grandparents were children.  I have decided to head the blog in the direction of the past. I plan to share old family recipes I have found and some that aren't old family recipes. I have managed to obtain a number of old cookery books and books about homesteading, gardening, vintage crafts, herbs, cleaning, etc. As I explore how they did things in the past, I plan on sharing some of these things with you along with how I am adapting them for today. As King Solomon says several times in Ecclesiastes, there is nothing new under the sun so I am going to take sometime to share some of the old.

Tonight I am making dinner for my family. I am making  an old recipe I found for Taco Meatloaf and Ozark Pudding so tomorrow and Wednesday look for the recipes and photos.

Lost and Confused

I haven't posted in over a month and during this month I have been grieving, fighting depression and anxiety, trying to find a job and a new direction for my life. I am lost and confused. I feel like the Lord is silent and that He is hiding. He is teaching me to trust Him.

In Psalm 13, David so clearly describes what I am thinking and feeling right now. He talks about being depressed, lost, confused, and feeling like the Lord has turned away from him, but in the end he states that he trusts in the Lord's unfailing love. He chooses to trust the Lord and chooses to rejoice and sing even in the midst of depression.

So that is what I am choosing to do right now. I am choosing to trust and I am singing praises to the Lord at the top of my lungs. Because His love is unfailing and He always provides I just have to trust and have faith in His timing.